Small Ship Cruise Lines

Adventuresmith's small ships and yachts carry only 8-148 travelers and offer an active and intimate cruise experience. This company offers expedition cruises to many off-the-beaten-path destinations including Alaska, Baja, Costa Rica, Belize, Ecuador and the Galapagos, Hawaii, Peru, the Arctic, Antarctica, and Australia.

Tour operator with education-oriented cruises to exotic locations on small expedition ships that are geared towards adventurous cruisers.  

Sail the idyllic and beautiful islands of the Indian Ocean aboard the yacht-like M.S. Royal Star.

All Aboard Yacht Charters has been providing wildlife, natural history and fishing expedition style cruises in Alaska’s inside passage since 1981. Their ships cater to small groups of no more than 10 passengers on scheduled 8 day cruises in Alaska.

Small ship cruising the inland waterways from Maine to Florida.

Looking for a different way to see the South Pacific? Cruise the Marquesa Islands in French Polynesia on the cruise freighter the Aranui.

Avalon Waterways features small ship cruising in the Galapagos Islands on the 44-cabin M/V Santa Cruz.

Blount Small Ship Adventures is a small ship line featuring no frills, destination oriented cruises at an unhurried pace. Year-round cruises from the Northern waters of Labrador and Newfoundland, to the southerly tropics of the Caribbean and Central America.  

Sail the Galapagos Islands near Ecuador on the all-suite luxury ship the Galapagos Explorer II. The ship has 3, 4 and 7 night soft adventure trips through the Galapagos.

Cruceros Australis has 17 years of experience owning and operating small ship cruises in the waters and fjords of Tierra del Fuego and its archipelagos in Southern Patagonia.

Search eWaterways online for river cruises, hotel barge trips, expedition voyages, coastal cruises and sailing and yacht journeys.

Fantasy Cruises offers nine day all-inclusive cruises on the Inside Passage of Alaska on its 32-passenger small ship the Island Spirit.

Grand Circle Travel and Overseas Adventure Travel operate small ocean ships and river cruises as well as land adventures.

Cruise the Great Lakes between the United States and Canada on a variety of ships such as the Canadian Empress, a 66-passenger replica steamboat that cruises the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers of Canada.

Enjoy small ship cruising to many of the world's great adventure destinations, including Antarctica, the Amazon River, the Galapagos Islands, Greenland, Africa, the Chilean fjords, and more with International Expeditions.

Small ship river cruising throughout Europe.

Small ship exploring and cruising are Lindblad's forte. They have a "daily expeditions" page at this site where photos and travelogues of current expeditions are sent in via satellite each day. Really interesting reading.

M/S Jacques-Cartier and M/V Le Draveur cruises (Trois-Rivieres) offer you over 30 destinations and cruise themes on some of Quebec's most beautiful waterways. Private charters available.

Take a 3, 4, or 6 day cruise along the Maine coast on the schooner Ellida.  Enjoy the spectacular views along this rugged coast on a classic ship with only ten other passengers.

Weekend, 3, 4, or 5 day cruises along the Maine coast.  This windjammer line has three ships and has been sailing since 1936.

Natural Habitat Adventures offers small yacht and ship tours throughout the world, including the Galapagos Islands, Alaska, the Amazon, and Antarctica. Natural Habitat Adventures is the official travel provider for World Wildlife Fund.

Small ship cruise line Orion Expeditions operates from Australia to pristine wilderness areas in Antarctica, the Kimberley, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia and Asia.

Small group cruises aboard two historic yachts, bringing passengers far from the everyday world and into the hidden and diverse regions of Southeast Alaska, the Inside Passage, and the Pacific Northwest. Eight to twelve guests on private charters or in individual cabins on scheduled trips.

Paul Gauguin Cruises operates the m/s Paul Gauguin, a luxury cruise ship built specifically to sail the waters of Tahiti, French Polynesia and the South Pacific. Since its maiden voyage in 1998, the m/s Paul Gauguin has been the longest continually operating year-round luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific.

Adventure cruises to Antarctica on the Peregrine Mariner, an ice-rated research vessel. Site includes some wonderful trip logs, maps, and pictures.

Specializes in Galapagos cruises and Ecuadorean land tours. Company has been providing small ship cruises to the Galapagos for over 12 years.

Sea Cloud operates four luxury vessels--two sailing ships and two river vessels. The sailing yachts cruise the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Atlantic, and the river vessels sail Europe.

Not a cruise line, but lots of good information here on small ship cruises.

Star Clippers sailing ships visit Europe in the summer and the Caribbean in the winter.

Students on Ice organizes unique learning expeditions to the Antarctic and the Arctic. They are the only organization in the world offering annual student expeditions to the Antarctic and the Arctic.

All shore excursions are included in Tauck’s collection of intimate, educational small-ship Mediterranean cruises, including the Aegean, Adriatic, and Black Seas.

Formerly known as Classical Cruises, this tour operator has 35 years of experience creating education-oriented cruises world-wide locations on small motor-yachts. The comprehensive site includes program itineraries, ship information, rates and a description of their commitment to educational travel.

Victoria Cruises specializes in small ship river cruising on the Yangtze River in China.

Offers first-class cruising on the rivers of Europe on 100-250 passenger vessels.

Fleet includes three luxurious sailing ships.  Casual elegance is the style afloat.  Good useful information.

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