154: Cruising Beyond the Big Ships

Do you think cruising is all about the big ships? Think again. There are many types of cruising including river cruising, sailing cruises, barge cruising, small ship ocean cruises and more. Join us as we chat with Dana from Dana Freeman Travels about all sorts of cruising from the big ships to the smallest windjammers. Don't worry, we also chat about a few of the newer big ships too so you can decide what is right for your next cruise. ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara about cruises 03:35 - Talking with Dana 06:45 - River cruise 10:15 - Ocean cruise 15:18 - Barge ships 21:40 - Comparing large cruises with small ships 27:18 - Dana’s favorite way to cruise 28:30 - Tips for picking your cruise 33:28 - Dana’s favorite travel gear 34:20 - Coming up for Dana 36:00 - Shout out! ABOUT DANA FREEMAN Dana is originally from New York City but has been calling Vermont home for the last 20 years. She a freelance journalist and the editor behind Dana Freeman Travels. Dana is a luxury travel writer specializing in small ship cruises and places found on the road less traveled. Her work has been featured in CNN Travel, Porthole Magazine, Thrillist, Yankee Magazine, the Forbes Travel Guide and several other print and digital publications. Follow Dana on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. TIPS FOR TRAVELING ON A SMALL CRUISE There is more to cruising that your typical large cruise ships. There are river, barge, windjammer, small ocean cruises and more. Both barge and river cruises will take you to different spots inside the country rather than ocean cruise that can only take you to areas on the coast. River cruises average under a hundred passengers. They will normally pull up to the center of a city rather than having to get a shuttle from the port that an ocean cruise will stop at. You will find that most river cruises have balconies so that you can see the sights go by. You will also sometimes find mini golf and a track on the boat. Unlike an ocean cruise, you will be spending most of your time during the day off of the boat. Small ship ocean cruises that will carry around three hundred passengers seem to have a choice of some vastly different ports to stop in rather that your large cruises that have two thousand or more passengers. You will also find that you will blend in more in a small cruise port rather than a large cruise port. Barge ships are more personal. You can book the whole barge with family or friends. But you can also book with a company and you will be paired with another couple or another family. Depending on the type of traveler you are this option can turn out to be the best way to meet and make friends with others while you travel. Barge cruising travels at a more leisurely pass in the early mornings rather than a river cruise, which will travel at night. The barge will only move about 4 miles per hour. Because of this you will actually have some opportunities to walk or bike alongside the ship. Then after lunch you will have a tour guide come and take you around the area. Large cruise ships will have a lot more options when it comes to food. Large cruises also have more entertainment options like shows, laser tag, pools and more. When booking a cruise, you should think about the age of your group and what the stops will offer. You should also look at what ships offers for amenities rather than picking your cruise by the boat. FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR Dana loves her Lululemon cropped leggings. They are comfortable, have pockets and can be dressed up or down. MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST Barge Ladies Barge Cruise 101 Dana Freeman Cruise Experiences FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD! If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email at podcast@vacationmavens.com. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!