Let's Get Small

If you remember Steve Martin's "Let's Get Small" as being funny --- or perhaps you vaguely recall Steve as some old comedic actor when you were a kid --- and you enjoy cruising in a balcony or suite, then perhaps it's time to consider small ship cruising.



Recently, I've received feedback from some folks who, like me, are in their sixties. They returned from a long cruise on a very nice ship feeling their fellow guests were too old. Coming from California, where 60 really is the new 30, undoubtedly exacerbates this impression, but there are certainly demographic trends at work here, too.

People who have the time to take longer trips unquestionably skew older than those on trips of 7 nights or less. I've noticed this too, although as I've noted in my blog, people who look older frequently turn out to be young rockers and hippies from the 1960's wearing perfect disguises.

On the other hand, many affluent people in their forties to early sixties are choosing smaller premium ships, whether for seven nights or longer voyages, and their absence on large cruises may be palpable to some people.

River cruises are the fastest growing segment in travel, and why not?



These more inclusive voyages give you a free introductory excursion in every port, so you never come away feeling any stop was inconsequential. The delicious food is sourced daily on shore by chefs to create regional magic. Local wines and beer with dinners are the norm, and some like Uniworld include essentially all beverages all the time. The dress code is country club casual rather than overly formal or grubby. And for a generation that increasingly finds web accessibilty essential, free internet on board feels quite liberating, even if once in the vacation frame of mind we realize cyberspace is a pale substitute for reality.

Viking Ocean Cruises has taken their award winning approach to river cruising to 930 guest ocean ships with wide acclaim, including recently landing at the top of Travel+Leisure World's Best Large Cruise Ships.



Yes, at 930 guests, it is still considered a large ship, as are Oceania and Azamara Club Cruises, which include vessels as small as around 700 guests in a very inclusive format, if not quite all-inclusive. They're generally more port intensive and include more late evening and overnight stays than large ships. They give you most of that mainstream ship style entertainment including production shows, if not all of those can't-believe-we-can-do-this-at-sea features of mega-ships.

Larger mainstream ship cruising continues to be rated near the top for value and overall customer satisfaction in travel. It is especially well-geared for multi-generational families with children.

If you love mega-ship cruising, by all means carry on.



However, if you want to try something a bit different and perhaps hope to surround yourself with travelers you relate to as being more like yourselves, try river cruising or smaller ship ocean cruising.

Big experiences can be found in small packages.