Go off the beaten track on a small ship cruise

The fascination of small-ship adventure cruising in the kind of out-of-the-way places that bigger ships have no hope of accessing

A small ship with a much bigger reputation than its dimensions is the half-cruiser, half-freighter Aranui 5, visiting the most isolated islands on earth: the Marquesas in French Polynesia. Aboard that ship, the adventures come nearly every day.

During the ocean voyage, there are frequent call-outs to watch whales, dolphins and manta rays and, on island days, the muscular tattooed crew pretty much lift the 254 passengers on and off the ship. Once safely on land, you’ll often be walking through rainforest only to come face-to-face with locals in woven grass skirts and necklaces of bones.

Here, you’re very much off the beaten track, principally because the Marquesas are legendary for their isolation, sheer inaccessibility and tales of their fierce cannibalistic inhabitants.

Each one of its four – soon to be five – ships are purpose-built for soft-adventure and expedition cruising, having shallow drafts, high manoeuvrability and dynamic shore tender capabilities. Coral Expeditions operates cruises to the Great Barrier Reef, the Kimberley, Tasmania, Cape York and Arnhem Land in Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Spice Islands and Raja Ampat in Indonesia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Embrace adventure on a small ship cruise

Adventure comes in many different shapes and sizes.

Azamara operates three upmarket, boutique ships that each offer a maximum of 700 passengers similarly fascinating experiences, always with the focus on ‘immersion’ in the destination they’re visiting.

Their size means they’re suitable for both intimate ocean and river sailing (Spain’s Guadalquivir River, Portugal’s Douro and Bordeaux’s Garonne, for example) and, with a rapidly expanding range of destinations, Azamara proudly boasts that you can be on their ships for a year and never visit the same port twice.

There are 76 countries on its program in 2020 for Azamara Journey, Pursuit and Quest, including new itineraries such as South Africa, French Polynesia and Hawaii. The favourites, such as Greece, Italy, the Baltics and Antarctica, remain.

Expect the unexpected on small ship and adventure cruises

The fascination of small-ship adventure cruising in the kind of out-of-the-way places that bigger ships have no hope of accessing

On one of APT’s 106-passenger ships, or similarly boutique-sized vessels operated by other companies, you’re guaranteed an experience that’s wild and that’s intimate in an environment where you simply never know what’s going to happen next.

There’s a whole range of operators of small ships that undertake cruises to some of the most secluded places in the world, but accompanied by delicious cuisine, free-flowing drinks, fascinating expert lectures, great entertainment and beautiful beds at the end of each day in fabulously chic cabins.

Coral Expeditions is another Australian-flagged and operated line that runs small ships carrying no more than 120 passengers, navigating into shallow bays and enabling passengers to visit small villages without feeling you’re overwhelming the locals.

On Coral Expeditions’ Indonesian Archipelago cruise, there’s also the chance to explore the rarely visited UNESCO World Heritage-listed Rinca Island and track, with a ranger, for Komodo dragons, the biggest, and most venomous, lizards on earth. Again, they’re a menacing sight you’ll never forget – although leaving them behind for the welcome haven of the ship is an enormous relief.

Each one of its four – soon to be five – ships are purpose-built for soft-adventure and expedition cruising, having shallow drafts, high manoeuvrability and dynamic shore tender capabilities. Coral Expeditions operates cruises to the Great Barrier Reef, the Kimberley, Tasmania, Cape York and Arnhem Land in Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Spice Islands and Raja Ampat in Indonesia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

   

A small ship cruise is as much about the vessel as it is the destination

Occupying a niche but growing segment of the cruise industry are small ships that sail the world with anything from 100 to 1000 adventure-minded passengers.

Oceania Cruises’ fleet of six ships comprises four that accommodate 684 passengers (Sirena, Regatta, Nautica and Insignia), plus two accommodating 1250 (Riviera and Marina), which are also focused on destinations, but also put a big stress on culinary excellence.

Oceania claims to serve its passengers the finest cuisine at sea – think artisanal ingredients, the finest milled flour and pungent spices sourced in Asia – as they voyage to Alaska, Asia, Africa, South America and Australia. Life at sea has never been so satisfying.