What is a Pocket Cruise Ship?

As an alternative to full sized cruise ships, the pocket cruise ship offers many of the same amenities but is often carries significantly fewer passengers, making for a more intimate cruise experience. Generally with enough cabins to accommodate a couple hundred passengers comfortably, there are pocket cruise ships in service today that will provide accommodations for up to five hundred people.

The idea of a pocket cruise ship has been around for several decades. During the decade of the 1960s, cruise lines began to look at the option of operating smaller cruise ships that would offer cruise packages that ran for a few days and called at a series of ports that were relatively close to one another. The idea was to maintain the same level of amenities found with the traditional size of cruise ships, but offer them in a setting that was considered more intimate. As an added attraction, a pocket cruise ship would be ideal for shorter cruises, which made it possible for people who could not take time for longer cruises to enjoy a weekend on the water and still be back in time for work on Monday morning.

Many of the pocket cruise ships in operation today began life as larger ships that have been retrofitted to include larger and more luxurious cabins, expanded entertainment areas, steam rooms, pools, and fitness centers. As the popularity of the pocket cruise increased, more pocket cruise ships were designed and built to specifications that allow them to call at ports where larger cruise ships cannot. This has allowed pocket cruises to include stops that are different from other cruises, adding still another unique touch to the experience.

Many cruise lines run packages using a pocket cruise ship from the early spring into late autumn. Providing a simple getaway while still offering fine dining, plenty of sunshine, evening entertainment and calls at a series of closely located ports, the pocket cruise ship is often the ideal solution when the need to relax is strong, but time is limited.