We’re all about cruising without the crowds. QuirkyCruise is THE source for reviews, news & round-ups about unusual & small-ship cruises under 300 passengers, from river boats to canal barges, sailing ships, coastal cruisers & expedition vessels. We also share special offers & info on private charters.
The latest small-ship cruise news by our chief news correspondent Anne Kalosh.
We review our favorite small-ship cruise experiences to inspire & inform. Here, we also share special offers from our cruise partners.
Here we share ideas for private charters of small boats, barges & yachts that are ideal for intimate friend & family groups.
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We do a deep dive on all aspects of small-ship cruising under 300 pax, with reviews, news, tips & destination overviews to inspire & inform.
Ponant This chic French line was founded in 1988 and is a Francophile’s dream. Ponant's crew is discreet, the décor is subtle and the food is tantalizing. French desserts, cheeses and wines accompany passengers on cruises around the world, from French Polynesia and...
New England Islands Cruise: Expert Review By Ted Scull. For an extended Memorial Day Weekend, my wife and I chose an early season coastal New England Islands itinerary sailing out of Providence, Rhode Island. We arrived from New York via Amtrak’s scenic Shore Line...
Small-Ship Cruise Lines Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination By Anne Kalosh. Crystal and Swan Hellenic became the latest small-ship operators to mandate COVID-19 vaccination — in Crystal's case, for passengers only, and in Swan's case, for crew only. So far, only the sister...
Sea Cloud Cruises In early February 2022, Yacht Portfolio, part of the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection startup, took over Sea Cloud Cruises and its three ships, greatly expanding their fleet. Sea Cloud's main office remains in Hamburg as the line has a very strong...
Sea Spirit in Antarctica. REVIEWER Nripjit Singh (Noni) Chawla from India. CRUISE LINE Poseidon Expeditions. SHIP MV Sea Spirit. DESTINATION Antarctica. # OF NIGHTS 11. DEPARTURE DATE & PORTS December 2018, from Ushuaia, Argentina. OVERALL RATING 5 out of 5 stars...
American Cruise Lines: Unbiased Reviews and Tips An American-flag coastal and inland river company manned by an all-American crew, American Cruise Lines operates a large and growing fleet (passenger capacities 100-190) offering a high level of comfort while...
Wave Season Deals on Small-Ship Cruises By Anne Kalosh. Wave season — the cruise industry’s annual peak booking period when lines extend their best offers — is drawing to a close. It's been suggested that wave season, typically January to March, is muted this year...
Windstar Cruises. This classy fleet of six combines Windstar Cruises’ three original sailing yachts, Wind Star, Wind Spirit and Wind Surf, groundbreaking at the time for their large size and computer-controlled sails, with Seabourn’s former trio of small cruise ships,...
Canada's Cruise Ban Explained. By Anne Kalosh. In a dramatic move, Canada announced a year-long ban of all but the smallest cruise ships. Canada's cruise ban impacts important cruise regions like Alaska and Canada/New England, but also the Great Lakes, the St....
Alaska Small-Ship Cruising. By Heidi Sarna Over the weekend we had an e-chat with Todd Smith, president and founder of AdventureSmith Explorations, to get his insights on Canada’s recent ban of Alaska-bound cruise vessels over 100 passengers through February 2022....
Small-Ship Cruise Lines Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination By Anne Kalosh. Small-ship sister brands American Queen Steamboat Co. and Victory Cruise Lines are leading the cruise world on the vaccination front. They're taking the bold step of mandating COVID-19 vaccination...
Le Boat LeBoat offers self-drive boats along the Rideau Canal in Ontario (Canada) as well as in many parts of Europe. European waterway cruises have developed a huge following in the last decade, and what most likely springs to mind are the long, narrow, low-slung...
Heidi & Ted, along with their team of expert travel writers, have reviewed and traveled their way around the world, seeking out the very best in small-ship cruising. We have organized our reviews in six small buckets — river & canal, sailing, micro, coastal, oceangoing and expedition small-ship cruises.
If you can imagine it, we’ve cruised it! With reviews, articles and destination overviews, we’ve got you covered.
