USA TODAY 10Best
Best Boutique Cruise Line: Windstar Cruises
Best Boutique Cruise Line (2021)
Boutique cruise lines, like these 10 voted as the best of the best by our readers, elevate your vacation experience with extras like small ships, attractive passenger-to-staff ratios, luxury amenities, unique on-board activities and excursions or all-inclusive fares. What's your favorite boutique cruise line?
The top 10 winners in the category Best Boutique Cruise Line are as follows:
- Regent Seven Seas Cruises
- Ponant
- American Queen Steamboat Company
- Oceania Cruises
- Seabourn Cruise Line
- Star Clippers
- Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
- Viking Ocean Cruises
- American Cruise Lines
- Windstar Cruises
Photo courtesy of Regent Seven Seas Cruises
No. 10:
Guests aboard the five Regent Seven Seas vessels enjoy all-suite staterooms, nearly all of them outfitted with private balconies. Inclusions like unlimited shore excursions, specialty restaurants, unlimited wine and spirits, pre-paid gratuities, WiFi and 24-hour room service mean there aren’t any surprises on the final bill. A staff-to-guest ratio of 1 to 1.5 means each guest receives stellar service. Regent Seven Seas sails to nearly 450 ports around the world.
Photo courtesy of Ponant / Francois Lefebvre
No. 9:
Ponant, the world’s only French cruise line, is also a top choice for polar cruising. Ponant’s luxury yachts have no more than 132 staterooms and suites, allowing them to sail to smaller, more intimate ports not accessible to larger ships. Expert speakers and guests of honor enthusiastically share their knowledge of these authentic destinations, from the Arctic to Africa to the Adriatic.
Photo courtesy of American Queen Steamboat Company
No. 8:
American Queen Steamboat Company specializes in Mississippi River cruises ranging from five to 23 days. These all-American, all-inclusive itineraries include pre-cruise hotel stays, wine and beer with dinner, regional cuisine and shore excursions in each port of call. Themed voyages dive deeper into topics of interest, like wine, bourbon, Mark Twain, Civil War, Elvis or Big Band.
Photo courtesy of Oceania Cruises
No. 7:
One of the world’s largest luxury cruise lines, Oceania Cruises attracts passengers with its destination-centric itineraries to more than 330 ports around the world, as well as its stellar culinary program headed by Master Chef Jacques Pépin and its spacious accommodations (the Regatta, Insignia, Nautica and Sirena only carry 684 guests).
Photo courtesy of Seabourn Cruise Line
No. 6:
Seabourn’s fleet of all-suite, low-capacity ships carry a maximum of 600 guests each, allowing them to sail to some of the world’s most desirable destinations. Passengers enjoy a nearly one to one ratio with crew and one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the industry. Each of the four luxury ships offers a complimentary water sports marina, open bars serving wine, champagne and spirits, and world-class cuisine.
Photo courtesy of Star Clippers
No. 5:
Cruisers with Star Clippers get to sail on three of the largest full-rigged sailing ships in the world, Star Clipper, Star Flyer and Royal Clipper. Passengers aboard these four- and five-masted ships have complimentary access to sailing, waterskiing, windsurfing and other water sports, as well as fitness classes, shore excursions and a variety of daily activities. The views from lookout stations positioned 60 feet above the deck on each mast can’t be beat.
Photo courtesy of Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
No. 4:
Each of Uniworld’s boutique cruise ships has an average capacity of only 130 guests, as well as one of the best staff-to-guest ratios in river cruising. Passengers on Uniworld itineraries to Europe, Russia and Asia enjoy gourmet cuisine, immersive shore excursions and many all-inclusive benefits. The ships themselves are each unique, complete with sumptuous staterooms and original art commissioned exclusively for Uniworld.
Photo courtesy of Viking Ocean Cruises
No. 3:
Viking Cruises earned its reputation through its affordable, destination-focused river cruises. With the debut of Viking Star in April 2015, the line made a grand entrance into the world of ocean cruising. Now the line has six ocean vessels. All cabins come with balconies and are notably larger than the industry average, and while the ships lack a casino and kids club, they offer the same destination-intensive programming that made river cruising so popular.
Photo courtesy of American Cruise Lines
No. 2:
Passengers with American Cruise Lines enjoy the newest and most environmentally friendly small-ship vessels in the United States as they journey along the Mighty Mississippi, through New England, to the wilds of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest or along the Intercoastal Waterway and Chesapeake Bay. Onboard experts offer daily lectures and meals are crafted from locally sourced ingredients to support the communities visited.
Photo courtesy of Michael Nalley / Windstar Cruises
No. 1:
With fewer than 350 guests per sailing, Windstar Cruises promises passengers a cruising experience free of lines and waiting. Since the six boutique ships are smaller than a typical cruise ship, they can sail into small European villages, off-the-beaten-path harbors and hidden coves, giving guests the opportunity to visit both major capitals and smaller ports. Windstar’s award-winning shore excursions offer guests the opportunity to immerse themselves into the local culture and cuisines of these special ports of call.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning cruise lines!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Danielle Fear
Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized... Read More
Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized and trusted cruise bloggers and is better known to her audience as CruiseMiss. As well as maintaining an award-winning cruise blog, she also works as a freelance writer, content manager and social media professional covering all aspects of sea travel. Having embarked on more than 75 sailings, including 2 world cruises, it’s fair to say that Danielle knows a thing or two about cruising.
Danielle Fear
Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized and trusted cruise bloggers and is better known to her audience as CruiseMiss. As well as maintaining an award-winning cruise blog, she also works as a freelance writer, content manager and social media professional covering all aspects of sea travel. Having embarked on more than 75 sailings, including 2 world cruises, it’s fair to say that Danielle knows a thing or two about cruising.
Don and Heidi Bucolo
Don and Heidi Bucolo are the husband and wife team... Read More
Don and Heidi Bucolo are the husband and wife team behind EatSleepCruise.com. Their love for cruising began after taking their first cruise together back in 2007. Having spent over 180 days at sea on more than 30 cruises with various cruise brands, they have learned a thing or two about planning and executing the perfect cruise vacation. The couple was voted as one of Porthole Cruise's Top 10 Cruise Influencers and is featured in the new book Cruising Interrupted. You can find them on the web and social media sharing detailed cruise ship reviews, port guides, packing tips and planning tips to help travelers "sea the world, one port at a time."
Don and Heidi Bucolo
Don and Heidi Bucolo are the husband and wife team behind EatSleepCruise.com. Their love for cruising began after taking their first cruise together back in 2007. Having spent over 180 days at sea on more than 30 cruises with various cruise brands, they have learned a thing or two about planning and executing the perfect cruise vacation. The couple was voted as one of Porthole Cruise's Top 10 Cruise Influencers and is featured in the new book Cruising Interrupted. You can find them on the web and social media sharing detailed cruise ship reviews, port guides, packing tips and planning tips to help travelers "sea the world, one port at a time."
Jason Leppert
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert... Read More
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 150 sailings under his belt and a fresh, millennial perspective on the industry. He has been cruising since before he was two years old, thanks to his parents’ shared passion for traveling and their desire to experience all journeys together as a family. Now, he regularly sails and writes “he said, she said” cruise columns with his wife Heidi. He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West. He also contributes to Cruise Travel, Porthole and Cruise Business Review magazines; USA Today 10Best; Oyster.com; MiceChat.com and the Cruise Radio podcast.
Jason Leppert
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 150 sailings under his belt and a fresh, millennial perspective on the industry. He has been cruising since before he was two years old, thanks to his parents’ shared passion for traveling and their desire to experience all journeys together as a family. Now, he regularly sails and writes “he said, she said” cruise columns with his wife Heidi. He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West. He also contributes to Cruise Travel, Porthole and Cruise Business Review magazines; USA Today 10Best; Oyster.com; MiceChat.com and the Cruise Radio podcast.
Ming Tappin
Residing in New Brunswick, Canada, Ming has been... Read More
Residing in New Brunswick, Canada, Ming has been in the cruise industry since 1994. Ming spent over 20 years in the retail travel sector, working with travel agencies in marketing initiatives, cruise training, and promoting cruise vacations to their clients. In 2015, Ming created Your Cruise Coach and transitioned into travel writing, preaching the merits of cruising via her partnerships with Canadian and American travel trade publications as well as consumer media outlets. An avid cruiser since 1991, Ming has sailed on over 70 cruises and has experienced over 25 ocean, river, and expedition cruise lines combined.
Ming Tappin
Residing in New Brunswick, Canada, Ming has been in the cruise industry since 1994. Ming spent over 20 years in the retail travel sector, working with travel agencies in marketing initiatives, cruise training, and promoting cruise vacations to their clients. In 2015, Ming created Your Cruise Coach and transitioned into travel writing, preaching the merits of cruising via her partnerships with Canadian and American travel trade publications as well as consumer media outlets. An avid cruiser since 1991, Ming has sailed on over 70 cruises and has experienced over 25 ocean, river, and expedition cruise lines combined.
Sherry Laskin
Sherry hasn’t set foot on an airplane in more than... Read More
Sherry hasn’t set foot on an airplane in more than 25 years. Instead, she relies on cruise ships, river ships, trains and road trips to travel the world. In that time, she’s been on more cruises than she can count and includes her solo cruise and travel adventures on her website, CruiseMaven.com. Her articles have been published in major newspapers and magazines - in print and online. During a year and a half of living in Alaska, Sherry has cruised and spent time at every port in the Last Frontier except for Nome. She’s become an avid transatlantic cruiser since 2005, as that is the only way for her to get to Europe without flying. Sherry hopes to inspire and encourage her readers to travel slow and travel solo, experience new cuisines and cultures.
Sherry Laskin
Sherry hasn’t set foot on an airplane in more than 25 years. Instead, she relies on cruise ships, river ships, trains and road trips to travel the world. In that time, she’s been on more cruises than she can count and includes her solo cruise and travel adventures on her website, CruiseMaven.com. Her articles have been published in major newspapers and magazines - in print and online. During a year and a half of living in Alaska, Sherry has cruised and spent time at every port in the Last Frontier except for Nome. She’s become an avid transatlantic cruiser since 2005, as that is the only way for her to get to Europe without flying. Sherry hopes to inspire and encourage her readers to travel slow and travel solo, experience new cuisines and cultures.
