You don't need to stick to big ships for a cruise to Alaska. Small ships, from crewed yachts and sailboats that carry a dozen people to a 235-passenger sternwheeler, also sail north.

They don't have many of the lavish amenities or entertainment of big cruise ships — and may cost significantly more. But passengers can see Alaska without the crowds since small ships can moor in out-of-way bays and ports, setting passengers ashore for visits and hikes, and cruise close to shore for in-your-face views of forested shorelines and glaciers.

Looking for an even cheaper way to go — with the same glorious scenery as a cruise ship? Take a ferry.

Alaska Marine Highway System ferries sail from Bellingham and Prince Rupert, B.C., to Southeast Alaska. Sleep in one of the bunk-bed staterooms; in reclining chairs in the lounges; stretch out in your sleeping bag in the upper-deck solarium or pitch a tent on the deck. Or ferry-hop along the coast by combining British Columbia and Alaska ferries. B.C. Ferries sail from Port Hardy on northern Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert, where you can pick up an Alaska ferry and continue north.

Here's how to find out more about these cruise options:

• The Web site of Small Ship Cruises, www.smallshipcruises.com, is a good place to start. Follow its Web links to dozen of companies. Or phone 800-290-0077 for more information/reservations.

• Two of the bigger small-ship cruise companies serving Alaska are the Seattle-based Cruise West (888-851-8133 or www.cruisewest.com) and Glacier Bay Cruiseline (800-451-5952 or www.glacierbaytours.com/ )

Adventure-travel companies, including Seattle-based REI Adventures (800-622-2236 or www.rei.com/adventures/) or Wildland Adventures (800-345-4453 or www.wildland.com) also offer small-ship Alaska voyages.

• American West Steamboat Co. has cruises to Alaska aboard its Empress of the North, an elegant replica of a 19th-century paddlewheeler. 800-434-1232 or www.americanweststeamboat.com/

• Crewed yachts and sailboats sail within Southeast Alaska or travel up the Inside Passage from Seattle, Port Townsend, Vancouver, B.C., and other ports. Do a Google search for "Alaska and yachts" to find dozens of options. One of the better known vessels is the 65-foot Snow Goose, which offers San Juan Islands trips in spring and fall and 9- to 11-day cruises in Southeast Alaska in summer (888-877-1770 or www.bluewateradventures.ca/ )

• For information on ferries: Alaska Marine Highway System, 800-642-0066 or www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/B.C. Ferries: 250-386-3431 or www.bcferries.bc.ca/

Kristin Jackson: 206-464-2271 or kjackson@seattletimes.com