At the core of the Variety Cruises product are seven-day life-enriching cruises, said Constantine Venetopoulos, director of communications and PR for the third-generation Venetopoulos-owned family business.

A rebrand scheduled for October will show off a new identity for the small-ship operator, which is adding more soft adventure options and theme cruises, Venetopoulos said.

“Our repeaters have a growing interest in soft adventure,” he added.

There is also expanded deployment with the Seychelles back, Tahiti coming soon and a return to Cape Verde later this year and West Africa in 2023-2024.

“We are a global company but the American market is the biggest for us,” continued Venetopoulos. With small ships, there is a focus on full-ship charters to groups, alumni associations and even other cruise companies.

Small ships for Variety mean smaller than almost all other operators, with an average ship size of about 50 guests.

“We don’t really have that much immediate competition in terms of the cruise experience and ships,” Venetopoulos explained. “For us luxury is the size and intimacy, creating a family experience aboard.”

Perhaps the core company product is the Jewels of the Cyclades program, sailing from Athens on an eight-day program including calls in Santorini., Mykonos, Folegandros, Poliegos, Delos, Paros, Syros, Kythnos and Poros on the 49-guest Galileo.

“That is one of the best sellers and goes to some more intimate ports,” Venetopoulos said.

With off-the-beaten path itinerary options, the burden of sustainable tourism is a real responsibility for the company.

In Gambia the company goes up-river where Venetopoulos said tourism didn’t exist.

“It’s really unexplored; there is no tourism there … it is about discovering unknown places and putting them on the map, but also in a sustainable, responsible way and not overwhelming them.”