Dinogo Readers' Top 10 Favorite Intimate Ocean Cruise Lines for 2024

Great things often come in small packages, and Dinogo readers echo this sentiment about the most intimate cruise ships. These vessels, with 150 cabins or fewer, received outstanding ratings in our World’s Best Awards voting. Discover which ones topped this year’s list.

Understanding the Voting Process

Each year, for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L invites readers to share their thoughts on travel experiences worldwide—ranking the finest hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. In 2024, over 186,000 T+L readers participated, casting a total of more than 700,000 votes across 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

In the cruise category, participants rated individual ships; these scores were then aggregated to create ratings for cruise lines across different cabin categories.

Ships were rated based on the following criteria:

Cabins and facilities
Culinary offerings
Service quality
Itineraries and destinations
Excursions and activities
Overall value

Respondents could rate each aspect as excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores reflect the averages of these ratings.

What Readers Appreciated

All the intimate ships in this category garnered outstanding scores in this year's voting, with readers expressing joy at having nearly exclusive access to the ship. Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) rose from No. 4 last year to secure the No. 2 position, with voters highlighting the friendly staff as a key differentiator: “Every crew member was incredibly personable and helpful,” one reader noted.

Aqua Expeditions (No. 3), featuring vessels like the 20-suite Aqua Mekong, maintained its position in the rankings. One voter praised the company for offering 'unique excursions and experiences that you can’t find anywhere else.' Completing the top five are renowned brands Lindblad Expeditions (No. 4) and the expedition vessels of Seabourn (No. 5).

Leading the pack once again this year is Quasar Expeditions, known for its intimate explorations of the Galápagos Islands.

The Champion

Quasar Expeditions

Image courtesy of Quasar Expeditions

With two intimate vessels, the 32-passenger Evolution and the 16-passenger Grace, Quasar continues to be a beloved choice among T+L readers, with many voters describing their cruise with this small company as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “The Grace was the best cruise I've ever experienced and ranks among the top three travel experiences of my life (and I've traveled millions of miles globally!),” remarked one reader. “I travel extensively and can genuinely say that my Quasar Evolution expedition was the most incredible adventure I've ever had,” stated another. “The service was exceptional, yet the entire journey felt relaxed, friendly, and unpretentious.”