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CRUISING ON A SMALL SHIP IS DIFFERENT
WHAT IS CRUISING ON A SMALL SHIP LIKE?
A small ship is part cruise
ship and part private yacht. You have many of the advantages of cruising,
but you can go to remote locations and out-of-the-way ports where
big ships can’t go.
Typically, there are no group
games, few announcements, no assigned dining room seating. Instead of bingo,
you have the opportunity to visit the bridge at any time and stand at the helmstation, or on a very small ship perhaps take the helm yourself.
Instead of a cruise director, you have historians, naturalists and
other experts who give talks and slide shows and join
you at dinner, perhaps an author or a wildlife photographer.
Sometimes there is a casino, more likely not, or it will be small. Sometimes there is a piano
bar or a band and a dance floor, but just as often there is a local band
brought on board for dancing on the aft deck. Instead of spending much
time inside the ship, you spend most time outside at destinations.
Usually there is focus on
learning about the environment and people and cultures of the area, with some
lectures by naturalists and historians, wildlife excursions with
guides, and a library with books and videos on the destinations. You might learn about ancient roots of civilization while viewing Mayan ruins
or archeological sites in the Greek Islands or you might get close
to nature watching the courting dances of blue-footed boobies in
the Galapagos, or feeding bananas to lemurs in the Seychelles.
Because there are fewer people, you have the opportunity to meet with speakers
in informal conversations. The lectures, the artworks, the closeness to the environment all provide a profound sense of place
to the destinations.
Because of their turn-on-a-dime maneuverability
the small ships can get into secluded coves and remote places inaccessible
to bigger ships, going up rivers to where they are just navigable or going to
places that can be reached only by water and are less often visited.
Because of the small number of passengers, the itinerary can be
flexible. You can stay for the evening for a local festival, stop to watch a
whale, or launch a zodiac
in minutes if there is something special to see.
HOW ABOUT ACCOMMODATIONS? ARE THERE ANY LUXURY CRUISES?
On some expedition-type
ships, accommodations can be spare, with a shower that gets the entire
bathroom wet and a rack on the wall for clothes instead of a closet.
But usually you will be able to hike through rainforests, swim, or sightsee
all day, then come back to a fine room, a hot shower, and an excellent dinner
with wine. On some ships you may have a VCR, cd, radio, phone and internet
access in your cabin. Some small ships have hot tubs and pools, some do not. Some vessels have a masseuse, and
the luxury small ships have elaborate spa facilities with the same services you
would find at a fancy spa on land.
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You get friendly service
and personal attention on almost any small ship. If you want to really be decadently
spoiled, you can try the white-glove treatment of the luxury ships. Some
of them have private verandahs, marble baths, terry robes, personalized
stationery, room service, and champagne and caviar every night. On some luxury
ships you dress for dinner each night, and
one or two nights a week are formal. On other small luxury ships passengers
dress 'resort casual' for dinners. There are also very casual ships on which
only a clean t-shirt is expected at dinner. WHAT ARE THE MAJOR ADVANTAGES
OF CRUISING?
One great advantage is that you can be comfortable
while visiting some of the world’s most inaccessible and fascinating places.
The ship gives you a "home away from home". Whether it is a small ship or a big
ship, you unpack once and then see
many locations. You don’t have to drive from place to place, or change
hotels, or worry about reservations or keeping a schedule. You just relax
and wake up in a new location the next day without having had any hassle
to get there. You can explore the most remote rugged environments by day
and come back to the security and comfort of a clean stateroom, a hot shower,
a well-prepared meal and good company.
Ships are friendly places, and there is a sense of camaraderie,
usually with sharing the day’s experience on the top deck at the end of
the day, getting to know fellow passengers and making new friends.
DO YOU HAVE TO BE RICH TO CRUISE?
No. These days you don’t have to
be a millionaire to vacation like one. Many times a cruise is cheaper than a
land vacation because room, meals and entertainment are all included. Even if
you have to watch your budget, you can look for deals and discounts. WHAT ABOUT AGE? WHAT ABOUT
CRUISING SINGLE?
Cruise passengers now are all ages. On some cruises physical
condition is important, but on most of the cruises you have a choice of
whether to take easy strolls or difficult hikes, do whitewater rafting or
leisurely paddle a canoe in a quiet cove, dive a reef or be lazy under a
palm tree on a secluded beach. However, on some small ship itineraries there
may be some wet landings
from a zodiac or tender directly onto a beach so if you are agile, you should
check on that when you choose your cruise.
Singles go on small ships as well
couples and groups. In fact, the camaraderie of the small number of passengers makes
it easy to make friends.
Small ship cruises are good
for family travel too. Some have special activities for kids, and even
if they don’t, there are plenty of physical things to do so that boredom
is not a problem. A small ship cruise gives kids a real-life way to appreciate
the environment and relate to different cultures. Thousands of years of
history can come to life for them in visits to historic ports. A ship is a secure environment where children can enjoy
their experience with their parents or be safe doing things without them.
They usually have firm new friends before the cruise is over.
More important than
age or single versus couples is the state of mind. The people who cruise
in small ships usually have a spirit of adventure; they are curious about the world and
are ready for the next experience around the bend.
WHAT ABOUT BEING BORED OR FEELING CONFINED?
People who haven’t cruised
sometimes have the misconception that they might be bored. It’s not true
of big ships or small ships. The days are gone of passengers swathed in
blankets and snoozing in their deck chairs. There are usually more things
to do than you have time for.
You don’t feel confined.
Actually being at sea gives you a sense of freedom and openness.
AREN’T ALL SHIPS BASICALLY THE SAME?
Ships come in all shapes
and sizes. Even "small ships" can have only a few passengers, more like
a private yacht, or several hundred passengers. Ships can be diesel-powered,
have paddlewheels, or be sailing ships. There are river boats that go along
the Danube or Rhine, the Volga in Russia, the remote jungle tributaries
of the Amazon, the Yangtze, the Nile, the Snake River in Oregon, or up
and down the Mississippi and the Ohio. There are icebreakers that can slice
through ice in the Antarctic and Arctic. There are barges in Europe, and
freighters, and even boats that can you charter yourself.
Some ships have bow ramps
that let you walk directly onto a beach, others have a diving platform/sports
deck at the stern from which, when at anchor, you can scuba, water ski,
windsurf, swim, paddle a kayak or sail a sunfish. Some have a fleet of
zodiacs for quick access to coves and beaches.
WHERE CAN YOU GO IN A SMALL SHIP?
You can go all over the
world. You can cruise the inlets of Alaska or among remote Canadian islands
watching eagles ride updrafts and whales breach, or snorkel in turquoise
waters in the Bahamas and the Caribbean, visit ports in the Mediterranean
and Baltic Seas, sail into the harbors of Tahiti and Bora Bora, dive on
the great barrier reefs in Australia or Belize, visit small villages in
Asia, go up the tributaries of the Amazon River or visit Indian villages
in the Darien Jungle.
It’s even possible to go
to the North Pole or to Antarctica or to the islands on the boundary between Alaska and Russia that were
closed to the outside world for decades. You can go to the outermost islands
of Micronesia to see atolls populated by massive colonies of frigate. You can
sail the Greek Islands, explore the Great Lakes or the towns along the US
east coast. You can cruise through the Panama Canal and go to ports in Costa
Rica and Panama and nearby islands; you can combine an African
safari with a cruise to Zanzibar, Madagascar
and the Seychelles; you can take a Europe or California wine cruise,
with lectures and wine-tasting on board
and visits to wineries; you can see the wildlife of
the Galapagos Islands, cruise along the fjord-dotted
1,200 mile coast of Norway, take a dive boat in the
Bahamas where you can dive two and three times a day, takea classical music cruise with string
quartets on board and excursions
to famous concert halls.
Lamu, Zanzibar, Madagascar,
Desolation Sound, Glacier Bay, the Sea of Cortez, the Galapagos, Bora Bora,
Bali, Baja, St. Helena, the Norwegian fjords, Patagonia, the Northwest
Passage, the Amazon, the Yangtze, Tonga. Picture your fantasy, the place
you’ve always dreamed of seeing, and chances are a small ship goes there. |
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