Cruising into 2026: What to Watch & Our Bucket List Dreams

In this episode, we’re looking ahead to 2026 and sharing what has us excited in the world of small ship cruising—from milestone celebrations and industry developments to the trips we personally can’t stop thinking about. If you love river cruising, expedition-style adventures, or classic sailing, listen to this episode to discover what’s on the horizon.

Instead of an industry deep dive forecast, this is our personal take as expert small-ship cruisers who love watching cruising evolve and dreaming up trips.

We talk about why this is a meaningful year for U.S. cruising with America’s 250th anniversary, and also touch on what’s ahead globally, from growing river cruise momentum to expanding yacht itineraries.

We wrap up by sharing what’s on our own 2026 cruise radar, from returning to Maine on a windjammer sailboat to dreaming about rivers in France and Colombia, Japan, Norway, and bucket list destinations like Antarctica and Egypt. If you’re planning ahead or just love travel inspiration, join us to look forward and dream big for your future vacations.

Chapters

• 0:35 Exciting Future of Small Ship Cruises in 2026
• 1:43 Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the USA
• 5:15 River Cruises Look Ahead
• 7:57 Innovations in Yacht Cruises
• 9:05 Trends for Solo Travelers in Cruising
• 10:47 More Pre and Post-Cruise Land Extensions in the Year Ahead
• 11:40 Personal Cruise Plans for 2026
• 14:16 Our Wish List: Exploring These Destinations by Cruise
• 19:06 Our Current Bucket List Cruises
• 23:15 Make 2026 A Milestone Year for Your Cruises

Transcript

Dan (00:35)

Welcome to Small Ship Cruise Talk. This is episode 48 and we are excited to talk about small ship cruises in 2026. This episode is going to be all about what we're excited about. It's not an exhaustive list. It's not industry insider info. It's just simply our point of view and what we are looking forward to in 2026.

Last week we discussed cruising from the port of Chioggia and how to get there from Venice. And this week we are dreaming ahead, planning future trips, watching the industry evolve and just kind of discussing what we're excited about.

Mikkel (01:17)

So what you can expect to hear about today is major small ship cruise moments that are coming in 2026, why the year ahead is a meaningful year for cruising in the United States, what cruise lines are developing behind the scenes and our own travel plans and wish lists and how you might relate or dream of your own cruises and gather inspiration for your future vacations.

Dan (01:46)

We have to talk about it

Mikkel (01:49)

We have to talk about it, drum roll.

Dan (01:53)

So, 2026 is the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. So if you...

Mikkel (02:00)

Pop quiz, when were we born?

Dan (02:05)

1776. Hmm.

Mikkel (02:06)

Bing, bing, bing! July 4th, baby!

Remember that for your Jeopardy! evening challenges.

Dan (02:14)

Right, yeah, if you have...

Answer it in the form of question, though, at all times.

Mikkel (02:19)

Okay: What is July 4th, 1776?

250th anniversary! Okay, why is this a big deal for cruising and historic sailings?

Dan (02:36)

There are going to be major celebrations in a couple key ports in the United States. So in New York, Boston, DC are probably going to be the biggest ones, but a lot of other ports are going to have smaller ceremonies as well. So there'll be regattas, there'll be celebrations, ⁓ flotillas.

Mikkel (02:44)

Mm-hmm. I heard the word "flotilla." Yeah.

Dan (03:01)

That's the good news. The bad news is if you want to book some of these cruises, it might be too late.

Mikkel (03:06)

But let's touch on them anyway, just because there is a waiting list for some of these that we know of. So there are two I want to touch on in particular, Maine Windjammer sailings. Be sure that you are subscribed and following us because we talk in more depth about Maine Windjammer in the next couple of weeks, especially next week and the week after.

There's nine ships and I know for a fact that American Eagle is offering a sailing that is going to Sail 4th which is a historic event that's happening in New York City. It's described as the largest ever flotilla— there's that word— of tall ships from around the world. This is going to be a sight to see. And if you cannot get on this ship, then you might want to be in New York in the Harbor for this event.

How freaking cool would that be? Once in a lifetime.

Dan (03:54)

Right.

So keep in mind, if you don't get on these ships, there's a lot of local operators that maybe just do day cruises, ⁓ that you can still get out on the water and see them without doing overnight.

Mikkel (04:02)

Mm-hmm, great point.

Great point, great point. One that comes to mind is City Cruises. They do cruises out of the port of New York City for a couple hours and additionally in DC in the Chesapeake Bay as well. Do they operate in Boston? Okay, amazing.

Dan (04:21)

Yes, they do. I think they go by "Hornblower" up there.

Mikkel (04:27)

OK, so if you can't get on, like Dan said, an overnight sailing, then that's a great option as well. And we are passionate about being on a boat on the water period, especially small ships. So we are advocating for that and supporting the industry and American jobs in those ways. The other thing I want to mention is American Cruise Lines, a small ship cruise line with one of the largest river cruise fleets anywhere in the world.

But they are obviously American-owned and operated, and they are celebrating in Boston during the anniversary. So like you said, Dan, if you are listening and you are interested, do not delay. Go on the websites for these cruise lines right now and see if you can secure a spot on the cruise. And if not, contact them about a wait list. But I would say that's the most major thing happening for 2026 in the United States.

Dan (05:11)

right.

Mikkel (05:24)

What is happening in the river cruise world, not in the United States? So two things, Celebrity River Cruises and something I want to touch on for AmaWaterways.

Dan (05:36)

I know we've mentioned Celebrity joining the ranks of small ship cruises a few times in past episodes. We're really excited about this because Celebrity is our favorite big ship operator and we don't often go on big ships. But when we do is usually Celebrity and so we're super excited just to see how they reinvent themselves to river and what that does for the industry as a whole.

Mikkel (06:02)

So they are debuting their ships and the boats are going to be in the water in 2027. However, there is such strong momentum already that started in 2025, and we can expect that to continue for 2026. So I'm hoping they release even more dates. I can't imagine they won't for people to book. All the prebookings sold out in minutes.

And they also have already announced that this year they are going to share more about the Celebrity Cruises Captain's Club loyalty program. And there's going to be announcements of new rewards, recognition, elevated experiences, how loyalty is going to benefit those loyal Celebrity cruisers on the rivers.

Dan (06:47)

Also, really excited about what AmaWaterways is doing with their Smithsonian Journeys. Now these are curated educational cruises that are really going to bring the local history to life.

Mikkel (07:01)

There will be two Smithsonian Journey experts on per cruise for each of these cruises. And they're going to sail throughout Europe and Asia. And they are also going to include exclusive excursions unique to these itineraries specifically designed for the Smithsonian Journeys guests who sail on AmaWaterways. I think anytime there is kind of like an extra...

What is it? Pump up the jam with history and educators? We get excited because part of why we love these small ship cruises, especially river cruises in Europe and Asia having been in both areas, is the history of it. It really enriches your connection to the place and the land and where you are and informs the future.

Dan (07:49)

Right. Yeah. I'm really excited about that and just like you said, anytime that there's educational components on board, it really just brings it all together.

Mikkel (07:58)

Oh my God, we're so dorky, but I love it. I mean, this is part of the reason that we work as a couple.

Dan (08:00)

Yeah. All right.

So let's talk about yacht cruises. Windstar is launching Star Seeker. So we're fortunate enough to be going to the christening on, right?

Mikkel (08:15)

Yeah, it's the third today, we're recording and it is on January 15th. Be sure if you are listening to this in real time when this episode releases on Wednesday, January 7th, that you tune in and you watch our social media at @SometimesSailing for that christening. So, congrats ahead of time to Windstar on the launch of their newest ship.

Another thing about Windstar that I'm excited about that you and I have talked about, they're expanding their offerings, especially in French Polynesia. So they have more itineraries than ever. They're really leaning into what the guests have wanted and respond well to. And they have the longest history, Windstar, in French Polynesia in terms of small ship luxury cruises. They go to Bora Bora, they go to Mo'orea, they go to the Cook Islands.

Dan (08:49)

Mm-hmm.

Mikkel (09:08)

So that's something we have our eye on as well that we wanted to bring to your attention.

Dan (09:13)

Something really interesting that I want to keep an eye on in '26 is the overall trend for solo travelers and how popular that's becoming but also kind of how the cruise lines are responding to that and the offerings that they are putting forth specifically for solo travelers.

Mikkel (09:29)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, it's becoming more popular and many cruise lines are building more solo cabins into their design. They also have more solo cruises. So what I mean by that is the entire theme of the cruise is solo travelers, which is great if you want to meet other people, maybe you went through a breakup recently or you became a widow or widower and you want to travel still or maybe you just don't feel comfortable with a cruise with a bunch of coupled up people. 

Those solo cruises are going to be great for you. And also the solo promos. So maybe it's not a solo cruise of all solo cruisers, but there's a special for no solo supplement. A lot of the time, if you're a solo cruiser, they're charging you a fee, which I know sounds really messed up. But that is, they have a bottom line and they need to make their money.

So what happens is most cruise rates are based on double occupancy because there's two people that can go in the room. So they kind of lose potential money when one person is in the room. So they charge a solo supplement. We're glad to be seeing more and more some promotions where that solo supplement fee is waived. So be on the lookout for that.

Dan (10:52)

Yeah, yeah, that'll be fun to see what happens there.

Mikkel (10:55)

Lastly, in terms of trends that we're seeing and have seen in the past, that just started at the tail end of 2025, is small ship cruises and brands, cruise brands are really leaning into the extension of pre and post land tours. AmaWaterways even just announced a partnership with Mandarin Oriental Hotels to promote this. So keep your eye on pre and post-cruise options. And I think changing your mindset that the cruise doesn't stop on or off the ship before or after those sailing dates.

The cruise could be much more than that and really just experiencing the destination as an overall brand that is guiding you through the region.

Dan (11:42)

Yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see how they pull that all together in that consistency and continuity from water to land.

Mikkel (11:48)

Yeah.

Dan (11:50)

Okay, let's dive into our personal 2026 cruise radar. Let's talk about like, you know, the trips we're actively planning and what we're dreaming about and then, you know, what are we gonna be doing in 2026?

Mikkel (11:56)

Yes.

And why our personal plans can spark creative ideas for you, listening. Okay, so first and foremost, the number one thing on our calendar that we have books since months ago is that we are going back to Maine.

Dan (12:22)

Heading back for our second Maine Windjammer cruise in July of this year. And you know, it was one of our favorite cruises just because it was so unique and so different and it's such a such a fun atmosphere and it's so completely different than anything else.

Mikkel (12:41)

And at the same time, it left such an impact on us, but it felt like a flash in the pan because it was just a few nights. So I'm looking forward to experiencing it again. It's always interesting to go the second time sort of knowing what to expect, but going on a different ship so we can still be surprised.

We are going to pack differently this time. We are going to pack warmer clothes, which we will talk about in depth in part two of our Maine Windjammer episode coming up in two weeks from now. And if you're listening to this in February even, those episodes are already out. I also want to note—this is really personal—that my father passed away.

(Pull it together.)

I couldn't have known when we booked this trip months ago that I would be so looking forward to it reconnecting me with the spirit of my father and grandfather and being on a sailing ship. I'm sorry I'm crying but it's really emotional and fresh for me. Let me take a breath.

So I'm really looking forward to being back on the ocean in Maine and being on a sailing ship, not because my father and grandfather sailed in Maine. They mostly sailed out of Oyster Bay, Long Island, where my father would say Billy Joel also had a boat at the same time. But I'm looking forward to being on a sailboat because there's nothing quite like it. And the truth of the matter is we cannot sail ourselves. So having that crew is really important. Whew... okay. On a lighter note, even though

Mikkel (14:20)

that trip's gonna be amazing and dreamy and light and airy, I'm dreaming of the rivers in France. For years, I've wanted to sail the Seine River because we did Normandy by land. It was one of our first international trips as a couple and one of the most memorable to go to the beaches of Normandy. And sailing the Seine from Paris I think would be really special and give us a different point of view that river cruises always do.

Dan (14:51)

Yeah, it's high on our list. So, hey, listeners, if you have any recommendations or if you went on the Seine and have stories to tell, please let us know because we are hungry to learn more.

Mikkel (15:04)

My god, you say "hungry" and you're talking about France and it just makes me think of wine and cheese. All right, let's go to a different part of the world. We are going from Europe to South America. There are not a lot of cruises in South America that we know of and we extensively know about small ship cruising. So one that we have our eyes on that launched last year

Dan (15:07)

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Mikkel (15:28)

is AmaWaterways sailings in Colombia. AmaMagdalena is one of the ships there.

They have another one debuting very shortly. I’m so excited to see how guests kind of do their trip reports on this on various forums we're a part of blending the culture, the scenery, the colors, the food. The ship looks amazing. So I definitely have my eyes on Colombia. How about you?

Dan (15:53)

Yeah, Ama does such a great job of really being the tip of the spear going into new markets and developing them so they did that with the Mekong and now they're doing that in Colombia. So I'm really going to be curious to see what they do with it and how they expand it and then who else comes into Colombia right behind them

Mikkel (16:12)

Speaking of new places that people are kind of going to, another one that a lot of people are going back to but also doing itineraries in new ways, is Japan.

Dan (16:22)

Oh, everybody loves Japan.

Mikkel (16:24)

When people ask me, ask you, our favorite places to travel at the top of our list are two. One of those is Japan, the other I'm going to mention momentarily. But Japan is such a special place. And a lot of big ships cruise here and are returning there. I mean, Japan was kind one of the last places to open itself up after the pandemic. So we're seeing a return to cruising there now, too. But a lot of ships that are big are not flagged Japanese. So just like US-flagged ships can stay in all US ports, but if they're not like an Alaskan cruise, they have to make a port of call in somewhere like Vancouver, Canada, because of, you know, various maritime laws and the Jones Act and what have you, that I'm not going to get into right now.

But there are very few ships that are flagged Japanese that can sail uniquely in Japan. One of those that we learned about at the end of last year is Matsui.

And it's mostly, like if the ship is 500 passengers, it's 450 passengers of Japanese cruisers, which sounds like my heaven. I love Japanese people so much. I've been to Japan three times. We were there for six weeks together just two years ago. And I'm really looking at those uniquely Japanese itineraries that start, end, and stay in Japan. And Japan is a series of islands. The largest one is what most people know

Mikkel (17:47)

of having Tokyo and Osaka, but there's Okinawa, there's Hokkaido, there's all these islands that make it so special. So what are your feelings on Japan looking ahead for the year in front of us?

Dan (18:01)

It is interesting. I think everybody thinks of mainland Japan and then they kind of forget about the islands, but interesting to see what their personality of each one of those islands are and then how they start to really lean into tourism and cruising and how they embrace that. And then it'll be really interesting to watch it unfold. And then also hear the Western travelers and their opinions and kind of once they get exposed to it as well.

Mikkel (18:30)

The second location that I always bring up as one of my favorite is Norway. We've been there several times by land, never by multi-night overnight cruises. I've been on Hurtigruten not really like the long-term cruise. Hurtigruten also functions as a commuter ship. Norway has some interesting agreements with the government for how cruise ships can sail there. 

And some of them do have to sort of be like ferries for the people that live there, or even tourists. I was a tourist in the Arctic islands with a friend many years ago, a year before we met. Anyway, so my point is sailing through Norway through the fjords on a cruise ship, especially a smaller ship, is really appealing to me.

Dan (19:13)

Yeah, yeah. Okay, so we talked about kind of stuff that we're thinking about that's on the radar that could possibly happen in 2026. Let's take it one step a little bit higher— what are those bucket list expeditions that are like, "Okay, this has to happen, but we don't know when."

Mikkel (19:32)

What is your top bucket list right now?

Dan (19:35)

I'm still going to say it's Antarctica. like, I go back to that, you know, we had a trip planned. Some things didn't work out so it's still like, gotta get there. Got to get there.

Mikkel (19:38)

Okay.

Yeah, I think there's an emotional pull of returning to this unfinished travel plan and sort of open-ended dream. Our trip was affected by COVID, unfortunately. But yeah, I think seeing those penguins in their natural habitat, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in Mikkelsen Harbor because my name is in it. 

Dan (19:55)

Right.

Yeah that is… I mean... It only makes sense.

Mikkel (20:11)

Look, my name's Mikkel. I don't see it a lot. So when I see it somewhere, it jumps out at me. I think for me, I don't know why, but like Egypt, somehow at some point, like jumped to the top of my bucket list. Maybe it was with the new museum opening there. And when we're on river cruises, a lot of the time we hear that it was the favorite river cruise of some of the other guests that we enter into conversations with.

Dan (20:14)

Alright.

Mikkel (20:38)

And then I remember when I was in middle school and elementary school, I just absolutely loved learning about Egyptian history. So it's kind of back at the forefront of my mind in terms of bucket lists.

Dan (20:51)

Yeah, that's interesting because we did Cairo on land and it was okay. Right? Like I, right. was right, but it wasn't on a river. It was. Yeah.

Mikkel (20:54)

Mm-hmm. 

Well, and it was during a cruise. So of course, we explored it by land. Right, right. We didn't get there by... We got there by a three and a half hour bus ride from Port Said, I believe, in Egypt. So yeah, that isn't, and I also think to your point, it was kind of like a

Dan (21:06)

Or by bus. Yeah, yeah.

Mikkel (21:16)

crack in the doorway of looking at that kind of culture.

Dan (21:17)

Yeah, it was a very rushed day. A lot of bus rides. There was a lot going on. So to take it slow and really take our time through Egypt, I think, yeah, that would be quite a bit of a juxtaposition between last time we were there and then what is offered to do it by river.

Mikkel (21:27)

Mm-hmm.

And I think the interesting thing about Egyptian Nile river cruises is that they're usually three or four-night combined with a land component. So kind of what we were saying before looking ahead for the years that more cruise lines are doing that. This has typically been the way it is in Egypt from what we understand historically. But sort of like leaning into that a little more. Also major cruise lines do Egypt, like AmaWaterways, Viking.

But also ones you've never heard of. Like we were just looking at one recently that I won't reveal just in case we end up going on it— we'll surprise you all. 

But there are really small, luxurious— like ultra luxurious— river cruise lines that do this that you've probably never heard of. So that always gets me excited to bring that to our audience. And lastly, I would say the Galapagos. We've done small ship cruising off the coast of Ecuador. 

Dan (22:16)

Mm-hmm.

Mikkel (22:27)

Ecuador has the Galapagos under its wing, governmentally, I would say, if that's a word. But we've never been to the Galapagos, so leaning into the nature and such, again, wildlife-focused. Who doesn't want to see those century plus old tortoises on land? And it's really the ideal destination and experience for small ships.

Dan (22:31)

Yeah, we still don't know how many photographs of blue-footed boobies are too many. So we need to go and take some more pictures.

Mikkel (22:54)

Yeah, that's a reference to our coastal Ecuador trip with Kontiki, that Dan's referencing. I mean, talk about a bucket list bird, Blue-footed Boobies.

Dan (23:02)

Yeah, I think my camera roll, still scroll through it and it's like a good three or four, three or four scrolls are all Blue-footed Boobies.

Mikkel (23:07)

Blue feet, blue feet, blue feet. And they're kind of like very caricature-looking birds, like a little dopey, but so cute. I love them. I love them. Okay.

Dan (23:20)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mikkel (23:23)

So use this year ahead as a milestone year. There's no time like the present. Watch these cruise lines develop things before booking, or as soon as they announce something, if it's really interesting to you, jump on it. Don't forget that when you put down a deposit, a lot of the time it's refundable before x-amount of weeks before the cruise. So don't feel like once you put down a deposit, you have to commit for all time. 

Maybe it's just kind of getting your foot wet, and then you can see if you really want to follow through with it. But also keeping realistic plans and big dreams so, you know, you step out of your comfort zone, kind of like you were saying, I think.

Dan (23:59)

Yeah, and you know, there's so much happening in the industry. There's new cruises being offered or new itineraries being offered, new players coming in.

But there's always the hits that are going to be there. Like Egypt is always going to be there and you know, the Mekong is always going to be there. So, well, yeah, got to hurry. But, overall you can, you can kind of mix and match, like Mikkel was saying, your realistic plans with your big dreams.

Mikkel (24:16)

Antarctica might not be there, unfortunately. Yeah, that's sad, but true.

Mm-hmm.

Dan (24:27)

That's kind of the way we've been attacking it for the last couple of years. Yeah, it's sparred a podcast. So, here we are.

Mikkel (24:30)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

So keep those favorites in mind. I don't have a problem returning to places that we liked before, because you always see it differently a couple of years later with new eyes and new experiences. Restaurants are always changing. Excursions are always changing that kind of thing. I want to know what you are excited about if you are listening out there. So reach out. Please let us know. We are @SometimesSailing on social media. We are @sometimes-sailing on YouTube.

I really want to hear what your dreams are for the year ahead and what you're looking forward to. Be sure to listen next week as we talk about Maine Windjammer Cruises. And Dan, just like you and I do, keep cruising.

Dan (25:16)

Keep cruising.