5 reasons you will love a specialty cruise
Betsy Goldberg writes for Virtuoso Luxury Traveller, the blog of a global luxury travel network, and she enjoys nothing more than taking a holiday.
Think about a cruise, and you’ll likely imagine a large ship with thousands of passengers sailing the Caribbean or Mediterranean.
But a whole other world of cruising awaits you. Many cruise lines offer small-ship voyages, so you’re one of a few hundred (or less) passengers rather than a few thousand.
A specialty cruise offers a very different experience. And more and more people are seeking it out. Specialty cruising has been growing by double digits in recent years. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, the cruise segment has grown 21 per cent from 2009 to 2014.
1. You’ll experience adventures far and wide
Expedition lines sail to less-visited destinations where nature and active outdoor explorations are front and centre. They offer onboard experts in the destinations and provide extensive opportunities for onshore exploration.
“Cruises like these are experiences that enrich you, that expand your horizons — that change your life,” says Susana Romero, senior manager for sales marketing and brand development with Celebrity Xpedition.
Celebrity Cruises, known for large-ship cruises, created Celebrity Xpedition 10 years ago to satisfy growing demand for adventurous travellers. Its ship is permanently stationed in the Galapagos Islands. The Celebrity Xpedition holds just 98 passengers. It’s designed for environmentally friendly Galapagos explorations. Each night naturalists bring alive the sights and significance of the islands for passengers.
Another cruise line with specialty offerings is Silversea Cruises. Its three Expeditions ships venture to all seven continents. They visit more unusual cruise destinations such as the Arctic, Russia’s Far East, and the west coast of Africa. Silversea Expeditions provide curious travellers with an immersion in the nature and culture of the lands they visit.
2. You’ll dock in the heart of town
River cruising has taken off in popularity in the past decade. Small, luxurious ships are able to dock in the heart of historic towns and less-visited sites. Experts guide shore excursions with plenty of local flavour and culture. Passengers can view communities and their natural settings from the comfort of their staterooms as the ship sails along the river.
AmaWaterways takes passengers along the great rivers of Europe. It also ventures to exotic locations such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Africa. One of its many complimentary amenities for passengers are bicycles to explore every port.
Avalon Waterways offers spacious staterooms and a large assortment of shore excursions including VIP entrance into must-see sites. In addition to European and Asian river destinations, the line offers cruises to the Amazon and Galapagos.
“It’s all about the outdoors,” says Nancy Cutter, a Virtuoso travel advisor in Charlotte, North Carolina. “It’s about eating outside, it’s about playing outside. We’re able to visit the smaller ports, get into places a large cruise ship could never take you.”
3. You’ll enjoy luxury at a relaxing pace
Ships on a specialty cruise line provide luxuries upscale travellers expect, such as fine dining and wines, spas and staterooms with tasteful décor and modern amenities. Because each ship generally holds only 100 to 300 passengers, specialty cruising also provides a low-key, relaxing experience. No long line-ups for food, no fighting crowds to disembark in port.
The two ships of the all-inclusive Paul Gauguin Cruises specialize in warm-weather destinations and special itineraries that bigger ships can’t match. The Paul Gauguin was designed for the shallow seas of French Polynesia and Southeast Asia. The Moana summers in Europe and winters in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Star Clippers combines the romance of tall-ship sailing with modern luxuries. Its three clipper ships are the world’s tallest and largest. Passengers can help raise the sails, learn how to tie knots, discover how to navigate – and even climb the ship’s mast to the Crow’s Nest for stunning views.
Windstar Cruises offers passengers their choice of experiences: an intimate sailing yacht voyage or a small-ship journey with just 212 guests on board. Its ships cruise to 50 countries, calling at 150 of the world’s best small ports and hidden harbors throughout Europe, the South Pacific, the Caribbean, Central America, Arabia and Asia.
The voyages SeaDream Yacht Club offers are like being on your own mega-yacht. With only 112 passengers per sailing, SeaDream offers close to a 1:1 ratio of crew to guests. Its ships sail the Mediterranean, Caribbean and trans-Atlantic crossing. Active guests can enjoy a water sports marina offering water skiing, stand-up paddle boarding, snorkelling and sailing.
4. You can customize your specialty cruise experience
Because specialty cruise lines are small, they’re flexible. They can create a special experience just for you. One example: Paul Gauguin Cruises provides a private dinner for two, beginning with a moonlight sail and ending with a candlelight dinner.
Many specialty cruise lines offer theme voyages, such as wine, art, photography or music. A specialty cruise is also the perfect venue for celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary.
5. You’ll find great value
At first glance, the cost of a specialty cruise may seem higher than a traditional cruise. But passengers on specialty ships enjoy exceptional value.
“The entry-level cabin on a small-ship cruise will often exceed the standards for the premium cabin on a larger ship,” Cutter points out. “The small-ship cruise includes beverages and specialty dining. Many specialty cruises are all-inclusive, so the client spends less out of pocket and doesn’t feel nickelled and dimed.”
Have you ever taken a speciality cruise, and if so how did you find the experience? If you could cruise anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Let us know in the comments.
First appeared on Virtuoso Luxury Traveller. Click here to visit its website for more information.
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