In 2025, my sister Lauren and her husband took one of their sons, his wife, and their two children on a Disney cruise. Lauren later wrote about the experience for Best-Life Project in Is a Disney Cruise for You? Her grandchildren were six and ten—just about the perfect ages to be swept up in Disney magic. There were characters, costumes, shows, themed restaurants and activities everywhere they turned. They made memories those children will probably carry for the rest of their lives.

There was just one little detail in Lauren’s story that stuck with me.

There were 800 children on the ship.

Eight. Hundred. Children.

I cannot imagine anything worse.

Now, before the Disney lovers come after me, Lauren thought the cruise was wonderful. For the trip she wanted to take—with children and grandchildren—it was exactly the right cruise. She came home exhausted, but delighted that they had done it.

And therein lies the point.

The best cruise isn’t the one with the most to offer. It’s the one that offers more of what matters to you.

What Matters to Us Has Changed

Chuck and I have discovered that what matters to us does not include waterslides, casinos, enormous production shows or a choice of 20 restaurants. We don’t need a climbing wall. We don’t need nightlife until 2:00 in the morning. And we surely don’t need 800 children.

What we do enjoy is a comfortable room, good food, interesting places, beautiful scenery and people we enjoy being around. We like learning something about where we are going. We like getting off the ship without standing in line behind hundreds—or thousands—of people. We like being able to find our room without packing a lunch for the walk down the hallway.

For us, that equals small-ship cruising.

A couple of years ago, I took my first cruise with American Cruise Lines (ACL) with a group from the Lubbock Women’s Club. I enjoyed it enough that, before I got off the ship, I had put down money toward another trip. Since then, Chuck has joined me, and a few weeks ago we returned from the Snake and Columbia Rivers—my third ACL cruise and his second.

Before we left that ship, we had booked another.

Chuck wants Alaska. So, Alaska it is.

But Isn’t It Expensive?

This is where things get interesting.

A couple of friends have expressed interest in joining us for the Alaska cruise. But when they look at American Cruise Lines and compare the price with some of the large-ship cruises, they understandably ask: Why does it cost so much more? What am I getting for that money?

Those were fair questions. I knew my own answers, but I wondered what other people who repeatedly choose ACL would say. So I went to the American Cruise Lines Cruisers Facebook group and posted this:

“Give me your best sales pitch for ACL.

At the end of our Snake and Columbia River Cruise (my third, his second) a couple weeks ago, my husband and I signed up for Alaska next June. I have a couple of friends interested in joining us, but they question the price and how it’s different from the big cruise ships. Please give me what you would tell your friends! I’ll take the best and craft them into a response to my friends. I appreciate your help!”

Boy, did they.

The answers came pouring in. I don’t need to give you all of them because, after a while, something more interesting happened: people began saying the same things over and over again.

Small Really Does Matter

American Cruise Lines ships are small. Depending on the ship, passenger capacity varies from 100-200ish, but we’re talking about a completely different scale from the floating cities carrying several thousand passengers.

One woman gave me my favorite description. She said they prefer going on a ship that doesn’t need “three zip codes.”

Another cruiser said that on a big ship she and her husband nicknamed the hallway from the elevator to their cabin “the Green Mile.” She dreaded making that long walk every time they returned to their room.

Those comments made me laugh, but they also make a legitimate point. Smaller ships are simply easier to navigate. The elevators aren’t overwhelmed. Your room isn’t a half-mile away. You aren’t searching for a table among thousands of people. Getting on and off the ship is relatively simple.

But size matters for another reason: small ships can go places the enormous ships cannot.

Again and again, experienced cruisers talked about smaller ports, docking close to town and reaching areas that larger ships can only pass by. Alaska cruisers talked about getting closer to glaciers and wildlife, visiting small communities and experiencing local life rather than only heavily touristed ports.

One recent Alaska passenger described spending an afternoon near LeConte Glacier, rafting near bald eagles and seeing a bear in its natural habitat. Another said that when whales appeared, their ship could stop and let passengers enjoy the experience.

That is the kind of thing that makes me think about what I want from Alaska. I’m not traveling all that way because I need more things to do on a ship. I’m going because I want to experience Alaska.

And there is another advantage that may matter to some travelers: you don’t necessarily need a passport to have a real travel adventure. There is an extraordinary amount of America still waiting to be explored from the water.

The Luxury of Less Hassle

Another theme came through so strongly that I began to think perhaps this is what many of us are really willing to pay for at this stage of life: less hassle.

Cruisers repeatedly mentioned not feeling nickel-and-dimed. Drinks, including alcoholic beverages, many excursions, onboard programs and other amenities are included, although some premium excursions cost extra. There isn’t a casino tempting you to spend money, a photographer trying to sell you pictures, or a constant parade of special sales.

One woman put it simply: there was nothing aboard she needed to buy and no big bill waiting to be settled at the end.

That doesn’t mean an ACL cruise is inexpensive. It isn’t.

But several experienced cruisers made a point I think is worth considering: compare the cost of the whole vacation, not just the advertised cruise fare.

If you are comparing cruise lines, write down what you are actually likely to spend. What will the excursions cost? Drinks? Wi-Fi? Gratuities? A balcony room? Specialty dining? A hotel the night before the cruise? Transportation?

Then compare.

The less expensive cruise may still be less expensive. But at least you will know what you’re comparing.

And then comes the question only you can answer: What is worth paying more for?

Service You Remember

If there was one thing mentioned almost as often as ship size, it was the staff.

That didn’t surprise me. I once wrote an entire Best-Life Project article, Helping the Young People in Our Lives Find Their Way, about the young people I met working aboard ACL because I became so interested in their stories, their goals and what had brought them to work on a ship.

But the Facebook responses went beyond saying, “The staff is wonderful.”

One passenger forgot wrinkle release; someone found her some. Her necklace came apart; someone found needle-nose pliers so she could fix it.

Another passenger’s CPAP machine broke. Crew members helped repair the broken piece and provided the water he needed for it.

Someone left her purse behind at a movie theater during an excursion. The crew arranged for it to catch up with the ship at the next stop.

And then there was the birthday cake.

A woman’s husband became ill during their cruise and spent two and a half days in a local hospital—on his birthday, no less. The ship’s hotel director stayed in contact with her, helped work out how and where they could rejoin the ship and was prepared to have their belongings packed and sent to them if necessary.

When they were finally able to return, the hotel manager met them. And because the husband’s first birthday cake had arrived while he was in the hospital, there was another one waiting.

That is the kind of service you remember.

People You Remember, Too

Something else surprised me in the responses: how many people talked about relationships.

On a ship with a relatively small number of passengers, you see the same people. You may have breakfast with one couple, sit with someone else at dinner, run into yesterday’s excursion companions at happy hour and chat again with the same crew members.

People told me they had made friendships on ACL cruises and later traveled together again.

Chuck and I understand that one firsthand.

On our last cruise, we met people we genuinely enjoyed. We’ve stayed in touch through Facebook, and when we learned which Alaska cruise they were taking, we booked the same one.

So when we board next June, we’ll already know somebody.

That’s a lovely bonus I hadn’t anticipated when we began cruising this way.

What Do You Want From Your Cruise?

None of this means a small ship is right for everyone—or even that Chuck and I will always choose one. We’re enjoying American Cruise Lines at this stage of our travels, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t take another cruise line if the destination, experience or occasion called for it.

Lauren’s Disney cruise is a perfect example. That was exactly the right cruise for the people she was traveling with and the memories they wanted to make.

In fact, as I was writing this, Lauren was aboard another ship—this one carrying about 600 passengers. She described it as large enough to provide the amenities she enjoys while still small enough to offer the intimacy of getting to know the staff and fellow passengers.

Maybe “small” isn’t really the point. Maybe the point is knowing what you want from the experience.

ACL isn’t an adults-only cruise line, but it doesn’t particularly cater to children. There are no kids’ clubs, waterslides or character breakfasts. When the subject comes up among regular ACL cruisers, the general advice is that children would need to genuinely enjoy spending time with their grandparents—and have an interest in history, nature and the destinations themselves—to have a good time. As a result, you simply don’t see many children aboard (I’ve never seen any).

The passengers tend to be there for the destinations, the history, the scenery and the experience of seeing somewhere new. And perhaps that is the simplest way I can explain why this kind of cruising appeals to Chuck and me right now:

We want to see where the ship is going rather than be entertained by the ship itself.

A few years ago, in Are You Ready for Your Next Adventure?, I wrote about why so many of us are traveling more at this stage of life. We finally have something we didn’t always have at the same time: the time, the resources and, hopefully, the health to go.

At the time, I wrote that Chuck’s and my combined travel was still ahead of us.

Apparently, it has arrived.

And perhaps one of the privileges of this Best-Life phase is that we know ourselves better than we once did. We don’t have to choose the vacation everyone else says we should want. We don’t have to measure value by how many restaurants, shows, decks or activities are included.

We can ask a much simpler question:

What matters to me?

For Chuck and me, right now, it is a smaller ship. A slower pace. Interesting people. Good food. A comfortable room. Places we’ve never seen. Time to look at the scenery. And the possibility that, somewhere along the way, we may meet people we’ll want to travel with again.

Next June, it will be Alaska.

And I have a feeling we’re going to be very glad we chose the cruise that offers more of what matters to us.

Maybe a small-ship cruise is what is right for you, too. And if Alaska happens to be on your list, Chuck and I know a couple of people you could join. 😉

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New to The Best-Life Project?

Please read these foundational posts:

Best Life Dream Story

Best-Life Definition

Read More of this topic:

Collecting Memories with a Girlfriend Getaway

Memories as Mementos

Read More from This Author:

Marita Littauer Tedder

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Marita Littauer Tedder is founder of The Best-Life Project, where she encourages women to embrace the sweet spot where health, time, and resources intersect. A former professional speaker and author of 20 books, she believes some of life’s richest years begin after sixty. Through stories of friendship, reinvention, travel, and everyday courage, she invites readers to become the very best version of themselves. Marita and her husband, Chuck, live in Lubbock, Texas.