I guess I am looking for a little advise from peoples histories with 4 night cruises. I am trying to arrange a family party for my mother's 60th. Her special day is around september therefore we were looking at over the Labor day weekend to book a cruise and the Enchantment of the Seas is our primary target. So here are my questions;
1. Is four nights enough to enjoy ourselves or is everything going to feel rushed.
2. We can't find any other cruise line that has 4 night cruises at this time...are we just looking in the wrong places?
3. Our party will have ages ranging from 9 months to 90 years...is the Royal Caribbean a good match?
4. Am I just worrying too much?

Thanks for any help offered.

Yes you are worrying too much.But event planners usually do.At least you are looking into every nook and cranny.I personally owuld not do a 4-night cruise.To me, even a 7-night is short.Your first night,you are just boarding mid afternoon for the 5pm departure.Then you have your 3 days full itinerary.Then by the time you are just beginning to enjoy your cruise,you are back in FtLauderdale.But thats just me.If thats what you want,you will not be disappointed.RCCL is IMHO very very good for your age range.Go for it and you will have a blast.

While above poster has some very valid points, the main reason people go on 3 or 4 night cruises is lack of time or money. Since you are planning a party with family, it is likely that different components of family may be variably limited in one or the other - so for something like this, 4 nights may be perfect.

If your family is like most, someone will complain (out loud or silently) about just about anything you arrange. So make your best judgement, smile and wish everyone a good time.

PS - we went on a 3-night RCCL cruise for a work function of my husband. We even had to fly from Boston. That long weekend was as relaxing as if we had been away a lot longer - I think it is easier to relax on a cruise because there are no really important decisions one has to make (like should we drive to this restaurant, eat at the hotel, walk to another). Have a good time - and I would imagine Labor Day weekend gets booked fast.

Hi! First of all, I am booked on the Enchantment Sept 11. I sailed the sister ship, Grandeur, a few years ago. It's a lovely ship and the nicest one out there doing short cruises. I don't think you'll feel rushed. It's short, but everyone can "do their own thing" and enjoy as much or as little as they like. Dinner time is time to get together and share. RCCL is a great cruise line for your age group- I've sailed them 7 times.There are other 4 day cruises- Carnival's Jubilee,Sensation, RCCL's Sovereign, one Norweigan...etc but these are older ships with not as nice amenities as the Enchantment. Do some research ahead of time on the ports and try to decide what you want to do individually and as a group. You'll love it!

I have 2 boys, aged 5 and 3 when we went on our first 4-night cruise w/ the boys last year. We went on RCL's Sovereign of the Seas to the Bahamas. My boys loved the cruise, so we went back again last month to a 5-night cruise. Comparing the two, we liked the 5-night cruise so much more 'coz we didn't feel rushed. But again, we did enjoy the 4-night cruise. We're going on a 7-night cruise next March. My husband and I have take a 12 night cruise and I think that's a bit too long. Why don't you look into the 5 night cruises? You'll have more variety in terms of itineraries to chose from, and believe me, the price has very little difference. Good luck!

My husband & I have always taken 7 day cruises and enjoyed the full week, however, this winter we went on a 4-day cruise and also enjoyed. It was a quick getaway and neither of us were able to take a full week off from work. I hope you enjoy your trip w/you family!

4 nights is better than 0 nights. Right?

When you factor in the cost of airfare, a 7-night cruise is almost always a better deal (on a per-day basis) and you tend to go to more interesting ports. That said, I've had a blast on 4-night trips.

If you're going with a diverse group of people who may not have cruised much and aren't sure if they're going to like it, a shorter trip if probably for the best.

Living in Florida, I go on a 7 day cruise once a year. We also go on the short 3 and 4 day cruises, but mainly because they are dirt cheap. I have never paid more than $100 per day for a cruise unless I want a balcony. Yes, 3 and 4 day cruises are better than not going, but if someone gets seasick for a couple days, then they will hate the entire experience if it is a short cruise. Chances are slim that someone will be sick on all 7 days of a 7-day cruise.