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About Cruise West

Cruise West, the largest American-owned cruise line and a second-generation family owned business, offers soft adventure seekers the opportunity to explore remote and distinctive destinations in Alaska, West Coast, Central America, Mexico and Asia. Small ship cruising allows for up close and personal cruising not offered by the traditional larger cruise lines.

With Cruise West, guests are not just visitors, but participants. Nature provides the floorshow and cultural experiences invigorate the soul. Whether kayaking off a remote island in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico; hiking in a rainforest in Alaska; or strolling through the ancient villages of Qui Nhon, Vietnam; each unique itinerary is designed to an engage all the senses.

Cruise West’s small cruise ships – nine in all – hold between 78-138 guests, and the casual style onboard encourages relaxation and congenial interaction between guests and crew alike. The experience is personally enriching through onboard narrative and lectures and presentations by local experts and interpreters from a wide variety of backgrounds. In addition, destination specific materials and a wide variety of books are provided in the onboard library on every vessel.

Cruise West’s Alaska itineraries call at 24 Alaskan and Russian ports – more than all other cruise lines in Alaska.  Cruises from three to 24 nights explore wilderness regions extending from the southern tip of the Alaska Panhandle to the Arctic Circle in the Bering Strait, including Southwest and Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound and the Bering Sea, with an emphasis placed on wildlife, fjords, glaciers, natural and pioneer history and native cultures. Numerous land tour options are available including Anchorage, Denali National Park and Fairbanks.  Guests also have the opportunity to lodge at select wilderness properties in Denali and remote areas known for wildlife viewing just a floatplane ride away from Anchorage.
 
Other itineraries include a thirteen-night exploration in Japan; 11, 13 and 18 nights in the islands of the South Pacific; three- and four-night wine country getaways cruising on the Napa and Sonoma Rivers; seven-night sailings in the spectacular scenery of British Columbia’s maritime islands; seven nights along the historical route taken by Lewis and Clark on the Columbia & Snake Rivers; seven-night itineraries in the Virgin Islands of the Caribbean; seven-night itineraries exploring Baja Mexico’s romantic Sea of Cortés; and seven- and nine-night voyages along the coasts of Costa Rica and cruises through Panama via the Panama Canal.

In addition to the popular South Pacific and Japan itineraries in 2007 aboard Spirit of Oceanus, two new itineraries are being introduced to the exotic lands of Asia. The 11-night Vietnam itinerary will explore the nation’s ancient capitals, the French colonial influences on architecture and cuisine, and the country’s blossoming cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.  Along the way, guests will sail through the majestic Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, discover Vietnam's rich past at the Cham Museum in Danang and temples at Nha Trang, and experience a cooking school in China Beach.  Treasures of the Orient, an epic voyage beginning in Tokyo and concluding in Hanoi, travels for 13 nights through Northern Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam. Guests will have the privilege of interacting with the monks of the Nanputao Temple in Xiamen, experience an acrobatic performance in Shanghai and have a cooking and art tour through Hong Kong with expert guides.