ISO small (non-luxury) cruise ships

[kaymoz]

Could you please tell me of any small ships (less than ~500 passengers) that are not in the luxury category (say, less than $400 per night)?  

Other than Windstar and Star Clippers, we realize this could be ships with a small line in a limited part of the world, and that's OK!

[When covid struck in February 2019, we were lucky to be sailing on a SMALL ship -- about 300 passengers and 200 crew -- so realized the public health advantages of reduced exposures, in addition to that smaller vessels' intimacy and itinerary-nimbleness that we always appreciated!  Now we can't quite bring ourselves to join thousands of others on a ship, but really want to go back to sea.  I fear the recent demise of some smaller cruise lines may have seriously reduced the options for small ship sailing.]

Edited March 15, 2022 by kaymoz
grammar

[Lois R]

Hi, I don't know any lines that small that are not luxury..........

 

You could always try a River Cruise........those are in totally different genre and are way less than 400 guests.

[Silver Sweethearts]

Our first thought is the Aranui V, sailing in French Polynesia as a dedicated freighter/cruise ship.  Too casual??

[LHT28]

American Queen/Victory cruises

[celoplyr]

Expedition cruises are usually under 500 people (I've been on one with 92 passengers, and one with 16 and want to do one with 32) and aren't luxury- but may be expensive.  The one with 16 passengers was $2500/person for 7 days, the one with 92 was 10k/person for 10 days.... Of course they were amazing locations (Galapagos and Antarctica) so it justified the price  to me- but I am only one person.  I'd much rather pay more for an amazing location than another Caribbean tour!

[Lois R]

Oh, there are Barge Cruises in Europe.......they hold less people than river cruises! They can hold somewhere between 8-20 people.  Check out the company European Waterways.

[lissie]

Heritage Expedition -  runs out of NZ - we went on one of their previous ships -these ones look a bit fancier but still small - under 200pax Expedition Cruises | Wildlife Tours | Heritage Expeditions (heritage-expeditions.com)

[Aquahound]

I know a few people who have cruised Hurtigruten and they very much enjoyed it.  

[kaymoz]

4 hours ago, celoplyr said:

Expedition cruises are usually under 500 people (I've been on one with 92 passengers, and one with 16 and want to do one with 32) and aren't luxury- but may be expensive.  The one with 16 passengers was $2500/person for 7 days, the one with 92 was 10k/person for 10 days.... Of course they were amazing locations (Galapagos and Antarctica) so it justified the price  to me- but I am only one person.  I'd much rather pay more for an amazing location than another Caribbean tour!

Hello Celoplyr,  Could you please tell me which expedition operator you sailed with for your Galapagos and Antartica voyages?  Many thanks!

[calliopecruiser]

I've heard of Ponant's various small ships (including Paul Gauguin), but have no personal experience with any of them.

[Silver Sweethearts]

18 minutes ago, kaymoz said:

Hello Celoplyr,  Could you please tell me which expedition operator you sailed with for your Galapagos and Antartica voyages?  Many thanks!

We aren't Celoplyr, but do check out Silversea's Silver Origin for Galapagos voyages.

[CPT Trips]

A number of options with OAT - Overseas Adventure Travel.

https://www.oattravel.com/oat-difference/travel-by-small-ship?&icid=global:small_ship_adventures:small-ship-experience_lk

[navybankerteacher]

I do not think that OP was so much opposed to “luxury”  - but about the prices which usually are associated with luxury cruises.   The simple fact is that lower fares are generally only offered on large ships which can pass along the economies of scale.

[celoplyr]

13 hours ago, kaymoz said:

Hello Celoplyr,  Could you please tell me which expedition operator you sailed with for your Galapagos and Antartica voyages?  Many thanks!

My Antarctica operator is now out of business but I booked with a boat that is now being offered by G adventures (although if you can find them, they're often cheaper with a travel agent).  

 

If I had to do it again, I would pick Oceanwide for Antarctica, as their boats seem the most similar to what I had.  In fact, I'm considering them for the Arctic!

[celoplyr]

28 minutes ago, celoplyr said:

My Antarctica operator is now out of business but I booked with a boat that is now being offered by G adventures (although if you can find them, they're often cheaper with a travel agent).  

 

If I had to do it again, I would pick Oceanwide for Antarctica, as their boats seem the most similar to what I had.  In fact, I'm considering them for the Arctic!

Sorry, not enough coffee yet.  The Galapagos boat was a boat with G adventures, but I booked directly through an Ecuadorian based travel agency. There are many boats that you can pick from, and the best decisions are made on what kind of boat you want, and what itinerary you want.

 

I tend to have really bare bones travel, which is cheaper than average for those regions.  Silver Sea would be a much nicer boat, but I love the smaller ship feeling (everyone can only be in the lounge for example) and smaller price tags

[marco]

Amerrican Cruise Line hs smaller ships that sail NewEngland, the Mississippi,  Intercostal, Puget Sound.  THey are not considered "Luxury" but 7-8 day cruises run approx 5K a person.  

[navybankerteacher]

40 minutes ago, marco said:

Amerrican Cruise Line hs smaller ships that sail NewEngland, the Mississippi,  Intercostal, Puget Sound.  THey are not considered "Luxury" but 7-8 day cruises run approx 5K a person.  

Right - their small size combined with their US crew pay scales and lack of competition  make them fairly pricey.

[slidergirl]

I'm doing one of the canal barge trips this summer.  14 of us have the whole barge through a women's travel group. Only room for 16.  Look at CroisiEurope.

[cruisemom42]

There are definitely fewer small-ship lines available now that are not premium or luxury class. For a solo passenger, deals can sometimes be found on some smaller ships that are in those categories, making them not too much more expensive than bigger ships. This assumes the ship is willing to price certain cruises or cabins at a less than 100% solo supplement.  

 

I enjoyed cruising for a number of years on the 350-passenger Aegean Odyssey, run by Voyages to Antiquity to some great destinations for reasonable (not cheap) cost. The former ferry wasn't glamorous but did offer wonderful itineraries and super enrichment speakers.  So I certainly understand how you feel. But if you want a cruise ship and not a ferry or an expedition ship, options now are very, very limited.

[ilikeanswers]

12 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I do not think that OP was so much opposed to “luxury”  - but about the prices which usually are associated with luxury cruises.   

 

For me it is usually a bit of both. The reality is when you compare non luxury ships with luxury cruises with the same pax numbers all the luxury accoutrements do add thousands to the price tag and when you are not even interest in those luxury accoutrements paying for them isn't particularly appealing.

 

It is one of the reasons I gravitate to expedition cruises. They still have higher cost but at least I'm paying for things I'm interested in like unique destinations and interesting enrichment activities. Unfortunately I have noticed they too are sliding into the luxury categories and their prices have gone up accordingly. 

Edited March 17, 2022 by ilikeanswers