There’s no better time than now to discover the benefits and appeal of small-ship cruising. After all, we’re all trying to lessen the number of times we’re in a large crowd. With typical passenger counts of 300 or less, small-ship and expedition-style cruise vessels keep your exposure low - and have the added bonus of a lower guide-to-passenger ratio and more expert local guides.
The question then becomes: Where should I go? To answer that, we have a series of blog posts coming up that will unveil some of the best places to discover by small ship. Today, we focus on cruises closer to home, including the grandeur of Alaska and the Northwest Passage to the Caribbean islands rich in colourful character. Ready for an easily accessible small-ship adventure? Here are some suggestions on which itineraries to choose and what you can expect. Enjoy!
Caribbean Cruises
Lesser Antilles
Let’s be clear … there is nothing “lesser” about the Lesser Antilles. In fact, you’re likely to find them more appealing and authentic than the perennial Caribbean favorites such as the Bahamas and Cayman Islands. The Lesser Antilles create the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and are less touristy overall, offering a more pristine experience. This is where you’ll find Martinique, St. Lucia, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Grenada and Dominica, many of which are known for their ecotourism options, birdwatching, snorkeling, scuba diving and rich history. Perhaps you’d like to explore smaller, lesser-known ports aboard a private sailing yacht. We can make it happen.
Image: St. Lucia
In Dominica, known as the Caribbean’s “Nature Island,” you can hike to the Emerald Pool waterfall, dive Champagne Reef and hike in Morne Trois Pitons National Park. In St. Lucia, tour the Pigeon Island National Park and marvel at the white-sand Anse Chastanet beach. In Saba, hike to the highest point on the island, appropriately named Mount Scenery, or snorkel in crystal-clear Cove Bay. A small-ship cruise through the Lesser Antilles will reveal these wonders and more, and allow you to reach the smaller coves, reefs and beaches few ever consider visiting.
North America
Alaska and Canada's Northwest Passage
One of the world’s last truly wild places is within relatively easy access of many of us: Alaska and the Arctic Circle. A Northwest Passage small-ship cruise introduces you to this far-northern region, encompassing northern Alaska, Canada, most of Greenland and parts of Russia and Scandinavia, and home to more than 500,000 indigenous peoples and a huge range of unfettered wildlife.
Image: Northwest Passage
On your expedition through the Northwest Passage, you’ll have unique opportunities to see polar bears, arctic hares and foxes, whales, reindeer, puffins and more - all of which will be just as curious about you as you are of them. Go where the big ships can’t and cruise in comfort thanks to your expedition ship’s hardened hull that can easily push through the icy waters that bridge the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Following in the path of early Arctic explorers, you’ll visit the same islands and remote ports, stopping for day hikes and Zodiac cruises. And just wait until you see the Northern Lights - spectacular!
Alaska’s Inside Passage
Right up there with the Northwest Passage when it comes to bucket-list small-ship cruises, Alaska’s Inside Passage never fails to impress and enchant. Some of the most stunning sites, however, are a no-go for mega-ships. Enter your small expedition ship, which can flit in and out of bays and coves and scoot through icebergs and the toes of glaciers. From Washington State’s Puget Sound all the way north to the Alaska Panhandle, this route - which became popular during the Klondike Gold Rush - provides easier navigation and calmer waters than the open ocean.
Amidst 1,000 islands, 15,000 miles of shoreline and thousands of bays, coves and glaciers, an epic Inside Passage cruise can take you to Glacier Bay National Park, kayaking in the Ford’s Terror Wilderness area, hking around Lake Eva, learning about Tlingit culture in Juneau and giving you a front-row sea on the region’s black and grizzly bears, moose, bald eagles, sea lions and humpback whales, to name a few.
Ready for an off-the-beaten-path small-ship cruise? Oh, the stories you’ll tell and the photos you’ll take. Let’s chat about small-ship sailing closer to home, in the wilds of Alaska or the culturally rich lesser-known islands of the Caribbean. Let’s chat. Please sign up for my weekly small ship inspirational newsletter if you haven't already.