Why Cruise on a Small Ship?
No Waiting in Lines - Anywhere
Not for food, at the bar, or for the entertainment. Getting on and off the ship is much easier than on larger ships, too, leaving more time to spend ashore in port. And you can easily come back back on board your ship during the day. Smaller ships also have the advantage over bigger ships in that they can visit smaller ports, destinations, and less-traveled areas. So you’re sharing adventures ashore with locals instead of crowds.
Flexibility and Activities
Small ships can stop more readily for wildlife sightings or other unscheduled experiences.
On rivers, small ships frequently have bicycles for guest use on shore. On the ocean, small ship cruise lines, such as Windstar, UnCruise, SeaDream, Lindblad, and Ponant all have retractable marinas at the back of their ships, which they use when anchored in calm seas for easy access to kayaking, sailing, swimming, paddleboards and snorkeling by guests.
Less Walking, more Doing on Board
On my last small ship cruise, walking to dinner took less than 5 minutes and one story. In contrast, during the last large ship experience, it felt like a hike to get to dinner or the show (at opposite ends of a very large ship) after taking an elevator 14 stories to the appropriate level.
What will you miss? Amenities like Large Broadway type shows, a casino, 10 restaurants. But it’s a sophisticated trade off!
