From Galapagos and Antarctic prolific wildlife, to the amazing beauty of Alaska, adventure cruise vacations are the perfect way for enjoying your vacation time and sometimes the only way for visiting many destinations.
Adventure cruises are boat journeys of any size of boat, any length, anywhere in the world, generally undertaken on sea.
Adventure cruise vacations feature different sizes and shapes - from small intimate boat cruises that have less than a dozen passengers onboard, to large cruise ships containing all contemporary cruise amenities.
Adventure cruises are a variety from basic to luxury voyages and from short to longer cruises.
Whatever adventure cruise vacations type you choose, the experience you have will stay for a long time.
- Adventure Cruise Vacations Destinations
Africa, Alaska, Antarctic, Arctic, Australia, Canada, Central America, Galapagos Islands, New Zealand, South Pacific adventure cruises.
Adventure Cruise Vacations and Small Ships
Do you think large cruise ships are suitable for adventure cruise vacations? Aside from fact that both small ships and mainstream cruise ships sail in water, they hardly have anything in common.
Big ships allow travelers see region while in onboard resortlike atmosphere. Small ships allow seeing it from waterline, without glitzy interiors, big shows, loud music, casinos, spas, or crowds - the majority of these adventure cruises ships carry up to 100 passengers.
Adventure cruises small-ship lines measure the GRTs (gross register tonnage) of their ships differently than larger lines do. There is no definite standard within small-ship cruise market, so comparing ship sizes is best to just look at the passengers' number.
No matter which destination you choose for your adventure cruise vacations experience - Alaska coastal wilderness, Columbia River, Erie Canal or between Caribbean and Sea of Cortez tiny islands, you're part of the destination, left alone to form unforgettable memories.
Most adventure cruises lines operate small coastal cruise ships with main public lounge, dining room, and little other amenities besides open decks and cabins. A few of these adventure vacation lines operate slightly larger vessels with deep drafts suitable for open-sea longer adventure cruises.
Five lines - Sea Cloud, Windstar, Star Clippers, the independent Maine Windjammers and Island Windjammers, operate adventure cruises ships, as the first three have yachtlike vibe (the fairly luxe Windstar and luxury-yacht-like Sea Cloud), while the latter two are like adults' summer camp.
Beyond the physical distinctions, adventure cruises experience breaks down into the following two subcategories:
- port-to-port adventure cruises, that mix port days with days visiting natural sites;
- soft adventure cruises, that are arranged around a variety of activities like kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, tide-pooling, and visits to ports, out-of-the-way.
Adventure Cruise Vacations Dress Code - it could be described with one word only - casual.
Depending on the region you choose for your adventure cruise vacation, polo shirts, shorts or khakis, Gore-Tex shell and fleece pullover will take care of you during the sailing. On warm-weather adventure cruises, consider bringing aqua-socks and rubber sandals, because you may have to go ashore in rubber craft and step out into surf.Small-ship adventure cruising experience is completely different from megaship experience. As a tiny fraction of adventure cruises ships have more than one dining room, it's quite difficult or even impossible to judge them by the standards used for ships with 10 different dining options.
On small-ship adventure cruises the focus is on the things outside, not inside. Spa and fitness cruises facilities might include frequent hiking, kayaks, bow-landing capability, trips by inflatable launch, tide-pooling, and snorkeling trips.
Are Adventure Cruise Vacations Right For You?
We love small-ship adventure cruises experience and hope it becomes your favorite way to cruise, but have in mind the following caveats and stay away from adventure cruise vacations in case:- You are looking for bargain - with a few exceptions (Island & Maine Windjammers), adventure cruises are among the most expensive options for cruising, though the onboard costs tend to be less, and often include excursions.
- You are not self-starter - adventure cruises ships feature few (sometimes no) organized activities.
- You are weak in stomach - small adventure ships tend to roll and pitch more in rough seas than megaships do.
- You are a wheelchair user - beware, as only Cruise West Spirit of Oceanus and Spirit of '98 and American Cruise Lines ships are partially or fully accessible.
- You think about going with your family - adventure cruise vacations are not suitable for kids.