Cruise West

Cruise West - Up-Close, Casual & Personal

When the West family, the founders and still owners of Cruise West, began offering unique and personal travel experiences more than 50 years ago in Alaska, a philosophy prevailed that remains true to this day: to provide up-close travel that focuses on the destination - its scenery, wildlife, natural history and culture - all in the company of limited numbers of like-minded travellers. While magnificent sweeping views are certainly abundant in every one of Cruise West destinations, it's the glory of the details, viewed close up, that provides the most rewarding memories - an eagle in a tree on a tiny rocky islet, or the barnacles visible on a humpback's fin. In many of the remote waterways we visit small ships are the only way to explore the area. The casual style on board all of our Cruise West ships encourages relaxation and congenial interaction between guests and crew alike. And the experience is personally enriching, through on-board narrative and lectures, special local guests from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the library provided on each Cruise West vessel.

With Cruise West, you're not just a visitor, you're a participant. Whether kayaking off a wilderness island in Mexico, hiking in a rain forest in Alaska, or enjoying a spectacular spring garden in British Columbia, a small-ship cruise is an engaging experience for all the senses. In every Cruise West destination, at least one shore excursion or highlight is included in each port of call, to further encourage your active involvement.

Cruise West - The Small Cruise Ship Advantage

A cruise on a small cruise ship is not filled with elaborate distractions, sleek resorts and packaged tours. Rather, small cruise ships are perfect for intimate exploration of off-the-beaten track waterways, narrow channels and tiny ports that passengers on large ships will never see. When Cruise West guests visit a small port in Alaska's Inside Passage or along Baja Mexico's Sea of Cortés, we don't overwhelm the local communities - our largest vessel hosts just 114 guests.

Cruise West guests would rather watch for whales in Frederick Sound than spend the afternoon in a casino. They linger outside on deck as the Captain noses under a waterfall, rather than watch a video. On a small ship, the focus is very often outside, on what Nature has provided for entertainment, rather than on amusements provided to occupy your attention on board.

Your time is spent wisely, too. Rather than making a beeline from port to port, Cruise West Captains have the flexibility - and the inclination - to linger when whales are putting on a show, a glacier is calving spectacularly, or to seek out sea otters when a nearby fisherman radios the word.

Cruise West - American Owned and Family Operated

Cruise West is American owned, flying the American flag on six of our eight vessels. In many cases, our U.S.-flag status allows us to operate unique routes that foreign-owned cruise lines cannot. We follow all U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Maritime Commission regulations. We are environmentally conscientious, with a philosophy "take only photographs, leave only our wake behind." And our friendly crews are devoted to the fulfilment of your travel dreams.

With Cruise West you'll find a crew that enjoys the travel adventure as much as you. You're treated as a family member from the moment you step aboard. The Captain in his wheelhouse is often accessible for casual conversation, to view the depth finder and radar screens or pore over the charts. The Chef and his staff prepare delicious meals, fresh-baked breads and sumptuous desserts. And your on-board Cruise West Certified Interpretive Guide is always at hand, eager to share insights and knowledge, answer your questions and organize the day's events. History, geography, flora and fauna - a fount of information.

Cruise West - Early History

In 1946, a young pilot just back from piloting the Hump between India and China in World War II was serving as a bush pilot in Alaska. As Chuck West flew over some of the most spectacular terrain on earth, he developed a desire to share these wonders with the wider world.

Chuck founded Alaska Arctic Travel Service in Fairbanks the same year. He began by offering local sightseeing tours, and the first air tours above the Arctic Circle. The business took off, and soon Chuck was responsible for the first hotel chain in Alaska, the first motorcoach line, and the first modern small-ship cruises. This company became Westours, then as now, the dominant operator in Alaska. Chuck earned the affectionate title "Mr. Alaska" from his peers in honour of his pioneering the modern Alaska travel industry.

Chuck sold Westours to Holland America in 1971. Two years later, he founded the company that became today's Cruise West. Initially offering space on the Alaska state ferries and other lines' ships, in the mid 1980s Chuck started experimenting with multi-night daylight-only yacht cruises in Alaska's Inside Passage. This program, featuring the sleek 90-foot touring yacht Sheltered Seas, still operates today on 5 and 6 day tours between Ketchikan, Petersburg and Juneau.

Cruise West - Moving Forward with Small-Ship Cruising

In 1990 Chuck and his son Dick, now chairman & CEO of Cruise West, acquired a 52-guest mini-cruise ship and renamed her the Spirit of Glacier Bay. The initial operation was 2-night cruises from Juneau into Glacier Bay National Park. This program proved so successful that in 1991 the company acquired the Spirit of Alaska cruise ship to operate the first cruises between Seattle and Alaska for nearly 40 years.

Cruise West has a style of up-close, casual, personal cruising was enthusiastically welcomed by the travelling public, and the company's growth became nearly one new vessel per year. In the early 1990s the Cruise West expanded its cruise operations to lower British Columbia, the historic Columbia and Snake Rivers, and the California Wine Country. In December 1998, winter-season Cruise West cruises to the spectacular Sea of Cortés and Baja California expanded the company's range of offerings to Mexico.

As for what the future holds? Small-cruise ship cruising is infinitely flexible, and demand for such high-quality life experiences is ever growing!

The Cruise West Cruise line Ships

• Cruise West Pacific Explorer
• Cruise West Spirit of 98
• Cruise West Spirit of Alaska
• Cruise West Spirit of Columbia
• Cruise West Spirit of Discovery
• Cruise West Spirit of Endeavour
• Cruise West Spirit of Oceanus