Repeat Cruisers: How Do You Spend Your Time On A Short Cruise?

[Castillo Mom]

I had a trip planned to Puerto Rico for this December to visit family but ended up postponing due to budget since my son decided to pop the question and is getting married in October.

I decided January would be a good time to go and realized that the Wonder is being repositioned back to PC during our vacation, so I thought it would be a great idea to add on a three day cruise out of San Juan! Never thought I'd take a short cruise but, I found the fares to be reasonable and I would be able to complete my DCL grand slam!

This will be a girls only trip, so no kids this time around. So for those of you who are repeat DCL cruisers, how to you spend your time on a three day voyage? Do you stay on the ship when in CC? Partake in spa treatments? Also, do they offer mixology or other alcohol seminars on the Wonder during short cruises?

 

[southerngirl528]

Just got off a 3 night cruise, and I pretty much did a lot of what you mentioned as ideas Castillo Mom. I generally take at least 7 night cruises, so it is different to go on such a short cruise. I think the "vibe" of the passengers is a little different……. lots of first time cruisers and everyone trying to cram in as much as possible. I'm not saying there is anything at all wrong with the above, but it is different I think when you board a cruise that is a week or longer in length.

I did not get off on CC, even though I do like it very much. I did not get off in Nassau. Been there, done that a LOT. I got spa treatments both full days, and we did adult dining all 3 nights which was both fun, and a LOT of food! Glad I didn't eat that much during the day! I would have happily done a tasting class but DH didn't want to. It was a great weekend getaway and when I looked at it like that, I didn't feel disappointed that it was so short! And so nice that you'll be completing your Grand Slam! I love the Wonder. Just did a 10 night from Hawaii in September on her. I still think she is lovely. And I love her crew! Have fun!!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Just got off a 3 night cruise, and I pretty much did a lot of what you mentioned as ideas Castillo Mom. I generally take at least 7 night cruises, so it is different to go on such a short cruise. I think the "vibe" of the passengers is a little different……. lots of first time cruisers and everyone trying to cram in as much as possible. I'm not saying there is anything at all wrong with the above, but it is different I think when you board a cruise that is a week or longer in length.

I did not get off on CC, even though I do like it very much. I did not get off in Nassau. Been there, done that a LOT. I got spa treatments both full days, and we did adult dining all 3 nights which was both fun, and a LOT of food! Glad I didn't eat that much during the day! I would have happily done a tasting class but DH didn't want to. It was a great weekend getaway and when I looked at it like that, I didn't feel disappointed that it was so short! And so nice that you'll be completing your Grand Slam! I love the Wonder. Just did a 10 night from Hawaii in September on her. I still think she is lovely. And I love her crew! Have fun!!

Thanks for your input Southerngiirl! Our time in Puerto Rico will be pretty active. We plan on ziplining, hiking in El Yunque, walking tour of Old San Juan and snorkeling. I figure by the time we get on the ship, we'll just want to relax, maybe a spa treatment or two. I too was thinking of mainly adult dining, possibly two nights in Palo, although I'd also like to dine in Triton's but not interested in Parrot Cay. AP I can take or leave after having experienced it on the Dream and Fantasy.

Not too sure about CC, though. While I've been on three Disney cruises, I've experienced CC four times since our trip in '12 was a double dip. I think we might only get off the ship for a couple of hours at most and then back on after an early lunch and adult libations at Serenity Bay.

 

[southerngirl528]

Sounds like a fun vacation on both land and sea for you, CastilloMom!

 

[lorimay]

We have done several shorter cruises being FL residents. We have gotten off in Nassau twice, so now we make that our "sea day". It works well, though I think a lot of people share our thoughts on that. The pool was a bit more crowded in the kids area, but my grandkids had a blast, they were out there for hours enjoying the slide. I made all our ticketed character visits on Nassau day as well. We love CC, so we always try to snag a cabana and spend every possible minute on the island.

Enjoy your cruise!!!!

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

We did a 3 night last month on the Dream after doing WDW for 3 nights and we knew ahead of time we were going to relax more. We didn't get off the ship AT ALL, not even CC and had fun watching Star Wars, took a few naps, walked on deck 4, etc. We didn't even do the shows after dinner since we had seen them all and just wanted to keep it chill. We had a great time, then came home on Xmas Eve for all the Xmas craziness

Heather

 

[Castillo Mom]

Lorimay, thanks for the heads up on the pools. I would imagine even the adult pool would be more crowded on the shorter cruises.

Heather, those are great suggestions. I wouldn't mind skipping the shows we've already seen. I'm on the lookout for navigators for a similar itinerary so that I can see what alternative adult entertainment might be offered. Last cruise we had little ones with us and it was their first time on a Disney ship, so we saw all of the shows with the exception of the one on embarkation day.

 

[southerngirl528]

Don't forget the Wonder usually has the Toy Story show in the Walt Disney Theatre. Very cute!