Are there small or expedition type cruises in the Caribbean?

[ilikeanswers]

I did a Polynesian cruise that was a sort of expedition cruise. It went to places that weren't really touristy, we had local guides, lecturers and archaeologists that taught us about the culture and history, there were guided treks and scuba diving and we ate at local establishments.

 

I was wondering if anyone knows if there is anything like this around the Caribbean? And if you have been on one of these cruises what were they like? I tried looking online but the only results I get are the big cruise lines.

[Texas Tillie]

Try looking at the schedule for Crystal Cruises's Esprit. It is in the Caribbean part of the year.

[mef_57]

If you are okay with low key, look at the barefoot sailing ships with Island Windjammers.  They don't tend to stop at any port...just drop anchor in a bay somewhere. 

Another option is Star Clipper - it has a couple of smaller ships. 

Research some of the luxury lines as well, as they tend to be smaller (compared to the main stream cruise lines). 

In the Galapagos Islands, the ships are small and local, so you might need to research whether there are some local options.  Some Caribbean islands have a strong sailing culture, so I would do some searching from those islands.

[calliopecruiser]

Crystal's Esprit has less than 75 passengers and does spend some of its time sailing in the Caribbean.  Windstar's ships range from about 150-225 people; they're another option for small yacht-like ships.

[Bizmark'sMom]

Add Lindblad / Nat. Geographic to the list.  They do a great job in the Carribean - historian and naturalists on board, hiking in to see oil birds in their caves and watch scarlet ibis roost at sunset, dropping anchor in Man o War Bay so everybody can swim before bird watching in the rainforest...   It's a truly spectacular trip.  We embarked on Antigua, and disembarked when we got to Barbados.

[Flatbush Flyer]

OP: Yacht Charter- not as expensive as you may think. Try a Charter broker like Ed Hamilton (google that company).

[FlyerTalker]

You might also want to look into SeaDream if you want a luxury experience.

[zqvol]

Sea Dream is an excellent choice in the Caribbean, no one does it better. I don't think that there is an island that they don't visit.

[ilikeanswers]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply🤗. It certainly has given me a good starting point to research things than my previous googling efforts (I have a sneaking suspicion the big cruise compnies might have bought all the top spots for googling the words Carribean+cruise😋). Hopefully I can be on my way to figuring out the next cruise🤞