Have you felt rushed on your 3 night cruise

[MandyMommytoReaghan]

Our first cruise is coming up in August. My question is, have any of you felt rushed so speak where it is just a 3 night? Also at first we were afraid because it seems like everything is so "timed" and on schedule. Has anyone else ever felt this way? My DH was even afraid we wouldn't feel as if we were on vacation where we had to be here at x:00 and there at x:00. Has anyone else felt this was??TIA

 

[WDWLVR]

Our very first cruise was a 3 day (back when it was only the Magic and they 3 & 4 day cruises). It was a lot of fun, but it did seem to go by in a blur. It felt like right when we got to know our way around it was time to get off. The thing I prefer about a 4 day cruise is you get a day at sea and to me that is what cruising is all about.

I don't regret having a 3 day cruise as our first, but I don't think I'd ever go back to a 3 day cruise.

 

[Auggiedaugie]

MandyMommyToReaghan, I know exactly how you feel. That is why our first cruise was a 3 Night after 4 on land. I have to say that those 3 nights felt like more of a vacation to me than almost any other we had taken. We didn't feel rushed but it definitely was too short! The only scheduled event we partook of was the Dolphin excursion in Nassau (AWESOME), but we had great fun roaming around exploring the ship and just relaxing. I think it is a great way to begin and it will just get you hooked to return for more! Don't fret; you'll have a great time, ENJOY!

 

[wingawh]

Hi

We have done all 3 (3,4 &7) DCL Cruises. The 3 Night is a little too rushed. If you cannot swing the 7 give the 4 night a try. It is much better and you do not feel like you just got on when you are packing back up.

Any cruise is better than no cruise at all.

 

[lbgraves]

We started crusing with a 7 day and it took us until the third day to be comfortable getting around the ship & putting our kids back on a schedule for a nap in the afternoon...which made life much nicer with them. Now it is hard for us to leave the ship after 7 days. I don't think that we would book a 3 or 4 day. There are so many more character apperances on the sea days. My kids love doing that too much.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would never even book the 4 night again, was to rushed and everything went by so quick. By the time I got to know some things about the ship it was time to get off! I would rather put off sailing for half a year until I could afford to do the 7 night than do a 4 night again.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Because you're at CC the last day seems so relaxful, and we when we left the cruise we wished we could stay longer, but we didn't feel that it was rushed. We would do it again, definitely.

Bobbi

 

[iggbees]

going on a 3 or 4 day cruise is great if you've never cruised before. some people, like a few of my relatives, hate cruising and went on a 7 day for their first cruise (a princess to alaska), where they complained the whole time about how sick they were. we didn't feel a thing and the ship never rocked at all!

i highly doubt that you'll have a bad experience on disney. we had a great time on our 3 day cruise 2 years ago, which was our first and the way we started cruising. my dad loved the cruise so much he couldn't wait to book a 7 day. we ended up staying at the asmo and going to the park for a few days after the ship, which was a great way to wind down.

you'll love the 3 day, it's a great way to break into cruising.

 

[S'sMom]

This is our 2nd DCL 3-nighter, and yes it is a bit short, you alomost hate to leave. But for the price its worth it! If you can spring for the additional days I say go for it! I woudl if I could.

Although next year June 2006 we will be on the 4 nighter doing the whole 4-3 disney package with the rest of the family!

Enjoy no matter what

 

[MandyMommytoReaghan]

Thank you all for posting. We booked the 3 night to "break" us in on cruising. Hopefully if we all do okay next summer we will do the land/sea package. I felt that Reaghan who will have just turned 3 a week before we cruise will be to small to truly enjoy WDW so thats why we decided on Disney cruise.....also her Mommy(me) has been bugging Daddy to go on a Disney cruise since before Reaghan was born I truly hope it will be a wonderful experience for us all

 

[lbgraves]

Oh your DD will love it!!! My Dd was also 3 on our first cruise & the extra time she spent with Cinderella every day changed her & started to break down her shyness. It wont be as overwhelming as WDW with the crowds either. Have a great time!!! Be sure to check in on the meets thread for that cruise so that you can meet other DISers with kids the same age. You might even meet someone to link your dining with.

 

[swcruiser]

You will have a great time. You just have to realize you can't do it all. We tried and drove ourselves crazy! Actually I drove DH and DS nuts. They are type B's and I am a type A. I think this is a great way to break yourself in. That way if for some reason you decide you don't like it (which I doubt) then three days isn't that long. We loved it so much we are going back for the 7 day west coast in July! Good luck!
Lori

 

[txaggie94gigem]

the key is to not get overwhelmed...choose one activity to do each day and spend the rest eating and lounging!!! there is so much to do that you would feel exhausted if you try to do even 1/2 of it! A short cruise is a great way to decide if cruising works for you family!

 

[JanDave]

The 6/16/05 Wonder 3 day is my 5th DCL cruise, 1st 3 day. Our first DCL cruise was a 4 day and it felt like it went by too fast. I love the 7 days and being more familiar with the ship, I easily relax. I know this upcoming 3 day will go by fast. However, as I walk off the cruise on Sunday morning, the 19th, I'll have a smile on my face because I'm sailing the Magic on 9/3/05.

Enjoy!

Jan

 

[westjones]

The 3 night does go fast, but you get the BEST of the BEST on the cruise. You see all three of the Disney themed shows, you dine at all three restaurants, and you visit Castaway Cay. Those are the main highlights of the cruise.

The 4 night is nicer because you get to relax on the last day with a day at sea. We really like that better than visiting CC on our last day. We don't have to rush back and get packed up that night, we can take our time the next day. So I think there is a BIG diffrence between the 3 and 4 night cruise.

That being said, we are Disney Vacation Club members, and we like to visit WDW during the same week as the cruise. Because of the way the DVC points work, the 3 night cruise actually works better for us. We can stay at a DVC villa from Sun-Wed nights and then go on the 3 night cruise from Thur-Sat nights and fly home on Sunday.

We are doing a 4 night next March, but we don't have any points left for our use year anyway, so we will pay cash for our WDW rooms this time.

All the cruises are nice, and no matter which cruise you pick, you will enjoy it.

DJ

 

[cruisin'Mike]

That being said, we are Disney Vacation Club members, and we like to visit WDW during the same week as the cruise. Because of the way the DVC points work, the 3 night cruise actually works better for us. We can stay at a DVC villa from Sun-Wed nights and then go on the 3 night cruise from Thur-Sat nights and fly home on Sunday.

DJ

That's our main reason for choosing the 3-day as well. Next January will be our third 3-day cruise. We have also done the 4-day and prefer it, but the Thurs-Sun scheduling just works out better for us.

While it definitely feels too short for us, it's not like the days themselves are rushed. We pick a few things that we want to do, go see the shows, enjoy dinner, etc. The rest of the time, we wander around and enjoy the ship, lounge about on the decks, whatever we feel like.

I'm sure you'll love the 3-day and you'll be hooked. Our plans are to rebook while onboard on our next cruise and do the 7-day. Then it's a matter of choosing which itinerary. Guess I'd better start thinking about that now, it's only about 2-3 years away!!

Bon Voyage for your cruise this summer!

Mike

 

[Sue (mom of 3 boys!)]

Our 1st DCL cruise was a 3night. We tried it to let our 3 boys "get a taste" to see if they like cruising. Yes, it flew by. No, we didn't get to do everything, but we did a lot. We had the best time! In fact, our kids want to do a 7 night now, instead of WDW!
You won't feel rushed, as long as you don't try to do it "all." It's kind of like WDW- you can go commando style and need a vacation when you get home, or you can pace yourself, and get a lot of relaxing in!
IMHO-any vacation that is fantastic will fly by.

 

[ladypoo]

We got off the Wonder last Sunday (Mother's Day). I dont think that we will be booking another 3 night cruise. We felt like we missed quite a bit of the picture opportunities. We also had early dining, which I know we wont do agian. By the time we got through doing day activities, it was time to get ready for dinner and then rushed to get to the Show of the night. My granddaughter was with us (4 years old) and she likes dressing up for dinner and gettting pictures taken in all her dresses. We missed the Formal pics of both Mickey and Minnie. Saturday on CC was awesome. No rushing, just relaxing watching her play in the serene water off the family beach. Got back on the ship and the hectic pace picked up again. We will be sticking with at least the 4 night.

But hey, we are very lucky to be able to go on any Disney cruises. YEA!!!!!!!!

 

[Miramar]

Yes, I find 3 night cruises to be rushed. I've done 2 of them- one on Disney Wonder and one on another line. I find that by the time you get into the routine of being on the ship, find your way around, discover all there is to offer etc., it is time to get off the ship. However, if you have never cruised before I think a 3 or 4 night cruise is a great way to see if you like cruising. If you try it and decide cruising is not for you, at least you won't be stuck on the ship for more days.