we did the 3 day in August and loved it, my girls 6 and 8 are now dreaming of the 7 days. They did have time to explore the ship, and to really enjoy it, thye stayed on board in Nassau, we just left for an hour to take pictures, and I think that is the way to do it, on a 3 day, it just gives you more time to enjoy the ship, we also boarded right at noon, ate lunch and then went to the pool when it was completely empty, it is short, but you still really get a great feel for cruising.... Enjoy.