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On the Paul Gauguin, a sense of place permeates everything from the Polynesian-influenced décor and color palette to the local cuisine travelers sample onboard. Resident performers, known as Les Gauguines, share Polynesian culture through dance, music, and storytelling. Passengers explore island history and enjoy watersports such as snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding, including from the beaches of two private motu. Island Windjammers focuses more on the joys of sailing than on over-the-top shipboard amenities.
The Top 10 Small-ship Ocean Cruise Lines in 2021
The small-ship ocean cruise line category is only for ships with 150 to 299 cabins. Some cruise lines may appear in multiple categories depending on the makeup of their fleet. Royal Clipper also has impressive modern niceties for a ship of its size, including three small pools and an aft marina for easy access to complimentary water sports.
Scenic Cruises: Scenic Eclipse
Besides kayaks and Zodiacs for landings, ships are equipped with scientific tools like hydrophones (to listen in on marine mammals), underwater cameras and video microscopes. SeaDream's laid-back, al fresco style is perfectly suited totropical latitudes, and both of their 112-guest yachts winter inthe Caribbean. Itineraries include Bridgetown round-trips focusingon the stunning Grenadines, a particularly attractive option for UKtravellers, and cruises around the Virgin Islands from San Juan orSt Thomas.
What Readers Loved
Register with Cruise.com to get access to exclusive rates, discounts and special offers. Viking Octantis spends part of the year in Antarctica and the rest of the year cruising the Great Lakes and Canada, with a handful of repositioning cruises in between. When the weather's good, skip the main restaurant and eat at the buffet, which is set up at the back of Deck 7, adjacent to the attractive (and heated) infinity swimming pool. When returning from a frigid Antarctica excursion, you will appreciate the fireplaces (yes, that's right) built into the walls of all cabins.
Silversea Silver Dawn – 40,700 tons, 569 guests
And when Caledonia sails in Canada and New England, you can gain perspective on Newfoundland’s ancient sea culture from an onboard expert, then pay a visit to Port au Choix, a tiny town rich in fishing history. The ultra-luxury Seabourn Encore features 300 suites for 600 passengers with all the amenities of Seabourn’s Odyssey-class ships. Additions to Encore include a VIP area on the top deck, a wellness program and two restaurants, The Grill by Thomas Keller and Sushi. In the 2023 voting, readers gave high marks to established brands that have reinvigorated their offerings. Consider No. 2 Windstar Cruises, which recently rebuilt three of its small ships at an investment of $250 million, adding more suites, improved culinary options, and enhanced spa facilities to each.
Crystal Cruises
The newest ship in the Galapagos fleet also features cabin automation and environmentally friendly systems, including anchorless technology (dynamic positioning) and in-room water filtration stations. The 62-passenger National Geographic Sea Bird and National Geographic Sea Lion have been with the line since 1981, but have been refurbished and are still well suited to long and short Alaska itineraries. The larger, newer National Geographic Quest( added in 2016) and National Geographic Venture (launched in 2018) carry 100 passengers apiece. Purpose-built for expedition cruising, Quest and Venture were designed with special touches including a shallow draft and state-of-the-art twin expedition craft landing platforms for getting out into the water for even closer encounters. Like all Silversea ships, Silver Dawn ensures a dedicated butler service in every suite. With a high crew-to-passenger ratio, this small luxury cruise ship provides a glimpse into the high life, offering a truly indulgent experience.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
One of our favourite features -- available on each of Windstar's vessels -- is the water sports platform, with its range of complimentary activities such as snorkelling, wind-sailing, paddle-boarding and even water skiing). There are also longer two-week voyages encompassing both the above regions, includinground-trip Barbados sailings. Windstar's fleet of six small ships includes three sail-assistedyachts and three all-suite former Seabourn ships, giving you twodifferent ways to cruise the Caribbean. Their 14-night Star Collector voyages out of Barbados are a greatoption if you're looking for a longer trip, and Windstar also havea handful of itineraries visiting the so-called 'ABC Islands' ofAruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. Fortunately for adventurous travelers several cruise lines offer small ship Alaska cruises -- and they’re expanding their fleets, itineraries and excursion offerings. Residing in New Brunswick, Canada, Ming has been in the cruise industry since 1994.
small cruise lines for when you hate big cruises
There's an impressive spa, salon and gym with panoramic ocean views and several lounges for drinks (always included) and lectures. On board, many rooms are veranda suites measuring 356 square feet (including a private balcony), all with marble baths. The largest Grand and Owner's suites are massive multi-room affairs with huge private verandas.
25 BEST Mediterranean Cruises 2024 (Prices + Itineraries): Cruises to the Mediterranean on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
25 BEST Mediterranean Cruises 2024 (Prices + Itineraries): Cruises to the Mediterranean on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Mon, 23 Oct 2023 14:35:23 GMT [source]
No. 3: American Constitution - American Cruise Lines
By registering with Cruise.com you will be able to view these special rates and offers. The best cruise lines for small ships, according to Travel + Leisure readers, are the ones that develop a sense of camaraderie onboard. Ocean Victory's 11- and 12-night Alaska cruises depart between May and September.
We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. Condé Nast Traveler readers voted on all of the above as part of the publication's 2023 Readers' Choice Awards. The survey results published in October take different factors into consideration, such as service, accommodations, food, and sustainability.
It’s also the first ship in the fleet to feature a high-tech planetarium in a 26-seat dome theater. Meanwhile Paul Gauguin Cruises (No. 3) may have slipped a bit from its 2022 ranking but still posted a score of more than 92 points. That’s thanks to its luxurious service — most rooms come with butler service — and, no doubt, its dreamy itineraries that visit remote atolls in South Pacific and the cruise line’s private beach on Bora Bora. The $2 billion, 7,000-plus passenger ship has proven hugely popular and is booking up fast. But even as travelers around the world showcase increased interest in vacationing at sea, the internet's vocal aversion to the massive vessel proves mega-ships aren't for everyone. Often cruise lines offer special rates that cannot be displayed to the general public.
Look out for exciting extras like the option to sleep under the stars (on deck-side Balinese loungers) and a water sports platform with complimentary equipment including sailboats, paddle-boards and kayaks. Embarking on a small cruise ship voyage offers an intimate and immersive travel experience like no other. These vessels, often characterized by their cozy ambiance and personalized service, provide an opportunity to explore unique destinations and hidden gems that larger ships may not reach. Here are some small cruise ships that merit consideration for your upcoming voyage. The vessel has spacious cabins percent with private balconies -- along with three dining venues, a spa and water sports marina with activities including kayaking, paddle-boarding and diving.
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world. When you buy through a link on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. With its PC6 ice-class rating, Silver Endeavour spends November through April in Antarctica and the rest of the year in the Arctic, including Greenland, Arctic Canada, Iceland and Norway.
Since then, two more small ships -- the intimate 16-passenger Celebrity Xploration and 100-passenger Celebrity Flora – have joined the fleet. Just launched, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is an excitingnew cruise line that promises to bring the Ritz-Carlton brand ofluxury to the oceans for the first time. The big ships are restricted to busy, overdeveloped islandswhere going ashore means running a gauntlet of hassle from streetvendors, touts and taxi drivers. Often the main attractions areduty free shopping malls, and the chances of experiencing anauthentic slice of Caribbean culture are minimal.
The expansive wooden sun decks on Wind Star and Wind Spirit make you want to be on topside as much as possible to enjoy the yachting life. Each has multiple dining options, both indoor and on deck, including a weekly barbecue on deck under the stars. Swimsuits, cover-ups and T-shirts are typical daytime attire on these windjammer cruises, and dress for dinner and evenings remains refreshingly casual.
The 930-passenger Viking Sky feels more like a resort than a cruise ship, thanks to its all-veranda staterooms, tasteful decorations and elegant public spaces for reading, relaxing or socializing. Little extras, like numerous USB ports, ocean-facing lounge chairs on the pool deck and floor-to-ceiling windows in most venues, make for a comfortable sailing experience. Like her popular Viking sister ships, Jupiter features a spacious spa, several dining venues, an intimate jazz lounge, two cinemas, a pool with retractable roof and a sports deck.
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