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Description

Logo: Cruise West

Cruise West has been providing their guests with an alternate way of cruising for over 60 years, offering travel experiences that are simply unforgettable. Cruise West's philosophy is that you're not just a guest, but a participant and whether you're kayaking off a wilderness island in Mexico, or hiking in a rainforest in Alaska, their small-ship cruises are an engaging experience for all your senses.

Photo: Ship Cruise West

Spirit of Oceanus; Cruise West's first oceangoing vessel and most spacious and luxurious.

The company offers unique and up close and personal travel experiences that focus on the destination including its wildlife, natural history, scenery and culture - all in the company of a limited number of similar-minded travelers. Imagine cruising so close to a waterfall you can feel the mist or exploring off-the-beaten track waterways, narrow channels and tiny ports that most passengers on large ships never get to see. You'll also enjoy dining aboard the ship, with it's feeling of being in a casual but elegant restaurant instead of being part of a huge crowd.

Cruise West's largest ship hosts just 138 guests, so the casual style onboard encourages relaxation and interaction between guests and crews alike. All the cruises feature onboard narratives and lectures on the area, special local guests from a wide variety of backgrounds and even a library, all which makes these cruises personally enriching. And in every Cruise West destination, at least one shore excursion or highlight is included in each port of call to further guest's active involvement.

Cruise West has 9 small-ships including their luxury flagship, Spirit of Oceanus, hosting 120 guests. Largest of all their ships, Oceanus features an elevator, two spacious lounges, a game room/library, satellite phone, email and internet capability, doctor and clinic, open dining featuring continental and regional cuisine and complete bar service. All the cabins are outside suites, each with picture window or porthole, walk-in closet or wardrobe, marble bathroom, a lounge area, in-room safe and satellite telephone access.

The Spirit of Yorktown, hosting 138 guests, is one of the newest overnight vessels that cruises as far north as Alaska and south through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean. With etched glass and light wood accents throughout, this is a sleek, elegant ship with every stateroom featuring a wide picture window or porthole, private facilities, writing desk and ample storage, plus generous outside space on three decks. The Spirit of Alaska hosts up to 38 guests and includes all the features above, but with her shallow draft, spacious bow and comfortable cruising speed makes for optimum wildlife viewing.

Cruise West offers a fascinating list of cruises around the world on their various ships, from California Wine Country, where you'll enjoy frequent tastings and interactive discussions about the history and mystery of wine in between visits ashore to explore distinctive estates in Napa Valley, Sonoma and Carneros to the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway, a voyage rich in history, scenic beauty and international charms. Some of Canada's most cosmopolitan cities welcome you - Québec City, Montréal and Toronto among them.

Other out of the way, hidden treasure cruises include Japan, the South Pacific, Mexico's Sea of Cortez, South Atlantic Coast, Costa Rica & Panama, The Northeast, Grand Asia, including Vietnam & China, British Columbia and the Columbia & Snake Rivers, all unique cruises allowing you to go and see places only large cruise ship passengers can see through binoculars. Your time on these cruises is spent wisely too. Rather then just cruising from port to port, each Captain has the flexibility - and the inclination - to linger when nature is putting on a show, such a spectacular sunset, or a whale breeching - and dinner can wait just a little longer.

This is a great small-ship cruise line with an excellent safety record and reliability and knowledge with over 60 years of experience. They offer a completely different type of cruise than the larger cruise lines and if you'd like to get up close and personal with some of the most beautiful places on earth, then this might just be the best cruise ever for you.