Frequently Asked Questions

A small ship cruise is a voyage on a vessel that generally carries fewer than 1,000 guests, and many of the lines I work with carry far fewer. A mainstream ship carries 3,000 to 6,000. The size changes what the trip is. Small ships dock in ports that large ships cannot enter, the staff-to-guest ratio is higher, and most lines are all-inclusive or close to it (drinks, gratuities, excursions and specialty dining, depending on the line), so the small extras do not add up to a surprise bill on the last night.

A large ship is built around what happens onboard (water parks, Broadway shows, 20 restaurants). A small ship is built around where it is going, so the itineraries are more unusual, the ports are more remote, and you step off in the place itself rather than a terminal designed to hold 6,000 people. Small ship lines do not have rock-climbing walls or water slides, and the guests who choose them tend not to miss either.

It depends on the line and the ship. The lines I work with range from under 100 guests on an expedition vessel to around 750 on a larger small ship such as Seven Seas Explorer, and Oceania's newer ships, at about 1,200, sit at the top end. The difference shows up everywhere. Embarkation is quick, you know the staff by name by day two, and in port you are not competing with thousands of other guests for the same taxi.

Regent Seven Seas is the most all-inclusive experience at sea, with gratuities, unlimited premium beverages, specialty dining and shore excursions all included. Silversea and Scenic (on the river) both include butler service, and how much else is included varies by sailing. The detail that matters most is what is not included, because extras can add up quickly. Before you book, I confirm what applies to your sailing, including what to expect in additional charges.

An expedition cruise goes somewhere that needs a ship built to get there, and in most of those places the size of the ship decides what you can do. In Antarctica, ships carrying more than 500 passengers are not permitted to land anyone ashore, and no more than 100 people can be on land at one time. The Galápagos limits vessels to 100 passengers. Larger ships do sail through some of these waters, but you see them from the deck. Expedition ships are smaller, usually with a reinforced hull for the ice, Zodiac inflatable boats for landings, and a team of scientists, historians or naturalists onboard. Silversea Expeditions, Ponant and Seabourn all operate ships in this size range. Before you book a polar or wildlife itinerary, I confirm whether your ship makes landings and how often.

Both are ultra-luxury small ship lines, and choosing between them is rarely clear-cut. If you want nothing extra to think about, look at Regent, which is the more all-inclusive of the two. If you want expedition reach, look at Silversea, which goes to more remote places, including Antarctica and the Arctic. Outside of those two points, the better fit depends on the feel onboard, the itinerary and the length of the cruise, and the answer can change from one sailing to the next. There is a lot to weigh between the two, which is why it helps to talk it through with a small ship specialist. I have sailed Regent multiple times, and I sail Silversea for the first time in December 2026, so I will have firsthand notes on both soon. Tell me about your trip and we will work out the better fit.

Yes, and as a paying passenger, not on a fam trip (a hosted trip designed to impress travel advisors). I have been sailing as a paying passenger since 2012, including multiple sailings with Regent Seven Seas and Viking, and in December 2026 I sail Silversea for the first time. For the other lines I work with, I say so plainly when I have not sailed them, and I tell you what I know from research and from clients who have. I pay full retail because it is the only way I know to find out what my clients will experience.

Booking a cruise takes about twenty minutes. The real work is everything that comes after — designing the experience around you, timing every reservation to the exact window it opens, monitoring your flights live from my phone, and sending you the right information at the right moment. If something goes wrong at any point, I am already working on it.

Small ship ocean, expedition and river, and custom land travel. Ocean: Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Oceania, Explora Journeys, and Ponant. River: Viking, Uniworld, AmaWaterways, and Scenic. I have been sailing on small ships as a paying passenger since 2012, and as a result, I understand exactly the kind of experience you expect — both in the planning and on the water.

TICO is the Travel Industry Council of Ontario — the regulatory body governing registered travel agencies in Ontario, Canada. As a TICO-registered practice (number 5003172), we operate under a mandatory code of ethics, carry errors and omissions insurance, and give every client access to consumer protection mechanisms that do not exist when booking directly. You can verify our registration independently at tico.ca.

No advisor fee for cruise bookings. My compensation comes from a commission paid by the cruise line once your travel is complete. You never pay more working with me than booking direct — and often you pay less.

No. The commission I earn is already built into the price of every cruise. When you book directly, the supplier keeps it. You pay the same price either way. What changes is the confidence that having an expert manage your cruise booking brings you.

Never. All bookings are charged directly to your own credit card. Every point, every benefit, every reward stays with you.

No. High-volume agencies that rebate commission trade personalized service for volume. Booking through us means you are getting personalized service, real cruise expertise, access, advocacy, and someone watching your flights and managing anything that does not go as planned. Agencies that rebate are typically “bookers”. Our strength is in the complete management of your trip, from the first call until you return home, resulting in the kind of vacation experience that you deserve.

Reach out and we will schedule a discovery call — 45 to 60 minutes, one-on-one, where I get to know you and what you want this experience to feel like. Once we agree to move forward, I send you a client profile form so I can get to know you in more detail. From there I get to work.

As early as possible. Most small ship cruise lines are booking one to three years in advance. The first release of any sailing is almost always the best price. Waiting almost always means paying more, or losing the opportunity to book altogether because the sailing is completely sold out.

Yes, if the booking was made within the last 14 days. After that, the cruise line's transfer window closes permanently.

The very first release of any sailing is almost always the best price. Cruise lines increase from there. Early booking also secures the best suite selection and access to reduced deposit promotions that disappear as the sailing fills.

River ships dock in the heart of the city — you walk off and you are already there. Ocean cruising at the small ship level offers greater reach and more space and comfort on board. An ocean cruise will travel greater distances, giving you the opportunity to explore many countries in a single voyage. A river cruise tends to cover a shorter distance, allowing you to slow down and truly immerse yourself in a particular region. Both are exceptional. The right one depends entirely on you — and that is exactly the conversation we have on a discovery call.

Those platforms deliver a booking confirmation. What they do not deliver is someone who pre-booked your shore excursions, timed your dining reservations, and answered the phone on a Sunday night when your flight was cancelled. A $500 Costco gift card does not compensate you for having to manage all of the complexities of a $60,000 cruise booking yourself — and it certainly does not compensate you if something goes wrong during your vacation.

Extended voyages require a different kind of preparation than a standard sailing — one that starts months before you board and covers areas most people would never think to address on their own. Over the years I have developed a pre-departure guide specific to voyages of 30 days or more. It covers eight areas: travel documentation and visas, banking and finances, home management, health and medication, communication and connectivity, luggage and packing, cruise logistics, and long-term mindset. Every extended voyage client receives this guide, and we walk through it together before departure. You can download a copy at thesmallshipcollective.com/extended-voyage-checklist.pdf

Everything. The cruise is the centerpiece, but a voyage of this length touches nearly every part of your life for months before you board and often for weeks after you return. What I manage includes the air strategy, visa and entry documentation across every country on your itinerary, travel insurance, home management planning, medical preparation and prescription logistics, shore excursion strategy, specialty dining reservations, and the ongoing monitoring that continues while you are at sea. When a port is cancelled, a connection falls apart, or something needs urgent attention from the other side of the world, I am already working on it. Most travel advisors will book your cruise. This practice is built to manage the entire experience.

Contact me via WhatsApp. I am monitoring your flights from the moment you leave, so if there is a disruption I am usually aware at the same time you are — or before. I stay present until the problem is fully resolved.

This is exactly when having someone in your corner matters most. I work to get you on the next available routing to join the cruise at the embarkation port or the next available port. I am already working on it before you have finished processing what happened.