Some big benefits of small ships

09-21-2003

It's clear that bigger is better for major cruise lines these days. They're building more and more massive vessels, accommodating thousands of passengers in what are essentially floating resort destinations that provide an ever-increasing abundance of on-board entertainment. These towering megaships slip sleekly from port to port, transporting passengers, enveloping them both literally and figuratively in a comprehensive and largely self-contained vacation experience.

Still, though apparently popular with the traveling public, big vessels are never the only option.

In virtually all popular cruising areas, a range of smaller ships offer an alternative experience to the mass appeal of the megaliners. Indeed, one online directory, www.smallshipcruises.com, lists more than 150 cruise companies whose ships accommodate fewer than 500 passengers; several dozen specialize in ships that carry 100 or fewer.

Although these smaller ships generally can't compete with the huge liners in terms of variety of on-board options or opulence of amenities, many do offer other important features lacking in the larger vessels. As I discovered earlier this year on an eight-night cruise through Alaska's Inside Passage, smaller can be very pleasant, even perfect.

Over the years, I have taken and enjoyed cruises on a number of large vessels, but my wife had never been to sea and had always expressed aversion to being trapped on a ship for a week with thousands of people. For that reason, when I suggested we celebrate her birthday by taking a cruise to Alaska, she was initially cool to the idea, even though she had long wanted to visit the 49th state. Then I explained that the ship I had in mind carried only about 100 passengers, and she warmed up to the notion.

The Spirit of Endeavour is one of eight small vessels in the fleet of Cruise West, a Seattle-based company founded in 1990 by Chuck West, an early pioneer of Alaskan tourism. At 217 feet from bow to stern and with 53 passenger cabins situated on three decks, one dining room and one lounge, the Endeavour is a compact vessel indeed. When we first saw her in Juneau, she was dwarfed by two large liners berthed nearby at the main city pier and seemed smaller than some of their lifeboats. As we unpacked our luggage in our cabin, which was sparkling clean and nicely appointed, with large windows, two beds, a desk, a closet and a tiny bathroom and shower, both of us briefly wondered whether we could manage a week on board without getting bored. The tiny VCR in our cabin and shelf of tapes in the lounge didn't offer much in the way of entertainment.

Our fears began to fade as we went to dinner that first night and began to meet our fellow passengers. We quickly discovered that because there were relatively few new faces to encounter, getting to know some of them didn't seem such an overwhelming task.

By the time the dessert dishes were cleared, we were chatting with several other couples as if they were old friends. With a single time for each meal and without assigned seating, it was an experience that would be repeated throughout the trip, with initial acquaintances being constantly expanded by casual encounters throughout the day. Since the number of passengers was as limited as the places on the ship to hang out, there were plenty of opportunities for socialization. In fact, the daily routine took on the ambience of one long social hour, from early morning coffee to hot cocoa before bed.

The ship policy of no keys for cabin doors, which at first seemed a bit risky, later was evidence that we were all one big, informal family. Even a mid-week plumbing problem that rendered all the bathrooms inoperative for six hours was endured with friendly camaraderie.

That easy familiarity extended to the ship's staff, who, because of their limited numbers, performed a variety of roles. The dining room waitstaff also made up cabins, as well as performed in the talent show on the last evening of the cruise. Each evening, the ship's captain dined at a different table. That made for a number of interesting encounters. And even though it was always possible to get away by ourselves if we wanted to, we also discovered it was easy to keep track of each other, since there were relatively few places to be.

Equally important to the intimate ambience that it fostered, the Endeavour offered some significant intimacies of itinerary. Simply, the ship's size and shallow draft allowed it to sail places larger vessels could not go. Since we were always in protected waters, the swells of open ocean were never a problem. We could hug close to the coast, skim boldly through tight channels and narrow inlets, nose up to calving glaciers and rampaging waterfalls, and pull into tiny, authentic Alaskan coastal villages, such as Haines and Petersburg. Even the larger tourism ports such as Juneau, Skagway and Sitka seemed more enjoyable without having to share them with thousands of fellow passengers.

Furthermore, without the constant distraction of shipboard activities and entertainment, we naturally focused more time on deck with binoculars in hand, paying close attention to the stupendous scenery, scanning the seascape for whales, orcas, otters, seals and seabirds or scanning the shoreline for bears and other fauna. That search was constant during daylight hours, especially since the dining room windows were just above the waterline, allowing low views of the waves even as we ate.

Whenever animals were observed, the captain had the freedom to turn the ship around and position it so we could watch as long as there was something to see. The brown bear that evening in Tracy Arm must have wondered what was going on, when the white ship made a big circle and inched in close to shore and its entire complement of passengers and crew left the dining room to watch for 20 minutes while the bear washed and ate its dinner.

From start to finish, we found our Cruise West experience up close and personal. Perhaps we were fortunate with the weather, which was uncharacteristically fair for most of our week, giving us lots of time to be outside, reading, chatting, watching the world go by and just generally relaxing. Otherwise, we might have missed indoor pools, gyms, movie theaters, casinos, ice skating rinks, climbing walls or any of the other attractions commonly found on large liners these days. But our week went by quickly, and we would have gladly signed up for a repeat trip.

I don't know if I'd recommend the small ship experience for people who require lots of input or families with children, but for travelers who want to experience and enjoy a spectacular and unique place rather than spending their time diverted by artificial activities, it's almost ideal.

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