The Caribbean's Best Small Cruise Ships

A twin sister to Silver Whisper and slightly larger than Silver Cloud and Silver Wind, Silver Shadow is a frequent visitor to the Caribbean, and will cruise in the islands again in early and late 2009. An all-suite ship, with room for 382 passengers and 295 attentive crew members, she has six grades of suites from the standard Vista and Verandah (the latter with private balconies) up to the two spectacular penthouse Grand Suites. The Silver Suites, with separate lounge, dining and sleeping quarters, Bose sound systems and lavish furnishings, are our top pick. The food is gourmet Italian, and the cruise fare is all-inclusive, except for vintage wines, treatments in the fab Mandara Spa and personal expenses. Shore tours are top-notch, if pricey, but the overall experience is hard to beat.

A cruise on SeaDream II, one of two mega-yachts sailing the Caribbean and Mediterranean, is like being on the boat of a very rich relative. Sleek, private and discrete, this is deluxe cruising at its best with a maximum 106 passengers and 89 crew members. Its small size allows it to slip into the most intimate islands and ports—think Anguilla, Virgin Gorda, St Barth's, Monte Carlo, Amalfi and Capri. On the flip side, the cabins and suites aren't large, but are awash with stylish and contemporary comfort, en suite bathrooms, Bulgari amenities and other luxuries. Like Silversea, a SeaDream cruise is all-inclusive, so no money changes hands. The Asian Spa has a good menu of pampering treatments, but SeaDream II is all about the dining—gourmet cuisine, top wines and silver service—and every week on some remote beach the staff wade into the water and serve caviar in the surf. Heaven!

Seabourn enters a new era in luxury cruising with the launch of Seabourn Odyssey in 2009, and she will make her maiden Caribbean voyages in mid-Movember for about a month. Until then, the almost-identical trio of Seabourn Spirit, Legend and Pride flies the flag. Spirit carries a maximum 212 passengers and 160 crew, but only the suites have (tiny) balconies, a shortcoming to be remedied in the new Odyssey design. The cabins are still good—Frette linens, Bose sound systems, marble bathrooms with a full-size tub, and lots of storage for those who like to dress for dinner. Celebrity chef Charlie Palmer oversees the menus (lunch and dinner include table wines, but other better ones are extra). The Spa at Seabourn is always busy, and there's a decent fitness center. It's a notch under Silversea and SeaDream, but a great cruise experience nonetheless.