Alaska beckons small-ship aficionados

If you want to create a heated discussion among cruisers, ask whether they prefer large or small ships. Those who like megaships probably will praise their variety of activities, the comfort of the cabins, the dining options and menus, glitzy entertainment and the dressy party atmosphere in the lounges or casino.

Small-ship aficionados probably will say those are the reasons they prefer small vessels. They seek the camaraderie of their fellow passengers, a casual dress code and educational lectures with experts. Most of all, they like close-up views of the scenery and wildlife without a regimented itinerary.

Some of the small ships that will sail in Alaska this summer will have such enticements. The prices quoted for the ships listed below are brochure, cruise-only rates and are per person, double occupancy. A travel agent may be able to find lower fares. Almost all the companies offer pre- and post-cruise land tours.

American Safari Cruises, which calls itself the “smallest ship” cruise line, will have three yachts in Alaskan waters this summer. The 22-passenger Safari Quest will travel into the wilderness between Juneau and Sitka, sailing into Tracy Arm and Frederick Sound to Petersburg, Admiralty Island and Nakwasina Sound. The Safari Spirit and Safari Escape, which carry 12 passengers each, will sail seven-night trips between Juneau and Prince Rupert, Canada. They will call at Ketchikan and Petersburg and sail into Tracy Arm, Yes Bay and Misty Fiords.

The luxury all-inclusive yachts offer open bar, wines at meals and shore excursions, including “flight-seeing.” The ships’ captains sail into inlets and coves where larger ships can’t fit, for close-up looks at whales and other wildlife. Activities include kayaking, glacier-viewing and exploring villages and wilderness areas. Daily rates range from $528 to $1,070. For information, (888) 862-8881, www.amsafari.com.

Alaska Sternwheeler Cruises will launch its inaugural season by sending the 235-passenger Empress of the North, the only sternwheeler in Alaska, on 11-night cruises between Seattle and Juneau. The paddle wheeler will cruise through Lake Washington and among the San Juan Islands in Washington state, up the Inside Passage, Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm, Misty Fiords, Peril Strait and Le Conte Bay. Port calls are planned at Victoria and Vancouver, Canada, and Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Skagway and Juneau in Alaska.

The boat, with all outside cabins and suites, has a dining room big enough to hold all passengers at one sitting and two show rooms with showboat entertainment. Some shore excursions are included in the cruise price. Daily rates range from $410 to $704, but discounted inaugural rates are available. For information, (800) 434-1232, www.alaskacruisetour.com.

Clipper Cruise Line will send two small ships into Alaska. The 139-passenger Yorktown Clipper will sail on seven-night cruises between Juneau and Ketchikan, calling at Sitka and Petersburg and cruising in Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm and Misty Fiords. Daily rates range from $344 to $524.

The Clipper Odyssey will make 13-night cruises between Anchorage and Prince Rupert (including a round-trip charter flight from Seattle), calling at Juneau, Haines, Wrangell and Ketchikan and sailing College Fiord, Prince William Sound, the Gulf of Alaska, Elfin Cove, Tracy Arm, Sawyer Glacier and the Behm Canal. Daily rates range from $450 to $650.

Passengers on a one-time 15-day cruise departing June 19 will fly from Anchorage and embark in Petropavlovsk, Russia, sail along the Kamchatka Peninsula and Bering Island and stop in the Aleutian Archipelago before returning to Seward, Alaska. Daily rates range from $433 to $620. For information, (800) 325-0010, www.clippercruise.com.

Cruise West will deploy seven ships offering a range of itineraries and land tours in Alaska this summer. The 84-passenger Spirit of Discovery and the 102-passenger Spirit of Endeavour will make eight-night cruises between Ketchikan and Juneau. The vessels will call at Petersburg, Sitka and Skagway/Haines and cruise Frederick Sound, Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. Daily rates range from $425 to $538.

The Spirit of ‘98, which carries 96 passengers, will evoke the days of early coastal steamers as it does eight-night cruises between Seattle and Juneau, sailing along the coast of British Columbia, Canada, and into Misty Fiords, Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay and calling at Ketchikan and Skagway/Haines. Daily rates range from $475 to $825.

The 70-passenger Sheltered Seas will make four- and five-night trips, with daytime cruises into Misty Fiords, Le Conte Bay, Frederick Sound and Tracy Arm and overnight hotel stays in Ketchikan, Petersburg and Juneau. Daily rates range from $349 to $430.

The Spirit of Oceanus, holding 114 passengers, is the most luxurious of Cruise West vessels, and it will offer the line’s most adventurous route, sailing 13-night trips from Anchorage to Homer, Kodiak, Katmai National Park, the Shumagin Islands, Dutch Harbor, the Pribilof Islands and the Bering Sea in Alaska. The ship will then sail to Provideniya and Yanrakynnot, Russia, crossing the Arctic Circle to Nome, Alaska. Daily rates range from $554 to $808.

The 78-passenger Spirit of Columbia offers short three- or four-night cruises of glacier country, combined with an overland tour. The ship sails from Whittier, Alaska, and cruises in College Fiord, Esther Passage, Prince William Sound and near Chenega Glacier, stopping at Cordova, Alaska. Daily rates range from $316 to $562.

The Spirit of Alaska, also carrying 78 passengers, will make eight-night round-trip cruises from Juneau, calling at Sitka and the Tlingit village of Kake, cruising the wilderness in Tracy Arm, among the Baranof Islands, the Alexander Archipelago and Glacier Bay. Daily rates range from $325 to $575. For information, (800) 888-9378, www.cruise west.com.

Glacier Bay Cruises will have two ships sailing out of Juneau. The Wilderness Adventurer, carrying 76 passengers, will make seven-night cruises to Ketchikan. Some of the activities offered include river rafting, kayaking and exploring Glacier Bay, with stops for walks and visits to Wrangell and the Indian community of Metlakatla. Daily rates range from $360 to $521.

The 98-passenger Wilderness Discoverer heads out on seven-night trips to Sitka, cruising Frederick Sound, Tracy Arm, Lynn Canal, Icy Strait and Glacier Bay and making stops at Petersburg, Skagway/Haines and the ABC Islands of Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof. Daily rates range from $378 to $613. Both cruises offer land add-ons with backpacking, kayaking and special birding cruises. For information, (800) 451-5952, www.glacierbaycruiseline.com.

Lindblad Expeditions has two 70-passenger ships, the Sea Bird and Sea Lion, which make seven-night cruises between Juneau and Sitka, offering excellent on-board enrichment programs as the ships cruise Tracy Arm, Frederick Sound, Glacier Bay and Point Adolphus. An ever-changing route will include stops at Petersburg and out islands on a wilderness adventure of whale and bird-watching, kayaking and rides on Zodiac inflatable boats. Daily rates range from $527 to $764. For information, (800) 762-0003, www.expeditions.com.

Harry Basch travels as a guest of the cruise lines. Cruise Views appears twice a month.