As cruise giants keep getting bigger, others are doing the opposite

A look at new ships gliding down the slipways this year tells you one thing: the hope of some that the COVID-19 pandemic would send big ships the way of the dinosaurs hasn’t been realised.

Yet while big ships carrying thousands of passengers continue in popularity, another trend passes almost unnoticed, with more and more very small ships being launched to cater to travellers who hanker after cruising on an entirely different scale.

The pandemic partly influenced this trend. So has increased awareness of the environmental and local-community impacts of tourism. Also, travellers generally are looking for more exclusive, adventurous and personal experiences, which small ships deliver.

Small ships carrying under 50 passengers once sat at the barebones end of the market, but some are now upmarket indeed. Galapagos Explorer, launched in mid-2024 by luxe safari company andBeyond and carrying just 12 guests, costs from $US1564 a person ($2448) a day.

It’s one of several upmarket mini-ship launches. Since 2023 the 12-metre Odalisque III has been sailing wild regions of Tasmania with just 12 passengers at a time – though that’s twice as many passengers as those aboard the On Board Expedition’s Odalisque II.

Paspaley Pearl, which set sail in January and operates in the Kimberley, Cape York, Indonesia and PNG, is host to 30 guests on adventurous cruises in the care of four expedition guides.

Starting in 2026, APT will offer cruises on a brand-new ultra-luxury catamaran in the Galapagos, MC Hermes, for 20 passengers. It already charters Delfin III on the Amazon, which hosts a maximum 44 guests and has Relais & Chateaux branding.

Can cruises get any smaller? Indeed, yes, so much so that the word “ship” no longer seems appropriate. This year G Adventures launched five purpose-built ships in Greece that have only five cabins each. It has similar offerings in places such as the Canary Islands, the Maldives and Thailand.

And World Expeditions has just launched a whole new small-ship arm called On Water Expeditions. Not all its chartered ships are ultra-small, but many are, such as its traditional sailing boats in the Maldives and Raja Ampat in Indonesia.

You’ll now find downsized delights all over the world, with some companies such as Unforgettable Croatia specialising in particular regions. Next year Unforgettable Croatia features 144 departures on eight different itineraries in Croatia aboard ships with no more than 19 cabins.

The downside of very small ships? There is much more movement, so passengers prone to seasickness may want to consider their choice of destination, or stick to rivers such as the Amazon. Facilities and dining choices are limited and passengers are thrown together much more often, which can be a plus or minus depending on your mood.

You could, of course, charter the whole ship and share the cost with friends or family, surely a small way to have big fun.