Small ship cruising vacations


Our Small ship cruising vacation Vacations
Southern Croatia cruise in comfort
Cruise Croatia's beautiful islands on a small cruise ship
Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica cruise
The Ultimate Antarctica Experience!
Luxury Arctic cruise Spitsbergen & Franz Josef Land
A unique expedition to rarely visited Franz Josef Land
Luxury small ship cruise in Croatia
Luxury small ship cruise through Croatia's Islands
Dubrovnik to Venice luxury cruise
Cruise the Croatian Islands before a bus journey to Venice
Arctic sailing voyages, Spitsbergen
Experience sailing in the fjords
Spitsbergen Arctic Cruise
An exciting wildlife cruise around the Svalbard archipelago
Classic Antarctica cruise & South Shetland Islands
Experience all that this remarkable area has to offer!
Wildlife Cruise of New Zealand Subantarctic Islands
New Zealand's wildlife rich & remote Subantarctic wilderness
Kamchatka and Chukotka wildlife cruises, Russia
Explore wild Kamchatka's volcanoes, fjords and wildlife
Skye and the Small Isles sailing vacation
Sail Scotland's Small Isles and visit spectacular Skye
Scotland private charter sailing vacations
Private Charter a small ship around the Scottish Islands
Alaskas Glacier Bay small ship cruise
Get close up to Alaska where the big ships can't go
Chukotka and Wrangel Island wildlife cruises, Russia
Explore Russian Arctic - home to Polar Bears, walrus & more
Cruising vacation in Burma, the Mergui Archipelago
A comprehensive tour of Burma including ocean sailing
Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea cruise
Antarctica & Weddell Sea Emperor Penguins by ship/helicopter
Seychelles 7 day sailing cruise
Cruise the Seychelles on a beautiful wooden sailing ship
Antarctic cruise and hiking in Chile
Walk in Atacama and Patagonia before cruising Antarctica
Melanesia cruise, wildlife cruise
Explore idyllic islands of the South Pacific inc Vanuatu
Split to Dubrovnik Luxury cruise, Croatia
Cruise Split to Dubrovnik in luxury via Croatia's islands
St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides cruise, Scotland
Scottish Cruise to St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides
Luxury gulet cruise in the Aegean
5 star services while cruising the Greek Islands in luxury
Arctic wildlife vacation, Polar bear explorer
A wildlife focused Arctic safari in Svalbard
Hebrides cruise, The Sounds of Mull, Luing, Shuna and Jura
Cruise the Sounds of the Hebrides: Mull, Luing, Jura, Shuna
North East passage cruise, Russia
Northeast Passage - travel the world's most famous sea route
Northern lights and whale watching cruise in Iceland
A cruise around Iceland with a chance of whales & Aurora
French Polynesia cruise in the South Pacific
Sail this Polynesian paradise visiting at least 12 islands
Fiji cruise, escape to paradise
Cruise some of Fiji's most beautiful islands and villages
Galapagos cruise options, tailor made
The greatest wildlife experiences tailor made
Is a small ship cruising vacation for you?
Go on a small ship cruise if...
Don’t go on a small ship cruise if...
What size is a ‘small ship’?
In the world of cruising, which has become a dirty word thanks to the irresponsible practices of some of the giant cruise liners that dominate the seas, going on a small ship cruise is a bit like the difference between a traveling the world in a giant marauding motorhome as opposed to a funky Volkswagen van. Or, in the case of a traditional ‘gulet’ in Turkey, a Bahamian tall ship or a fishing ‘dhona’ in the Maldives, for example, it is more like heading off into the wilds in a head-turning classic car, with the roof down and hair flowing in the wind. What defines a ‘small ship’ varies from vacation to vacation.A traditional schooner in Spitsbergen, for example, sleeps 20. However, a ‘small’ expedition boat to Antarctica might have up to 260 passengers. A Turkish gulet often sleeps up to about 12, but a 15m yacht going round the Greek Islands usually sleeps eight people. And sailing boats bound for the Scottish Islands may have cabins for no more than six people.
There are also restrictions in some parts of the world regarding passenger numbers. In the Galapagos Islands, for example, the law restricts passenger numbers on board to 100. In Antarctica you can have more than that, but only 100 passengers are allowed to disembark at a time.
Going with the flow
“If you get very seasick, it can be a problem, but the Antarctic and Spitsbergen boats, for example, will have an on board doctor, who will have seasickness medication. I took one that was almost like a sleeping tablet that just knocked me out for eight hours, and then I woke up thinking, ‘Oh that was the Drake Passage then, was it?!’”
Small group vacations
Small ship cruises, by their very nature, are nearly always small group vacations. People make all sorts of different misjudged assumptions about small group vacations. Boating snobs might think they are for wimps who can’t navigate for themselves. Young travelers may fear they will be the only person under fifty, older travelers might worry that it might be too active, and shy souls might feel under pressure to socialise.Most of these are maritime myths, however, as there is something for everyone on a small ship cruise, although it is true to say that the truly anti-social traveler may suffer a little cabin fever. However, water lovers are, in general, people who like to look outwards, not inwards. They are also happy to go with the flow and, although conditions on board might be more cramped than in a floating hotel, seafarers know how to respect other people’s space. Whether they are taking time out on deck to savour the solace of the sea, or having some chill out time in their berth.
Colette Dubois at our partners, St. Hilda Sea Adventures:
"One thing that is really special about living on a small boat is that you become extremely close to your passengers. It is a very special week for us as well. We learn from our passengers, we teach them things too, and because we live together, eat together, we discuss all sorts of things – politics, books and so on. And it is lovely to see young children on board too, who are so fresh, enthusiastic and wanting to learn and anticipate. The people who come are usually open minded and patient, and so it feels very special."
Cabin fever
"We are still developing the single traveler issues, because we feel that it is really unfair that single travelers have to pay a huge supplement to visit places, just because they are traveling on their own. A lot of the companies that we work with now offer the idea that if you are willing to share a cabin with somebody, then they will match you with a like-minded traveler. And if there is no one available, then you get the cabin to yourself, and you won’t be forced to pay a single supplement."
Onboard activities
Long gone are the days of having to scrub the deck or man the rigging. Although you can learn rigging skills on a tall ship cruise vacation, you are more likely to engage in chilled out activities on board. Although unlike cruise liners, you won’t find any cinemas, casinos or cheesy singers, you might take part in a wildlife lecture, watch a David Attenborough movie, or just browse the library full of maps and books about where you are going and what you are likely to see. There are no ball gowns, no black tie, but is all very casual, relaxed and very personal. Instead of dining with the captain, you can often go up on the bridge and chat with them about where you are going and what you are up to for the day. The expert expedition leaders hang out with you on board at all times too, always full of knowledge about wildlife, geography and so on. Or you can just chill out on deck and watch the world go by, of course.Mealtimes
Our top Small ship cruising vacation Vacation
Southern Croatia cruise in comfort
Cruise Croatia's beautiful islands on a small cruise ship
2021: 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 8 May, 15 May, 22 May, 29 May, 5 Jun, 12 Jun, 19 Jun, 26 Jun, 3 Jul, 10 Jul, 17 Jul, 24 Jul, 31 Jul, 7 Aug, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, 28 Aug, 4 Sep, 11 Sep, 18 Sep, 25 Sep, 2 Oct, 9 Oct

