Date: 4/27/26 4:14 pm From: mtove (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: RE: Comments and recommendations on pelagic birding -- from the small boats to the larger cruise ships
Harry and others make some valid points but from the perspective of somewhat limited experience with cruise ship pelagics. Having done a goodly number of cruise ship pelagics, I can perhaps offer some more specific insights.
First, I definitely agree that the cruise line makes a huge difference. From my experience, Princess is top of the line because there is a walking track that circumnavigates the perimeter of the ship – including right at the bow. Seabirds do come by close in front of the ship and at the bow, you’re often looking directly down on top of them at point blank range.
Second, the route (itinerary) makes an enormous difference. For example, of the many Caribbean cruises I’ve taken, the number of pelagic birds is paltry – often leaving hours of empty ocean. Hawaii (from San Francisco, and return via Ensenada back to San Francisco) (this past December) was painfully slow. Conversely, Alaska Inside Passage, Mexican Riviera and especially South America to Antarctica were off the charts – especially the latter which had days of up to 100,000 birds per day (10 species of Albatross!, plus petrels, shearwaters galore, etc. – many following the ship in its wake or passing the ship at point blank range. The Antarctic trip also had a ship’s naturalist (a skilled birder) on watch daily.
Third, with one-day trips, there is a serious limit to just how far you can go. Conversely, with cruise ships, you get to penetrate the ocean much farther than is possible on any one-day (or even overnight) small boat pelagic.
Fourth, trip length makes a difference. Most cruise ships are 7-day excursions – usually round trip so at most, you’re at sea 3 days times two directions (same route). Longer trips offer better opportunity. Case-in-point, South America-Antarctica was 17 Days; Hawaii was 16 and this coming December, I plan a 13-day trip from Sydney, Australia to New Zealand and return (different out-bound vs return routes). Time will tell, but I anticipate more pelagic species than on any previous trip – and except for Antarctica, by a factor of 3.
I do agree that small boat pelagics have the advantage of getting much closer for extended periods, being able to chase and permit chumming (cruise ships prohibit throwing ANYTHING overboard) so there is a trade-off. None-the-less, good luck seeing Tristan’s, Light-mantled AND Sooty albatrosses from a one-day pelagic; or flocks of seabirds numbering in the 100,000’s per day, etc. on a typical small boat experience – and then dealing with the specter of small craft advisory level rough seas (and all that entails) – or waking at the wee hours, slugging down a biscuit and McDonald’s Coffee in the morning before departure, and having no comfortable place to rest if (when) you reach the limits of your ability to concentrate. And, if you have a balcony room, you get to bird in your PJ’s (if you want).
So, yes, small boat pelagics have some advantages – and anyone who knows me, knows I’ve taken untold numbers for decades. Having said that, I love cruise ship pelagics.
Mike Tove
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> On Behalf Of Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List)
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2026 1:22 PM
To: carolinabirds listserve <carolinabirds...>; Harry LeGrand <hlegrandjr...>
Subject: Comments and recommendations on pelagic birding -- from the small boats to the larger cruise ships
Folks,
I finally did my first pelagic birding trip from a major cruise line ship, after doing 80-100 pelagic trips from various sizes of boats and smaller naturalist trip ships. Though my sole experience on the 2,100-passenger Eurodam along the Pacific Coast of the USA a week ago will differ from other birders' experiences on cruise ships in other regions, such as Antarctica, at least now I have experienced birding with a scope on a ship (for better or worse). [The birds on this trip were quite skittish and mostly far from the ship, whereas in other areas they are more easily seen from the ships.] So, here are my recommendations for those who enjoy pelagic birds and birding as much as I do.
Single-day trips on boats (6-man boats up to perhaps 50-passenger boats).
POSITIVES:
1. large number of coastal locale options to choose from, with dozens of trips from some ports - such as from Hatteras Inlet (Seabirding Inc.) as well as places such as Monterey and other West Coast ports.
2. Closeness of the birds to the boat. The smaller the vessel, the less shy birds are.
3. Potential for the skipper/leader to have the boat chase after a rare bird flying away or to travel to a distant bird or flock of birds to get closer
4. always a large number of other birders on board, assuming a boat chartered for this purpose
NEGATIVES:
1. Poor weather can often cause cancellation (or postponement) of the trip
2. Boat rocks more than on larger boats and ships; thus many people who get seasick will avoid this option
3. More costly than with other options, and some to many all-day trips can cost $200 or more a person.
Multiple day trips on naturalist ships (typically 50-150 passengers for 1-2 weeks or more)
POSITIVES:
1. More stable vessel for holding steady, though still not suitable for scopes; birds are not too distant, and most can be identified with binoculars
2. Nearly always several hired birders or naturalists on the cruise who assist or lead passengers in identifying birds; usually quite a few birders on board as well, and thus usually many people on board to spot and identify birds
3. Most vessels have small Zodiacs that will ferry passengers to shore at various stops, often two visits per day.
4. Routes are usually 500 miles or more long and with a good potential for dozens of pelagic species
NEGATIVES:
1. Costly, as most trips will run $500 or more a day, such as $5000 or more for a 10-day trip; food included, but often set lunch and dinner menus
2. Scopes are not feasible, as the vessels still rock a bit
3. Normally, these small ships do not veer off the set course to examine a distant flock of birds
Multiple day trips on cruise ships (typically 1,000 or more passengers, for 5 days or more)
POSITIVES:
1. Quite inexpensive, often averaging about $200/day that includes all you-can-eat buffets and free entertainment options
2. The vessel is large enough to be quite stable, with often little rocking; so scope can be used
3. Though cruise ships do not normally have hired birders on board, there may well be birding groups onboard with their own leaders and experts
4. The routes are often 1,000 miles long or more and thus there is a potential for a long list of species
NEGATIVES:
1. Birds can often be far away, especially on the open sea. Even with a scope, smaller species such as storm-petrels and most alcids can be difficult to ID. Thankfully, birds are less flighty along a shoreline or next to the coast.
2. More red-tape in booking and boarding with a major cruise line, though not much more than with a naturalist cruise company; packing and dealing with scopes on ships can be risky and troublesome.
3. The very large number of people on-board (a few thousand), often leading to crowded conditions at dining facilities.
I hope this helps, but the main choice(s) of vessel type depends mostly on where you want to go and what species you are most interested in (and that includes mammals such as whales, dolphins, seals, Polar Bears, and Walruses) -- and secondarily on the size of the vessel you want to use for travel. You will find that some species you want to see can only reasonably be reached with a large cruise ship, or with a naturalist ship, whereas other species are best searched for on single-day boat trips -- such as looking for Gulf Stream birds off the NC coast.
