Luxury cruise ships that aren't floating hotels

A gourmet meal, a cocktail (or two) and I was ready to collapse in my quarters.

The Star Flyer -- a four-masted, 16-sail luxury sailing ship -- holds only 170 passengers maximum (and there weren't that many on my trip).

But it offers the deluxe amenities of the larger cruise ships combined with the romance and adventure of a time-tested, fully rigged vessel that draws its power from the wind.

I awoke early the next day, nearly dawn, and wandered up on deck.

A busy international crew, few who spoke English, had us well under sail.

On the horizon, Turkey, where Kusadasi would be our first port of call, with guided trips to Ephesus, of biblical fame, and the reputed final home of Jesus' mother Mary.

Someone handed me hot coffee.

The sun rose over the Aegean Sea.

It all felt right and timeless.

An eight-day cruise like this around the Mediterranean and Aegean offers a much grander sense of adventure and smaller onboard population than larger engine-powered cruise lines.

Here are eight ships, scattered around the planet, that'll sail passengers to a more exclusive cruise vacation.This four-masted ship, 360 feet long, holds a crew of 72 and 170 passengers, many of whom will become close mates by the end of the trip.

It's casual elegance aboard ship, with comfortable cabins, open-seating dining, two swimming pools and other amenities.

But it's the dynamics of feeling the pull of 16 full sails trimmed for maximum speed in open water that will have passengers giggling and singing their own sea shanty.

Standing on the teak deck, there's a sense of old adventure and new discovery.

The Star Flyer offers island-hopping throughout the Mediterranean in the summer and heads to the Caribbean from November to April.

Day trips are educationally fun, with stops at salty tavernas complete with retsina and ouzo, Greek orthodox churches, ancient Greek ruins and postcard-worthy villages and ports.

Nothing beats the view of your harbored sailing vessel from atop a Greek hill.

(CNN)