The most eager cruise bookers this summer are skipping the biggest ship in the lineup on purpose. They’re choosing a single coastline, a smaller crowd or, in some cases, a multi-year wait just to be the first ones aboard. Different motivations are pulling both groups toward the same idea: smaller ships are the better bet this summer.
Mega-ships built modern cruising around water slides, buffet lines and thousands of fellow passengers. What’s driving bookings this summer looks different. One group wants polish and exclusivity they never associated with a cruise, the kind found on yachts carrying a few hundred passengers instead of a few thousand. The other wants access, ports and coastlines a massive ship simply can’t reach.
Bookings are up, and 2 groups are leading the way
Summer cruise bookings are up 144% year over year. The growth spans the whole industry, but expedition trips and ultra-luxury yachts are pulling ahead of everyone else, a clear sign of what today’s cruisers actually want once they’re on board.
Expedition travelers want access over amenities
Expedition cruises are up 168% year over year, and pools or buffets have nothing to do with it. Travelers want real time outdoors and access to smaller, harder-to-reach destinations. The three most booked expedition lines this summer are National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, HX Expeditions and Quark Expeditions. Atlas Ocean Voyages is drawing early interest too, with travelers reserving spots for the Atlas Adventurer’s inaugural 2028 season, more than two years before it sets sail.
Being first is the real appeal on ultra-luxury yachts
Part of the draw of this year’s new ships is being first, first to sleep in the cabin, first to post from the top deck. This is the debut summer for Four Seasons Yachts and Orient Express Corinthian, the latter launched at the Cannes Film Festival.
Three years after its first 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 aren’t far behind, up 333% and 327%.
Established small-ship lines are keeping pace
Two long-running small-ship lines are investing right alongside the newcomers.
- Windstar Cruises added its newest yacht, Star Seeker, in December 2025. A second ship, Star Explorer, debuts before the end of 2026, growing the fleet to eight yachts built to reach ports larger ships can’t enter.
- Hurtigruten, which has sailed Norway’s coast for more than a century, returned its MS Vesterålen to service after a full renovation, with 100 updated cabins and new Arctic Superior and Mini Suite categories.
Mega-ships are still healthy, just not where the growth is
Royal Caribbean Group, one of the biggest names in cruising, says bookings are holding at record prices, with volumes above last year and steady load factors fleet-wide. The company flagged a modest booking dip on select itineraries tied to geopolitical activity.
If you’ve been picturing a cruise as one giant ship packed with strangers, this might be the year to think smaller. Small-ship cruising means quieter ports, more time on land and access to what the big ships can’t touch. Worth a look before this booking cycle fills up.