Big Things Come In Small Packages

Cruises Of One to Five Nights Offer Time-Crunched Travelers Respites At Sea

Time. In today's world, many travelers have trouble finding significant blocks of time to enjoy vacations. To accommodate time-strapped voyagers, the member lines of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) offer short itineraries that range from one to five nights. These short cruises are ideal for people who want a quick getaway. They're also an excellent way for novice cruisers to sample a seagoing vacation without committing to a full week's sailing.

Short getaway cruises typically embark from North American home ports and visit a variety of destinations including the Caribbean and the Bahamas, Florida, the Pacific Northwest, and Baja Mexico and California ports. Additionally, travelers in Europe can enjoy short cruises to Mediterranean ports of call.

"Although many cruisers opt for sailings of seven days and longer, there really is no better way to test the cruise waters, so to speak, then to book a short getaway voyage," said Terry L. Dale, president and CEO of CLIA, the chief marketing organization for 20 premier cruise lines and nearly 17,000 North American travel agencies. "It's a virtual guarantee that most getaway cruise passengers will return to book another cruise."

Travelers with limited time often enjoy pairing short cruises with land programs to create a week-long vacation. Shorter cruises are also less expensive and provide families with affordable opportunities to get away from it all.

Surprisingly, short itineraries are also popular with veterans of past cruises, because while frequent cruisers often embark on longer itineraries, they also capitalize on as many opportunities as possible to hit the high seas. In effect, these travelers are looking for short cruise getaways between their longer sailings.

Following Is A List Of Short Cruises Available Aboard CLIA Member Cruise Lines

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES

Roughly half of Carnival Cruise Lines' 21-ship fleet is deployed on short-cruise itineraries. The line's short-cruise options include three- and four-day cruises from Miami, Port Canaveral, Fla., and Long Beach, Calif., along with four- and five-day sailings from Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Galveston, Texas; Mobile, Ala.; Port Canaveral, and Jacksonville, Fla.

CELEBRITY CRUISES

Celebrity Cruises Century, fresh from a $55 million makeover, offers nine short-cruise getaway options of four and five nights in November and December, roundtrip from Miami to the Western Caribbean. Mercury features four three- and four-night Pacific Northwest itineraries roundtrip from Seattle in September and October that call at ports in British Columbia.

COSTA CRUISES

Costa Cruises, Europe's largest cruise line, offers a comprehensive selection of four- and five-night Mediterranean getaways. Itineraries on five ships mix and match ports in Italy, Tunisia, Malta, Greece and Croatia. Passengers can choose from 17 departures in April, May, June, July, September and November.

CUNARD LINE

Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 features a five-day "Independence Sampler," departing July 3 and sailing roundtrip from New York. The ship calls at Boston, Bar Harbor, Maine; and Halifax, Nova Scotia. QM2's four-day "Labor Day Weekend" sojourn, which also sails roundtrip from New York, departs September 2, calling at Halifax.

DISNEY CRUISE LINE

Disney Cruise Line's Disney Wonder sails on three- and four-night cruises out of Port Canaveral, Fla. that call at Nassau and Castaway Cay, Disney's private island, which features separate beach areas for families, adults and teens. Disney Wonder offers public areas, activities and amenities that appeal to each family member.

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE

In April, May, September and October, Holland America Line features sailings of one to four days that showcase ports from California to Vancouver. These shorter itineraries, which are segments of longer repositioning cruises, enable travelers to sample premium cruising. Theydepart from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver.

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE

Norwegian Cruise Line offers select one-night dinner cruises out of Miami and New York and between Seattle and Vancouver. In 2007, the line features five-day Western Caribbean itineraries in January, February, March and April as well as October, November and December from Miami. An additional five-day Western Caribbean itinerary departs in January from New Orleans.

PRINCESS CRUISES

Princess Cruises' Island Princess sails on a three-day Los Angeles-Vancouver itinerary in September. Dawn Princess offers a one-day sailing between Seattle and Vancouver on September 23 and a three-day San Francisco-Vancouver voyage on September 24. On May 19, the shipsails on a four-day itinerary from Los Angeles to Vancouver.

REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES

Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Seven Seas Voyager departs November 30 on a four-night itinerary roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale with calls at Nassau and Key West, for an overnight. The line typically offers shorter cruises in February and March each year and plans to do so again in 2007.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL

Five Royal Caribbean International ships sail on three- to five-night Caribbean and the Bahamas sailings from Galveston, Texas; Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Port Canaveral, Fl; and San Juan. Monarch of the Seas operates year-round from Los Angeles on three- and four-night Baja Mexico sailings, with two- and five-night sailings available in December and January.

SILVERSEA CRUISES

Through its Personalized Voyages program, Silversea Cruises lets guests customize their itineraries by selecting ports of embarkation and disembarkation - in effect offering the same flexibility as travelers find in a hotel. The minimum number of days required is five and the program is available on all Silversea itineraries.

For additional information on Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), please visit their website at Cruising.org