Why small ships are the way to go for nervous cruisers

Cruising is going full steam ahead, and there's a change in the wind. Rather than the giant megaships with spas, casinos and glass elevators, many cruisers are opting to go small.

Small ships are generally regarded as those with fewer than 1200 passengers, but more typically they might carry anything from 40 to a few hundred.

Many are feeling cautious as they head back to sea. Even for experienced cruisers with salt water in their veins, boarding a vessel with a couple of thousand strangers might be a daunting proposition, but on a small ship, health protocols such as social distancing are easier to enforce.

You probably won't find yourself in a queue at the buffet, and are more likely to spend time on deck since there are fewer indoor attractions. Small ships tend to have higher crew-to-passenger ratios, and that makes it more likely that mask-wearing requirements will be respected. Also, you're avoiding the crowds and the unavoidable crush of those ports that are typically included on a big-ship itinerary.

You're probably well away from the crowds, since the reason you're on a small ship is to get you to places the big ships can't. These are vessels designed to take you right to where the action is, whether it's a melting Alaskan glacier, a Kimberley waterfall, along the Amazon or close enough to a pod of orcas that you can hear their breath.

The less visited of the Greek Islands, the incredible iceberg-filled waters of Scoresbysund in Greenland and the dazzling and remote islands of Indonesia's Molucca Sea are the exclusive domain of small vessels.

Port visits are in a different realm when you're on a small ship. Rather than bow-to-stern with another multi-deck cruise vessel, you'll probably find yourself docked among fishing boats and local ferries, or sea lions and feeding seabirds in the case of the Galapagos.

Instead of waiting in a crowded saloon for your allocated disembarkation, you might saunter down the gangplank, or head for a Zodiac and zip ashore.

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