Would like to hear opinions on Cruise West. Pros and Cons. Especially would like to hear from anyone that has done their Cook Islands and Tahiti route.

<BR>Hi Patricia, <BR> <BR>I have been on their ships twice but not on the Tahiti route. <BR> <BR>If you are the explorer type you will thoroughly enjoy the experience. <BR> <BR>Totally laid back, excellent naturalists and seminars. <BR> <BR>Do not expect glamour, glitter and gala entertainment. <BR> <BR>Nor will you find bountiful buffets. The food is very good and the service is excellent. <BR> <BR>The ships are very well maintained and clean. <BR> <BR>Since their ships carry less than 130 passengers you will have individal answers to all your questions. <BR> <BR>Not necessary to bring your country-club clothes. <BR> <BR>For a totally different experience do cruise with Cruise West. <BR> <BR>Paul

Thanks Paul! Sounds like the company for me as I'm not into the glitz and glamour or party atmosphere. My most important criteria are 1/Good quality food, does'nt have to be fancy.2/Service, Service and Service 3/Clean surroundings. I'll definately check them out.

<BR>Hi Patricia, <BR> <BR>You will have a fabulous time. Great comaradarie. Everyone will know your name. <BR> <BR>Paul

Patricia, <BR> <BR>I 2nd Paul's recommendation. We sailed with Cruise West from Juneau to Seattle in late July and it was a wonderful trip. About the only thing Cruise West has in common with the bigger cruise lines is that you're on a boat - otherwise it's a very different experience. <BR> <BR>There is no casino, no nightly lounge act or show. Instead, the naturalists (we had two) offer lectures and other informative presentations/discussions. The have a VCR in each room and a large collection of tapes you can borrow, if you wish. <BR> <BR>There is a single lounge that can accommodate all the passengers (there were less than 100 on our trip) and it is the central gathering place during the cruise. You do get to know just about everyone else on board and Cruise West makes it easy by providing name tags (with your home town or state listed) that just about everyone wore for the entire week. <BR> <BR>The food was amazing. There is a single restaurant and single serving time (except for breakfast, when you have a window of time to get served). The menu was varied with three or four entree choices for dinner plus three (I think) standard items that were available every night. The chef (ours was from New Orleans) was a personable, funny guy who "announced" the dinner menu every evening at 7pm sharp in the lounge. <BR> <BR>As for the rest of the crew, the folks you'll have the most contact with are the "CSR's" as they call them. These folks do everything -- from waiting tables to housekeeping to bartending. On our ship, they were young American kids (early 20's) mostly from Seattle or the West Coast. What they lacked in polish, they more than made up for in enthusiasm, charm and a genuine willingness to do anything for their guests. They have an open bridge policy and several folks spent a lot of time on the bridge talking with the Captain and other crew members (and got a lot of inside information on whale sightings, etc.!) <BR> <BR>The cabins are very, very small - but comfortable and nicely appointed with plenty of storage for a week's trip. Most of the cabins on our ship had twin beds that could not be combined into a double. <BR> <BR>We had a wide range of age groups on board, with many retired folks and a few teenagers (part of a large family traveling together). One couple we met liked this cruise so much, they took the same trip two years in a row. <BR> <BR>We were so impressed that we're seriously considering taking another Cruise West trip - hopefully from Fiji to Cairnes - next year. <BR> <BR>If you use Cruise West, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. We cruised Tahiti/Society Islands last year on Radisson and it was also excellent. One of the main benefits of Cruise West is that it's a smaller ship that can go places the larger ships can't - and I find that especially appealing. - Jim <BR>

<BR>Excellent review Jim. <BR> <BR>Paul