All the hype about cruising as the vacation of the 21st century does indeed have a kernel of truth: There is a right cruise for every traveler. Your choices range from lengthy and informal freighter voyages to glamorous journeys aboard ultra-luxe ships. A perennial favorite among thoughtful travelers is the small expedition-class ship combining exceptional adventure with satisfying creature comforts.

These are voyages of discovery in which distant, little-known or uncommon destinations are the magnet, not the ship's facilities and amenities. Owned or chartered by first-rate tour operators, these ships seek out natural, manmade and cultural wonders, duplicate the routes of famous explorers and venture to remote and fabled destinations.

These tend to be small ocean-going ships that carry from fewer than 40 up to 200 or so passengers in good to sumptuous style but do not offer the glitzy diversions of larger ships. Like freighters, the cabins of many recently built expedition-class ships are spacious and well-appointed. Those that have been converted from ships of other uses may provide smaller accommodations and simpler comforts. Often, these special ships have been designed with shallow drafts that permit shore landings at uninhabited beaches or with gangway platforms for boarding tenders. Or they may have super-strong hulls built to withstand ice conditions of the Arctic and Antarctic. These expedition ships tend to offer a smooth, stabilized sail, with cruise speeds from 10-20 knots.

On board, you could have only one fixed sitting and one menu of several courses per meal, sometimes served family-style but with proper napery and table settings. The fare will vary from adequate to superb. Shipboard routine is often so informal that donning a shirt or cover-up at meals may be the only dress code. Otherwise, you wear whatever is compatible with the climate and cultural standards of your destinations.

Your shipmates, similar to freighter buffs, will be sophisticated, knowledgeable folks with common interests, thoroughly enriching companions. Between lectures and shore excursions, you'll have plenty of free time for books, conversation and other relaxing pursuits.

Depending on the specific purpose of the voyage, the tour operator will usually engage experts to guide the onshore explorations and to lecture on pertinent background. The expert could be an internationally acclaimed author, scientist or professor, or it could be the local-born captain of your ship with intimate knowledge of his environs. These cruises do provide — normally included but occasionally optional — outstanding shore programs with an emphasis on the historic, cultural, scenic and living marvels of our universe.

In many instances, expedition-class cruises provide the only means available to visit unusual destinations of logistically difficult access.

The price tag for these compelling voyages will vary upward from a modest minimum of about $400 per diem, depending upon the ship's level of comfort and its programs and itinerary. All-inclusive expeditions to once-in-a-lifetime destinations with in-depth land excursions can well run $800 and higher per day. Expedition cruises provide exceptional value for your dollar, plus an intelligent, absolutely compelling travel experience.

Among the top operators or representatives of small ships with changing global itineraries are Zegrahm Expeditions, 800-628-8747 or www.zeco.com; Intrav Clipper Cruises, 800-456-8100 or www.intrav.com; Abercrombie & Kent, 800-554-7016 or www.abercrombiekent.com; Travel Dynamics International, 800-257-5767 or www.traveldynamicsinternational.com; the newly resurrected Swan Hellenic Cruises, www.swanhellenic.com; Noble Caledonia, www.noble-caledonia.co.uk; International Expeditions, 800-633-4734 or www.internationalexpeditions.com; and Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic, 800-397-3348 or www.expeditions.com.

Riveting expedition voyages to one or more regions are offered by Hurtigruten (formerly Bergen) Line, 800-323-7436 or www.hurtigruten.us, Norwegian coast, South America, Pole to Pole, and Greenland; Coral Princess Cruises, 800-441-6880 or www.coralprincess.com.au, Australia, New Zealand and Melanesia; Peregrine Adventures, 800-227-8747 or peregrine adventures.com, Antarctica and Arctic; Trans Niugini Tours, www.pngtours.com, Papua New Guinea Sepik River; Quark Expeditions, 800-356-5699 or www.quarkexpeditions.com, polar regions; Cruceros Australis, www.australis.com, South America's Patagonia and Cape Horn; Heritage Expeditions, www.heritage-expeditions.com, Antarctica, Russian Far East and southwest Pacific; Galapagos Tours and Cruises, 800-747-0567 or www.galapagoscruise.com.ec, Galapagos Islands; Orion Expedition Cruises, www.orioncruis es.com.au, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Antarctica, New Guinea, Melanesia and Solomon Islands.

Irene Croft Jr. of Kailua, Kona, is a travel writer and 40-year veteran globetrotter. Her column is published in this section every other week.

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