Mini cruises are getaways aboard cruise ships for 2-4 day weekends. Mini cruise breaks are becoming more popular as people can fly to a port or board at a port near them, cruise and sightsee for a few days, then cruise back to port. There are also one-legged deals where people fly to certain destinations, then take the cruise ship back home. Depending on where you live in the world, most cruise lines offer a cheap mini cruise. These are great for many reasons including fantastic and exotic short weekend getaways for up to 2-4 nights. People get to see a lot in a short amount of time and these types of cruises are less expensive. They are excellent for first time cruisers to test to see if they get sea sick or even enjoy being aboard a ship since there is less time at sea. Mini cruises offer great deals and offer last minute packages.
There are many destinations and cruise lines around the world. One very popular world cruise line is P & O mini cruises. P & O cruise lines have been around for approximately 150 years. They start from the United Kingdom to many destinations such as Belgium and Holland. There is a 3-night mini cruise break to Spain, originating out of Portsmouth, UK to Bilbao. Some ships depart from Hull to Rotterdam, Bruges, and Amsterdam. These cruises cost approximately 72 pounds per person. People arrive at the ship in the evening and enjoy onboard restaurants with buffets and bars to eat and drink as much as they want. Many have formal luxurious dinners during which they get to watch exotic and extremely entertaining shows. They sleep in onboard cabins outfitted with showers, beds, towels, linens and all the comforts of home with enough room for luggage and hanging clothes. People may choose from inside cabins or ones with portholes or windows. P & O mini cruises also offer club cabins for a further indulgence treat. Daytime onboard is full of fun and fantastic excursions with available spas, beauty salons, swimming pools and bars with shows or late night dancing to satisfy one’s taste. If one is feeling particularly lucky, there are onboard casinos for short gambling sprees. Movie theaters are also available onboard for those who wish to catch the latest cinema release. Once arriving to the destination, people have approximately 3-5 hours to enjoy tours of the locale learning about the culture and touring the cities. Some tours are by bus and others by different cultural ways of transportation. They are a few fun-packed hours of learning, sightseeing, shopping, eating and experiencing to the person’s heart’s content. Next is back to the ship and back enjoying the mini cruise entertainment and cabin for rest and relaxation until reaching their point of origin for disembarkation.
These types of cruises are offered all over the world from mini cruises in the United States to Alaska from Seattle, WA, Long beach, CA to Baja, Mexico, and Port Canaveral, FL to the Bahamas. United Kingdom cruises to several destinations as mentioned such as Spain, Belgium, Holland, and Norway. Some cruises originate from Egypt, Greece and the Mediterranean. Australia has a cruise break from Sydney to the Great Barrier Reef and most of these areas operate during the summer with the ability to book at the end of spring and fall. Book early to save money or book at last minute since it depends upon how fast the cruise is filled up as to what they set their prices at. The best advice is for people to watch specific cruises and wait for a price they are willing to pay. Some cruises are seasonal such as those to Alaska(read my super post about the best Alaskan cruises) and Europe because of the colder temperatures. Those in the warmer climates including the Caribbean may be year round. Many 3-5 day cruises run deep discounts up to 75% off. Many Bahamas’ cruises cost approximately $175 for four nights at a four star resort. The fact is that it basically depends on where a person lives as to where the mini cruise is they wish to book.
Mini cruises are a great way to unwind for a weekend getaway. They are not a matter of quantity but quality. A short, fun-filled, culture learning, relaxing, and refreshing cruise mounts in comparison as the perfect mini vacation of 3-5 days as compared to the lengthy 7-14 day cruise, which requires draining saving accounts. The longer cruises require planned lengthy time off from work and making other arrangements that probably will not occur with the shorter weekend getaways. No matter where people live in the world, somewhere near them are these wonderful restorative mini vacations that do not break their bank accounts. Mini cruises are perfect for those on a budget and for those short on time.