The ship you sail on decides where you can go. A big ship cannot fit into a small harbor. A small ship can dock in the town square and let you walk off into the middle of it.
That is the whole pitch for small ship cruising. Fewer people, smaller ports, and time to actually stay somewhere. Two lines make the case better than anyone.
Windstar is the extreme version. The line carries fewer than 350 passengers on its ships, with three classic sailing yachts and three all-suite motor yachts. The largest ship, Wind Surf, tops out around 310 guests. That is smaller than a single deck on one of the mega ships. It also means Windstar can call on small ports the big ships sail right past, and more than 80 percent of its cruises include at least one overnight or late night in port.
Azamara plays the same game a little larger. Each of its ships holds up to about 694 guests, which is still tiny by modern standards. The brand is built around what it calls Destination Immersion, with longer stays, night touring, and at least one overnight on most sailings. Its AzAmazing Evenings are private evening events ashore, the kind of thing you cannot do when the ship has to leave at five.
Here is the honest tradeoff. Small ships do not have water slides, ice rinks, or ten dining rooms. If your idea of a great sea day involves a go-kart track, this is not your cruise. What you get instead is the destination, more of it, and a ship that empties out into the actual place instead of a private beach with a company logo on it.
Think about how you travel on land. If you would rather spend a night in a small town than a day at a resort, a small ship fits you. If you need the resort, book the resort that floats. Both are fine. They are just not the same trip.
Small ship cruising costs more per day than the big lines, and it is worth knowing that going in. You are paying for space and access, not gadgets. If you want help figuring out whether that math works for the trip you actually want, that is literally what we do.
Fair winds and following seas,
Captain Steve
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