MORE INTIMACY
With fewer people on board a ship, the intimacy of the trip is greater and so your chance to explore. You can sail into much smaller harbours, explore narrower channels and reach remote regions no large liner could ever get to. This is primarily what offers guests a more in-depth and immersive experience, no matter where they go.
MORE EXPERIENCES
Small ship cruising has the priceless benefit of allowing you more time ashore, as disembarking is made easier with fewer guests to carry back and forth. In places like Antarctica and Patagonia, the weather plays a huge role in how much time you spend on land – it figures that facilitating your movements on and off the ship is ideal. And in fervently protected reserves like the Galapagos Islands, some landing sites limit the number of people allowed, on land, at any given time: this is where you’ll really want to choose the smallest ship your budget will allow.
MORE PERSONAL SPACE
Overcrowding isn’t just something you’ll dodge on-land when you choose to explore with smaller ship: there’ll no queues with which to contend at dinnertime, fewer people with whom to share the library, gym or spa (AND kayak use); you’ll generally enjoy a much more relaxing experience in a far less-crowded ship. Small ships offer gorgeous quiet nooks you can retreat to with a good book and glass of wine – your chances of finding anything like this on a megaliner, outside of your own cabin, are practically nil.