4.6/5 Excellent
Excellent
1,132
Great
449
Average
98
Disappointing
26
Terrible
8
Small Ship & Expedition Cruises Tour & Trip Reviews
Small Ship & Expedition Cruises Tour & Trip Ratings
Tour Reviews
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Best travel consultant ever
All of the tour guides were brilliant – Tony in Hanoi and Sody in Cambodia were my personal faves. All the guides spoke very good English, were very friendly, court...
Best combination of 4 countries
We are home now, thank you very much for everything we had an amazing time on our vacation. Just a few hiccups but overall was amazing. No worries. It's unavoidable ...
An opportunity to experience the daily life of local people
What made the trip extra special was having the opportunity to experience the daily life of local people. We were able to try throwing a fishing net, ride in a bask...
A fabulous tour with high-quality hotel
The standard and location of each of our hotels was perfect. The service from the staff at the hotel we stayed in Hanoi was exemplary. Eric on reception was very h...
Incredible, awesome, amazing experience
Our Real New Zealand Tours travel agent listened to our goals for the trip, how we wanted to travel, and what activities we wanted to do. Based on that, they create...
Small Ship & Expedition Cruises Reviews
Perfect vacation!
Our trip to New Zealand exceeded all of our expectations thanks to Geoff's amazing service as our travel agent. He eagerly provided us with suggestions and tailored ...
Self-designed 21 day trip to NZ
Geoff helped my wife and I to put together an itinerary that customized to our particular interests and preferences. At the outset he asked us where we'd like to go ...
The tour operator is a professional, organized and facilitated my holiday
My dream was trekking gorillas in the forest, Valiant Safaris made this come true. From the first phone call i made and the emails were all answered professionally. ...
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Trusted Customer
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
This was our first time to Europe and all our expectations were met. The schedule kept us busy but also let gave us some time to explore, specially around lunch time...
M
Matthew Thompson
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
Our adventure was very well curated. There wasn't one included visit or optional experience that I didn't enjoy. Our tour guide, Jay, was terrific - very upbeat, pos...
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5/5 Excellent
100+ reviewsSmall Ship Cruise
5/5 Excellent
100+ reviewsSmall Ship Cruise
4.6/5 Excellent
100+ reviewsGroup Tour
4.5/5 Excellent
100+ reviewsSmall Ship Cruise
4.9/5 Excellent
100+ reviewsGroup Tour
4.6/5 Excellent
100+ reviewsGroup Tour
Small Ship & Expedition Cruises Reviews
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Trusted Customer
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
The local guide in Evora was knowledgeable and engaging.
C
Catalina Landivar-Simon
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
Fast paced, it hits the most important cities and villages along the way. Good historic overview. The includes stops in key locations for “the” best photos. Everythi...
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Trusted Customer
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
The tour was very well organized and the optional experiences allowed me to enhance my experience. We were able to visit many interesting sites, enjoy wonderful foo...
T
Trusted Customer
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
Perfect everything I in according to schedule
Small Ship & Expedition Cruises Reviews
R
Roberto Kasala
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
This is a very well organized but very full trip. We love all the beautiful architectures, the history, the churches and the beauty of Spain and Portugal. This is ...
C
Cheryl Neufeld
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
This trip far exceeded our expectations. It is a fairly busy trip if you sign up for the optional additional excursions, so if you want more free time, don’t sign up...
J
Jo Ann Rocknage
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
This was our first adventure on a tour and didn’t realize how much walking was involved. I wish you were clearer about that. We were disappointed that we couldn’t se...
R
Richard Duncan
Mar 2025
Written on
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
Eliminate Evora, Portugal and add Porto, Portugal. Walls in the hotels ar...
Editor’s Take
What to Look for in Small-Ship Cruising Reviews
Most trip reviews tend to focus on some or all of these 5 key areas, not all of which may be relevant to you: the tour guide, travel company, service level, country or countries traveled in, and the trip itinerary.
Remember, just because you see a 1 star review doesn’t necessarily mean that person disliked the country.
When researching your small-ship cruise destination and operator, read as many reviews as you can, but keep in mind that some of the reviews may not impact your own satisfaction. Given that small ships can access more remote destinations and offer more specific interest-driven activities, it is more important to get a good match than with the ocean-going mega-ships that can seem so similar.
Travelers who did not take the time to educate themselves fully on the small-ship trip they took may leave less favorable reviews. To make a good match and find the right small-ship cruise for you, pay attention to the number of guests, ratio of staff to guest, destinations visited, how much time is spent in each port, whether the itinerary is flexible, how you get ashore for excursions, what wildlife you can hope to see, what experts are onboard with you, what the best time of year for your destination is, etc.
If you want a professional take on small-ship cruising, see the Travelstride Small Ship Cruising Guide »
Top Small Ship & Expedition Cruises Travel Packages