a destination that is worth getting to know Small is beautiful As Emerald and Ritz-Carlton join Scenic in the super yacht game, we look at the growth of small-scale cruise

SMALL SHIPS

Small is beautiful As Emerald and Ritz-Carlton join Scenic in the super yacht game, Anthony Pearce looks at the demand for small-scale cruise

How small is small? Given Royal Caribbean’s largest ships can handle more than 6,000 guests, a couple of thousand guests sounds small in comparison. It all depends on your perspective: non-cruisers may think 1,000 guests sounds enormous, whereas those used to the bigger lines will fi nd that very intimate. While some defi nitions put small ships as those fewer than 1,000, and midsized ships up to about 2,000, for the purposes of this article we wanted to look at ships that carry fewer than 250 guests.

In January, Emerald Waterways announced it will o cially enter the yacht cruise market with the launch of Emerald Azzurra, joining its sister company, Scenic, in adding small-ship cruise to an existing river product. The fi rst vessel for the newly formed Emerald Yacht Cruises brand, the custom-built 100-guest, ocean-going super yacht will be launched in July 2021. It will sail 47 itineraries, which are now on sale, exploring destinations including the Red Sea – Israel, Jordan and Egypt – and the Mediterranean – Greece, Montenegro, Italy, France, Cyprus, Turkey, Malta and Spain – o ering guests, what the line calls “an intimate, boutique yacht cruise experience”.

Not since the 1980s, with the arrival of Seabourn, has the world “yacht” been such a buzzword in the world of cruise. It was January 2016 when Scenic announced plans to enter ocean cruise with what it called the world’s fi rst “discovery yacht”, Scenic Eclipse, six months after Crystal announced that it would add yacht (and river and air) products to its existing ocean fl eet, which was then a mere two ships. It wasn’t long after that that Ritz-Carlton, the luxury hotel brand owned by Marriott, announced it was also getting in on the act, with a 190m yacht that accommodates up to 298 passengers and features 149 suites, each with its own private balcony; a ship as beautiful as you might expect. Small-ship and yacht cruise is nothing new, but it does appear to be having a moment. Although since 2009, the pioneering Seabourn has upgraded its fl eet with larger (but still small) and more luxurious vessels, ships from its original fl eet are still exploring exotic corners of the world. The 4,253GT Seabourn Goddess I and II now sail under SeaDream Yacht Club as SeaDream I and II, carrying 112 and 110 guests, respectively. The line, which says it o ers “yachting not cruising”, specialises in warmwater cruises in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, calling at ports other ships are just too large to dock at. The slightly larger 9,975GT Seabourn Pride, Legend and Spirit

transferred to Windstar Cruises and now sail as Star Pride, Star Legend and Star Breeze, with the former two carrying 208 guests and Breeze carrying 312 guests, sailing all over the world from Alaska to Tahiti, as well as coastal cruises along the West Coast of America and Mexico.

“River cruise guests relish the fact they sail right into the heart of each destination and easily walk o and immerse themselves in local culture; we are simply taking our river cruise experience to the oceans by adding a dash of super cool yacht cruising,” says David Winterton, Emerald Cruises’ director of marketing and global brand curator. “Similar to our Mekong river cruises, we believe we will see a younger customer. One that is looking to independently explore small ports and harbours, while also enjoying the onboard marina platform where they can take advantage of the free snorkelling equipment during the many swim stops.”

“On a small-ship cruise the destination is typically the star whereas with larger ships, the ships themselves are the destination,” says Jos Dewing, the UK commercial

director of SeaDream. “Larger ships tend to compete on facilities and amenities whereas smaller ships tend to focus on destination enhancement and enrichment. There are of course exceptions to the rule, SeaDream for example o ers a unique onboard yachting experience in addition to small-ship destination focus, with lesser-known ports, highlights like Corinth Canal transit and regular overnight stays in port.”

But for customers who want a more intimate experience it’s not just megayacht style ships that they should be looking at, and it’s not just the luxury or premium sectors o ering these sorts of products. There is a world of small-ship options out there, from dual passenger/cargo vessel Aranui 5, which carries 256 guests and sails around French Polynesia to the 30-guest Manatee Explorer that traverses the Ecuadorian Amazon to Greg Mortimer, Aurora Expeditions’ spectacular 120-guest new ship. Given the nature of expedition cruise most of the vessels in the sector are small, allowing them to navigate tight channels, access small ports and, in the case of Antarctica where ice landings are restricted to 100, o er the most immersive experience possible. Then there’s Intrepid Travel and G Adventures, two group tour operators, which have moved into the world of marine travel with intimate vessels aimed at a younger clientele than your average cruise.

In a world of ever-larger ships, it’s intriguing that cruise lines are looking towards smaller vessels, too. Viking Cruises, which moved from river to launch 930-guest ocean ships, is set to launch smaller expedition ships. The line’s fi rst vessel will be called Viking Octantis and will run voyages to Antarctica and America’s Great Lakes, while the second vessel, Viking Polaris, will debut in August 2022, sailing in Antarctica and the Arctic. They will both host 378 guests across 189 staterooms.

As Dewing puts it: “As demands for destination and land adventures have grown exponentially in recent years, so has demand for smallchip cruising. These passengers are looking to explore the destination and enrich their understanding of places with authentic experiences, more personal service and less crowds.”