by K. W. Callahan

Created on: February 23, 2009   Last Updated: March 04, 2009

What drives you to seek seldom-visited spots, secret resort locations, and secluded hideaways? Is it the knowledge that you are a part of something special, something that few have ever experienced? Is it to accomplish a goal you set for yourself? Or is it simply to venture out on an extraordinary journey in which you have been given the unique opportunity to discover a long-forgotten destination?

WHY A SMALLER CRUISE?

Whatever it is that pushes you to explore new and exotic locations, often it is the journey itself that offers the true adventure. By making your journey on a smaller cruise ship, the travel experience is enhanced by way of an intimacy and versatility not found on large liners. An air of camaraderie among the passengers and crew can create special and lasting memories and experiences. But what else makes small cruise ships different from the mega-liners?

SIZE

"Well, duh," you say. "Of course SIZE is the obvious answer." However, there is more to it than just the number of cabins or the tonnage of a ship that defines and differentiates onboard experiences. Size can be a feeling, almost a frame of mind that sets the mood for your travels.

Unlike passengers aboard the "floating cities" of major cruise lines, a small-ship experience offers you the opportunity to become more than just one of the masses. These unique sailing vessels, which range from luxury expedition ships and motor yachts to research vessels and ice breakers, often present an air of intimacy not found on the two-thousand cabin liners that charge across the Caribbean or narrowly squeeze through the Panama Canal.

Sailing aboard a ship of fifty or a hundred passengers, you quickly take notice of those around you. You aren't lost in a sea of bodies waiting to board a tender to shore or stuck behind fifty other people at the cattle call also referred to as "the midnight buffet". Smaller cruise ships present a more personal atmosphere in which passengers are allowed to create singular experiences molded to fit their personality and interests.

UNIQUE DESTINATIONS

Continuing with the advantages of size, we arrive in the realm of unique and often remote ports of call across the world, which are often not available to larger cruise liners. Where larger ships must often drop anchor far from the actual port of call due to docking regulations and water depths, many smaller cruise ships can maneuver into shallow areas not accessible by the mega-liners of aircraft carrier-like proportions. This can

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