10 of our favourite small-ship cruises

Times

11-05-2025

There's much to love about small ships. They can blend into tiny ports and anchorages, often unavailable to bigger ships. There's a deeper connection with where you're sailing, with the crew, with your fellow passengers and with the sea. The food's usually excellent too. Granted, there are no Broadway shows, kids' clubs or casinos — but for small ship aficionados, the rewards more than make up for this. Here are ten of the best voyages to consider.
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Discover some of the lesser-visited Greek islands on this week-long meander round the Aegean on Variety Cruises's 49-passenger motorsailer, Panorama. After sundowners against a backdrop of Cape Sounion, you'll sail to Ikaria, a 'Blue Zone' known for the longevity of its islanders, and then to Patmos and Lipsi, with a tasting on board of the island's revered aposperitis red wine. Other stops include Kalymnos, famous for its sponge divers, and Levitha, with a population of four and one restaurant. You'll also visit Amorgos, tiny Iraklia and Serifos, with swim stops in pristine bays wherever possible. The cruise is half-board, so you'll eat ashore in local tavernas most nights.Details Nine nights' B&B — including two in an Athens hotel and seven half-board on Panorama — from £3,651pp, including flights and transfers, departing from Athens on July 2 (seafarercruises.co.uk)
• More great Greek island cruises• Read our full guide to Greece
The water in Sardinia's La Maddalena archipelago is the intense aquamarine of the Caribbean, the national park dotted with pale pink granite islands, sculpted by the wind. Join the eight-passenger catamaran Agave to explore this exquisite region on a wellness cruise, with daily stops for swimming, yoga on the beach, snorkelling and paddleboarding. You'll also cross the Strait of Bonifacio to Corsica, sailing along an almost impossibly narrow inlet to Bonifacio town, guarded by a citadel. Food on board (breakfast and lunch are served daily) is organic and locally sourced, while the crew will direct you to the best local restaurants every evening.Details Seven nights' half-board from £2,485pp, including onboard wellness activities, departing from Olbia on July 19 (venturesailholidays.com). Fly to Olbia
• Best things to do in Sardinia• More Mediterranean cruises
Indonesia's Raja Ampat is a mystical landscape of some 1,500 forested karst islands plunging into turquoise sea that's home to over 1,600 species of fish and more than 500 types of coral. The snorkelling here is truly spectacular, whether you're drifting over underwater canyons teeming with fish or marvelling at enormous manta rays gliding just beneath you. Take it all in from the plush superyacht Aqua Blu, where 30 crew look after 30 guests in barefoot luxury and the exquisite, Indonesian-inspired menu is designed by the Australian superstar chef Benjamin Cross.Details Seven nights' full board from £8,073pp, including wine with meals, activities, transfers, laundry and wi-fi, departing from Sorong on January 3, 2026. Fly to Sorong via Jakarta
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The Caribbean's jewel-like Grenadines can only be explored by small ship and a week on the sleek, 112-passenger SeaDream II is akin to having your own superyacht, right down to the free-flowing champagne and the giant inflatable slide suspended from the pool deck. Snorkel in the Tobago Cays, where sea turtles graze the seagrass beds and chill out on chic little Bequia. There's a day in Mayreau at Salt Whistle Bay, a perfect horseshoe of white sand, as well as calls at Martinique and St Lucia's Rodney Bay. On board, you can spend a night under the stars if you wish; just ask the crew to rope off the big lounger on the foredeck for you.Details Eight nights' all-inclusive — including one in a Barbados hotel and seven on board — from £4,865pp, including flights, transfers, VIP fast track on arrival in Barbados and tips, departing from Barbados on November 23
The Australian-owned Travelmarvel has chartered the smart, 110-passenger Caledonian Sky for a series of cruises this summer; a good chance to explore Greece and Turkey in considerable comfort. Cabins are reminiscent of a country house hotel and there's a lovely sundeck. This cruise mixes mainstream ports with the less-visited — you'll stop in Mykonos and Patmos, for example, but there's also a day on Milos, a morning call at dreamy, uninhabited Delos, a day on Lesbos and, this being an Australian company, an in-depth visit to the Anzac sites on Turkey's Gallipoli peninsula before sailing into Istanbul and flying back from there.Details Seven nights' full board from £2,195pp, including flights, excursions, wine with meals and tips, departing from Athens on July 14 (aptouring.com). Book before May 31
• Great cruises in the eastern Mediterranean• • Discover our full guide to Turkey
Bask in the warmth of the tropics on a pre-Christmas getaway to Panama and Costa Rica, sailing on the 312-passenger Star Pride, which will be dwarfed by the bigger ships on a daytime transit of the Panama Canal. There's time to explore Panama City's Casco Viejo, its tangle of narrow streets and flower-filled plazas a contrast to the shimmering high rise of downtown. From there on, though, you'll be immersed in the lush landscapes of the Pacific coast, with opportunities for ziplining, snorkelling and nature treks in Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. On Panama's Isla Parida, the crew lay on a lavish beach party barbecue.Details Eight nights' full board from £2,738pp, including one night in Panama City, seven on board, flights and transfers, departing from Colon on December 13
• Read our full guide to cruises
Some of Alaska's isolated little ports can feel swamped when there are big ships in town. But this week on the tiny, 76-passenger Wilderness Discoverer, part of the UnCruise fleet, takes you deep into the wilds. Spend the week pottering through a jigsaw of forested islands, kayaking, hiking, whale-watching and exploring rock-strewn beaches, vast faces of ice and wooded shoreline by skiff. Search for brown and black bears, fattening up for the winter at this time of year, moose, sea otters, bald eagles, orcas and sea lions, without a single tour group in sight.Details Seven nights' all-inclusive from £3,357pp, including transfers and activities, departing from Juneau on September 14 (discover-the-world.co.uk). Fly to Juneau
Join Noble Caledonia's all-suite, 118-passenger Island Sky for a cultural odyssey along the Iberian peninsula to Morocco. You'll join the ship in Vigo and sail to Porto for a tour and port tasting. There's a day in the glorious old city of Coimbra and a visit to Lisbon, with an option to explore the green Alentejo region and tuck into lunch at a vineyard. Island Sky sails up the Guadalquivir River into the heart of Seville and then passes through the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier, for a tour of the ornate, mint-fragranced Donabo Gardens, the Medina and the souk. Details Seven nights' full board from £4,695pp, including flights, drinks with meals, tours, activities and tips, departing from Vigo on September 19 (noble-caledonia.co.uk)
You'll have to wait until next year to try this new itinerary from Riviera Travel but it'll be worth the wait as the price is competitive compared to similar small-ship Croatia cruises. You'll sail on the 36-passenger MS Equator, which was refitted in 2023. The itinerary explores the islands of Krk and Rab, with a cruise through the striking, bone-white Kornati archipelago. There's a day in historic Zadar and a visit to Mali Losinj, its waterfront lined with the elegant houses of former sea captains. Wherever possible, the ship ties up to rocks and trees in deserted bays and you can jump straight off the stern into the cool blue of the Adriatic. Dinners are on your own ashore, a chance to try local seafood and enjoy the buzz of pretty coastal towns.Details Seven nights' half-board from £1,899pp, including flights, transfers and eight activities, departing from Opatija on May 4, 2026
This unusual cruise offers a happy combination of hiking Turkey's picturesque Lycian Way, visiting archaeological sites with an expert, swimming in the late-season but still-warm Aegean and relaxing on a luxurious gulet, the 16-passenger Sunworld IX, all polished wood and plush lounging areas on deck. You'll hike ancient mule tracks and shepherds' paths for five or six miles every day, following the course of a 2,000-year-old aqueduct part of the way, while the gulet sails to the end point of the walk. Points of interest include the ghost town of Kayakoy, Simena — an age-old citadel surrounded by a jumble of Lycian sarcophagi — and Patara, the capital of Roman Lycia.Details Seven nights' full board from £3,095pp, including activities and wine with dinner, departing on October 12 (petersommer.com). Fly to Dalaman