A Croatia small ship cruise: what a week on the Dalmatian coast is really like

The short answer

A Croatia small ship cruise is a week on a small ship of around 16 to 20 cabins, island-hopping along the coast between Split and Dubrovnik. Most mornings you anchor in a quiet bay and swim off the back, most afternoons you tie up in a small town, and most evenings you eat ashore. It suits people who want a slower pace and want to see the Croatian coast itself, rather than one Croatian port on a longer cruise.

Life on board

What a day on a Croatian small ship looks like

The days followed much the same routine, and they started early.

Mornings anchored in a bay

The ship left port at about six in the morning, and by the time most of us were up it had found a quiet bay and dropped anchor. We'd stay there for anything from an hour to three or four hours taking in the scenery.

Out came the pool noodles, the paddle boards and the snorkelling gear, and anyone who wanted a swim went straight off the back of the ship. Others stayed on deck with a coffee and watched. Breakfast and lunch were both on board, so there was no rush to be anywhere.

You can't really swim off the back of a big cruise ship, and those slow mornings were a big part of why the week felt so relaxed.

Afternoons tied up in a small town

After lunch the ship headed into port, usually a small town or a little island harbour.

You're rarely the only ship in port. Often up to twenty ships of a similar size, or a little smaller, were moored up in the one harbour, and some days the skippers raced each other in to get a spot. Now and then the ship dropped us off and moved out of the way because the ferries were coming in, then came back to tie up for the night.

Once ashore, the afternoon was yours. Some days there was a walking tour of the old town, and on others we did our own thing, wandering the streets, walking along the promenade or spending an hour on a beach. The towns are small, so you don't need a whole day in them, and spending the morning in a bay and the afternoon in town worked really well.

Evenings ashore

Dinner was in town every night except the last, when there was a farewell dinner on board.

You can grab a pizza or go somewhere much fancier, even a Michelin-star restaurant, and then wander back to the ship whenever you feel like it.

Being in town every evening is the biggest difference from a big ship. On a lot of big-ship itineraries you're back on board and sailing before the evening gets going.

On a ship this size, the people you eat with are part of the experience. My week had six or eight Spanish speakers, four Irish and about half a dozen from Western Australia. Without planning it, I ended up at a table with the only other Kiwi couple on board, two Australian women and a couple from Leeds, and from then on that table went out to dinner together.

The ship

The Mama Marija II: the ship and the cabins

The Mama Marija II is about 50 metres long, with 19 cabins and room for up to around 38 guests. It's one of the newer ships on this coast, built in 2021. On my week there were only around 30 of us on board, as a few people were travelling on their own.

The cabins are spread over two decks, and ours, on the lower deck, was a really good size. There's a dining room and lounge area, a bar and a sun deck on top, and off the back is a sports deck where the paddle boards live and where you swim from.

The ship is run by Ambassador Travel, a Dubrovnik company with several ships on this route at different standards.

It doesn't have the things a big ship fills its extra decks with, like a casino, a piano bar or a laundry.

Compare

Small ship or big ship on the Croatian coast

On this coast, the size of the ship changes the pace, the ports you see, which meals are included, what you pay and how easy it is to get on and off.

I've sailed big ships too, including Holland America from Rome to Istanbul. If the big-ship side is new to you, the team's guide to ocean cruising covers how it works.

Either way, you get the best thing about any cruise, which is only having to unpack once. Seeing seven places in a week is hard work by road and easy on a ship.

Pace and ports

A big ship typically arrives around seven in the morning and leaves at four, five or six in the evening. It has to use the bigger ports, which tend to have more to do, and many call at only one or two Croatian ports on a longer itinerary.

The small ship sticks to the Croatian coast and gets into tiny towns and little islands that a big ship can't.

Meals

On a big ship all your meals are included, and the biggest ships have several restaurants, some specialising in Italian or French food for example.

On the Mama Marija II two meals were included. Breakfast was a buffet: cereals, fruit, yoghurts, toast, juice and coffee, plus bacon, eggs and sausages. It's a smaller spread than a hotel or a big ship.

Lunch was three courses, and it was great. One day it was octopus and sea bass with beautiful desserts; another, a black squid-ink risotto. We always came away full but not stuffed.

Price

A week on the Mama Marija II costs roughly €3,000 to €3,500 per person depending on your cabin (2026 pricing), which is about NZ$6,000 to NZ$7,000 at October 2026 exchange rates.

Price mostly comes down to economy of scale. The bigger the ship, the more people share the cost, so the cheaper it is per person. On one of the big ships you can sometimes get a week from around NZ$2,200 in the cheapest inside cabin, with all your meals included. Comparing the two on price alone is comparing apples with oranges, though, because on the small ship you're paying for the slower pace and the places only a small ship can get into.

Getting on and off

In port the ships tie up side by side, several deep. Unless yours is against the quay, getting ashore means walking across other ships and up and down their stairs. One day I think the ship was six out. Now and then you'd look down between two hulls and see a plate or a cap that had gone overboard.

It isn't wheelchair friendly, and you need reasonable mobility for this cruise style, so I'd recommend thinking honestly about the stairs before you book. The upside is how close it puts you to town.

Routes

Where these cruises go, and for how long

Most of these cruises sail seven nights out of Split or Dubrovnik. Some loop back to where they started; others run one way, northbound or southbound. Which suits you depends on whether you want time in Split or Dubrovnik at either end.

Ours ran one way in September, south from Split to Dubrovnik, island-hopping down the southern part of the coast. Before it I spent time on land, starting in Zagreb and driving up into Slovenia, then back down through Croatia to Split. Between the two ports the route threads through islands and small coastal towns. Hvar, Brač, Korčula and Mljet are often on the Split to Dubrovnik run, though each ship sets its own stops.

The team at YOU Travel Napier has sent clients on these Croatian sailings for several years, and three of my own clients had done it before I went. Choosing the direction, the ship and how much time to allow at either end is where a cruise travel agent who has sent people before can save you a lot of guesswork.

Is it for you?

Who a small cruise ship suits, and who would be on the wrong ship

If you want a slower pace and mainly want to see the Croatian coast, it fits really well. I wouldn't say I like it more than a traditional cruise, though, because like everything there are pros and cons. It doesn't suit someone who wants a big ship's choice of restaurants and entertainment, or anyone who isn't steady on stairs. And it's quite unique to Croatia. You can't really do the same thing between Lisbon and Barcelona or Barcelona and Venice, apart from chartering the odd superyacht.

That doesn't make the small ship any worse, it's just a different kind of holiday. Problems only come up when someone books it without really knowing what it is, turns up expecting big-ship extras and finds they're on the wrong ship.

The ships vary as well. The same route runs everything from fairly basic ships to comfortable ones, and some are aimed squarely at young backpackers. One afternoon my ship tied up alongside one full of people under about 25, there for a good time. They were on the right ship for them. Someone after a quiet week would not have been, which is why the first thing I ask is how you like to travel, before talking about which ship.

Questions

Common questions about a small ship cruise in Croatia

Plan it with us

Planning a small ship week in Croatia

If a slow week on the coast sounds like your kind of holiday, it's a really good way to see Croatia. Have a look through the YOU Travel cruise search tool for ideas, then get in touch with me or anyone on the team at YOU Travel Napier to find the ship and the route that suit you. The first conversation is free, and you pay the same as booking direct.

Get in touchor call 06 835 3917