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SH Vega cruises the Arctic region (visiting Greenland, Iceland and northern Canada), South America, the coast of Africa (including South Africa, Namibia and Angola) and the Antarctic Peninsula. In place of an observation bow with direct views of the water, as many similar ships offer, Victory has a pair of viewing platforms on each side of the ship, thanks to its distinctive X-bow design. These platforms are cantilevered directly over the water for great views of bergy bits and potential marine life.
Why Small-Ship Cruising Is Ideal for Travelers with Disabilities - Reader's Digest
Why Small-Ship Cruising Is Ideal for Travelers with Disabilities.
Posted: Mon, 25 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Travel + Leisure Readers' 5 Favorite Small-ship Ocean Cruise Lines of 2023
So, you’ve fallen in love with the world of small ship cruising – who could blame you? The intimate settings, the untapped destinations, the camaraderie among fellow travelers; it’s a uniquely enriching experience. If you’re contemplating setting sail once again, or perhaps even making it an annual affair, here are some pro tips to make every trip better than the last. Fancy boarding a ship that’s more like a private yacht than a cruise ship? MS Galileo is a vessel that harks back to the ships of yesteryear, venturing around the Greek islands with its white, billowing sails unfurled.
Star Clippers: Royal Clipper
An impressively kitted-out expedition ship, Scenic Eclipse has an ice-strengthened hull with a C6 rating suited for polar cruising, including navigating the Northwest Passage. High-tech features include a GPS dynamic positioning system to maintain a location without dropping anchor. L'Austral is the ideal size for a small ship — intimate but still large enough for amenities such as a gym, spa and show lounge. The ship attracts a loyal fan base thanks to its roomy size and cabins that open onto covered promenade decks (rather than a central interior corridor). It even features a hot tub on deck and an elevator, a rarity on older small adventure ships like this. What the ships lack in modern touches, they make up for in experience and service.
SOUTH PACIFIC CRUISES
While luxury exists on some of the small ships in terms of décor, amenities, or culinary experience, one of the most luxurious of all benefits is the access to lesser-known places. Settling into your plush cabin, you might overhear murmurs from fellow cruisers. Myths and misconceptions tend to float around, especially when it comes to less conventional modes of travel. Let’s address some of these concerns head-on and set the record straight on small ship cruising.
With Ponant's French pedigree, it's not surprising that food is a cut above, especially the desserts, cheeses and wine. Enhance your evening with complimentary wine (mostly French), Charles Heidsieck Champagne, beer and spirits. Standing on deck when the sails are unfurled is one of the more romantic moments you'll likely experience on any ship. Star Clippers' handsome five-masted tall ship Royal Clipper is considered the largest square rigger in service. Modeled after the great 1902 German clipper Preussen, the ship is a real throwback, with lots of wood and brass features and nautical-style elements.
The food is excellent and served both on the romantic outdoor decks and inside the cozy restaurant. High-tech toys, such as a remotely operated vehicle and underwater video camera, hydrophone, remote-controlled aerial camera and video microscope, allow guests to view footage of undersea life wherever the ships may be. Lindblad's newest 128-passenger ships, National Geographic Resolution (2021) and National Geographic Endurance (2020), were built for hard-core exploration in the polar regions they call home. I'm drawn to the intimacy and instant community that develops between a small number of passengers and crew cruising together. I enjoy the serenity of small-ship cruising, with no lines to wait in or crowds to contend with on board.
You’ll dock at smaller islands, including gorgeous Folegandros – but you won’t miss out on experiencing why sun-splashed Santorini and Paros get their sought-after status. Exploring a region by cruise often means you can cover more ground in less time. On a small ship, there’s the opportunity to tuck into ports and waterways that big cruise liners can’t. The elegant Lord of the Glens, hosting just 54 guests, investigates the inland waters of the Caledonian Canal and hidden Scottish sea lochs. When searching for the best small ship cruises, you'll want to make sure they match the experiences you're after. For a friendly atmosphere where guests get to know each other over dinner, a European river cruise along the Douro or through Bordeaux can offer plenty of shared experiences and opportunities to meet new people.
EUROPEAN CRUISES
10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best. When you buy through a link on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read on to see what other readers had to say — and which other companies made this year's list. Cruise fare includes a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay and one excursion in each port.
World Navigator is a deluxe expedition ship sporting a 1B Ice Class-certified hull and the latest technologies, such as a GPS-based dynamic position system to minimize movement and noise. Seabourn's new Seabourn Venture (and upcoming sister Seabourn Pursuit) are on par with Silver Endeavour and Scenic Eclipse when it comes to pairing top-of-the-line luxury and pampering with incredible itineraries. For dining, there are four main restaurants, including an Italian and a French-inspired venue. The Grill is an eatery enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass for the best views in the house.
The ship carries two submarines, as well as a fleet of double sea kayaks and 24 Zodiacs that can accommodate all guests at once. 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.
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. The closest you can get to the feeling of having your own private yacht is to sail on one of Variety Cruises' three motorized sailboats -- Absolute King, Monte Carlo and Obsession -- where just 10 passengers are looked after by a crew of six. The rest of fleet comprises eight small vessels, including the 71-passenger flagship Variety Voyager and masted Panorama and Panorama II which cater for 49. International Expeditions, offering passengers soft adventure, small-group journeys with a focus on nature, runs cruises to the Galapagos on the 32-passenger Evolution). Step out onto the sun deck or relax in Evolution's hot tub to enjoy the passing scenery, when not partaking in immersive shoreside experiences anchored on natural and cultural encounters.
The German company has traditionally catered to German and British passengers. As part of its effort to expand its reach and appeal, Sea Cloud is adding wellness programs with daily onboard yoga and guest fitness gurus, in addition to special food- and wine-focused sailings with well-known chefs making appearances. In fact, small ships may be driving a surge of interest in cruising generally, as new and newly refreshed options in this range are drawing both longtime cruisers and those eager to try a new way of traveling. There's "cruising" and there's "yachting" – small ships that dock in harbors and ports inaccessible to larger ships.
For something that will give you plenty to talk about when you get home, expedition cruises to far-flung places like Antarctica are thrilling and intrepid without sacrificing comfort. World Voyager, which sailed its maiden voyage in Antarctica this past November, is the third vessel to join the fleet of one of the newest players in small-ship expedition cruising, Atlas Ocean Voyages. The company’s 100-cabin expedition yachts are almost identical and provide a hybrid of sorts between traditional expedition and luxury cruising. The bathrooms have glass-mosaic tiled showers with rain showerheads, wall jets, and even benches. As the number of adventure-focused ships and yachts has exploded in recent years, these cruises are no longer just about extreme voyages in polar regions.
In places immortalized with nature's colorful brush, where masterfully crafted wines were made to sip and savor, traditions toasted and tales fondly shared... Where you become part of the stories, past and present, that make your cruise memories last lifetimes. This year's World's Best Awards survey was open for voting January 11 through May 10, 2021, as destinations around the world were lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Survey rules have always allowed readers to reflect on their travel experiences over a three-year period. We hope that this year's honorees will inspire your own travels as you get back out into the world. Among the larger ships on our list, Viking's new 378-passenger Viking Octantis (along with sister Viking Polaris) was designed to explore the polar regions with some pretty cool features, including a large two-level garage called the Hangar.
The line generally doesn't stop in touristy ports like Skagway, and instead keeps its ships close to Alaska's wilderness, though Wrangell, Misty Fjords and Tracy Arm do feature on some itineraries. While some larger yachts and ships have similar onboard marinas, it's a different experience when you're sharing the facilities with so few people. It feels as if the yacht is yours alone, and you're simply enjoying the water with a handful of friends. The onboard experience is also more like that of sailing on a private yacht.
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