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The Small Cruise Ship Collection

Small Ships, Big Experiences
Small intimate ships reach places that megaliners can't. Be as comforta

18/06/2024

More great offers on Croatia over the next 3 months we still have availability in Iceland, The Mediterranean, Aegean, Sumatra, and more -

02/06/2024

The last night and morning before we leave, what an amazing adventure. We had the best time and were looked after like royalty! A big thank you to the crew and the beautiful Lara ❤️

02/06/2024

After 7 days of a gentle adventure, it’s Bodrum time!

01/06/2024

From sunrise to sunset

31/05/2024

Knidos, which flourished during the Hellenistic era, was known for its medical school and its wine. However it was best known for the Aphrodite of Knidos – the cult statue at the Temple of Aphrodite in Knidos.

30/05/2024

Spent the morning exploring Datca, old and new. Ice creams to try, dogs to meet, perfect pottering.

29/05/2024

After an afternoon at sea, we visit Selimiye a charming costal village.

29/05/2024

Very late special offer. 60% off Croatia cruise for 1st June 2024. Cruise from Split to Hvar, Korcula, Dubrovnik, Mljet and Bol. Premium category ship (Moonlight) - Cabin from £446 per person. https://www.small-cruise-ships.com/trip/split-cruise-croatia/

28/05/2024

An afternoon of sailing and swimming #

28/05/2024

A new morning & new cove, today we ventured to the remains of a castle at the bay of Bozukkale , mainly occupied by goats. Followed by a much needed swim then onto our next stop Bozburun.

27/05/2024

Woke up in a new bay sounded by the turquoise sea. After another delicious breakfast we venture to ancient city of Caunos by leaving the sea we take to the river. An afternoon of exploring the ancient ruins

26/05/2024

More Croatia on Ebay -

26/05/2024

After a beautiful morning spent wandering around Göcek, we are ready to board our home for the next week. The beautiful Fortuna, where are greeted by the crew with a welcome drink & a chance to make new friends.

15/05/2024

Free upgrade from 'Comfort' to 'Premium' ship (worth £450) for 1st June cruise from Split - Dubrovnik, Hvar, Mljet, Korcula and back to Split. Swim every day, eat ashore at night and explore some of Croatia's finest ports.
Get in touch with The Small Cruise Ship Collection.

03/05/2024

One hour drive to old Islamic city of Gaur. Abandoned at some point and rediscovered in 1830. Gaur covers a large area on the border between India and Bangladesh. Some very solid ruins, gate houses and mosques mostly, spread around a wooded area. Gaur used to be one of the most populous cities in the world in 16th Century (200,000 people) but a combination of war and plague, the Ganges changing course, and the city being sacked in 1538 led to the city being abandoned.

1 item of note was that the ancient kingdom had an Abyssinian ruler for 7 years. Bought as a slave he rose through the ranks to become the Emperor Firoz Minar.

Some good fruit bats roosting in 1 building. And excellent cows under a Banyan tree. Also a magnificent Banyan at the tower of Firoz Minar.

02/05/2024

The 'Cultural Dance'. This one was better than most. The Rylan Clark lookalike was the star. If you can, turn the music down and put 'Jailhouse Rock' on - They work brilliantly together.

02/05/2024

Selfie world
The cult of wanting to have your photo taken with strange looking westerners is thriving, and here is some of the proof.

Not sure why so many people want to have their photo taken like this, but they do, so who am I to disappoint them?

01/05/2024

Dressing up and curry lessons

30 minute session on how to wrap a Sari/dhoti. Good fun, amusement all round and educational too! An Indian chap has to learn how to help his wife dress in a Sari to they find a recently married member of the crew to help dress the ladies as they will have been practicing at home recently!

Curry lessons
-See attached instructions. Important things to remember.
-Soak spices in warm water for 10 minutes before use
-Create garlic and garlic paste by mashing together with a little water.

01/05/2024

Temples, cricket and outstanding student.

Small and interesting temples dotted around the village of Baranagar.

I understand why there was such interest in religion. Small temples covered with hundreds of detailed scenes of stories and myths. In days of old the Brahmin (priest) would have sat at the temple door explaining and recounting the stories and myths depicted in the scenes. Gods, beasts, British soldiers and many subjects. Pre-tv ( most houses have satellite tv now, will the importance of religion diminish?) the community would have sat around and the evening entertainment was to listen to these tails.

Many of the carved terracotta bricks have intricate detail and must have taken a lot of time, and there are thousands. One here depicts people being attacked by a rhino, a bear and a tiger. Also some depicting soldiers with guns.

Also stopped at the English institute. Created and sponsored by the cruise ship's owners. Some years ago there was a young lad who wanted to learn English. He realized that a boat load of English speakers would arrive once per week so he always made sure he was on hand to practice and learn English. That same lad then started to teach 1-2 friends some English, and now he has a permanent classroom where many students come to learn English 2-3 days per week for 2 hours per day before school!

The ship's managers pay to build and upkeep the building, ( and are currently building 2 new classrooms so the institute can expand) but the students pay a small fee to attend. The teacher earns his income as part of the fee (keeps him keen) but the fee is much reduced by the contribution of the ship enabling many more children to join.

We spent 25 minutes in discussion with some students, 1-2 per visitor, discussing their life and hopes, and a bit about us, and obviously on their favourite cricketer (Virat Kholi and MS Dhoni) and footballer (Christian Ronaldo). Most of the students want to be doctors, teachers or engineers.

Found 3 small boys to have a quick game of cricket with before heading off. Dodgy wicket. Donated bat and balls to English institute.

Very enjoyable village visit and a great example of the good that tourism can do.

30/04/2024

BBQ and X-***ed Morris Dance in front of the Palace

We dropped anchor off 'Buckingham Palace', the the crew carried the tandoor oven up to the top deck and provided copious amounts of meat and veg. A BBQ tandoori with the palace illuminated in the background as a swarm or flying foxes (fruit bats) flew languidly up the river should have been the most memorable part of the evening.

But we watched one of the strangest spectacles I have ever seen, a speciality of Bengal. We had seen during the day some tall poles being erected and cross bars placed on top with long ropes dangling to the ground. It all looked like preparation for Bengali Morris dance. And in a way it was, though an x-***ed version.

Some men volunteer for three months of devotion culminating in the chance to have meat hooks placed into the flesh of their backs before being lifted into the air on the rope and 'flying' around over the crowd. If he doesn't bleed it means he is cleared of sin, and will be much revered and respected in his community.

Large crowds gather to watch and there is much excitement. A bizarre yet fascinating spectacle that made me feel disgusted (at my own fascination), fascinated, intrigued and bewildered all at the same time.

The Charak Puja or festival s a Hindu festival held in honour of Shiva.

29/04/2024

We then had a tuktuk tour of Marshedibad including tomb and mosque of the very humble Nawab Murshid Quli Khan who was buried under the steps to the mosque so everyone would walk over him.

Then to Palace of family Dugar, a yellow/orange Victorian Italianate mansion with heavy Victorian decor and furniture - dark Mahogany, and very high beds (to keep snakes off?). Really out of place in Bengal!

Family still own and use house sometimes, but house was mostly for entertainment and they have small quarters in the garden. Family have house adorned with old photos of men in 3 piece suits and ladies in western dress (1930s).

There is a Jain temple in garden.

Afterwards we had a quick shopping expedition to Marshedibad where I bought 2 Punka purchased. Also a gloomy market backs onto Nawab's old stables where he kept his elephants.

28/04/2024

We landed in Murshidabad to visit the Hazarduari Palace. Walked a couple of hundred yards from the ship and rounded corner to be greeted by an unexpected sight. I expected a tumbledown big house, not a life size version of Buckingham Palace. Built around 1829-37 the palace has now been made into a museum which houses collections from the Nawabs - such as paintings, furniture, antiques and weapons - Very European in outlook.

The palace was crowded with local visitors, many of whom wanted their photos taken with me. Two of my companions decided it was too hot and unmanageable to wander around the museum so, after several refusals and some discussion as there was a no sitting sign, were provided with chairs in the entrance hall. This prompted large family groups to gather round behind them as a photo opportunity. Next to the no photography sign.

No photos allowed inside. Grand rooms with collection of some surprising stuff, like a huge oil painting of the funeral of General John Moore at Corunna - The Nawabs were trying to be like European gentry it appears.

Most artworks barely or inaccurately labelled (2 bronzes of Wellington not labelled, next to a bronze correctly labelled 'Napoleon'. 1 painting of London bridge and St Paul's labelled as "bridge over a river"). Most paintings in serious need of cleaning and some preservation, hot and humid can't be good.

Headed out into gardens. Many requests for selfies. Very hot. And some entertainment in the form of a horse, stabled in the huge Imambara facing the palace and tethered to a 50 yard rope. The gorse would retreat inside the open door. As the curious onlookers edge towards the door to glimpse the horse the horse would come trotting out, prompting a very rapid retreat.

🏯 ♥️

28/04/2024

Gardens and Graves
Short walk to the tomb and gardens of Siraj ud-Daula, the defeated party at Plassey, who was captured and murdered a few days after the battle. Pleasant enough and with a lot of funky grass.

Siraj ud-Daula was the last independent Nawab of Bengal before it was taken over by The East India Company. After Siraj-ud-Daula's conquest of Calcutta, the British sent fresh troops from Madras to recapture the fort and avenge the attack. This culminated in the battle of Plassey where Siraj was betrayed by his general Mir Jafar who joined the British and subsequently became the Nawab of Bengal, albeit only for a couple of years before he fell out with the British.

This part of Bengal is very fertile, very green and lush and well watered by the Ganges/Hoogly. Monsoon floods provide natural fertiliser to many low lying lands in the form of silt.

Plain Prinia and Red-wattled lapwing added to the bird list .

27/04/2024

Battle of Plassey, the village and the French.

Tuktuk ride to scene of battle of Plassey. Not much to see, a monument, a buts and three graves off across a field. The river has moved a lot since Clive kept his powder dry so it isn't possible to get an understanding of the battle at all here.

The nearby village, Pelassi, was a delight. Colourful, welcoming, interesting. Bengali new year today. Most people in Sunday best. people happy to engage in conversations despite a complete lack of understanding between us. One chap gave 4 of us a lift on his motorized cart. No charge. We then bumped into him in the village and were introduced to his whole family.

Floor designs created for new year, white patterns made from rice powder

All very relaxed. Could have spent all day here.

Common weaver birds nesting in the village.

26/04/2024

After an exceptional breakfast we head to the village of Matiari - known for its brass working industry. This is not a large scale factory, but a few very small foundaries - pretty much a 'cottage' industry.

And if you meet anyone today who is complaining about how hard they work..... The temperature OUTSIDE these workshops was 38 degrees, and these guys spend a long long day working inside next to the furnace and mostly with molten metal or heavy engines. And there isn't a great deal in the way of health and safety either.

The whole process happens in the village. Smelting, cooling, rolling, shaping, heating, beating, shaping, patterning and selling.

The Election
The world's biggest democracy is currently holding an election, and the streets of this (and most villages in India) village are covered with election logos - Mostly from BJP, The Indian Communist Party and All India Trinamool Congress Party.

25/04/2024

Chandernagore, the Imambara at Hoogly and the Childcatcher's rickshaw!
Chandernagore remained a French town until 1951 and still retains some of that French feel - not the least the Sacred heart Church (not attended by a very multi-faith congregation.

Stepping ashore and walking along the pavement we were delighted to find a troop of grey langurs hanging around. These troops are part and parcel of daily life. They live in and around town and take little notice of passing humans (and vice versa) to the extent that the street sweeper was sweeping around them and they didn't bat an eyelid.

Apart from the Sacred Heart Church, there is a small museum that has a few artefacts and some interesting details about eh history of the area. A very interesting and difficult looking cricket pitch and a rickshaw that looked like it used to belong to the 'Childcatcher'.

The Imambara at Hoogly, a Shia mosque and complex, dating from the 1840s, sits alongside the river and provides an interesting stop. You can climb the towers - Separate towers for ladies and gentlemen - for a view of the mosque and the river, and it is permitted to enter the mosque.

24/04/2024

Ganges life - From the top deck
Fantastic as our cabin is, I almost always inhabit the top deck (on any cruise). As we cruise there is always a story going on on the river or on the banks. A festival, a ferry, birdlife, washing, bathing, fishing and any number of other tasks and destinations.

24/04/2024

Rajmahal - Our home and Oasis of calm and cool for the next week. 20 cabins with French balconies, full length and width windows, including 4 single cabins, air conditioned lounge, air conditioned dining room, and a full sun deck with shade, lounge areas and bar.

The crew of 25 are outstanding - Minor dietary preferences are catered for and remembered, service is immaculate, nothing is too much trouble and the on-board naturalist is always on hand to point out/identify the birds, impart knowledge about the Gangetic dolphins or brief us on the fruit bats that languidly fly upriver at dusk.

23/04/2024

Time to cruise the Ganges. Collected from the oasis of calm that is the Oberoi Grand and driven to "Outram Ghat" - The landing stage for our cruise. Our vessel, The Rajmahal, was waiting for us in mid-Ganges, so we boarded the wonderful tender and headed out across the strong current to the vessel just downstream of the famous Howrah Bridge - The busiest cantilever bridge in the world with an estimated 150,000 pedestrians per day and as many as 100,000 vehicles!

We'll be heading north to Farakka over the next 7 days, stopping 2-3 times per day at some of the historic sites and experiencing some real India.

22/04/2024

Kolkata - Magnificent madness. I have always been told that India is an assault on your senses - How true - And I can't imagine anywhere more assaulting than Calcutta. Constant noise, especially car horns; Throngs of people busy going somewhere, a host of smells, a few pleasant, others, not so much. Barely a spare inch not covered by buildings, stalls, cars, buses, bikes, people, dogs, more people, piles of rubbish, more people, more stalls and more people. I loved every minute.
2 days in Kolkata before joining Lower Ganges Cruise.

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The 'Cultural Dance'. This one was better than most. The Rylan Clark lookalike was the star. If you can, turn the music down and put 'Jailhouse Rock' on - They work brilliantly together. #indiatraveltips #gangestravel #gangescruise #indiacruise #gangestravels #indiatravellers #indiatravel #kolkatacruises #gangescruises #kolkatacruisetrip #indiatraveller #indiacruiseship #smallshipcruises #indiatravels #indiacruises #kolkatacruise #rylan #ryland #rylanclark

Wherever I have been in the world there are always small to medium sized boys happy to throw themselves into water in front of a camera #kolkatacruisetrip #gangestravel #kolkatacruises #kolkatacruise #indiatraveller #indiacruiseship #indiatravels #gangescruise #smallshipcruises #indiacruise #indiatravellers #indiatraveltips #indiacruises #gangescruises #indiatravel #gangestravels

Pouring the molten brass into 'cakes' in the village of Matiari on the Lower Ganges cruise with The Small Cruise Ship Collection. Borax is thrown onto the molten metal to help the process. Bear in mind it is 38 degrees outside - Seriously hard work. #gangestravel #kolkatacruisetrip #indiacruiseship #indiacruise #kolkatacruise #gangestravels #indiacruises #indiatraveller #kolkatacruises #gangescruise #smallshipcruises #indiatravel #indiatravels #indiatraveltips #gangescruises #indiatravellers #brass #brassfoundary

Taken on my recent expedition, in this video if you listen carefully you will hear the popping of the air bubbles in the ice. #7thcontinent #antarctica #smallshipexpedition #smallshipcruises #sunnyday #antarcticaexpedition

Wonderful Drake Lake crossing in progress. The sun is in the sky all of our eyes are on the distant horizon looking out for passers by!! *video has sound of please excuse the wind! #drakepassagecrossing #DrakeLake #antarcticaexpedition

Beautiful healthy adult male.

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Our philosophy

The Small Cruise Ship Collection was established and is operated by expedition leaders, travel professionals and cruise enthusiasts. We are not just another sales company but rather a travel company of experienced specialists in expedition and small ship cruising. This is our passion, what we know best and in turn what we recommend for our guests. After more than 20 years creating and leading expeditions aboard many of the ships found on our website and in our brochures, we have learned first-hand what works and what doesn’t, our experience makes us uniquely placed to find the voyage that best suits you.

There was a time, not long ago, when almost all cruises were just that, a cruise past wonderful destinations. The last twenty years or so has witnessed an immense and wonderful evolution and today travellers have thousands of options, including small ship cruising. If you share our philosophy and have decided that resort style vessels accommodating thousands of passengers are definitely not your type of holiday, then let us help you choose a perfect small ship cruise holiday. You will discover that the majority of our small ships range from only 24 to 150 passengers. So no round the clock buffets and long lines waiting to pay extra for your shore excursion, just good old-fashioned exploring a destination with a small group of inquiring travellers.

We only promote voyages for real travellers with carefully selected specialist small ship cruise operators that do not cut corners in their quest to ensure your onboard experience is of the highest quality. Travelling by small ship cruise is to travel in an intimate, safe and comfortable environment. Travel to enjoy, but also to see and experience, learn as you travel and do all of this in the company of like-minded travellers. Our small ship cruises offer comfortable to luxurious accommodation and many other amenities to make your stay as comfortable as possible but above all else they are designed to take you to extraordinary places and give you amazing experiences.

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