Short sailings are a great getaway option that many people don’t consider! Short sailings are perfect for a quick parent getaway, a sampler to see how your family likes cruising, or as a way to squeeze in two adventures in one vacation week- like a Disney Land and Sea, which we do all the time!

Right now Royal Caribbean is offering some fantastic and EASY short sailings. I say the easy because many of the short sailings don’t require a ton of planning- they’re what I call walk off/walk on ports. What do I mean by that?

Well- I mean that in many of the short sailing ports, you dont need to plan a lot of excursions and transportation, and the activities you may want to do are walkable. They’re lazy cruises, if you want them to be, and sometimes that’s PERFECT!

For example- many of the short sailing itineraries right now are on super family friendly ships with EASY ports. You can easily walk off at Coco Cay and have a wonderful day with no excursion/transportation planning involved. Many of the short sailings also stop at Nassau. EASY! Walk off and walk over to Margarittaville where you can purchase a day pass from Resort for a Day, stroll over to Junkanoo Beach, take a walk through the Straw Market or to the Queen’s Staircase, hop on a scenic boat ride over to Blue Lagoon- OR if you’ve been there, done that, with a short sailing you can really just make the ship your destination and hang out at the pools or Splashaway Bay and enjoy all the ice cream and frozen drinks your heart desires.

They’re just simple. Excellent for beginners. And great for families and parents that just want a get away. And, if you live in driving distance, I mean, what are you waiting for!?

I also find them to be a more laid back crowd- just toss your swimsuits and flip flops in a carry on and you’re good to go. There is less fuss over formal nights- though if you’re having an adult escape and want a date night, you certainly wont be out of place if you do dress up, after all, cruising is the ultimate choose your own adventure vacation.

Bonus- a lot of these sailings have Military rates available!

So what are some short sailings the Moms at Sea Travel Team suggests?

Let’s start in the cruise capitol of the world, Florida.

FLORIDA

Florida has THREE SHIPS at THREE DIFFERENT PORTS with awesome short sailings that we’d send our families on. You can check out some of our favorite Freedom Class Family Friendly Cabins here!

INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS

• Independence of the Seas out of Port Canaveral (check out itineraries here): Splashaway Bay, Splash pad for diapered kiddos, Adventure ocean for all ages, Sky Pad, Playmakers, Flowrider, laser tag, and more! This is a great one to plan in tandem with Disney!

  • 4 Night Bahamas and Perfect Day stopping in Perfect Day at Coco Cay and Nassau

  • 3 Night Bahamas and Perfect Day stopping in Perfect Day at Coco Cay and Nassau