It s not true of big ships or small ships. The days are gone of passengers swathed in blankets and snoozing in their deck chairs. There are usually more things to do than you have time for. Actually being at sea gives you a sense of freedom and openness. Ships come in all shapes and sizes.
Ships can be diesel-powered, have paddlewheels, or be sailing ships.
There are river boats that go along the Danube or Rhine, the Volga in Russia, the remote jungle tributaries of the Amazon, the Yangtze, the Nile, the Snake River in Oregon, or up and down the Mississippi and the Ohio. There are icebreakers that can slice through ice in the Antarctic and Arctic. There are barges in Europe, and freighters, and even boats that can you charter yourself. Some have a fleet of zodiacs for quick access to coves and beaches. A small ship is part cruise ship and part private yacht.