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Small Ship Cruising


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Featured Small Ship Cruises

50% off Drinks Package
2026 No-Fly Treasures of the British Isles

Ambience 19 May 2026 10 nights No-Fly Cruise London Tilbury

Adults-only cruising*

No-Fly Small Ship Full-Board Cruising*

SAVE 50% off the Ambassador Expedition Drinks Package with INCLUDED Gratuities*

Offer Ends 8pm 9th July 2025*

Itinerary: London (Tilbury) - St. Mary's, Isles of Scilly - Cobh, for Cork,UK - Belfast - Tobermory, Isle of Mull - Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, UK - Kirkwall, Orkney Isles,UK - London (Tilbury)
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Inside from £1,019pp

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ALL-INCLUSIVE
2025 No-Fly Landscapes of the Canary Islands

Balmoral 02 Dec 2025 14 nights No-Fly Cruise Southampton

Enjoy a FREE Drinks Package when you book by 8pm 25th June 2025*

Low single supplement*

Exclusive Savings - Only available when booking with ROL Cruise*

Traditional All-Inclusive No-Fly Cruising from a UK Port*

Itinerary: Southampton - Funchal, Madeira - San Sebastian La Gomera, Canary Islands - Santa Cruz, Tenerife - Arrecife, Lanzarote - Lisbon, Portugal - Southampton
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(full fare £1,399) Inside from £1,359pp

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ALL-INCLUSIVE ULTRA-LUXURY
Lisbon to Lisbon

Silver Spirit 15 Mar 2026 10 nights Fly Cruise Flights Included Lisbon

All-inclusive ultra-luxury cruising*

Butler service for all suites*

Included Gratuities & FREE Wi-Fi*

All Luxury Oceanview Suites*

Itinerary: Lisbon, Portugal - Oporto (Leixoes), Portugal - Portimao, Portugal - Tangier - Malaga, Spain - Gibraltar - Cadiz, Spain - Lisbon, Portugal
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Suite from £4,650pp

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Popular Small Ship Cruise Destinations



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What is a small cruise ship?


Typically, a small cruise ship holds up to 1,300 passengers. They are perfect for those who love to cruise but are not looking for a resort at sea. What a small cruise ship may lack in innovative amenities it makes up for with a number of distinctive qualities that larger vessels can’t offer.

There are four distinct categories of small ships; oceangoing cruise ships, sailing yachts, riverboats and expedition vessels. Oceangoing cruise ships typically hold between 450 and 1,300 passengers while the capacity of sailing yachts ranges from 140 to 400, riverboats carry up to 200 passengers and expedition vessels carry up to 1,000 passengers. As passenger counts are significantly lower, embarkation and disembarkation is a breeze. This also means that queuing doesn’t take up a large portion of your day.

But it’s not just the reduced numbers that make small ship cruising special. Smaller ships have a more luxurious ambience and more personalised service - bar staff will not just remember your name but your signature drink too! What’s more, small cruise ships can cruise to more exclusive ports of call, allowing you to discover the most untouched corners of the world.


Where can you sail on a small ship cruise?

Small oceangoing cruise ships and sailing yachts explore a wide selection of destinations like the Caribbean, Mediterranean and the Far East. River cruise ships are able to navigate locks and sail beneath low bridges meaning they can sail into the heart of much-loved towns, cities and countrysides like Bordeaux, Budapest and Bucharest. While expedition cruise ships, with their shallow drafts, are able to get much closer to off-the-beaten-track destinations like Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands, offering guests once-in-a-lifetime experiences.


Which cruise lines offer small ship cruises?

For those looking for the ultimate luxury cruise experience, Silversea offers the very finest at sea paired with a personal experience. APT Cruising, Emerald Cruises, Scenic River Cruises and Uniworld River Cruises all offer fascinating river itineraries in Europe. If you’re looking to delve into the culture of the Far East, why not navigate the rivers of Asia on a Mekong river cruise?

Cruise Line Itineraries
Azamara  See all featured cruises >
Celebrity Cruises See all featured cruises >
Holland America Line See all featured cruises >
Oceania Cruises See all featured cruises >
Silversea  See all featured cruises > 

 

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