When it comes to cruising, small is beautiful, says Gillian Vine.
If you fancy cruising but are daunted by travelling in a ship that carries the population of Balclutha, small ships are the way to go.
Choices range from tropical - on Blue Lagoon's Fiji Princess, for example - to chilly, although Akademik Shokalskiy getting trapped in ice at Christmas probably put some folk off the notion of heading for Antarctic waters.
This boutique approach is increasingly popular: Viking River Cruises announced last year in 2015 it was taking ''destination cruising from the rivers to the ocean with the maiden season of the [brand new] Viking Star'' and the American-based Seadream Yacht Club is looking at buying or building another vessel.
A key attraction of boutique cruising is the ability to visit places off the map for large liners.
Most small-ship companies concentrate on one area but on its two luxurious vessels, the Seadream Yacht Club offers numerous itineraries in Europe, the Caribbean, Asia and northern Australia.
In this instance, yacht does not mean masts and sails but a mega motor cruiser (think of the former royal yacht Britannia and you get the idea).
My ideal cruise is port-hopping, so a trip from Rome to Tenerife aboard Seadream I with a new destination every day was just the ticket, especially as it included the likes of Portofino in Italy and Le Lavandou in France, both inaccessible to cruise giants.
It was the perfect way to get a taste of the Mediterranean - and tasting wasn't just about sightseeing, either, as Seadream I and its twin sister, Seadream II, have some of the best food afloat.
From al fresco breakfasts and lunch on the upper deck to five-star dinner menus in the formal dining room, there's something to appeal to every taste.
Pre-dinner nibbles even include caviar to go with one's cocktail or glass of champers.
Except for top-shelf brands, all drinks are included in Seadream prices.
That means no bar bills at the end of the voyage, a welcome contrast to some of the other lines whose charges have been described as being at Sydney nightclub rates.
One horror story doing the rounds is of two young Australians whose drink accounts at the end of a week-long trip on a ''party boat'' were $3000 and $2000 respectively.
The low fares they paid sounded good but the end result was an expensive holiday.
At prices from about $4000 for a week of pampering, Seadream would have been the better choice.
The Seadream Yacht Club has a policy of incorporating gratuities into its fare structure, a welcome change from being told your cabin steward and waiter will expect to be tipped a minimum of $10 each per day, with other staff also holding out their hands at the end of the voyage.
Although eating in ships' standard restaurants has always been included in the cost of a cruise, increasingly additional for-fee dining venues are offered and the cost can be an extra $35 to $80 a meal. Some ships even charge for ordinary bottled water.
The Seadream line does not charge extra for special dining but then, all meals are special.
The only problem can be what to choose: will it be the waffles or bacon and eggs at breakfast, the cold buffet or a burger for lunch, the salmon or the chateaubriand as a main at dinner?
Then there are the desserts.
I had the Grand Marnier souffle whenever it appeared on the daily-changing menu but couldn't resist the pastries with which chef Garfield Anderson cunningly tempted guests' palates, an array fit for a king.
(It was rumoured that there was a member of the Swedish Royal Family aboard but I never managed to verify it.)
Even with close to a 1:1 ratio of passengers to crew, it is surprising how quickly each of the 100 ''Seadreamers'' is addressed by name and preferences memorised.
On my second morning, breakfast waiter Jose brought coffee without asking, as the previous day I'd mentioned that I never drank tea.
After the voyage, it was a rude shock when staying in an upmarket European hotel to have to wave my cup at a waiter to get a refill.
Seadream I was never like that!
Cruising
Gillian Vine travelled from Rome to Tenerife on Seadream I, rated the world's top boutique vessel. For itineraries and bookings, see www.seadream.com and check the special offers at http://www.seadream.com/voyages/special-offers, as some can be significantly discounted. For example, there is a highly tempting sailing from Stockholm to St Petersburg in June aboard Seadream I, including two and a-half days berthed just a few hundred metres from the centre of the Russian city, founded by Peter the Great in 1703. Prices are from $US4124 ($NZ5011) per person twin-share, less than half the originally advertised rate.
