Puerto Rico is the ideal starting point for a Caribbean cruise: It receives more direct flights from the United States than other nearby points of embarkation, such as St. Thomas and Barbados, and saves the multiple days at sea necessary when leaving from Miami or Fort Lauderdale. After leaving San Juan, the yachtlike SeaDream I squeezes into several ports the big guys could never visit, including Jost Van Dyke (population 150), Nevis (St. Kitts's more sophisticated sister), and St. John. The ship has just 55 cabins, all with ocean views, and passengers can dine and even sleep alfresco. Most cruisers, arriving by ferry from St. Thomas, get only a few hours on St. John, but you'll have until late evening on this quiet U.S. Virgin Island, two-thirds of which is a national park (the land was donated by the Rockefeller family half a century ago). On St. Barts, a hotel room costs practically as much as a down payment on a three-bedroom back home, but since the ship overnights here, you can party with the island's regulars—the rich, the famous, the beautiful, and often all of the above—and sleep on board. You don't sail until the next evening, so rent a car to cruise around, and stop at Le Select for the cheeseburger made famous by Jimmy Buffet. And if 687-square-mile Guadeloupe isn't small enough for you, hop a ferry to Terre-de-Haut, a soupçon of France in the Caribbean.

How to book
Call Leslie Fambrini of Personalized Travel Consultants in Los Altos, California (650-949-0111; leslie@personalized-travel.com; personalized-travel.com).

Alaska
Top itinerary
"Voyage to the Bering Sea" on Cruise West's Spirit of Oceanus
Length 14 days
Departures July 7 and 19, 2008
Cost From $9,628, including air transfer from Nome to Anchorage
Map Click to view

Cruising has long been a popular way to see Alaska's Inside Passage, the finger of land that reaches into British Columbia. This rare itinerary sets sail from Whittier (60 miles from Anchorage), rounds the Aleutian Islands, and journeys north in the Bering Sea. From there, you'll crisscross the International Date Line, skirt the Russian coast, and brush the Arctic Circle. The ports visited are difficult to get to any other way and often don't have accommodations for land-based travelers. Kodiak Island, for one, is famous for its eponymous brown bears, but flights from Anchorage are expensive and frequently canceled due to bad weather. Another plus is the chance to view exotic wildlife (puffins, reindeer, and walrus) and to explore Aleut, Yupik, and Chukchi communities, where native artwork costs a quarter of what you'll pay in Anchorage. And with this itinerary, it's one-stop shopping: Given the remoteness, you'll want to stick with the group shore excursions, and the day in Anchorage and morning in Nome are sufficient for sightseeing. The Spirit of Oceanus, with 120 passengers, has a casual vibe and few onboard activities, since the focus of the trip is what's outside your window.