Small Ship Cruise Lines Overview

There are a number of small ship cruise lines to choose from. What follows is a brief overview of each of them. Each overview contains links to take you to the full story on each company. From there you can learn about specific itineraries, the ships they sail, and other details about the experience each offers. Just click on their name.

Amadeus Waterways
Amadeus Waterways operates three ships that sail the rivers in Europe, one on Russian waterways, and one on the Nile in Egypt. Their emphasis is on the US market.

American Canadian Caribbean Line
ACCL operates three unique ships - the founder of the company is a boat builder and has built the ships his cruise line sails. They spend the summers in the northeastern US and Canada and the winters in the Caribbean. They offer some wonderfully interesting itineraries.

American Cruise Line
American Cruise Line's tag line on their ads is "Voyages Through America's Smooth Waters". Their three ships sail in the northeast during the summer and the southeast in winter. They spend most of their time in intracoastal waterways, bays and rivers.

American Safari Cruises
ASC is truly a yachting experience - two of their 3 ships are 12 passenger yachts. The third ship accommodates 22 passengers. In the summer all three are in Alaskan waters. In winter they head south to Mexico's Sea of Cortes or to California's Wine country.

Avalon Waterways
Operate three European river cruise ships. The ships (cabin size and appointments) and crew cater to English speaking guests.

Cruise West
Cruise West began and still has a very significant presence in Alaska. They now have six ships and sail to Japan, Costa Rica, Panama, the South Seas, the Sea of Cortes, Columbia and Snake rivers, California Wine country, and British Columbia. They are both a pioneer and a very significant player in the small ship cruise industry.

Elegant Cruises and Tours
Elegant Cruises operates a fleet of nine very different ships that sail to many parts of the world. They have a sailing ship that cruises the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, their three motor ships sail the Mediterranean, South America, and Antarctica, and their five river ships ply the rivers of Europe. They also arrange barge cruises on more than 25 barges and have a 22 passenger yacht that is available for charter along the beautiful Dalmatian coast (Croatia).

Lindblad Expeditions
As the name implies, Linblad features expeditions. While they do go to the Arctic and to Antarctica, many of the itineraries of their seven ships are in tamer climates. They sail in Alaska, Columbia and Snake rivers, Baja Penninsula in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicarauga, the Galapagos, and South America. They are partners with National Geographic in their series of expeditions.

Orion Expedition Cruises
Orion operates a single new ship that sails itineraries around Australia and south to Antarctica.

Peter Deilmann
Peter Deilmann operates nine river cruise ships in Europe including several of the most luxurious sailing any river. They are among the largest river cruise lines (along with Uniworld and Viking) in the European river cruise market.

River Barge Excursions
Is a midwestern river cruise company. While they spend a little time on the Mississippi and Ohio like Delta Queen, they also sail up the Illinois and go further up the Ohio all the way to West Virginia. They have a single unique ship which consists of a very powerful tug boat and two barges - one contains all of the cabins and the other holds the dining room and public rooms. While Delta Queen and American West (the sternwheelers) emphasize the glitz and glamour of the heyday of steamboatin', River Barge is a little more down to earth. Simple, but nice cabins, lots of fun activities, and a chance to visit life along the river.

Sea Dream Yacht Club
Sea Dream operates two 100 passenger ships. They sail summers in the Mediterranean and winters in the Caribbean. They emphasize casual, yacht-like experience, very high quality service, and ports of call similar to luxury yachts rather than big cruise ships.

Seabourn
Operates three identical ships that maintain a very high standard of luxury while offering itineraries to exotic and interesting locations. They emphasize a casual yachtlike experience with a decent component of adventure and fun.

Star Clippers
Star Clippers three ships are all true sailing ships. They include the Royal Clipper which is the largest fully rigged sailing ship in the world. While Delta Queen and American West offer the historic elegance of the sternwheeler river boat days, Star Clippers brings back the romance of the sailing ship. They sail itineraries in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and the Far East (near Thailand and Malaysia).

Uniworld Cruises
Uniworld, along with Peter Deilmann and Viking, is one of the heavyweights in the European river cruise business. They have also made changes - increasing the size of their cabins and insuring that the crew speaks English - in order to accommodate US passengers. In addition to the traditional European river cruises they operate two ships in Russia and they are the booking arm for five ships that cruise the Yangtze river in China.

Viking River Cruises
Viking is another large player in the European (with Uniworld and Peter Deilmann), Russian (with Uniworld), and China (with Uniworld) river cruise market. They operate nine ships in Europe, four in Russia, and two in China.

Windstar Cruises
Windstar operates three MSV (motor sailing vessel) which means they have sails but that is not their primary means of propulsion. Two of their ships fit our standard mold of a small ship - their flagship, the Wind Surf, is more than double the size of the others. They sail varied itineraries in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and the South Pacific around Tahiti. The line is known for it's "casual elegance".