Small Ship Cruising - Quirky Cruise

News & Cruise Reviews

Here we share the latest small-ship cruise news and first-person cruise reviews and round-ups from our team of globetrotting writers. If you've got a penchant for small-scale travel aboard boats, yachts, tall ships and mini cruisers, then enjoy the ride through our sea of stories about small-ship cruising.

Behind the Scenes on the Grand Victoria French Bar...

Posted by QuirkyCruise | Aug 27, 2021 | Deals, Barge Cruise, Charter This, Micro cruising | 0

Panama & Costa Rica Cruise with Star Clippers — 5 Reasons to Choose This Cruise

by Heidi Sarna | Apr 27, 2025 | Heidi's Reviews, Central America, Costa Rica, Feature Articles, Panama, sailing, Sailing Feature Articles, Wildlife | 0

By Heidi Sarna With the handsome 166-passenger Star Clipper anchored off in the distance, as if...

Magdalena River Cruises — AmaWaterways Now Sailing Colombia’s Main River

by Anne Kalosh | Apr 24, 2025 | Anne Kalosh Reviews, NEWS, River Feature Articles | 0

By Anne Kalosh AmaWaterways has just introduced AmaMagdalena, the first luxury vessel to sail...

Sea Cloud vs Star Clippers — The Similarities and Differences

by John Roberts | Apr 22, 2025 | John Roberts Reviews | 0

By John Roberts, with Peter Knego and Heidi Sarna I have cruised with Sea Cloud Cruises twice now....

5 Reasons to Choose a Sea Cloud Spirit Cruise for Your Next Holiday — A Review

by John Roberts | Apr 22, 2025 | Feature Articles, John Roberts Reviews, sailing, Sailing Feature Articles | 0

By John Roberts Sea Cloud Cruises placed its newest windjammer, Sea Cloud Spirit, in San Juan,...

12 Top Mississippi River Cruises Offered by American Cruise Lines

by Jackie Sheckler Finch | Apr 9, 2025 | Jackie Sheckler Reviews, Coastal Feature Articles, Excursions, River Feature Articles | 0

By Jackie Sheckler Finch Cruising the mighty Mississippi and its tributaries has been my pleasure...

5 Reasons Americans Should Consider Heading to Canada to Enjoy a St Lawrence Cruise Lines Vacation

by QuirkyCruise | Apr 5, 2025 | Charters, American and Canadian Waterways, Coastal Feature Articles, North America | 0

Sponsored Since its founding, St Lawrence Cruise Lines (SLCL) has been a company supported by both...

Private Nile River Cruise Package — Combining Cairo, a Nile River Cruise & Touring in Jordan

by QuirkyCruise | Apr 2, 2025 | Charters, Cruise Tips, Historic Sites, Inspiration, River Feature Articles | 0

By Jerrol Golden Let’s go! That’s what our guide, Fadi, says when it’s time to move on to the next...

Mutiara Laut Cruise Review of a Raja Ampat Adventure — a READER REVIEW by Aliza Knox

by QuirkyCruise | Apr 2, 2025 | Reader Reviews, Coastal Feature Articles, River Feature Articles | 0

Reviewer Aliza Knox from Singapore & Sydney. Cruise Line Mutiara Laut. Ship A classic...

Cycling & Europe River Cruising — A Great Combo

by QuirkyCruise | Mar 22, 2025 | Cycling cruises, Essays, Europe, Feature Articles, Fitness, Fitness cruises, Fitness Cruises | 0

Cycling & Europe River Cruising By Ralph Grizzle I am not your typical river cruiser. While no...

American Cruise Lines’s American Revolution Cruise Review by QuirkyCruise Reader Deb D

by QuirkyCruise | Mar 14, 2025 | Reader Reviews, Coastal Feature Articles, River Feature Articles | 0

American Cruise Lines’s American Revolution Cruise Review Reviewer Deb D. from USA. Cruise...

Ocean Endeavor Antarctica Review — A Reader Shares Details About Her 10-Night Expedition

by QuirkyCruise | Mar 13, 2025 | Antarctica, Reader Reviews | 0

Ocean Endeavor Antarctica Review Reviewer Uma Veras from USA. Cruise Line Intrepid Travel. Ship...

Island Windjammers Packing Tips & Cruise Insights

by QuirkyCruise | Mar 2, 2025 | Sailing Feature Articles, How to Choose articles, Micro cruising, Packing Tips & Hacks | 2

Island Windjammers Packing Tips & Cruise Insights By Sarretta McCaslin My husband and I love...

Small Ship Norwegian Fjords Cruises — 7 Cruise Lines to Consider

by Theodore Scull | Feb 23, 2025 | Norway, Europe, Jackie Sheckler Reviews, Small Ship Coastal Cruises — Expert Reviews & Articles | 0

Small Ship Cruises to the Norwegian Fjords By Ted Scull & Heidi Sarna Updated February 2025 by...

Celebrity River Boats — Plans Announced for 10 New 180-pax River Vessels from Celebrity River Cruises

by Anne Kalosh | Feb 13, 2025 | Anne Kalosh Reviews, NEWS | 0

Celebrity River Boats By Anne Kalosh Branching into European river cruising, Celebrity Cruises...

Planning Your Own Shore Excursions — Why It’s A Great Idea

by Judi Cuervo | Feb 9, 2025 | Top 10s, Cruise Tips, Excursions, Heidi's Reviews, How to Choose articles, Judi CUERVO Stories, Other topics | 1

Planning Your Own Shore Excursions May Be Cheaper & More Tailored to Your Interests Than...

Island Windjammers Vela Review by QuirkyCruise Reader Sarretta McCaslin About a 12-Night Caribbean Cruise

by QuirkyCruise | Feb 4, 2025 | Reader Reviews, sailing, Scuba & Snorkeling | 0

Island Windjammers Vela Review Reviewer Sarretta McCaslin from USA. Cruise Line Island...

Ponant and Aqua Expeditions Join Forces — Ponant Explorations Group Acquires Aqua Expeditions

by Anne Kalosh | Jan 20, 2025 | Anne Kalosh Reviews, NEWS | 0

Ponant and Aqua Expeditions By Anne Kalosh Ponant Explorations bought a majority stake in Aqua...

Island Windjammers Review — A Week in the Caribbean on the Cozy Diamant Sailing Between the Grenadines

by QuirkyCruise | Jan 19, 2025 | Caribbean Islands, Charter This, Charters, Feature Articles, sailing, Sailing Feature Articles, Scuba & Snorkeling | 2

Island Windjammers Review By Amy Fried Standing barefoot on the teak deck of the Diamant, with...

Cruising Solo — A Traveling Man Has Met Many Lifelong Friends on Cruises

by Theodore Scull | Jan 14, 2025 | Essays, Feature Articles, Solo Cruising, Ted Talks, Ted's Reviews & Stories | 0

Cruising Solo By Theodore W. Scull I married a woman several decades ago who loved travel but had...

Galápagos Cruise Review — An Exciting Galápagos Islands Catamaran Cruise in the Land of Charles Darwin

by Alison Abbott | Jan 14, 2025 | Alison Abbott Stories, Charter This, Charters, Galapagos, South America, Wildlife | 0

Galápagos Cruise Review By Alison Abbott Swimming with sharks, snorkeling with penguins,...

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About Us

HEIDI SARNA

I'm up to 78 countries and 110+ cruises worldwide, and it's the small ship journeys that I love writing about most. And so QuirkyCruise.com was born, an excellent research tool for planning your own unforgettable small ship trip.

THEODORE W. SCULL

I have traveled between all continents by sea and cruised along three dozen rivers. Ships and travel are in my blood, and so is writing. My journeys have translated into many books and many hundreds of articles.

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Our Small Ship Cruise Reviews & Articles

If you can imagine it, we’ve cruised it! With reviews, articles and destination overviews, we’ve got you covered.

Panama & Costa Rica Cruise with Star Clippers — 5 Reasons to Choose This Cruise

By Heidi Sarna With the handsome 166-passenger Star Clipper anchored off in the distance, as if posing for a postcard, we motored in one of the ship's tenders to Isla Iguana in Panama. It was one of the week's several wet landings. This meant we climbed out of the...

Magdalena River Cruises — AmaWaterways Now Sailing Colombia’s Main River

By Anne Kalosh AmaWaterways has just introduced AmaMagdalena, the first luxury vessel to sail Colombia’s Magdalena River. Cruises between Cartagena and Barranquilla include cultural highlights such as a private celebration of the world-famous Barranquilla Carnival, a...

Sea Cloud vs Star Clippers — The Similarities and Differences

By John Roberts, with Peter Knego and Heidi Sarna I have cruised with Sea Cloud Cruises twice now. These trips in the past two years follow my first time on a true windjammer when I cruised with Star Clippers a couple years ago in France. There is so much to enjoy on...

5 Reasons to Choose a Sea Cloud Spirit Cruise for Your Next Holiday — A Review

By John Roberts Sea Cloud Cruises placed its newest windjammer, Sea Cloud Spirit, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for four January departures, sailing to serene destinations in the colorful Caribbean. This is a new program for Sea Cloud, and I joined one of the voyages for...

12 Top Mississippi River Cruises Offered by American Cruise Lines

By Jackie Sheckler Finch Cruising the mighty Mississippi and its tributaries has been my pleasure since 1976. Someone asked me once if it doesn’t get tiresome watching the river day after day. For me, definitely not. As America’s first highway, the Mississippi River...

5 Reasons Americans Should Consider Heading to Canada to Enjoy a St Lawrence Cruise Lines Vacation

Sponsored Since its founding, St Lawrence Cruise Lines (SLCL) has been a company supported by both Americans and Canadians. “In light of the current environment, we have certainly had some calls from our American friends wondering if we are upset with them. That is...

Private Nile River Cruise Package — Combining Cairo, a Nile River Cruise & Touring in Jordan

By Jerrol Golden Let’s go! That’s what our guide, Fadi, says when it’s time to move on to the next location. The banks of the Nile River in Egypt contain some of the world’s most historic sites and we were there to learn as much as we could about the ancient...

Mutiara Laut Cruise Review of a Raja Ampat Adventure — a READER REVIEW by Aliza Knox

Reviewer Aliza Knox from Singapore & Sydney. Cruise Line Mutiara Laut. Ship A classic Indonesian two-mast schooner, the 14-passenger Mutiara Laut. Destination Northern area of Raja Ampat, in West Papua, Indonesia. # of Nights 7. Departure Port Sorong Bay, West...

Cycling & Europe River Cruising — A Great Combo

Cycling & Europe River Cruising By Ralph Grizzle I am not your typical river cruiser. While no one loves river cruising more than I do, my approach is somewhat different. After more than 50 European river cruises, I’ve seen the sights and done the tours. I’m not...

American Cruise Lines’s American Revolution Cruise Review by QuirkyCruise Reader Deb D

American Cruise Lines's American Revolution Cruise Review Reviewer Deb D. from USA. Cruise Line American Cruise Lines. Ship The 100-passenger American Glory. Destination Chesapeake Bay (American Revolution itinerary) # of Nights 10. Departure Port Washington DC. Date...

Ocean Endeavor Antarctica Review — A Reader Shares Details About Her 10-Night Expedition

Ocean Endeavor Antarctica Review Reviewer Uma Veras from USA. Cruise Line Intrepid Travel. Ship Ocean Endeavour. Destination Antarctica. # of Nights 10. Departure Port Ushuaia, Argentina. Date of Cruise Dec 18, 2024. Ratings (5=excellent, 4=very good, 3=good, 2=poor,...

Quirky Cruise Contributors

Heidi & Ted and their team of curious travel writers explore the far corners of the world to share their experiences & insights about small-ship cruising.

Heidi M. Sarna

So far, I’ve explored 78 countries around the world by boat, road, plane, foot, bicycle and camel. My first big journey was a six-month trip around the world back in the days when…

Theodore W. Scull

I am happiest near water, over water or better still on a conveyance moving through water. When my brother Sandy and I were deemed old enough, mother took us to Europe by ship.

Peter Knego

John Roberts

Judi Cohen

Robin McKelvie

Ben Lyons

Dana Freeman

Gene Sloan

Alison Abbott

Judi Cuervo

Lynn and Cele Seldon

Elysa Leonard

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Our Small Ship Cruise Reviews & Articles

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Theodore W. Scull

Anne Kalosh

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Robin McKelvie

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Dana Freeman

Gene Sloan

Alison Abbott

Judi Cuervo

Lynn and Cele Seldon

Elysa Leonard

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