In the last few years, I’ve cruised on all five of the major Small Ship Luxury cruise lines — multiple times on each — and I discovered something most cruisers are never told. They may all be grouped together by the industry, but they deliver very different experiences.
In this video I put the five head-to-head: Oceania Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises, Explora Journeys, Windstar Cruises, and Azamara
I reveal:
✔️ Where each one genuinely shines
✔️ The weaknesses most brochures don’t highlight
✔️ What catches Premium cruisers out when they “upgrade”
✔️ How they compare to Ultra-Luxury lines
✔️ Who should — and absolutely should NOT — cruise on each
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Having cruised on all five major luxury small ship lines multiple times, I’ve gained extensive insights into this cruising style. This video highlights various aspects of luxury small ship cruising, from onboard activities and fine dining experiences to scenic excursions. Join me for a look at these luxury cruises and discover what makes them so special.
00:00 Start
00:49 What is small ship luxury?
03:36 Oceania Cruises
06:25 Viking Ocean
09:17 Explora Journeys
11:59 Windstar
13:44 Azamara
22 Comments
I love Explora and would definitely go again. Crews area amazing
Great Video! Would you ever review the new Ritz-Carlton cruise?
What about SAGA? Superb boutique ships
Are viking cruisers snobs ?
For me, these lines do not fit what I love when I cruse. I love th crowds and the hubbub of being on a ship.
the only one ive tried is Azamara, not for me, back to premium lines for me
It would be nice to have the add on cost per person per night stratified. I have found using Gary’s tips, we can save 50% or more reduced from published prices. After add one, it seems the budget and premium lines cost as much or significantly more.
Why do you never mention Fred Olsen?
Regent? Seabourn? Crystal?
Ritz – Carlton and Four Seasons are the luxury small ships…..
If it was so bad, then why did you keep going back? That alone says either you aren't very smart, or you are telling other peoples "stories."
Interesting….for me, a ship being registered under a good flag is very important, so out of that list, I would mainly look at Viking and Holland America. I would also add Ponant for small ship. 🙂 Viking seems like it would be a really good one, them and Ponant. 🙂
After a recent Caribbean cruise on Viking, I cancelled a $28,000 cruise to Norway on Viking. So disappointed in our suite, the food, terrible wi-fi, etc. on the other hand our 2024 Athens-Istanbul cruise on Oceania was fabulous: 24 hour butler, amazing food, etc.
As always, GREAT presentation. My wife and I have done all of these brands except Azamara. Some impressions. For us, Oceania was a big let down this past January. All the hype over "the finest cuisine at sea" just set the stage for disappointment. The food was "ok" but certainly not any better than most upscale lies we enjoy. We must have been on an old ship (something you warned about) as we have been in Travel Trailers with larger bathrooms. So far, our favorite line has been Windstar. They are small, but our suite was very comfy & great ports of call that only a small ship could get into. Food was excellent and the small number of passengers made for great personal service. We're headed to Alaska this June on our first Regent Seven Seas. I'm excited. If the experience lives up to their hype I'm hopeful we will have found a new home at sea.
I go together with a group of people usually 25 to 30 people in our main goal is to eat as much food as possible to get our moneys worth at the buffet. We can go through hundreds of pounds of food a day just per meal so that means 30 of us can go through about we’ve tally 1000 pounds of food per day we should
Question, Gary: When you were on the Polynesian cruise, did anyone talk about the Wind Song? My husband and I were on her in 1996. I believe the route was taken over by the Wind Star and currently by the Star Breeze (formerly the Seabourn Spirit).
I want to try all of them now!
How would you compare Seadream to these?
If you want REAL luxury, try Sea Dream Yacht Club
Very informative as always, Gary.
Thank you.
No mention of Ponant ? I have travelled with them several times. Always excellent.
Thanks for the comparison — very informative. Gary, after all your cruising, do you have a preferred ship size? Do ships with less than 500 passengers start to feel too small on a cruise of more than 7 days? Do ships with more than 2,000 passengers feel overrun and like cattle cars?