View our slide show of Vance's cruise with Alaskan Dream Cruises.

As much as my wife and I wanted to explore Alaska, we were a bit hesitant when Hideaways suggested a trip with Alaskan Dream Cruises. Our idea of a great vacation is plenty of hiking and mixing with the locals to get a beyond-the-guidebooks taste of an area. We feared that might not be possible on a cruise, but we were confident Hideaways knew what floated our boat and signed on for an eight-day tour around Glacier Bay.

The recommendation was brilliant but, while eager to share the experience, I have to admit I still haven't experienced a "traditional" big-ship cruise. Alaskan Dream Cruises is quite different from the big lines. Their two ships, Alaskan Dream and The Admiralty, are diminutive by typical cruise standards, with a capacity of only 42 and 66 passengers, respectively. There's no pool, no playground, no formal dining. However, we found this proved the adage that "less is more," and Kim and I didn't miss anything on the luxury front. These nimble boats penetrate deeply into breathtakingly beautiful passages along the Alaskan panhandle, which are off limits to the big guys. We were often the sole "cruise" boat docking at little-known ports of call.