Short cruises are in

Just when you thought that 100-night world cruises were the hottest vacation at sea,

Carnival

announces that you've got it backwards. Short cruises are

in

. Three-nighters are the new seven-nighters, and carry-ons are the new steamer trunks.

To pounce on this trend, Carnival will offer 32 short itineraries in 2007. Half of its fleet will sail two- to five-night cruises out of 12 homeports. These voyages include visits to the Bahamas, western Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada.

Carnival is also offering three one-time only short cruises on ships that will normally sail longer itineraries in 2007. The

Carnival Freedom

sails a four-night western Caribbean voyage on November 12, the

Carnival Triumph

sails a five-night western Caribbean voyage on August 28, and the

Carnival Miracle

sails a two-night cruise to nowhere on October 18.

Short cruises are growing in popularity because they're a good fit for travelers with limited time or a smaller vacation budget. Think you're on the cutting edge of cruising? Maybe you should try a shorter cruise. I've been on several and can recommend them.