Quickie cruises

By Anita Dunham-Potter

Cruise columnist

updated 5:23 p.m. ET Nov. 3, 2006

Recent polls indicate that Americans are taking less vacation time than in the past, and some are taking no vacation at all. Why do people give back their vacation days? It’s hard to fathom, but millions of people are doing it. What’s more, the Travel Industry Association, the industry’s largest trade group, has found that the average American expects to spend no more than six nights away from home at a time.

Cruise lines have taken note of this clock-watching trend, and they now offer short cruises that range from one to five nights. These short cruises are ideal for people who want a quick, relatively inexpensive getaway.

Here are some highlights from the major cruise lines.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival offers year-round three-day cruises from Miami to the Bahamas aboard the Fascination and the Sensation. Four-day Bahamas cruises depart year-round from Port Canaveral and Jacksonville, Fla., aboard the Celebration, Elation and Fantasy. There are four- and five-day cruises to the Western Caribbean from Miami aboard the Fascination; from Tampa aboard the Inspiration; from Mobile, Ala., aboard the Holiday; from Galveston, Texas; aboard both the Elation and the Ecstasy; and, starting in October, from New Orleans aboard the Sensation. On the West Coast, Carnival offers year-round four-day Baja Mexico cruises aboard the Paradise from Long Beach, Calif.

Celebrity Cruises

In September and October, Celebrity Cruises offers three- and four-night cruises from Seattle to ports in British Columbia aboard the Mercury. In November and December, four- and five-night cruises aboard the just-refurbished Century will be offered from Miami to the Western Caribbean.

Costa Cruises

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Europe’s largest cruise line, Costa Cruises, offers a wide-ranging selection of four- and five-night Mediterranean cruises and one short Caribbean sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. European itineraries offer ports in Italy, Tunisia, Malta, Greece and Croatia. In September, four- or five-night cruises are available aboard two ships, the Costa Marina and the Costa Magica. In spring 2007, many more four- and five-night sailings open up, including itineraries in Europe and the Western Caribbean, aboard seven of Costa’s 11 ships.

Cunard Line

In October, Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth 2 has a two-day “Autumn Getaway” round-trip cruise from Southampton, England, to Belgium. On July 2, 2007, the Queen Mary 2 has an “Independence Day” four-day round-trip sailing from New York to Eleuthera Island, in the Bahamas. On July 24 and August 21, 2007, Queen Mary 2 has two four-day “Summer Getaway” sailings from Southampton to Hamburg, Germany.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wonder sails year-round on three- and four-night cruises out of Port Canaveral calling at Nassau and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island.

Holland America Line

In September and October, Holland America Line features sailings of one to four days to ports from California to Vancouver. These shorter itineraries, which are segments of longer repositioning cruises, enable travelers to sample premium cruising. They depart from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver aboard the Veendam, Westerdam, Volendam, Statendam and Zuiderdam. The itineraries repeat in April and May 2007.

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