"Big ships are the destination; small ships take you to destinations" -- is the mantra of Empress of the North -- and that describes the experience in a nutshell. The newly built, Russian-themed paddlewheeler was specially designed to bring passengers up close to Alaska's wildlife (bears, whales), scenery (glaciers, fjords), and cultural activities (totem pole carving, Russian dancing) without giving up creature comforts.

If you like homey surroundings and a smooth-as-glass ride, sternwheeling may be just your ticket to cruise. Think of the ship as a floating southern plantation with wide verandahs set with lots of rocking chairs and rooms decorated in Victorian style. The only thing missing is the butler offering mint juleps. If you want a drink while you're relaxing on the deck, you'll have to go to the bar yourself -- didn't I say it's "homey?"

With only four decks, getting around the Empress is a breeze. You'll know most of your fellow travelers (about 80 percent are former cruisers from sister ship Queen of the West) and the friendly all- American crew by day three. The trade-off is that choices on board are limited -- no casino, no pool, no spa, no gym or mini-golf. So you might as well pull up a chair and enjoy the view -- either from the sunny back deck or your private verandah. The riverboat's shallow draft brings the scenery almost within touching distance, and the quiet propulsion lets you get close to wildlife. It's a slowed-down version of Cruise West's Alaska combined with lovely accommodations. And, the paddlewheeler is the center of attention everywhere she goes. It's fun being the attraction among all those mega-ships.

Dining
The Romanov Dining Room, inspired by a Russian palace, is decorated in rich reds and features portraits of Emperor Peter the Great and Empress Catherine I of the Romanov Dynasty. Crystal chandeliers in several sizes hang from the ceiling. The room, aft on Deck 1, seats everyone at once at tables for four, six or eight. Window seating is at booths for four or six, which makes serving window-side guests a matter of passing plates. The tables are crowded, and more than one server dropped his or her tray while trying to squeeze between the chairs.

All passengers are requested to arrive promptly for dinner as the wait staff works in banquet hall fashion with appetizers served before moving on to the salads, and so on. Breakfast is a bit freer, but it only lasts an hour, usually from 7 to 8 a.m.

Lunch menus offer two soups, a salad, four main dishes such as a Ruben sandwich or crab cakes, and desert. Dinner is a five-course affair - a choice of two each for appetizers, soups and salads; four entrees including one fish and one vegetarian; and two deserts. The king crab legs and king salmon were my personal favorites.

A limited selection of West Coast wines costs $14 to $189 (Opus One).

Room service is limited to continental breakfast for the top 16 suites and superior staterooms. Passengers in the Owners and Empress Suites may order room service at any time, but rarely do. If you want to have coffee on your verandah, you can get it yourself 24-hours a day at the top deck's Calliope Bar & Grill -- reminiscent of an old fashioned ice cream parlor with red and white striped cushions on wrought iron chairs. There are help-yourself machines for cappuccino, juice, frozen yogurt and popcorn. This is also the place to grab a light breakfast (rolls, cereal, fruit) or lunch (hot dogs, soup, salad, sandwiches). The deck space is covered and kept enclosed in chilly or rainy weather, and there really is a calliope. Note that this is a smoking area and a bar.

Public Rooms
During the day, the Golden Nugget Showroom (forward on Deck 1) is the largest public space available for reading or relaxing when there's not a lecture on the schedule. The decor is red, gold and deep green with table seating plus benches under the port and starboard windows. There is a central stage at the front and a dark wooden bar in the rear corner. Amusing drawings decorating the walls depict Wild West dance hall scenes.

The highlight of the onboard art is the display of bejeweled Faberge eggs located outside the showroom. The adjacent collection of Native American artifacts is also impressive, especially for a small ship. Throughout the corridors, a series of framed art adds color, plus a touch of history. It is grouped by topic -- steamboating, frontier life, Russian nobility and Alaskan wildlife. A much- needed flyer describing the art is in the works - it seemed odd that, despite compiling such a unique collection no one on board was able to discuss it.

The Paddlewheel Lounge on Deck 2 is a warm and fuzzy kind of place. There are comfortable chairs, tables made of sticks, and a corner bandstand for evening musical entertainment. The lounge, which overlooks the turning paddlewheel, doubles as the library and game room. Happily, the drone of the paddlewheel has been muffled (a problem in this lounge on Queen of the West), making this the ship's favored cocktail spot.

The large sun deck behind the Calliope Bar has wooden lounge and rocking chairs. Other sunning spots can be found forward on Decks 2, 3 and 4.

There are no laundry facilities, but irons are available for use in your cabin.

Cabins
All 112 cabins are outside, and 105 come with a private verandah. The 200-square foot (including verandah) Value Staterooms are located on the top deck next to the 380-square foot Vista Suites. These have verandahs that are less than private. Anyone can walk right past -- the "Vista View" deck is also the promenade/sun deck, and the public walkway is directly in front of these particular verandahs. On our trip, we noticed that some passengers kept their shades pulled most of the time, which was a shame as they had the most panoramic views.

The two top suites face forward (Deck 2 and 3) and have a separate sitting room and bedroom. Some cabins have fixed twin beds, some queen-size, and some convert from one to the other. Furnishings throughout are Victorian, with handsome wood cabinetry, floral bedspreads and ample closets. All bathrooms are identical with one sink and a rather small shower (no tub).

Standard amenities include a TV, DVD, phone, stocked mini-bar (no room for personal items in the fridge), hair dryer and basic toiletries. Extra goodies in the three top categories (16 rooms) are terry robes, pillow-top mattress, separate sitting area, and larger TV -- but keep it down. Your next-door neighbors can hear through the walls.

Electricity is 110 volt.

Entertainment
Excursions are included in the cruise fare, making up the main daytime entertainment. They are designed to give passengers a balanced overview of Alaska (or the Columbia River). One disappointment was that Empress of the North doesn't steam into Glacier Bay as yet, and passengers had to transfer to an excursion boat for the eight-hour day trip to the ice flows. It would have been an entirely different (better) experience had we been able to go to our cabins, move around the decks and have lunch on board our ship instead of sitting in the same seat all day on a crowded small boat. Fortunately the other excursions worked well and were similar to those on offer from major cruise lines, like a ride on the White Pass Railway in Skagway and a tour of Butchart Gardens in Victoria.

Nightly shows take place in the Golden Nugget, each featuring about an hour of jazz, magic, Broadway songs or other musical performances. The shows, which end by 10 p.m., are followed by dance music. Most passengers retire early to be ready for the morning's excursion.

The gift shop offers recent DVDs for in-cabin use (mostly recent releases). Be sure to check the erratic store hours so that you have a movie at hand when you want to watch one. Movies are also shown on the cabin TV throughout the day.

Fitness & Recreation
There is no gym or pool onboard. Plan on getting your exercise ashore.

Family
These cruises do not cater to children. No special kid spaces or activities are offered, nor are there any special childrens' fares.

Fellow Passengers
Passengers tend to be well-traveled, well-heeled couples over the age of 50. Many 70- to 80-something passengers cruise in Alaska. Most are American. The wide corridors and two elevators are a boon for wheelchair passengers.

Dress Code
Casual clothes -- slacks, sweaters, polo shirts -- are fine for dinner, except for the Captain's Farewell Dinner when roughly two-thirds of the men wear a blazer or jacket. Women wear slacks or casual dresses, not fancy cocktail dresses.

Gratuity
The suggested gratuity is $12 to $14 per person, per day -- pooled for distribution to the crew. A 15 percent tip is automatically added to bar bills.