Pure Travel
  • About
  • Destination Inspiration
  • Tips & Advice
  • Guide
  • Travel Writing
  • Cookie Policy (UK)
  • Conservation
  • Privacy
  • Travel Writing Competition 2025
  • Reviews
  • Travel Resources
  • T&C
  • Contact Us
  • Conservation
  • Privacy
  • Travel Writing Competition 2025
  • Reviews
  • Travel Resources
  • T&C
  • Contact Us
Pure Travel
Pure Travel
  • About
  • Destination Inspiration
  • Tips & Advice
  • Guide
  • Travel Writing
  • Cookie Policy (UK)
  • Travel Resources

5 Reasons to Cruise on Small Ships

  • March 6, 2014
  • Jules

The thought of a cruise evokes visions of gigantic ships, water slides, buffet-lined dining rooms, and towels folded into animal shapes.  Small ship expeditions are challenging these defining factors by providing personal attention and quality amenities.   Expedition ships accommodate 12 to 300 travelers, compared to large ships that carry 3,000 or more passengers.  Small ships cruises offer comfortable cabins, international cuisine, libraries, and meaningful lectures onboard from experts in their fields.  Of the many advantages of the small ship cruise, here is a list of our top five:

Quality Service – The crew is able to give personal attention and individualized service with fewer passengers onboard.  Guides take the time to answer questions in detail, and the small group size is more conducive to in-depth discussion during tours or lectures.  When the crew knows you by name and learns what your interests are, it shows their personal investment in making your experience exceptional.

Remote Access – Expedition vessels are designed to traverse the world’s waterways, yet are small enough to enter isolated locations that large cruise ships cannot access.  Vessels are equipped with zodiacs and kayaks for excursions to secluded shores, quaint coastal villages, or up-close wildlife interactions along the way.  Travelers are immersed in spectacular surroundings where they might wake up between blue icebergs or see porpoises race along the ship’s bow.  These intimate experiences are the true nature of an expedition tour.

Flexibility to Explore – Direct access to port cities provides good launching points for land exploration.  Excursions and tours are organized onboard and run smoothly straight from the ship.  Disembarking the vessel also allows travelers to meet local residents, experience the everyday life in new places, or perhaps even participate in a local festival.  View wildlife from a unique vantage point as orcas surround your ship in Alaska, or take the opportunity for spontaneous snorkeling in the open waters of the Galapagos. Travelers can sit back and relax but still enjoy the flexibility to capture any unplanned moments during the journey.

Interpersonal Experiences – Passengers get to know their fellow ship mates over enjoyable dinners that extend into late-night conversation.  The informality onboard results in a friendly atmosphere among the crew members and travelers.  The intimate feel on small ships results in a comfortable setting in which travelers can truly enjoy the people, places, and experiences they encounter.

Travel Responsibly – The cruise operators we work with share our desire to conserve the earth’s natural wonders for future generations.  Waste reduction, utilization of eco-friendly products onboard, and biodegradable amenities for passengers are responsible travel practices maintained by most operators.  Fuel efficiency is increased by managing engine speed, better itinerary planning, and ship design & construction materials.  Protecting the natural environment and inhabitants of destinations in is of utmost importance to small ship cruise operators.

Adventure Life takes pride in our intimate knowledge of our destinations and our dedication to sharing the world.  Our expedition voyages carry travelers throughout the globe for experiences of a lifetime.  We make finding a small ship cruise easy with all of the options consolidated on our website.

Share
Tweet
Related Topics
  • cruise adventures
  • cruise on small ships
  • flexibility to explore
  • remote access travel
  • small scale cruiss
  • travel resources
  • travel responsibly
  • travel top 5
Jules

Previous Article
  • World Events and Festivals

St Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum Celebrates its 250th Anniversary

  • March 6, 2014
  • Jules
View Post
Next Article
  • Travel Resources

Top 5 Wildlife Destinations

  • March 6, 2014
  • Jules
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Travel Resources

5 Best US Wildlife Destinations: Manatees, Wolves & More

  • Jules
  • May 28, 2025
A glamorous woman on holiday
View Post
  • Travel Resources

Travel Light, Smell Divine: Small Perfumes for the Modern Explorer

  • Jules
  • May 27, 2025
Great Migration
View Post
  • Travel Resources

Serengeti Migration Safari: Nature’s Greatest Show on Earth

  • Jules
  • May 21, 2025
Relocating - a family in new home
View Post
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel Resources

Trading Zip Codes and Time Zones – What It Really Takes to Relocate Across State Lines

  • Jules
  • May 19, 2025
Drone shot of a beach
View Post
  • Travel Resources

How to Plan a Trip That Balances Rest and Fun

  • Jules
  • May 12, 2025
A view of Cannon Beach Oregon
View Post
  • Travel Resources

Adventure Together: Creative Ideas for Your Next Family Trip to Cannon Beach

  • Jules
  • May 12, 2025
A young man looking out over the mountains while on a hike.
View Post
  • Travel Resources

How to Add More Outdoor Fun to Your Family Travel Plans

  • Jules
  • May 12, 2025
View Post
  • Travel Resources

Family Travel Made Easy: Tips Every Parent Should Know

  • Jules
  • May 12, 2025
Pure Travel
  • About
  • Destination Inspiration
  • Tips & Advice
  • Guide
  • Travel Writing
  • Cookie Policy (UK)
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Pure Travel
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}