By Melanie Anderson

The one- and two-week vacations of our childhood are distant memories now. Those of us with hectic work hours and children with busy sports schedules are finding it harder than ever to carve out the time to take a long vacation.

In keeping with the trend that Americans are now taking shorter and more frequent vacations, Carnival Cruise Lines recently introduced its first year-round program from San Diego with two new shorter cruises. Carnival now offers four- and five-day cruises out of San Diego to Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas.

According to a recent study by the Travel Industry Association of America, Americans taking shorter and more frequent vacations has increased by more than 10 percent over the past five years.

Carnival addressed this trend by creating shorter cruises that gives families the option of taking a quick, convenient and more affordable vacation.

"People are time crunched. The shorter cruise fits today’s lifestyle," said Jennifer de la Cruz, Carnival’s Public Relations Manager. "There’s a huge trend among Americans to take shorter, more frequent vacations. One- and two-week vacations are much less common than short getaways."

Often, cruisers will spend a day or two visiting the port city before or after their cruise.

"The San Diego port makes it easier for West Coast people to cruise," said de la Cruz. "Some travelers may not want to go to the larger cities like Los Angeles or travel further distances, such as to Tampa or Miami. It’s easier to get to a port if it’s in a city or destination you already want to visit, and San Diego is within a day’s drive for millions of residents living near the West Coast."

Shorter cruises also offer first-time cruisers the experience without a big hit to the pocketbook and a large time commitment.

Those who’ve never cruised may not realize the big-picture value of a cruise. Factor in all meals, entertainment, activities and destinations, the vacation dollar becomes well spent. For people interested in taking their first cruise, de la Cruz recommends they talk to their travel agent or research online. "People need to choose the right ship for them based on what they want to do, their budget, where they want to travel, how much time they want to spend on the ship versus the number of port destinations, and who they want to travel with. Some like the live music scene and night life, others want a quieter ship."

Cruising is an all-in-one package that allows travelers to visit one or more destinations. The perks include not having to unpack more than once and gives you the opportunity to relax and enjoy the scenery while someone else does the driving.

Starting at $469, the four-day Carnival cruises depart on Thursdays for Cabo, and the five-day cruises depart Saturdays or Mondays and make an additional stop in Ensenada on the 2,052-passenger ship Elation.

The Elation, built in 1998 and first in its "Fantasy" class, will soon undergo an extreme makeover to upgrade its cabins and offer new facilities, such as a children’s water park and an adults-only deck area. Carnival is spending $250 million to improve eight of its ships in this class.

For those with the time, Carnival also operates a seasonal eight-day Mexican Riviera cruise on the Spirit, which has been based in San Diego since 2004. Between the two ships, Carnival expects to carry more than 230,000 passengers annually from San Diego -- the most of any cruise operator.

More than half the Carnival fleet now operates cruises that are five days or less. Shorter Carnival "Fun Ship" cruises also are available in the Bahamas, Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe and the Greek Isles.

For more information on Carnival cruises, contact your travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit http://www.carnival.com.

The Elation

The "Fun Ship" Elation is 855 feet long, weighs over 70,000 tons and carries over 2,000 passengers and 920 crew members. Plenty of night-life options include 12 themed lounges and bars. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in four formal dining rooms or casual by the pool on the Lido deck. Pizza is available 24 hours a day, and a sushi bar is also open during mealtimes.

The fun ship includes three swimming pools, a children’s wading pool, a 115-foot water slide, miniature golf, a 12,000-square-foot health club, a jogging track, whirlpools, beauty shop, casino, theater, library, duty-free shopping, an Internet café and cell phone service.

For children and teens, Camp Carnival caters to about 575,000 children a year with specially designed supervised activities for kids of all ages.

 
Fun Food Facts

In one week, the Elation will serve its guests…

2,400 pounds of tenderloin

2,400 pounds of chicken

2,000 steaks

35,000 shrimp

3,000 pizzas

3,200 hot dogs

300 pounds of smoked salmon

41,660 eggs

36,000 slices of bacon

9,400 link sausages

315 pounds of coffee

10,000 tomatoes

10,080 bananas

2,400 strawberries

12,800 cans of soda

24,450 domestic and imported beers

2,920 bottles of wine

450 liters of tequila

Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines
© 09/01/2007 Melanie Anderson