A lot of you have cruised before, or are about to. And when most people picture a cruise, they picture something big: the famous names, the mega-ships, a few thousand people, the ship itself as the destination.
I am not going to talk you off the water. A cruise is one of the best ways to see the world. I want to talk you onto a smaller one.
Here is what changes once you do. A few hundred guests instead of several thousand. A suite instead of a stateroom. A ship that slips into the harbor instead of anchoring offshore and tendering you in. It is a different trip, and the travelers I send this way do not tend to go back.
Five reasons it wins, and then some inspo below.
WHY SMALLER WINS
SAILINGS WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT
Orient Express Corinthian 🇮🇹🇪🇸 Sicily and the Balearics The world's largest sailing yacht and still only 110 guests, sail-powered and quiet, with shorter voyages for those who do not want a full week. Sailing June 2027.
The Ritz-Carlton Luminara 🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japan and Alaska The inaugural run of a route that crosses from Tokyo and Otaru to Whittier and Vancouver, with the Inside Passage and Tracy Arm fjord along the way. June 2027.
Delfin II 🇵🇪 Peruvian Amazon Fourteen suites, twenty-eight guests, Relais & Châteaux, with skiffs and kayaks into the forest of Pacaya Samiria. May 2027.
Amangati, by Aman 🇹🇷🇬🇷 Aegean Aman's first yacht and next year's most wanted debut, on the leg between Izmir and Istanbul. Reserve early. September 2027.
As always, this is a snapshot of what's out there. Let's see what a smaller boat looks like on you.
P.S. If you're not the cruising type, I hear you. These smaller ships just may convert you, though. The Corinthian and a few others are beginning to offer shorter sailings (3-5) nights for those who want to test the waters without the longer committment.
