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Arethusa Grand Circle

Ranking: #1 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 50 Number of cabins: 26 Number of cabins with balconies: 18 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 150 Price range: under $250 per person per night in an outside cabin Number of swimming pools: 0 Number of restaurants: 1 About this Cruise Ship:

Built in 2007, the 50-passenger Arethusa, owned and operated by Grand Circle Cruise Line, brings their popular river cruise model to the Mediterranean. Like GC's river trips, much of what makes the Arethusa experience special is the ship's two English-speaking Program Directorsexperts in regional history, culture, and arteach of whom leads a group of no more than 25 travelers for the duration of the cruise. Despite its size, the Arethusa offers most of the amenities you'd expect: a topside Sun Deck, a lounge and bar area, and a dining room with panoramic ocean views. The 26 cabins range from 150 to 170 square feet and all have flat-screen TVs, AC, and private bathrooms. Upper deck cabins have floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors and private balconies. Design-wise, the lack of an elevator is the only conspicuous omission, and may pose a problem for those with mobility issues, though the Arethusa has just three decks. Featured itineraries include two-week tours of the Greek Isles (plus Istanbul) and "Hidden Gems" of the Dalmatian coast.

National Geographic Explorer Lindblad Expeditions


Ranking: #2 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 148 Number of cabins: 81 Number of cabins with balconies: 13 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 126 Price range: $250 - $500 per person per night in an outside cabin Number of swimming pools: 0 Number of restaurants: 2 About this Cruise Ship:

Lindblad Expeditions launched this ship, a joint venture with the National Geographic Society, in 2008. The focus is squarely on nature and education, and the ship sails with a dozen experts (historians and naturalists, as well as photographers affiliated with the Society) and state-of-the art expedition technology (including undersea cameras, video-microscopes and a crow's nest camera). Itineraries are in-depth and often long, including 14- and 24-night Antarctica tours and 18-day routes around Norwegian fjords.

National Geographic Endeavour Lindblad Expeditions


Ranking: #3 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 96 Number of cabins: 56 Number of cabins with balconies: 0 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 95 Price range: $250 - $500 per person per night in an outside cabin Number of swimming pools: 1 Number of restaurants: 1 About this Cruise Ship:

The forerunner of Lindblad Expeditions first led tours of the Galpagos in 1967, and the company acquired the Endeavour in 1996 (it was originally used as a North Sea fishing trawler), so both the line and the ship are old hands at sailing the islands that Darwin made famous. The 96-passenger ship has 10- and 16-day-long itineraries departing from Guayaquil, Ecuador. The Endeavour is a small expedition ship, and passengers shouldn't expect luxury-liner amenities, but all cabins have small writing desks and views of the water; meals are single-seating at unassigned tables. One of the ship's unusual features is a floating massage platform, for treatments made complete by the gentle rocking motion of the sea.

Seabourn Pride Seabourn


Ranking: #4 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 208 Number of cabins: 104 Number of cabined balconies: 42 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 277 Price range of cabins: $$ Number of swimming pools: 1 Number of restaurants: 4 About this Cruise Ship

Like her sister ships the Legend and the Spirit, the Seabourn Pride has a staff-to-passenger ratio of nearly one to one. Guests stay in 104 suites, ranging from 277 to 575 square feet; 40 percent have balconies, and all have ocean views. Drinks at the four bars and lounges are included in your fare, as are all meals, even when you choose to opt for one of the smaller restaurants over the main dining room. Like her sister ships (which also score in the 90s on the Cond Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Survey), the Pridehas a private marina, which extends from the rear of the ship, allowing guests to enjoy water sports even at sea. The Pride has Baltic, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Asian itineraries.

Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn


Ranking: #5 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 450 Number of cabins: 225 Number of cabins with balconies: 199 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 295 Price range: $250$500 per person per night in an outside cabin Number of swimming pools: 4 Number of restaurants: 4 About this Cruise Ship

The highest rated of Seabourns impressive fleet, the Seabourn Odyssey was launched in 2009 as the first of Seabourns trio of larger ships (the Sojourn and Quest followed in June 2010 and June 2011). Each has 225 suites, compared to 104 on the lines earlier ships. Almost 90 percent of the cabins, which range in size from 295 to 1,189 square feet, have verandas. A new addition to the line's restaurant offerings (rated highly by in Cond Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Survey) is the Colonnade, an indoor/outdoor restaurant where meals are prepared in an open kitchen. At 11,400 square feet, the Spa at Seabourn is one of the largest found on any luxury ship. The Odyssey spends much of the year exploring the Mediterranean (Greek Isles, Dalmatian Coast, and Turkey), but also has Fort Lauderdale-to-Los Angeles and South Pacific itineraries.

Silver Explorer Silversea


Ranking: #6 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 132 Number of cabins: 66 Number of cabins with balconies: 20 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 154 Price range: $250 - $500 per person per night in an outside cabin Number of swimming pools: 0 Number of restaurants: 2 About this Cruise Ship:

Silversea's expedition ship is a departure from its larger luxury ships. Designed with an ice breaker hull, which enables it to cruise through the waters of arctic, the ship sails with eight Zodiac boats for exploration and a mere 132 passengers, providing an upscale take on nature cruising in Antarctica and the Arctic Circle. Passengers start the day with lectures; they're then provided with parkas, boots, binoculars, and other gear for their Zodiac excursions. In the evenings, your butler can help you shed your (probably wet) layers so you can dress for an evening in the Relais & Chateaux dining room followed by cognac in the cigar baran experience more akin to those you'll find on Silversea's other vessels.

Silver Wind Silversea


Ranking: #7 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 298 Number of cabins: 149 Number of cabins with balconies: 116 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 240 Price range: $250 - $500 per person per night in an outside cabin Number of swimming pools: 1 Number of restaurants: 4 About this Cruise Ship:

The 298-passenger Silver Wind was Silversea's second ship, launched in 1995, just a year after the Silver Cloud. Like its slightly older sister, the Silver Wind aspires to personalized luxury, giving passengers a choice of amenities, from soaps to pillows. The staterooms are all suites (the smallest is a sizable 240 square feet) and have ocean views. The ship was refurbished in 2008 to update its interiors, but also to add a new Spa at Silversea and an observation lounge complete with a radar screen, astronomical maps, and binoculars. This year, the Silver Wind will be in the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean along the South African coast.

Seabourn Sojourn Seabourn


Ranking: #8 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 450 Number of cabins: 225 Number of cabins with balconies: 199 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 295 Price range: $250 - $500 per person per night in an outside cabin Number of swimming pools: 2 Number of restaurants: 4 About this Cruise Ship:

The second of the three new-build Seabourn ships, the 450-passenger Sojourn is nearly two-and-ahalf times the size of the line's older ships. Instead of the intimacy of a smaller, 200 passenger vessel, you'll find more to see and do, including an 11,400-square-foot, two-story spa with outdoor space and cabanas. Cabins have been upgraded: 90 percent have verandahs, and Sojourn features suites with solariums. Best of all, Seabourn's specialtiesfabulous service, plenty of space per cruiser and a water-sports marina. The Sojourn sails the most extensively of the Seabourns, with multiple around the world itineraries.

Celebrity Xpedition Celebrity


Ranking: #9 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 96 Number of cabins: 46 Number of cabins with balconies: 8 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 145 Price range: $250 - $500 per person per night in an outside cabin Number of swimming pools: 0 Number of restaurants: 2 About this Cruise Ship The smallest of Celebrity's ships, the 92-passenger Celebrity Xpedition is an adventure vessel that only sails around the Galpagos Islands. Because most vessels in the area are adventure ships, the Xpedition's luxury touchessuch as two dining options (a sit-down venue and a buffet), room service, and balconied suitesset it apart. Still, Cond Nast Traveler readers give the ship its highest marks for its crew and itineraries: theXpedition sails 7- to 13-night trips around the islands spotting blue-footed boobies, sea iguanas, and flightless cormorants. All of its naturalist guides are certified by the Galpagos National Park, and onboard entertainment tends heavily toward wildlife lectures and tour briefings. Drinks are complimentary, but most passengers head to their cabins early and sober to prepare for full days of sightseeing and adventure.

Paul Gauguin Paul Gauguin Cruises


Ranking: #10 in Top 20 Small Cruise Ships Category: Small Passengers: 332 Number of cabins: 166 Number of cabins with balconies: 116 Smallest cabin, in square feet: 200 Price range: $250 - $500 per person per night in an outside cabin Number of swimming pools: 1 Number of restaurants: 3 About this Cruise Ship
As one might expect, Paul Gauguin Cruises' 332-passenger Paul Gauguin is a modest-sized luxury liner that plies the South Pacific where Paul Gauguin the painter lived, loved, and produced the tropical masterworks that made his name. The ship was custom-built to navigate the shallow waters of French Polynesia, which gives it an edge when exploring local atolls. But it's the dedication of the Gauguin's crew to both the region and its culture that make it truly special. Much of the shipboard entertainment is provided by a troupe of talented Tahitians known as "Les Gauguines," who sing, dance and recount local legends. Insider experts in marine biology, archaeology and more make onboard talks and shore excursions especially memorable. And a "retractable Watersports Marina" makes it possible to snorkel and scuba dive directly from the ship. The Gauguin's cabins all have ocean views, and 112 have balconies. Spacious bathroomsnearly all of which feature both showers and full-size tubsare stocked with highend l'Occitane products. Two elegant restaurants, L'Etoile and La Veranda, serve consistently tasty Continental and Polynesian fareand select spirits, beers, house wines, and soft drinks are included in the cruise price. A pool-side grill offers a fine al fresco dining alternative. The Paul Gauguin makes year-round cruises from Tahiti to Bora Bora and beyond, with special stops at some of the remotest archipelagos and islands of the South Seas.

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