22/07/2020
ADMIN'S TIP: SMALL SHIP VS BIG SHIP
Are you a big-ship cruiser or a small-ship cruiser? Do you prefer the activities and thrills of big ships? Or are you more for the quieter environments of small ships? Do you want to visit the more quiet and smaller ports or you prefer the more lively ones?
Me? I love the smaller ships for at least five reasons:
1* Small ships mean no crowds. The embarkation and disembarkations are easy and quiet. No waiting lines. Smaller ships have the highest ratio per passenger and they avoid crowding at ports. These smaller ships are often the only ship in port like I experienced in lots of ports. And when your small ship is docked near an enormous one... it is fun to see the difference in handling, the waiting lines and how they all get off the ship. Besides that, the port you visit is overcrowded by other cruise passengers.
2* Small ships are roomier. The public areas have just more space (a figure derived by dividing capacity by cubic feet) and staterooms with more square footage than those on big ships. The walking closet, the spacious bathroom, there is just more room for you. There is more than enough space for the ordered room service!
3* Small ships visit off-the-beaten-track ports. Big ships don’t call on the Trollfjord in Norway simply because that big ship just does not fit in! You can experience it in an exclusive and more peaceful way. So the port and city you visit are not as crowded with other cruisers coming from the bigger ships
4* It is easier to make friends on small ships. On a big ship, you can meet more but never see them again. But on the big ships, there is the anonymity factor if you prefer that. On small ships mostly all staff greet you by name. On my cruises on small ships it feels so special when waiters remember your favorite drink, pool stewards know and arrange your favorite spot at the pool, and officers also know you by name. And you also get to know the staff. You feel you made new friends after your trip! I have been hugging staff upon parting and being so happy seeing them on a next cruise again. And I made lifelong friends with fellow travelers on each small ship cruise.
5* Small ships mostly offer a better quality cruise experience. Surely this is very subjective, but the quality of accommodation, the quality of the food, the quality of the excursions (free champagne after climbing a mountain top), is nearly always superior on a small ship. Big ships are doing great work in all of these areas, and sometimes, food and service, particularly at the specialty restaurants on big ships, can rival the offerings of the small ships, but in general, smaller ships offer richer travel experiences than big ships. On bigger ships, however, they offer more like theme-park and resort-style experiences. There is much more to do.
What defines a small ship? Well, there are different opinions on that but for me cruise ships carrying fewer than 800-1000 passengers are small.
The companies that operate small ships:
Azamara Club Cruises
Crystal Cruises
Hapag-Lloyd
Oceania Cruises
Paul Gauguin
Ponant Cruises
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Seabourn
SeaDream Yacht Club
Silversea Cruises
Star Clippers
UnCruise
Windstar Cruises
And all river cruise companies like AmaWaterways, Chrystal, Tauck, Uniworld, and Viking.
There are also big ship operators with smaller ships in their fleets, like Celebrity Cruises’ Xpedition, Holland America Line’s Prinsendam, and Ocean Princess. They carry fewer than 900 guests and visit smaller ports but are not all-inclusive.
The cost of small-ship cruising is of course more than cruising on a large ship, but it can be interesting to do some calculations! All beverages, including fine wines, champagne, beer, and spirits, a full fridge in your room with your preferences, even caviar, mostly are included in the cruise fare. And for most small ships: tips are neither requested nor expected.
What about you? Are you a big-ship cruiser or a small-ship cruiser?