Weekend cruises are the hottest new vacation trend you should try
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Short cruises, typically lasting less than a week, are growing in popularity for quick getaways.
Cruise lines are now dedicating some of their newest and largest ships to these shorter itineraries.
These sailings are ideal for first-time cruisers to sample the experience without a long commitment.
I left for an international beach trip on a Monday – and made it back home in time for the weekend.
My cruise on Royal Caribbean International’s Utopia of the Seas last summer took me to the Bahamas and back. In just three nights, I had a full day at sea to explore the ship, another full day at the cruise line’s private island and made it home by Thursday.
While the average cruise length is around seven days, short sailings can pack an entire vacation’s worth of fun into a mid-week getaway or long weekend. And cruise lines are upping their game. Utopia, for instance, was the first of Royal Caribbean’s game-changing Oasis Class to launch with three and four-night sailings.
“We are seeing cruise lines invest in the short Caribbean game – that's what we call it – really like never before,” said Adam Duckworth, president and founder of Travelmation. “You're seeing many of the ships do Monday through Friday four-night sailings, and then do the weekends in the three-night sailings. And they're putting some of their biggest and best inventory there.”
What are the pros of short cruises?
Short cruises – typically any itinerary shorter than a week long – give new-to-cruise guests a way to sample the product without a huge commitment.
“For folks who are interested in trying cruising – maybe they are intimidated by the size of the ship or maybe they don't want to be with a lot of people, so they're trying to figure out if this is for them – we really feel like the the top selling point of the short cruise (is) obviously, the length,” Duckworth said. “You get to test it out to see if it's something you might want to do later on for an extended period of time, which is great.”
Those cruises also allow passengers to pack light, and since many of them visit cruise lines’ private islands, they give “people an opportunity to experience all of that flash and excitement,” he added.
Travelers should note that the itineraries are more limited than longer sailings, though. Most sail from Florida and visit the Bahamas, according to Duckworth.
“They generally, just because of the length of the sailing, can't get farther than that due to the speed … But what we’ve found is that most people are not going on short cruises for the itinerary,” he said. “They're going for the (ship) and the experience, and really to test out the experience to see if it's something that they like.”
Are cruise lines offering more short cruises?
Major cruise lines have leaned into those quicker itineraries. Kara Wallace, Royal Caribbean International’s chief marketing officer, said guest feedback “prompted us to expand our short vacation offerings and diversify the ships offering shorter itineraries.”
Wonder of the Seas returned to Miami in August to sail three and four-night cruises year-round, for example. Ovation of the Seas also repositioned to Los Angeles in June, joining the line’s Navigator of the Seas.
“With a focus on 3- and 4-night itineraries to Ensenada, West Coast vacationers now have more options to maximize their weekends,” Wallace said in an email. (Quantum of the Seas took over Ovation’s itineraries following its Oct. 2 arrival in Los Angeles).
The cruise line isn’t done, either: Liberty of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas will sail short cruises from Galveston, Texas, and Florida’s Port Canaveral, respectively, in 2026. “These short vacations give our guests the opportunity to maximize their PTO, whether it’s for a quick weekend getaway or to celebrate milestones like birthdays and anniversaries,” Wallace said.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras will become its first Excel Class ship – the line’s newest and largest class – to offer short cruises in 2027. The vessel will sail four and five-day cruises from Port Canaveral, including stops at its new private Bahamas destination, Celebration Key.
“At Carnival, we helped popularize shorter cruises with the idea that cruise vacations should be accessible and affordable for more people,” Michael Perez, vice president of revenue management and deployment, told USA TODAY in an email. “These getaways continue to be a vital part of itinerary planning today as they offer our guests a great combination of variety, value and convenience.”
Norwegian Cruise Line has also “expanded its offering of shorter, more flexible cruise itineraries year round with two to four day Bahamas sailings” in response to customer demand, according to Brian Gilroy, vice president of itinerary planning and revenue strategy.
“Offering guests the chance to get away for a spontaneous long weekend or a first-time cruise experience, NCL’s shorter itineraries provide the perfect blend of convenience and adventure,” Gilroy said in an email. The cruise line currently has three and four-day round-trip Bahamas sailings available on nine ships from Jacksonville, Miami, Port Canaveral and Tampa through April 2026.
Do short cruises cost less?
Not always. Cruise fares vary depending on many factors, including sailing date, cabin category and more.
For example, a three-day Bahamas cruise on Carnival Glory, departing on June 5, 2026, during summer vacation, currently starts at $554 per person based on double occupancy, according to Carnival's website. An eight-day Mexican Riviera cruise on Carnival Panorama departing on Jan. 31, 2026 – when kids are generally in school – starts at $519.
“So you have to (consider) what experience you'd like to have, whether that's value or moderate or luxury, and then take a look at the kind of stateroom that you'd like to have,” Duckworth said.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
[SRC] https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2025/10/03/short-cruises-royal-caribbean-carnival-norwegian/85815711007/
