Short-Hop Cruises Hip for Families

Wanda Sisson thought her husband, Wayne, was nuts when he proposed taking his grown kids and their spouses on a cruise as a special present. “I thought, ‘There goes my retirement,’ ” said Sisson, an Ohio bookkeeper. “With eight of us, I figured it was going to cost an arm and a leg.”

Then, searching the Internet, Sisson found the perfect solution, one increasingly popular with seagoing families: a short cruise.

Not only was the four-day trip surprisingly affordable--just $4,400, including air, for eight of them on a Carnival ship--but it also was much easier to plan. “It would have been very hard for everyone to get off work for a week at the same time,” Sisson said. Their trip was such a success that in the year since, the Sissons have taken their two younger sons on two short cruises. “You feel you got a break even though you’re not gone that long,” said Wayne Sisson.

That’s exactly what many time-crunched families want these days. The Travel Industry Assn. (TIA) reports that weekend trips increased more than 40% in the last seven years. Millions of parents and kids are taking several such weekend getaways each year instead of traditional long vacations, said Mike Pina, TIA’s public relations spokesman.

“It’s not so much the money, but what they can fit into their schedules--how much they can be away from work and school,” said Stewart Chiron, a spokesman for Cruise Line Inc., one of the country’s biggest cruise booking agencies. “They’ll pack a week’s worth of vacation in a few days.”

No wonder cruise lines are jumping into this exploding short-trip market big time, offering morning-till-night children’s activities, even for 2-year-olds. Short cruises represent 32% of the market--about 2 million passengers, Cruise Lines International Assn. says, and it’s growing fast. (To compare what different cruise lines have to offer families, look on the Internet at https://www.cruising.org.)

“This is very much in response to customer demand,” said Carnival’s Jennifer de la Cruz, noting that by the middle of next year, half of Carnival’s fleet will offer itineraries of five or fewer days.

Disney Cruise Lines this past summer launched its second ship offering three- and four-day trips. Premier Cruises is refurbishing its ships and adding three- and four-night cruises from Los Angeles; Norwegian and Royal Caribbean also report they are increasing the number of shorter itineraries.

The biggest appeal: You don’t have to spend half the long weekend figuring out where you’re going, where you’re eating or how to amuse the kids.

First-time family cruisers find short cruises give them the chance to sample shipboard life. “We didn’t want to be stuck for seven days,” said Mary Fowkes, whose family discovered they weren’t big cruise fans after a three-day trip.

Even those who are cruise fans and have more time prefer the flexibility of shorter cruises. “We were able to do a lot more in a week--the cruise, theme parks, even a few days snorkeling in the Florida Keys,” said Steve Poletti, who is from Pennsylvania and sailed with his family on a Disney ship last spring.

There are drawbacks to quick trips. The itineraries are more limited. Vacation friendships may not have time to gel. The staff can’t provide service that’s as personalized as on a longer cruise.

“If you’re to spend for the air fare, go for seven days. It might not cost you that much more,” suggested World Wide Cruises’ Tara Rogers, noting that some seven-day Carnival deals start at less than $500 a person--$64 for kids sharing a cabin.

“As soon as you relax, it’s over,” agreed Floridian Laurie Lewinter, who recently returned from a short cruise to celebrate her 25th anniversary.

If you want to find a bargain:

* World Wide Cruises and Cruise Line Inc. offer significant discounts on long and short cruises. Contact World Wide Cruises at (800) 882- 9000 or https://www.wwcruises.com, and Cruise Line Inc. at (800) 244- 7447 or https://www.travelco.com/cruises.

* Children (or other third and fourth passengers) sail for as little as $84 on some short Carnival cruises this winter from Los Angeles and Florida; parents can sail for less than $250. Telephone (800) CARNIVAL (227-6482) or https://www.carnival.com.

* Royal Caribbean has $99 fares for third and fourth passengers--and adults starting at less than $300-- on Los Angeles-based ships, as well as on Miami-based ships sailing to the Bahamas and San Juan-based ships sailing to the Southern Caribbean. Tel. (800) 327-6700 or https://www.royalcaribbean.org.

* Premier’s seven-day Orlando cruise-and-Universal Studios package includes the cruise, three days at Universal and visits to the Kennedy Space Center and Wet ‘n Wild for $399 per adult and $99 per child. Tel. (800) 327-9766 or https://www.premiercruises.com.

* Take the kids for three days on a Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Bahamas-bound ship for a little more than $100 each, $349 starting price for adults. Ask about slightly more expensive four-day trips to Key West, Fla., and Cozumel, Mexico. Tel. (800) 327-7030 or https://www.ncl.com.

* Disney Cruise Line’s Sunshine Sailaway Package starts at $449 for adults, $179 for kids; a seven-day vacation is $799 for adults and $399 for kids, including Disney World admission and hotel. Packages must be booked by Jan. 15. Tel. (800) 511-6333 or https://www.disneycruise.com.

Taking the Kids appears the first and third week of every month.