Globe and Mail. February 11, 2004 Cruising Trends Wallace Immen Size Matters In an era in which mammoth new cruise ships are competing for bragging rights to be the biggest, tallest, widest, most expensive or most exclusive, a notable counterrevolution is growing. Premium small ships are proliferating, offering opulence and supremely attentive personal service and attracting a loyal following of people whose motto has become go small or stay home. But we're not talking about roughing it on the high sease in a cabin cruiser built for 12 or a regional boat that has to stay within sight of the coast. The best of these ships carry 100 to 700 passengers. Shore excursions are small social outings rather than the busloads that pour off the new mass-market ships. Evenings have the feel of dinner parties rather than conventions. And there is only one class-first class. Every cabin is a suite and you have the run of the ship. That's in marked contrast to the latest British megaship, the Queen Mary 2, which perpetuates a 19th century class system that can be infuriating or comical depending on your point of view. If you are barred from some upper-class restaurant, lounge or deck chair unless you've paid the top price, no ship can possibly be large enough. The world of a small luxury ship, however, can become a very comfortable and welcoming oyster indeed. And I'm not alone. Long-running small luxury lines have been adding ships and upgrading their exisiting ones to entice growing ranks of repeat passengers, which include a large contingent of Canadians. Even cruise lines that are known for their large ships are adding smaller scale ships to their fleets this year. "The people who love small ships really love small ships and they become very loyal," says Mary Jean Tully of Mississauga based travel agency The Cruise Professionals.   Back         Top of Page

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