Over the past few years a growing number of cruisegoers have chosen to bypass the floating-hotel atmosphere and all-you-can-gorge midnight buffets offered by megacruise lines for smaller, more intimate vessels. These graceful ships, which range from riverboats to sleek, oceangoing yachts, can maneuver close to shore and are flexible enough to adapt their itineraries at a moment’s notice. “Whenever there was something interesting to see like icebergs or a school of orcas, the boat would just stop,” says Swiss banker Eric Scheurer, describing his Antarctic trip last year aboard a converted Russian research vessel, the Professor Molchanov.
Accommodations on niche cruises, which account for about 5 percent of the industry, vary greatly. On the Hollelys’ trip, their wood-paneled room was a cozy 12 feet by 9 feet, with a double bed, in-suite bathroom and air conditioning. On the other end of the spectrum, the stylish 320-passenger Paul Gauguin, which sails out of Tahiti, has staterooms as large as 249 square feet–half with private balconies.
In the past, these smaller ships tended to draw mostly older boomers and retirees. But Kristy Royce, vice president of the Seattle, Washington-based ExpeditionTrips.com, says cruise companies are introducing activities that are also of interest to younger people. These run the gamut from Cruise West’s voyage to Mexico’s Sea of Cortes, where passengers can snorkel with sea lions, to Aurora Expeditions’ extended hikes retracing Shackleton’s route through South Georgia Island.
The price of such adventure can often be steep, starting at just under $1,000 per person for a short Alaska trip to more than $35,000 for a two-month circumnavigation of Antarctica, but most people who’ve gone say it’s worth the expense. The Hollelys, for one, are already planning their next small-ship voyage–this time through the fjords of Norway. There are many more trips to choose from:
Russian Far East: This year the 160-passenger World Discoverer (SocietyExpeditions .com) is embarking on its first sailing to this region, an 18-night voyage filled with natu-ral beauty and rich cultural history. Port of call: The summer encampment of the Ul’ta people, a reindeer-herding culture, on Sakhalin Island.
Andaman Sea: With visits to secluded islands as well as the famed spice trade center of Melaka, the Star Flyer’s seven-night exploration from Phuket, Thailand, to Singapore manages to mix the pristine, the opulent and the cosmopolitan (StarClippers.com). Optional land tour: Two-night trip aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express train.
Alaska: Few places capture the majesty of the outdoors as well as Alaska’s Inside Passage, and the ultracasual Spirit of Endeavor (CruiseWest.com) gives its 84 guests a front-row view of whales breaching, harbor seals perching on ice floes and–if they’re lucky–a spectacular showing of the aurora borealis. Active excursion: A float trip through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.
Galapagos: The islands that inspired Charles Darwin have long been a mecca for naturalists and ecotourists. Since 1997, Lindblad Expeditions’ Polaris (LindbladExpedi tions.com) has been stationed there year-round, taking up to 80 guests per journey to see evolution’s laboratory for themselves. Special sighting: The courtship dance of the blue-footed booby.
