Travel Maven Blog ...... David Molyneaux posts from TheTravelMavens.com

The intimacy of small-ship cruising

Getting to know fellow travelers aboard vessels of Windstar, Viking

Passengers on Windstar's Star Pride, top right, make a wet landing on Isla Parida, Panama, for a beach day, including a grilled lunch (Photo by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

In a cruise world where most of the advertising emphasis is on ships that carry thousands of passengers from port to port in a frenzy of activities and meals, consider that other, calmer options await.

The contemporary cruise business is not one-size-fits-all.

For vacationers who may be new to the idea of cruising and are looking for a small, casual ship, I have two recommendations from recent trips on two continents.

Aim for about 200 passengers

If you are willing to share your ship only with a smaller crowd — say, about 200 fellow passengers — consider Windstar Cruises’ sparklingly refurbished Star Pride (summers in Europe, winters in Panama and Costa Rica) or floating on Germany’s Rhine River aboard Viking River Cruises’ new Viking Hild.

These are ships without water slides, whiz-bang attractions or bartending robots.

Both, however, provide gentle reminders of the joys of intimate cruising.

Refurbished R cruise ships R as classy as ever

Oceania's smallish Sirena shines after $50 million upgrade (but most of the bathrooms still are tiny)

Anchored in the Mediterranean off Saint-Tropez, Oceania Cruise’s sparkling Sirena looked like it belonged near the beaches and playgrounds of the French Riviera this summer. The 17-year-old ship, fresh from a $50-million drydock makeover, was as good, if not better than it has ever been. 

Oceania's Sirena near Saint-Tropez, France (Photos by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

The 684-passenger Sirena, which was built as one of the famed R-class ships of the old Renaissance Cruises line, is comfortable and intimate.

The ship, which arrives in Miami Nov. 25 (2016), has a boutique hotel feel, with plenty of nooks and crannies, a library for quiet relaxing, and several restaurant choices, including an elegant main dining room designed for passengers who want dinner without a set time or assigned table.

Foodie cruises: Lines offer more culinary activities on ship and on shore

Excursions to markets where sea chefs shop

The outdoor food market of Nice, France, is not far from the cruise ship docks. Still, it’s easier to find and more fun to navigate if you are following a ship’s chef while he searches for produce for your dinner.

Teresa, a food merchant at the market in Nice, calls herself Queen of the Strawberries (Photos by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

Earlier this year, our small tour group came off the newly refurbished 212-passenger Star Breeze, led by Michael Sabourin, Windstar Cruises' corporate chef. He had been this way many times before.

“My darling,” said Teresa, a merchant who described herself as the Queen of Strawberries, as she watched Sabourin pick through her berries for dessert on Star Breeze. We all got a ripe, sweet berry to taste, before we moved on to the white asparagus.

Cruising Viking Star with lessons on Viking history from the Bayeux Tapestry

                                             Christening a sophisticated new ship

Scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry

Several times a day, on a cruise in Europe aboard the new Viking Star, I paused at one of the landings on the fore or aft stairwells to gaze at a scene from the famed Bayeux Tapestry. 

Reproductions from this amazing work of art tell one of Europe’s great stories of conquest. It is no coincidence that a major Viking victory is represented as the core artwork on Viking Star, which is based in Bergen, Norway.

Eccentricities and itineraries on new Viking Star, cruising in Europe

Walking in the snow like a Viking

A cruise line that will remain nameless used to advertise its ships as opportunities to cruise like a Norwegian. Most people are not sure exactly what that meant. But on the new Viking Star, registered in Norway, passengers may cruise like a Viking -- by walking in snow.

In its impressive Nordic spa, Viking Star has a snow grotto.

Viking Star Snow Grotto (photo by USA Today)

Flakes fall and the floor provides a bit of shock to your tootsies when you walk in, especially if you have just left the sauna or steam room. That is the concept. The cold, after a major body heating, is supposed to be good for your blood circulation.

Cruising Europe's seas and ports on the new, sophisticated Viking Star

A new cruise line, starting with a new ship, seldom happens, perhaps once in a decade. Huge obstacles include vision and investment, design and itineraries, marketing and selling to new clients.

So, the debut of the Viking Ocean Cruises’ Star Viking is a big deal. That the ship’s home port is in Norway, where much of the modern cruise industry began, but left, is remarkable.

The 930-passenger Viking Star, now cruising on itineraries to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and in between, is one of the prettiest cruise ships you will see.