Small ship cruises

What makes small ship cruising different?

On a small ship, the guest list numbers in the hundreds rather than the thousands, and that changes almost everything. The crew-to-guest ratio climbs, service becomes genuinely personal, and the ship can dock in harbours that megaships sail past. Sailings here range from 4 nights to 80 nights, with a median voyage of around 12 nights — long enough to feel like a proper journey, short enough that you can combine a cruise with time ashore at either end. Itineraries span Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the South Pacific, South America and well beyond. Most are ocean voyages, and a meaningful share run as one-way itineraries — worth knowing before you book, because it shapes how you plan your travel at each end.

Top cruise lines for small ship cruising

Three lines define the small-ship luxury end of the market, and all three sail strongly from here: Silversea Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises. Seabourn rounds out the ultra-luxury tier. Each line has a distinct character, and picking the right one matters as much as picking the right itinerary.

Silversea Cruises

Silversea built its reputation on small, all-suite ships and destination-focused itineraries. Silver Dawn offers a choice of more than 8 restaurants on board and carries guests with a staff-to-guest ratio of nearly 1:1 — the kind of attentiveness that is genuinely noticeable by day 2. See the full Silver Dawn cabin and deck plans to choose the right suite grade before you book.

Silver Nova is one of the most spacious ships in the Silversea fleet and incorporates new environmentally friendly technology. Browse Silver Nova cabins and deck plans for suite layouts and sizes.

New for 2024, Silver Ray brings a revolutionary redesign of public spaces and suites with 270-degree ocean views — a genuinely fresh take on the Silversea formula. The largest accommodation is the Owner’s Suite O2, a two-bedroom suite of 131.2 m² that suits families or 2 couples travelling together. Check the full Silver Ray cabins and deck plans for the complete range.

Silver Moon, Silver Muse and Silver Shadow complete the Silversea ships on these sailings. Silver Shadow carries just 382 guests, making it one of the more intimate ships in the fleet. Cabin layouts for each are available on the Silver Moon, Silver Muse and Silver Shadow cabins pages.

Seabourn

Seabourn Quest carries just 450 guests in an all-suite, all-balcony configuration, with a near 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio. Every suite comes with a private balcony, butler service, and all fine wines and spirits included. The social heart of the ship is Seabourn Square, an open café-style lounge that replaces the traditional cruise desk — a small design choice that says a lot about how Seabourn thinks about its guests. The Grand Wintergarden Suite GR, at 115 m², is the largest suite on board and sleeps up to 4 guests. Explore the full range on the Seabourn Quest cabins and deck plans page.

Seabourn Ovation offers the same ultra-luxury formula, including elegant complimentary dining throughout the voyage. The Grand Wintergarden Suite GR here spans approximately 115 m² and features a private hot tub, a separate bedroom, a generous living area and a full kitchen with bar — sleeps up to 4 guests. Full details are on the Seabourn Ovation cabins and deck plans page. Seabourn Encore rounds out the Seabourn ships on these itineraries; cabin grades and deck layouts are on the Seabourn Encore cabins page.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises sits in the premium small-ship segment, with ships that feel genuinely stylish without tipping into the formality of ultra-luxury. Celebrity Infinity is one of the Celebrity ships sailing these routes; see Celebrity Infinity cabin and deck plans for stateroom grades and sizes. If you are sailing from Sydney, the Celebrity Edge 2027/2028 Sydney sailings page is worth a look for specific departure dates.

Top destinations for small ship cruises

Close to home — Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific and South East Asia

Australian-departing small ship itineraries are well represented. Australian coastal voyages let you board in one city and explore ports along the coastline — if you live near the embarkation port, you need no flight at all. From another state, a short domestic hop gets you to the ship, which is still a very different proposition to a long-haul international flight. Christmas 2026 Australia cruise deals are available for those planning the festive season at sea, and Easter 2027 cruises from Sydney suit those with school-holiday flexibility. Round-trip sailings that start and end in Sydney are a practical option if you want simplicity at both ends.

New Zealand itineraries pair well with Australian departures — many sail one-way, finishing at the other end of the country or across the Tasman, with a domestic flight connecting you home. South Pacific and Polynesia routes tend to be round-trip loops from Australian ports, visiting island groups across the Pacific. Buenos Aires is also a popular embarkation point for South America sailings.

For a regional adventure, Benoa, Bali is one of the South East Asia embarkation and disembarkation ports, and Singapore is a well-connected hub for longer regional itineraries. We can book flights from your home city, hotels on either side, and transfers — so the cruise is the middle of a seamless holiday rather than a booking puzzle.

The long haul — Japan, Europe, the Americas and beyond

Japan is one of the most popular long-haul destinations on these sailings. Small ships suit Japan particularly well because the country rewards slow travel and detail-focused itineraries. Yokohama (Tokyo) and Tokyo both appear as disembarkation ports, and many Japan sailings run one-way — fly in, cruise through, fly home from a different city. Our team can arrange the whole thing as a single booking.

Further afield, the British Isles and Transpacific routes suit travellers who want an extended voyage rather than a regional hop. Transpacific crossings often run one-way between Australia or New Zealand and ports on the US West Coast or Japan — a logical way to tick off two destinations in one trip. For Alaska and the US West Coast, Vancouver to Alaska sailings are an excellent pairing with a longer North America itinerary.

Florida features among the disembarkation ports too. Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) and Miami are about half an hour apart, so a Florida trip can sail from either — it is worth checking Fort Lauderdale sailings and Miami sailings side by side. Barcelona and Amsterdam round out the European departure and arrival options.

What do the fares include?

Fare inclusions vary by cruise line and fare tier, so it pays to read them carefully before you book.

Princess Cruises offers fare types such as Princess Standard — a base cruise fare to which packages can be added — and Princess Plus, which bundles 4 casual dining meals per voyage, beverages up to A$15 each (with a daily limit of 15 drinks), MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi, pre-paid crew appreciation, unlimited digital photographs plus 3 prints, and reserved theatre seating into the one price. The Princess 2027–2028 season has strong availability across these fare types.

Royal Caribbean’s fare structure includes a standard cruise fare and a solo/single-occupancy fare, plus promotional fare types such as last-minute offers and early-booking bonuses — the specific offers available change, so check current availability when you book. Note that Royal Caribbean fare prices are quoted in the currency shown at booking; any promotional rates shown in non-Australian currency are not available to Australian guests and we do not pass those on.

Norwegian Cruise Line offers a base fare (cruise only) and bundled tiers that add speciality dining, a premium beverage package, Wi-Fi and shore excursion credits — a strong option if you want most costs locked in upfront.

On Silversea and Seabourn, the all-inclusive nature of the fare is part of the product: fine wines, spirits and butler service are built in on Seabourn Quest, for example, and complimentary elegant dining is standard on Seabourn Ovation. Our Australian cruise experts can walk you through exactly what each tier covers before you commit.

Which cruise lines have sailings?

Across the full range of small ship sailings available through Cruise1st, you will find itineraries from MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Holland America Line, Viking Cruises, Viking River Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, among others. Sailings depart from ports across Australia, Asia, Europe and the Americas — all available on one booking through Cruise1st.

Browsing across all available cruise sailings can help if you are still weighing up ocean versus river, or luxury versus premium. If you are drawn to a luxury ocean cruise line, the dedicated page covers the full ultra-luxury and premium tier in more detail.

Make it a holiday

Most small ship itineraries here begin overseas, which means the cruise is the centrepiece of a longer trip. Cruise1st can build the whole journey as a Cruise1st Package — flights from your home city, hotels the night before embarkation and after disembarkation, transfers between airport and port, tours ashore, and travel insurance, all on one booking. If you are sailing from an Australian port, you will find the same support: our team can add a pre-cruise hotel or a post-cruise touring stay with the same ease.

Our Australian cruise experts are available 7 days a week and can help you match the cabin grade and fare inclusions to your travelling style — whether that is a 115 m² Wintergarden suite on Seabourn or a well-positioned balcony suite on Silversea. Cruise1st’s Best Price Guarantee applies across the range, so if you find a lower price on the same sailing after you book, we will match it.

For those thinking about the festive season, Royal Caribbean Christmas 2026 Australia sailings and Christmas cruises to New Zealand are already on sale. If Australia is your focus year-round, Carnival cruises to Australia and Princess Cruises around Australia 2027 are popular alternatives to consider alongside the small-ship options here.

Prices start from A$519 pp* depending on the ship, sailing and cabin grade selected. Call our Australian cruise experts 7 days a week, or book online at your own pace.

*Prices are per person based on 2 people sharing, and are subject to change. This price is not kept up to date and therefore does not reflect live pricing and availability. Prices and any discounts shown were checked on 14 October 2026.