Small ship cruising is a fantastic way to travel that too many people dismiss quickly when they see the price. My wife and I have had some of the best trips of our lives on ships that carry less than 100 passengers. Having recently returned from a cruise on a ship that carries 2,600 passengers, I thought it might be a good time to clearly compare the differences between large ship and small ship cruising:
- Small ship cruising enables you to spend more time enjoying your trip and less time “waiting”
- Cruising on small ships costs more, but not nearly as much more as it seems at first glance.
- People seem happier on small ships
Time
How do you quantify “good time” vs. “wasted time” when you are traveling? Some of the greatest experiences come from “wasted” time. When I am traveling, I like to focus on enjoying the journey as well as the destination. There is something to be said, however, in getting the most out of your precious vacation time. Time spent waiting is an easy place that takes away from that valuable time, so let’s focus on that.
The big ships do a great job of managing large amounts of passengers. The staff does an incredible job of personalizing the experience and we have found large ships to be ideal for bringing multiple families and generations together. The shows, casinos, restaurants, activities, and spectacle of the large ships are incredibly impressive and certainly cannot be duplicated on much smaller ships.
To try and compare the experiences we will look at “wait time”. This is the time you spend waiting in line for or trying to get to your next experience.
Here are some example wait times.
Big Ship
- Check-in – 90-120 min
- Set up (drinks, shore excursions, specialty restaurants) 60-120 min
- Getting on and off the ship – 120-240 min (7-day cruise, 4 stops @ 15-30 min each way)
- Shore excursions – 60-120 min (1-2 excursions meeting time, bathroom breaks, etc.)
- Dining room – 30-60 min
- Buffett – 75-120 min (I avoid the buffet, but still find myself eating at least 5-6 breakfasts and lunches – 15-20 min each in lines)
- Misc (photos, shops) – 30-60 min
Small Ship
- Shore Excursions – 15 min
Total = 10 to 15 hours waiting versus 30 min.
That’s nearly a full waking day of your vacation spent waiting! Considering what you would pay for this trip, what’s that time worth? Let’s take a deeper look at what these trips cost and compare the final costs of a big ship and a small ship cruise.
Costs
| Costs | Big Ship | Small Ship | |
| Cruise Fare (incl taxes and port charges) | $1,479 | $3,599 | |
| Shore Excursions | $877 | 0 | |
| Spa | $159 | 0 | |
| Pre Night Stay | $ 110 | 0 | |
| Drink Packages | $516 | 0 | |
| Specialty Restaurants | 0 | 0 | |
| Tips | $210 | $400 | |
| Total | $3,351 | $3,999 |
To compare costs, you need to look at what is included. The included drinks, excursions and hotels stays on many small ships add up to a significant amount of money. When you include all of the costs that are sure to be incurred during the cruise itself, the big ships cost only about 20% less than the small ships. That’s a lot less of a difference than you might expect by simply shopping for cruise fares. So what else do you get for that difference?
The Experience
Big Ship Cruising
On a big ship, the experiences are provided for you by the cruise line and there is a wide range of quality. You are going to the cruise lines shows, lounges, casinos, excursions, etc. While these options are certainly good, there are so many more options and more meaningful experiences out there. Many of these experiences are also going to come with an additional cost. While these seem small when looking at each individually and add up quickly. You will be amazed at what your total dollars spent will be at the end of your trip. Tips are something that aren’t optional and not included in many of the prices that you will see when shopping for large ship cruises. While tipping is extremely important for those in the service industry, it is a large part of the fees that you will pay once on board and many people are unaware of this cost until once on board
Small Ship Cruising
On a small ship, the experiences are provided mostly by mother nature. UnCruise provides excursions every day that are already included in the price of your cruise. Snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking the rain forest or lounging on the beach are some of the included experiences. You will find yourself fully immersed in the trip nearly every waking moment. The wildlife and nature fascinated me (and I am not a wildlife person)! Manta rays jumping right next to the ship, dolphins swimming on the bow of the ship at night and glowing in the dark from the bio-luminescent waters, and monkeys walking along the hiking path are a few of the experiences waiting for you. If these activities don’t sound like they are for you, you may choose to stay on the ship and enjoy the view with a beverage in hand. In addition, the other items already built into the cost of your trip, such as adult drinks, sodas, specialty coffees, some spa services, etc. let you focus on enjoying the adventure without having to watch your wallet. You will know the full cost of your trip before you go. There are very few surprise expenditures on a small ship to be surprised by when you get your credit card statement after you return from your vacation. Wouldn’t that be a relief?
How do you classify the value of these experiences? That will certainly differ from person to person, but taking some time to really think about what will truly get you the most of your hard earned vacation dollars and your priceless time will be so valuable when planning a trip.
Dave