In these days of mass tourism, with crowded cities and gigantic cruise ships, a small ship Croatia cruise is a welcome relief.
Imagine traveling with a small group of 25-35 travelers on a deluxe ship. Plenty of room for everyone. Cabins have have full bathroom with toilet and hot shower, TV, wif-fi, plenty of storage, individual A/C units, safes and TV. They are beautifully decorated. Our ship is about 140 feet long with 18 cabins. There is a full sun deck with more than enough recliners and a hot tub. There are also quiet areas to have a drink or read a book. A crew of 7 includes the Captain, 2 sailors, a chef and sous chef, bartender, and housekeeper. We also have a tour manager whose job it is to make sure everything goes as planned. She can help with booking activities, making dinner arrangements while in port for instance. Passengers are well-taken care of.
When we do a Traveling Professor Croatia Small Ship Cruise, we usually arrive in Split Croatia a few days beforehand. It's an ancient city full of history and culture. The restaurants in Split aren't bad either!
Unlike those big ship cruises with thousands of people, a small ship can get to those small intimate ports the large boats can't get to. We depart from Split and visit ports like Hvar, Bol, Korčula, Trstenik, Mljet, and Pučišća. We pull right into port just steps from the historic parts of the cities we visit. A full itinerary describes a typical Traveling Professor cruise.
A big favorite on these cruises are the swim stops, something you'll never find on those larger ships. Almost every day, the captain pulls into an emerald green cove, drops the anchor, and people jump in for a swim. Some people like to snorkel, some relax on floating tubes, some like to swim, and some just like to relax in the warm, clear water.
The ship only cruises during the daytime, close to shore, and only for a few hours. We can say, that in doing these small ship cruises for almost 10 years now, we have never had a case of sea sickness. The open sea is avoided making for smooth sailing. Every night we are in port, enjoying strolling about, music, a nice glass of wine, or dinner. Our favorite stop is old Korčula, the home of Marco Polo. It's sits on a small island with beautiful overlooks of the Adriatic. There are small shops, terrific restaurants, wine bars, music, and quiet streets to stroll after dinner.
The food on the ship is probably much different than what you are used to in that it is prepared with local ingredients purchased at in-port markets. It is fresh, delicious, and beautifully prepared. The only complaint is that the desserts are so good, it is impossible to skip them! There's also plenty of opportunity to explore the ports of call on your own to find local restaurants.
Our Croatia small ship cruise is one of the most popular tours we run. Why not join us?
Photos from a recent cruise