Small Ship Travel
Small Ship Travel is a privately held, Raleigh, NC-based travel agency founded in 1994 that sells small ship cruises through a web platform and a concierge team, aggregating 4,239+ itineraries from 30+ partner cruise lines for affluent couples, adventure travelers, and luxury travelers worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersRaleigh, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Small Ship Travel does
Small Ship Travel is a privately held, Raleigh, North Carolina-based travel agency founded in 1994 that specializes exclusively in small ship cruises. The company operates a web-based booking platform aggregating 4,239+ cruise itineraries from a network of 30+ partner cruise lines including AmaWaterways, Silversea, Ponant, Seabourn, UNIWORLD, Viking, Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions, Scenic, Ecoventura, and Four Seasons Yachts. Customers can self-serve search and filter itineraries or engage the company's team of travel concierges for personalized cruise matching via phone (888-318-3110), email, Calendly scheduling, and consultation request forms.
The company's core product surface combines a cruise search-and-booking engine, a ship directory with detailed vessel profiles, destination guides covering Africa, Alaska, Europe, the Galapagos, the Mediterranean, polar regions, and others, and 100+ editorial blog articles for organic demand generation. A proprietary sub-brand, SST Exclusive Voyages, operates curated itineraries such as the Dahabiya Azhar Nile cruise in partnership with local Egyptian operators, indicating modest vertical integration into product ownership. A loyalty program awards a $250 credit to new clients on the non-cruise portion of bookings.
The business model is affiliate/referral-based: Small Ship Travel earns commissions from cruise line bookings made through its platform or concierge services. Pricing is unit-based per booking, with typical ranges of $4,995+ for a 13-day Egypt Nile cruise and $9,346-$82,205 for Antarctica expeditions. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and sales-led, with a high-touch concierge orientation targeting affluent couples, adventure travelers, cultural explorers, and luxury travelers. The company does not list ownership, parent, or institutional investor backing in the available data.
Small Ship Travel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Small Ship Travel
- Legal name
- Small Ship Travel
- Website
- https://smallshiptravel.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Small Ship Travel is a privately held, Raleigh, NC-based travel agency founded in 1994 that sells small ship cruises through a web platform and a concierge team, aggregating 4,239+ itineraries from 30+ partner cruise lines for affluent couples, adventure travelers, and luxury travelers worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Small Ship Travel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Cruise Travel Agency
- NAICS
- Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872), Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Yacht & Small-Ship Expedition Cruises (THAEABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Boutique Small-Ship River Cruises (THAEACAC), Small-Ship Expedition Cruises (Under ~500 Guests) (THAEADAC), Destination Yacht Cruises (Island-Hopping & Archipelago Routes) (THAEADAI), Specialty-Themed Boutique Cruises (Culinary, Wellness, Diving, Culture) (THAEADAJ)
Keywords
Where Small Ship Travel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Raleigh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Small Ship Travel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Cruise Booking Commissions: Travel agency earns commissions from cruise line bookings. The company acts as an intermediary between customers and cruise operators, earning a percentage of each booking made through their platform or consultation services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Per booking | Egypt Nile Dahabiya Cruise - 13 days |
| Unit Pricing | Per booking | Mediterranean Island Voyage - 8 days |
| Unit Pricing | Per booking | Greek Islands Cruise - 8 days |
| Unit Pricing | Per booking | Dalmatian Coast Cruise - 8 days |
| Other | One time | Loyalty Program Credit |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Small Ship Travel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Small Ship Travel is a specialty travel agency that books small ship cruises for individual travelers, aggregating more than 4,239 itineraries across 30+ partner cruise lines operating river, ocean, expedition, luxury and barge vessels. Its core offer combines a searchable inventory of third-party cruises with a dedicated cruise concierge team and a proprietary "SST Exclusive Voyages" program of branded sailings.
Product overview
Small Ship Travel operates as a cruise travel agency and booking platform that aggregates small ship cruise offerings from 32+ partner cruise lines into a unified searchable catalog. The core platform combines a cruise search and booking engine with ship directories, expert travel concierge services, and proprietary SST Exclusive Voyages offerings. Additional offerings include a loyalty program, educational blog content, and consultation request functionality. The platform serves as an intermediary connecting travelers with cruise operators across river, ocean, expedition, and polar cruise segments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SST Exclusive Voyages: An exclusive small ship cruise brand operated by Small Ship Travel, featuring their own branded dahabiya vessels for Nile cruises in Egypt
Products and services
- SST Exclusive Voyages
Quantifiable outcome
- 30+ years of small ship cruise expertise
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Small Ship Travel
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Small Ship Travel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Small Ship Travel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AmaWaterwayscoreAmaWaterways is a premier river cruise operator with 34 ships and 192 itineraries. Small Ship Travel serves as a booking partner, offering their river cruise experiences to clients seeking European and worldwide river voyages.
- SilverseacoreSilversea is a luxury small-ship cruise line with 13 ships and 711 itineraries spanning all seven continents. Small Ship Travel offers their ultra-luxury expedition and ocean voyages.
- PonantcorePonant is a French luxury cruise line known for intimate yacht-style vessels and expedition cruises to polar regions and remote destinations. Small Ship Travel offers their voyages including Antarctica expeditions and Mediterranean itineraries.
- SeabourncoreSeabourn operates ultra-luxury intimate ships with 5 vessels and 329 itineraries. Small Ship Travel offers their all-suite luxury ocean and expedition cruises.
- UNIWORLD Boutique River CruisescoreUNIWORLD is a boutique river cruise line with 39 ships and 60 itineraries offering all-inclusive luxury river experiences. Small Ship Travel offers their European and worldwide river cruise options.
- EcoventuracoreEcoventura operates small expedition ships in the Galapagos Islands with 3 vessels and 6 itineraries. Small Ship Travel offers their nature-focused Galapagos cruise experiences.
- Four Seasons YachtsminorFour Seasons Yachts is a luxury yacht cruise line with 1 ship and 55 itineraries. Small Ship Travel offers their inaugural yacht cruise product.
- National Geographic/Lindblad ExpeditionscoreNational Geographic Expeditions operated by Lindblad offers expedition cruises with 13 ships to polar regions, Galapagos, and worldwide destinations with expert naturalist guides.
- Viking ExpeditionscoreViking Expeditions offers expedition voyages to Antarctica, the Arctic, and Great Lakes with purpose-built expedition ships.
- Viking Ocean CruisescoreViking Ocean Cruises operates ocean ships visiting destinations worldwide with destination-focused itineraries.
- Viking River CruisescoreViking River Cruises offers premium river voyages on rivers including the Rhine, Danube, Mississippi, and more.
- SST Exclusive VoyagescoreSST Exclusive Voyages is Small Ship Travel's proprietary cruise brand, offering exclusive small ship experiences such as the Dahabiya Azhar Nile cruise. This is their own branded product operated in partnership with local Egyptian operators.
- Smithsonian JourneysminorSmithsonian Journeys partners with cruise lines including Ponant to offer educational expert-led itineraries with Smithsonian speakers and historians.
- Scenic Ocean CruisescoreScenic Ocean Cruises offers luxury expedition voyages with purpose-built Eclipse-class ships to Antarctica, Arctic, and worldwide destinations.
- Scenic River CruisescoreScenic River Cruises offers all-inclusive luxury river voyages on rivers including the Mekong, Danube, and Rhine.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Small Ship Travel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Cruise Critic: Leading cruise review, comparison, and content platform owned by Tripadvisor. Adjacent peer sharing the same customer intent and content-marketing approach but operating as a media/lead-generation site rather than a booking agency.
Direct peers
- The Cruise Web: US cruise-specialist agency offering personalized concierge booking across multiple cruise lines. Overlaps with Small Ship Travel in multi-line aggregation and personalized advisory service for cruise consumers.
- AdventureSmith Explorations: A US-based small-ship expedition cruise specialist agency curating yacht and expedition voyages globally. Directly comparable to Small Ship Travel in product scope (Antarctica, Galapagos, polar), niche positioning, and commission-based booking model.
- Wild Earth Travel: New Zealand-headquartered specialist agency offering small-ship cruises and nature-based expeditions globally. Comparable as a boutique, content-driven cruise agency targeting affluent experiential travelers.
- Expedition Trips: Specialist agency focused on small-ship expedition cruises and adventure travel worldwide. Closely mirrors Small Ship Travel's booking-and-concierge model with hand-curated itineraries across polar and remote regions.
Broad incumbents
- Avoya Travel: Large US host-based cruise and vacation agency network with multi-line representation. Comparable business model (cruise-focused agency with concierge agents) but serves a much wider price-and-style range than Small Ship Travel.
- CruiseDirect: Online-first cruise agency offering multi-line inventory with a price-comparison orientation. Comparable in multi-line aggregation but competes on price rather than specialist expertise.
- Vacations To Go: One of the largest US cruise agencies with broad multi-line inventory and discount positioning. Comparable as a cruise-vertical agency but operates at significantly larger scale and broader market (mass-market and luxury).
- Expedia Cruises: Cruise-specific vertical of Expedia operating as a franchise agency network. Comparable as a multi-line cruise booking intermediary, but operates at significantly larger scale with a generalist rather than specialist positioning.
Emerging players
- Poseidon Expeditions: Smaller specialist offering expedition cruises primarily to polar regions and remote destinations. Comparable as a niche small-ship specialist but operates more as a tour operator with its own charter programs rather than as a multi-line agency.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Small Ship Travel social profiles
Digital presenceSmall Ship Travel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Small Ship Travel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Small Ship Travel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Small Ship Travel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Small Ship Travel
What does Small Ship Travel do?
Small Ship Travel is a specialty travel agency that books small ship cruises for individual travelers, aggregating more than 4,239 itineraries across 30+ partner cruise lines operating river, ocean, expedition, luxury and barge vessels. Its core offer combines a searchable inventory of third-party cruises with a dedicated cruise concierge team and a proprietary "SST Exclusive Voyages" program of branded sailings.
Is Small Ship Travel a public or private company?
Small Ship Travel is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Small Ship Travel founded?
Small Ship Travel was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Small Ship Travel based?
Small Ship Travel is headquartered in Raleigh, United States, in the North America region.
How does Small Ship Travel make money?
One revenue line is on record: cruise Booking Commissions.
Who are Small Ship Travel's main competitors?
Cruise Critic is listed as an others. Direct peers are The Cruise Web, AdventureSmith Explorations, Wild Earth Travel and Expedition Trips. Broad incumbents are Avoya Travel, CruiseDirect, Vacations To Go and Expedia Cruises. Poseidon Expeditions is listed as an emerging player.
Does Small Ship Travel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Small Ship Travel.
What industry is Small Ship Travel in?
Small Ship Travel's product category is Specialty Cruise Travel Agency. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAEABAF, Luxury Yacht & Small-Ship Expedition Cruises, with a secondary code of THAEACAC, Boutique Small-Ship River Cruises. Its NAICS code is 48721 and its SIC code is 4400.