Small Ship Cruising

I am on my fifth small ship cruise right now.
There are really no better cabins to be in as far as motion sickness is concerned.
We are on the Norwegian Fiords cruise. I have never had motion sickness, but two nights ago, the sea was very rough and I felt extremely sick all night and had to have breakfast in bed, the sea calmed and I was fine.
We had a rough night on our Iceland cruise, we were in bed and our bodies kept leaving the mattress and falling back on the bed again one night.
We have taken the Great Lakes cruise, the Arabia cruise which is no more…that would have been perfect for you
Finally, we took the Panama Canal cruise, it’s really interesting and I also think that would be a good one for you.
Your main danger is enjoying all that fabulous onboard food and not being able to fit into your clothing when you get home,
I’ve only taken one Tauck River cruise. I do think the Ponant ship experience is extra extra special.

Choc

We have been on numerous ocean cruises from multi sea day ocean crossings and everything in between..I would recommend starting with the Great Lakes or Alaska inside passage if you want to travel with Tauck. We prefer a ship of mid size. 1000 to 1800 hundred passengers . No one can guarantee the weather and you are on a ship which is going to have a movement no matter where you go. The lower in the ship and toward the middle is best to eliminate some of the movement. We always take ginger with us and eat green apples.

The Tauck Ponant small ship cruises I am talking about have a max of 150 people!
We have taken the Tauck Alaska land and sea cruise and we hated the ship experience. Tauck was using a Princess cruise ship that held over 3000 passengers, it was only about half full and it was still a nightmare for us. Too many people. Crew trying to sell you everything from jewelry to art and photo packages. The itinerary was changed, eliminated the Ketchikan visit before we went. We spent two entire days at sea because of that. Disembarking was also a nightmare, the ship docked hours late and we nearly missed our flight, same for the Tour Director, who had to organize another director to be on hand to start his next tour.

After 30+ land tours we changed to river cruises because of my husband’s advancing age and mobility issues. We have done one (1) Ponant small ship cruise (Great Lakes) and would never do another one.

We were both very disappointed in the onboard experience and amenities. There was a very nice auditorium-type room but it was only used for an occasional briefing and was locked all other times. The bar area was one big room with virtually no ambiance. Our level did have a small and very nice area which we used for reading. There was a very small counter/bar area there but it was never operational.

The dining room looked like a cafeteria—again, no ambience in my opinion. There was a small alcove which housed the tiny buffet area with less than stellar food selections. The soups were the best offerings. Dinners were mediocre at best. I rarely eat red meat but one night I had a filet of beef and it was delicious. For the most part we stayed with soup and salad—the salad being iceberg lettuce, never mixed greens.

We never experienced the ship rocking but the tender was very uncomfortable due to the inclement weather one day. I didn’t realize how rough the lakes could become. We were hoping for a lecture on the lakes and their microclimates but that never occurred.

When comparing my small ship experience to that of Tauck’s riverboats, there is no comparison. It would be like riding a skateboard versus traveling in a luxury car.

Of course this is merely my opinion but it is one based on factual experiences.

Postscript- I agree with taking ginger; I never travel without it.

Kfnknfzk and I have different opinions on that particular cruise. Tauck was offering a generous discount on the tour when we went as for the US it is a very expensive tour and I guess was not selling well. No public rooms were closed on our tour. We have had excellent lectures.Great entertainment. All people we have talked to have been friendly. We love French food and I can’t imsgime anyone not liking it. The wine has been good too

MikeHenderson

I don't suffer from motion sickness so I can't give any advice there. We've done some Tauck cruises on Ponant ships as well as on a Wind Star ship. The Ponant ships were okay. They're smaller than the giant cruise ships so they move more in rough seas and they don't have all the features (like multiple restaurants) that you would find on a big cruise ship.

The Wind Star ship we were on was significantly smaller than the Ponant ship. Ponant sort of fits between the small Wind Star ships and the giant cruise ships.

The Wind Star ship we were on was a real disappointment. Old ship (launched in 1985 - 40 years old), very small cabins, no elevators, and you had to go outside to get to the restaurant. Luckily, it wasn't raining at meal time on the cruise we were on. The restaurant was very small and the food offered was limited. I really can't recommend Wind Star at all.

Beyond that, how much the ship moves depends on the weather. If you're lucky it will be a placid cruise but if the seas are rough it can be a lot of rock and roll and difficult to walk along the hallways. Hard to know in advance.

Good luck.

The only French food offered were sweet and/or savory crêpes one afternoon. That was a change from the usual tea sandwiches consisting of raw carrots and zucchini smothered in mayonnaise.

We all have different preferences and traveling styles.

cvc

We've done three small ship cruises - the Great Lakes, Iceland, and Rome, Amalfi Coast & Sicily. We had one rough night/morning on the Rome, Amalfi Coast & Sicily tour. I agree it depends on weather and probably some on geography. I took a few travel and tourism classes several years ago and we were told that on the larger cruise ships, people usually felt less motion if their cabin was on a lower deck and was toward the middle of the the deck vs being near the front or back of the ship. I am not sure this guidance works for smaller ships but we do try to book a cabin toward the middle of whatever deck we are on.

sudhamali

Love Ponant ships ; Travelled with Tauck to Iceland,Japan and Antarctica.Rarely had big ship movements in Iceland and Japan; Even Drake passage was like a lake when we went.Also have taken other cruises in competing companies : Polaris .for example.Rough seas are more prevalent on some routes than others.Luckily neither my husband or myself have had any issues with motion sickness even though we never leave without meds.There are articles suggesting lower levels and mid ship cabins may be less rocky;each person is different as to the sensitivity for motion sickness.Our worst experience was in the Patagonia region; every time the ship was in the open sea area of pacific it was very rocky; the captain made accurate announcements about the time of crossing so one could take proper precautions.

Folsomdoc

I give you credit for wanting to continue to travel and recognizing your limitations. Unfortunately if you have motion sickness symptoms with a scopolamine patch you’ve pretty much maxed out available therapy. While adding another medication might improve the situation you are at risk of unpleasant to dangerous side effects. Folk remedies like ginger and wrist bands are unlikely to help. Small ships rock more than ocean liners which have large stabilizers. Having said that, if you hit rough seas on any size ship you’ll notice it. We enjoy cruises on large ships but are picky about which lines, which ships, which accommodations. We’ve done about 15 which is nothing compared to real devotees we meet. They do that many in a year! The newer ships are nice and, the ship within a ship concept such as on Celebrity gives you much of the upscale amenities as the luxury lines. Unfortunately, the suites are situated in the front of the ship where there can be increased motion. One cruise that may work is a one way Alaska inside passage. Round trip means you’ll spend time in the ocean and up there that can be rough. Best of luck!

Not going to pursue an argument just an opinion. The rooms on the Wind Star are not large but bigger than many standard cruise ship rooms. The Star ships at Windstar are all suites. The Wind Surf has suites and the ship is three times the size of Wind Star. Windstar has gotten numerous awards for their food and in my opinion far better than Ponant from which I just returned. We have eighteen Windstar cruises on all of their ships and two more scheduled. We have five Ponant cruises.

Sealord - I look forward to your critique and especially your thoughts on the overall onboard experience…..Ponant versus Windstar/Surf versus Tauck’s riverboats. Sorry, I know I’m asking a lot but I value your opinion regarding comparing/contrasting the different amenities and common spaces. Thanks in advance.

P.S. - I use river cruising as my benchmark.

kfnk….: I think the Tauck/Scylla riverboats have excellent food and service, In my experience it is much better than Ponant. We feel that Windstar boats have the best food and service … that why we have ‘booked’ a total of twenty cruises with them. Windstar’s power boats came from Seaborne which is quite upscale. The boats were cut in half and stretched and totally. renovated … new power plants air conditioning, rooms and public spaces. They are very nice. Even though the standard rooms are smaller on the Wind Surf, the Wind Surf is our favorite. We will be aboard the Wind Surf in September and aboard the brand new Star Seeker in January. On our recent trip on Ponant there was nothing French about the food, and it was very bland. Maybe they think Americans have no tastebuds.

Thanks. Are the public spaces on the Wind Surf similar to the river boats in terms of being more intimate?

In the Ponant bar we felt as if we were waiting for a sporting event to start. And the only thing French were the Captain and his crew. We had respectfully declined eating at the Captain’s table—not our thing—and were subsequently told by the Captain that we weren’t missing anything. My husband thought the infirmary was the highlight of the ship. He returned frequently just to chat with the physician.

Thanks, again.

The Wind Surf is very nautical as it is the world’s largest sailing ship (MSY). The public areas and suites were renovated last November, and the rest will be renovated next year. You can find pictures on Windstar’s website and online. The areas they call the Yacht Club are fairly intimate, and the pool bar is a place where many hang out. The lounge is the main bar and theater but it is not used much in the day time. There are nooks that can be found for reading. For us the cabin was just a place where we slept and changed clothes. We spend little time there.

Thank you!

https://www.windstarcruises.com/setting-sails/

These links show their renovation project including a video.

https://blog.windstarcruises.com/wind-surfs-upcoming-refurbishment-we-reveal-first-phase-details/

Windstar Cruises has received numerous awards recognizing its excellence in the small ship cruise industry. Some notable accolades include being named the #1 Boutique Cruise Line by USA Today 10Best in 2020 and earning a spot on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List. They've also been recognized for their shore excursions and dining experiences. In 2024, they received awards for Best Boutique Cruise Line and Best Adults Only Cruise in the USA Today Readers' Choice Awards.

Wow. Very nice! I requested a brochure. Now I understand why you travel with them so much.

Patrice

I've taken 3 river cruises and one small ship cruise with Tauck. There were just 22 Tauck guests on the Wind Surf. The remaining guests had reserved the cruise directly with Windstar Cruises. The Tauck guests' daily excursions were longer ashore compared to those of the Winstar group. Tauck divided us into 2 small groups of 11 or even 3 small groups of 7/8 on some of the outings. Our local guides were exceptional. The food was great. The crew was attentive. I enjoyed daily breakfast al fresco as an option. When we left Lisbon the water was quite rough but after getting past Gibraltar the Mediterranean was much calmer. I don't recall any mention of sea sickness.

As always there is something for everyone, and not everything for everyone. We recently did a Wind Star (small boat) Greek islands cruise and enjoyed it much, even though we prefer the Wind Surf. There are many who prefer the intimacy of the small boats like the Wind Star. Then there are those expecting grand entertainment and that is not Windstar. Good food and service, but no Broadway shows.

We have just completed a Tauck Ponant cruise where there were a large number of first time Tauck travelers. Happened to talk to two separate couples who did not enjoy the experience. Overheard another woman complaining she had nowhere to place her suitcase to open it. I assume she had a bed that Ponant puts a special cover on for you to place your suitcase for unpacking, but I guess she was not intellgent enough to figure that out. Also heard her say there was no where on the sink area to place her toiletries. Again, I guess she wasn’t intelligent enough to notice the huge drawer under the sink where I place mine or the glass shelf at the side where my husband puts his. Sitting across the table from this stony- faced old well -heeled woman while eating dinner in the room where the Nobel Peace prize dinner takes place and while listening to a world class violinist play music, I understand why I’m also traveling with a couple of other companies too these days.

OurTravels34

That is a lot of moaning and groaning just from one individual! To see the world and travel like we all do is simply a true gift. For some people, the cup is always half empty instead of half full.

I agree with Sealord about traveling styles. The beauty about travel these days is that there is a form of travel and corresponding budget for virtually everyone. I travel to learn and experience culture and the norms of the country I am a guest in. Secondary to that are the different cuisines. I also place a priority on personal comfort. I know what I like and dislike. I have been very fortunate to travel with Tauck and, to a lesser extent, during my career.

We are not on the Christening cruise of the Star Seeker, we are on the Star Collector cruise after that one. This is our cabin which is called a Vista Infinity Suite. It is 280 sq. ft.

A room with a view. Very nice.

I try to avoid balcony staterooms cuz my wife sleep walks. We once turned down an upgrade to the ‘owners suite’ because there were too many exits. They were surprised but then offered the next smaller suite which was more controllable..

Mark_H

Re: motion sickness, the most effective thing for my, by far, has been CBD - take a capsule in the morning and one at night. No drowsiness (Dramamine knocks me out), and completely effective for me on a rough North Atlantic cruise. Couldn't believe it. It also got rid of my lower back pain/spasms.

I'm speaking of the non-THC versions of the product.

Unfortunately, many countries (and hence, cruise lines) strictly forbid it, which is a great pity for me. Fortunately, there are other methods...I first heard of ginger for motion sickness here on this forum and would like to learn how it is taken and try it out on a Tauck Scottish Isles cruise (Ponant) next year.