This summer’s most eager cruise bookers aren’t booking the biggest ship on the market. They’re picking something narrower on purpose: a specific coastline, a smaller crowd and, in some cases, years of waiting just to be first aboard.
For many travelers, the word cruise still means towering mega-ships, water slides, buffet lines and thousands of strangers. That image is increasingly out of step with what’s driving bookings this summer. One group wants a level of polish and exclusivity they never associated with a cruise: intimate yachts with a few hundred passengers instead of a few thousand. Another group wants access over amenities, ports and coastlines a ship carrying thousands of people simply can’t reach. Different motivations, same conclusion: smaller means better.
Growth is broad, but it’s led by 2 clear segments
Summer cruise bookings are up 144% year over year. The gains are widespread, but expedition itineraries and ultra-luxury yachts are pulling ahead of the pack, a sign of who’s choosing to sail this year and what they want once they’re on board.
Expedition travelers want to go further, and they’re paying for it
Expedition cruises are up 168% year over year, a sign that more travelers are choosing trips built around access: smaller, less-visited destinations and real time spent outdoors rather than on a pool deck. The three most-booked expedition lines this summer are National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, HX Expeditions and Quark Expeditions. Atlas Ocean Voyages is standing out too, with travelers already taking advantage of early-access reservations for the Atlas Adventurer’s inaugural season in 2028, more than two years before it sails.
Ultra-luxury launches are pulling in travelers who never expected to cruise
Part of the appeal of this year’s new ships is simply being first: first to sleep in the cabin, first to try the restaurants, first to post from the top deck before anyone else has. This is the inaugural summer for Four Seasons Yachts and Orient Express Corinthian, the latter debuting at the Cannes Film Festival.
Three years after its maiden voyage, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s fleet, Evrima, Ilma and Luminara, has become one of the fastest-growing lines in the category, with bookings up 363% year over year. Azamara and Crystal Cruises are close behind, up 333% and 327% year over year, respectively, rounding out a summer where the smallest, most exclusive ships are growing the fastest.
Established small-ship lines are keeping pace
Windstar Cruises is adding new tonnage to meet demand for small-ship access. The line’s newest yacht, Star Seeker, joined the fleet in December 2025, and a second new ship, Star Explorer, is set to debut before the end of 2026. Once both are sailing, Windstar’s fleet will grow to eight yachts, each built to reach ports and coastlines larger ships can’t enter.
Hurtigruten, which has sailed Norway’s coast for more than a century, is putting similar resources into its own fleet. The company recently returned its MS Vesterålen to service after a full renovation, with 100 updated cabins and public spaces and new Arctic Superior and Mini Suite categories, while keeping the ship’s original character intact.
Mega-ships are still healthy, just not where the growth is
Royal Caribbean Group, one of the largest operators in the industry, said in its most recent earnings report that bookings are holding at record prices, with volumes above last year’s levels and load factors steady across its portfolio. The company did note a modest booking impact on select itineraries tied to prolonged geopolitical activity this quarter.
The mega-ship model that built modern cruising isn’t going anywhere. What’s growing fastest is happening around its edges, in ships built for fewer passengers and harder-to-reach places. As more hotel brands test the category and established small-ship lines keep reinvesting, the operators willing to bet on smaller ships look positioned to keep setting the pace into next year’s booking cycle.
Jennifer Allen is a retired chef turned traveler, cookbook author and nationally syndicated journalist; she’s also a co-founder of Food Drink Life, where she shares expert travel tips, cruise insights and luxury destination guides. A recognized cruise expert with a deep passion for high-end experiences and off-the-beaten-path destinations, Jennifer explores the world with curiosity, depth and a storyteller’s perspective. Her articles are regularly featured on the Associated Press Wire, The Washington Post, Seattle Times, MSN and more.