Coastal and inland cruises allow travelers to see domestic sights from a fresh angle. In Alaska, smaller vessels get closer to the state’s natural wonders.

Monika Wieland

Orca on watch in the cold Pacific Northwest waters.

Lake Superior beckons on a Great Lakes itinerary.

Small charters and big ships explore coastal Maine.

Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff

Hiking on Molokai is playtime off a cruise ship.

The American Queen plies the Mississippi River.

One Chesapeake Bay bounty is soft shell crabs.

Patricia Borns for the Boston Globe

Intracoastal sailors may see a shrimp boat in Georgia.