Who will love it: Wildlife fanatics, glacier buffs and photographers, from amateur to expert. Also, anyone who is eager to learn about how fjords are formed, why glaciers are disappearing and what bears really do in the woods.

Who will hate it: Indoorsy types who want to see Alaska, but who also want diversions -- casino, hot tubs, bingo, nightclubs -- for when they get bored with leaf-peeping and glacier gazing. Also, those who value large cabins and anyone who is sensitive to seasickness (the smaller the ship, the bigger the rocking).

Cost: A small-ship cruise can run $400 to $1,200 per night, depending on the size of the ship, the length of the itinerary and the level of luxury, service and amenities.

-- SPUD HILTON

When compared with the oceangoing megalopolises of the large cruise lines or the swanky, yachtlike vessels of the small cruise lines, the 11 ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System seem like public transportation -- which, in fact, they are. Alaskans in maritime communities from Ketchikan at the bottom of the Alaska Panhandle to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands depend on the state-owned ferry fleet the way Bay Area people depend on BART.

For visitors, ferries are ''the poor man's cruise ship,'' plying the same waters, passing the same saw-toothed mountains and glaciers, spotting the same whales and calling on the same ports as ships built for the monied and the middle class. But ferry travel offers more than just a budget approach to Alaska. It offers a deeper look into the place than you'd get otherwise, with stops at tiny fishing communities and far-flung native villages where no real cruise ship would ever dream of dropping a gangplank.

Yes, you sacrifice comfort and convenience, but you wind up on far more intimate terms with America's final frontier. Let's face it, you won't discover the real Alaska aboard a cruise ship, standing in the buffet line on Deck 14 or getting a frangipani body wrap in the day spa. Aboard the ferry, you'll find it at every turn -- at the rail smoking cigarettes in its Carhartt and Xtratuf boots, in the forward observation lounge nursing its baby beneath a Chilkat blanket, in the cocktail lounge spinning yarns of king crab fishing on the Bering Sea that are so harrowing you won't believe them unless you've seen ``Deadliest Catch.''

Cabins: The math that makes ferry travel more affordable than even the most heavily discounted mass-market cruise works out only if you do what most passengers do: Bring a sleeping bag and sack out in the recliner lounge, or join the backpackers in the solarium and duct-tape a tent to the deck. If you book a cabin, don't expect a rosewood interior and a private balcony -- just painted steel walls, two to four berths and hopefully a private bath. Even so, it will cost you about the same as the cheapest weeklong Carnival cruise to Alaska, which includes all meals. (The ferry fare won't.)

Food: Every ship has a snack bar or a cafeteria, a couple have sit-down dining rooms and all have microwaves for those packing their meals on their backs. Alaskan seafood figures prominently.

On-board entertainment: All of the ferries carry cars, and watching drivers inch them on and off the ship is kind of fun, for the first few ports, at least. You're not entirely on your own for amusement, though. Some ships have cardrooms, reading rooms, video arcades, cocktail lounges and even movie theaters screening feature films. Naturalists from the U.S. Forest Service or Fish and Wildlife Service, who do running commentary on the landscape and wildlife, are standard issue.

Shore excursions: Once you go ashore, you're on your own. What the ferry will do for you, though, is let you bring bicycles and kayaks along. With those, your hiking boots and a good guidebook, you'll be fine.

Itineraries: The Inside Passage of southeast Alaska is the most popular route for visitors. Northbound voyages originate in Bellingham, Wash., and in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It takes about 2½ days to make the full run from Bellingham to the end of the line at Haines, but you'll want to hop off along the way and explore. In the summer, no more than a day and a half will pass before another ferry comes along headed your way. The only thing is, it may come at 4 a.m.

Who will love it: Backpackers and other budget-minded sorts; do-it-yourselfers; those seeking Alaska in all of its bearded, flanneled, profane glory; those who love it when there's nothing else to do so they can get some reading done.

Who will hate it: People who want pampering; anybody who believes going to sea without a nine-hole golf range -- or at least a golf simulator -- is an unreasonable privation; those who want to get to know Alaska, but from a safe distance.

Cost: Fares vary by route, but for the popular Bellingham-to-Juneau run, a one-way ticket costs $326, and two-berth cabins start at $308. You can cram as many people into the cabin as you wouldn't mind stepping on in the middle of the night, and the price stays the same.

-- DAVID THOMPSON

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