Now comes word that one of the world's top small ship lines plans a far more intimate, upscale and adventurous type of cruising for the Aloha State.

Luxury line American Safari Cruises says it will launch high-end, seven-night voyages around the Islands in December 2008 aboard a 39-passenger luxury yacht.

The 10-year-old company is already well-known in Alaska, where it was a pioneer in small ship adventure cruising and operates several small luxury yachts that explore the nooks and crannies of the state's glacier-lined coast. The line plans to bring the same flexible cruising style to Hawai'i that it promotes in Alaska, bending itineraries to follow whales or dolphins or dodge iffy weather.

"We've built our reputation on spontaneity," says Dan Blanchard, the line's CEO, who has explored the Hawaiian Islands extensively by private boat. "Our style makes it possible to explore Hawai'i without having to be at a specific port at a specific time. We can gunkhole, stop in out-of-the-way bays and coves, and be ready for whatever experiences may come along."

American Safari will offer its Hawai'i trips on the 150-foot-long Safari Explorer, one of two vessels joining its fleet in 2008 (bringing its total to six). The company is the first to attempt small ship cruises in the Islands in more than two decades.

One obvious hurdle for the company is Hawai'i's reputation for rough waters, which can make the crossings between islands a rocky one on smaller ships. But American Safari vice president Tim Jacox says the Safari Explorer was built with Hawai'i's seas in mind and features stabilizers that should diminish the effect of the waves.

Jacox also notes that the ship will stick to the more-protected leeward side of the cluster of islands around Maui, including Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i. The itineraries are one way between Kailua, Kona on the Big Island and Kahului on Maui, thus requiring only one major crossing between islands.