Barge Cruising in France — A First Timer’s Take
…Ben Lyons The galley and indoor dining area. * Photo: Ben Lyons A Focus on Food & Drink when Barge Cruising in France Patsie, in addition to her duties as…
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Hebridean Princess — Footloose to the Clyde, a Review of a Trekking Focused Cruise (2020 UPDATED)
…and hedges reaching to the river below. Hearty hikes daily. * Photo: Ben Lyons One of the knowledgable guides. * Photo: Bey Lyons The Weather Again Despite the dire predictions…
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QuirkyCruise’s Ben Lyons is Named to Seatrade’s ’20 under 40′
QuirkyCruise’s Ben Lyons is Named to Seatrade’s ’20 under 40′ By Anne Kalosh. QuirkyCruise.com contributor Ben Lyons has been named to a prestigious list of 20 people under 40 who…
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A Mother & Son French Barge Meander Complete with Champagne & Chocolate
…pales in comparison to son Ben’s. (Read more about Ben Lyons here!) Many trips have been enjoyed together. Somewhere along the years, the experience has shifted from Jane instructing Ben…
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Marne Canal Barge Cruise Review: The Colors of Champagne Aboard Kir Royale
…bike, getting read to cycle in Reims. * Photo: Kathryn Harrison Kathryn cycling along the canal. * Photo: Ben Lyons For me, exercise meant I could indulge completely, and that…
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Hopping Aboard a Sea Dream in the Virgin Islands, a Heavenly Small Ship Cruise
By Ben Lyons. In a week full of absurd luxuries, perhaps nothing was more sybaritic than our evening anchored off St. Barths. I was cruising the Caribbean onboard SeaDream Yacht…
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Conversations with Sven Lindblad
…more vaguely, helping to link the shoreside teams with the shipboard teams. Ben at dry dock in Germany as captain on board Nat Geo Explorer. * Photo: Ben Lyons The…
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Ben Jackson of the Expedition Guide Academy Talks Expedition Cruising
…and skills. Ben Jackson and expedition staff member Jens Wikström making plans for an upcoming excursion. * Photo: Ben Jackson QuirkyCruise: Why did you start an expedition guiding academy? Ben…
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17 Of The Best French Barge Cruises You Should Know About
…so far away…” READ THE REVIEW: Here’s Ben‘s full Johanna review. READ THIS REVIEW TOO: Enjoy Ben‘s mother Jane’s review here. Ben & Jane aboard barge Johanna. * Photo: Ben…
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Definitely an UnCruise Adventure, Safari Endeavour to Alaska
Safari Endeavour to Alaska By Ben Lyons. It was with some trepidation that I pushed off from the stern of my anchored ship, UnCruise Adventures’ Safari Endeavour, wearing only a…
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6 Small-Ship Captains Pick Their Favorite Ports to Sail Into
…right from the sea. Sea ice and large icebergs are often mixed in here as well. It is just raw, spectacular beauty. Capt. Ben Lyons, EYOS Expeditions. * Photo: Ben…
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Places to Travel — QuirkyCruise Contributors Share 3 Trips on their Wish Lists
…to cruising trip. The 50-passenger Hebridean Princess is a great way to travel to the remote western isles of Scotland. * Photo: Ben Lyons Ben Lyons has been obsessed with…
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Small-Ship Cruise News Highlights From The Seatrade Convention
…the onboard culture, mental health programs, better benefits and effective mentorship. Also, seafarers want health benefits to extend to their families at home, something the CMI chief said is actually…
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Expedition Cruising is Booming — For Better or Worse
…the river cruise business several years ago, the expedition cruise sector is on the cusp of a building boom that will fuel tremendous growth, according to Capt. Ben Lyons, CEO…
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Barge Cruise Tips (UPDATED 2026) — Is a Barge Canal Cruise for You?
By Heidi, Ted, Jane & Ben Lyons. Updated April 2026 Barge cruises are often not well understood. Don’t barges carry cargo? Well, originally the flat-bottomed boats were used for carrying freight,…
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Hebridean Princess “Ship of Queens” Has a Storied History
…fan of the Hebridean Princess. Hebridean Princess Queen portrait. * Photo: Ben Lyons Another visible Royal connection comes in the form of a commemorative plaque, dating back to 26 April…
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Hebridean Island Cruises Appoints its First Female Captain
…Hebridean Princess. * Photo: Hebridean Island Cruises RELATED: 7 Small Ship Scottish Cruises You Should Know About. Reviews of Hebridean Princess QuirkyCruise Contributor Ben Lyons writes “Footloose to the Clyde”…
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Let Our Expert UnCruise Reviews Inspire Your Next Small Ship Cruise
…Ted Scull as well as contributing writers John Roberts, Ben Lyons, Judi Cohen and others. And later this year, Heidi will hit the Pacific Northwest on UnCruise’s “Rivers of Adventure…
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Robin McKelvie Reviews a Lord of the Highlands Cruise on the Caledonian Canal (UDPATED 2026)
…Ben Nevis, before heading south into the Hebrides. Ben Nevis. * Photo: Robin McKelvie Loch Linnhe ranks up the wildlife. We spot a herd of wild red deer — the…
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The Lord and the Maiden — Lord of the Highlands Cruise to the Caledonian Canal and Scotland’s Western Seaboard
…of the Highlands picked up the tab. The Old Forge Inn at Inverie. * Photo: Denise Dacey RELATED: Ben Lyons reviews his “Footloose to the Clyde” Hebridean Princess cruise. RELATED:…
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14 Europe River Cruise Packing Tips — Heidi Shares Her Expert Advice Based on More Than 125 Cruises
…avid traveler Ben Lyons, CEO of EYOS Expeditions, no need to bring a tangle of cords — Ben packs super light including always charging his phone in his laptop and…
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LINDBLAD Expeditions: Expert Cruise Review
…ship reviews, round-ups & offers! RELATED: Sven Lindblad Moves to New Role. RELATED: Ben Lyons Interviews Sven Lindblad. Itineraries include expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica; natural history and…
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SEADREAM Yacht Club
…autumn 2025. The mini SeaDream cruisers can slip into ports and waterways the biggies cannot. * Photo: Ben Lyons Why Go? The ships are casually chic and all-inclusive, and you…
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12 Budgeting Tips for Planning a Small Ship Cruise
…not be. Kayaking may be included in locales other than the Arctic and Antarctica where closer supervision is required. Kayaking right from the ship in Southeast Alaska. * Photo: Ben…
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QuirkyCruise News: Antarctica Cruises are Increasingly Popular for Small Ships
…the practice of safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to the Antarctic.” As an addendum, Ben Lyons, CEO, Expedition Voyage Consultants had this to add: Certainly the number of increased…
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New Lindblad CEO as Sven Lindblad Moves to New Role
…for so many people.” Sven-Olof Lindblad. * Photo: Lindblad Expeditions RELATED: Stay tuned for a closer look at Sven’s career and legacy, by QuirkyCruise contributor Ben Lyons, who has worked…
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7 Small Ship Scottish Cruises You Should Know About (2026 UPDATED)
…of the Highlands.) RELATED: Ben Lyons reviews his Hebridean Princess trekking-focused cruise. RELATED:Pat Dacey reviews hisLord of the Highlands cruise. RELATED: Judi Cuervo reviews her Hebridian Princess cruise. Majestic Line…
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Hebridean Princess Turns 60 — The Queen of Ships Celebrates Big Birthday
…charters of late, Princess Anne certainly showed her fondness for the vessel at the lunch. RELATED: Robin McKelvie talks about the Hebridean Princess’s Royal connections. RELATED: Writer Ben Lyons cruises…
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Caledonian Canal Cruising With Le Boat (UPDATED 2026): A Review of a Self-Drive Cruise in Beautiful Scotland
…along aquarium-clear lochs beneath towering 3,000-foot mountains, feeling the enormity and grandeur of the Scottish Highlands, one of Europe’s last great wildernesses. En route there are castles, distilleries and cute…
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Uncommon Journeys In New York & Canada (Review 2026): A Quirky Tour Combines Train Travel & 4 Nights on Canadian Empress
…time on our own to explore the town and just happened to come across the replica steamboat Judge Ben Wiles, just as it was about to depart on an hour’s…
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Slowly Down the Mekong aboard a Pandaw River Boat
…end of the war) and the sprawling Ben Thanh market. We also toured the famous Cu Chi tunnels an hour outside of the city, an impressive underground complex built by…
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Royal Clipper Pleases a First-Time Cruiser
…with an endearing Chicago couple, a wise-cracking salesman and his doting young wife, and shared a meal with a charming, French Ben Kingsley lookalike and his glamorous wife, who had…
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QuirkyCruise News: Lindblad Expeditions Returns to Egypt
…Egyptian Museum; Old Cairo, known for its Coptic churches; and the thousand-year-old Ben Ezra Synagogue. The Gayer-Anderson Museum, the former residence of a British officer in the Egyptian army who…
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Small Ship News: Luxury Tour Operator Abercrombie & Kent Has New Owners
…Katzenberg, Henry Kissinger, Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Sting, Robert De Niro, Hugh Jackman, Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Cameron Diaz, Elle Macpherson, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush….
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What is a Maine Windjammer?
…captain told us), while the massive masts are hewn from Douglas fir, which one of the mates explained is more “bendable” in strong winds than oak. The J&E Riggin keeps…
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4 Small Sailing Ship Cruises in the Caribbean to Consider — Our Experts Weigh in on Sea Cloud, Star Clippers, Windstar & Island Windjammers
…endearing Chicago couple, a wise-cracking salesman and his doting young wife, and shared a meal with a charming, French Ben Kingsley lookalike and his glamorous wife, who had sailed with…
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Pints From the Past — A Quirky Journey on a Historic London Pubs Tour
…brief stops to learn about the Temple Bar Gate, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Christ Church Greyfriars and chewing gum artist Ben Wilson — look up his fascinating street art. Christ Church…
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Cruising India’s Hooghly River Aboard Raj Mahal (2026) — An Expert Review of a Fascinating Quirky Cruise
…the varied scenery along the riverbanks while cruising. I recently enjoyed a week-long Hooghly River cruise aboard Raj Mahal, a 40-passenger riverboat from Assam Bengal Navigation (ABN). Our journey covered…
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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. SCULLI 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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