Cruise West - Inside Passage - Experience anyone?
 

Just wondering if anyone has had experience with Cruise West small ships lately? We have an Inside Passage trip on hold with them on the ship Spirit of the Endeavor.

I am looking for comments good or bad since it is so expensive. I want to try to make sure it will be worth the money. We are excited about our first trip to Alaska and being able to "get close" to the wildlife and glaciers.

I would appreciate any comments regarding this. Thanks!

Ginny

Can't help you with Cruise West, but if you decide to check out other small boat lines, try Glacier Bay Tours and Cruises. We took a trip on their Executive Explorer a few years ago and loved it. Small boat cruising is the best way to see the Inside Passage.

Have a wonderful time! It is the best trip I have ever been on. You can't explain how beautiful the scenery is. You just have to see it.

We took three trips with Cruise West in late June 2000 -- Inside Passage ("Local's Favorite" - day yacht with motels), Prince William Sound and Anchorage-Denali-Fairbanks. When I got home, I wrote the company president to say how much we enjoyed the experience.

Yes, Cruise West is expensive, but we loved the small ship experience, personal attention and emphasis on Alaska. The ships were able to go where the larger ships do not and changed plans as appropriate. For example, when we were not able to enter LeConte Bay (too much ice), we sailed into Thomas Bay and Baird Glacier. It was so lovely we dropped anchor for awhile and enjoyed a champagne toast.

In the Inside Passaage we were close enough to stellar sea lions to hear their blubber slap the rocks (we could smell them too). We saw seals and newborn pups floating on ice pieces, whales, eagles, bears.

Food was very good. In the Inside Passage, free coffee, tea, hot chocolate were available all day.

We had guest speakers (a former state biologist out of Petersburg, park rangers in Misty Fjords, a Native Tlingit and so forth). A Cruise West naturalist also was on board.

The staff was uniformly friendly, helpful and well-informed. My husband said they hire people with a high "bubbly rating." A crew member taught a bored youngster how to tie knots. Others used a Japanese-English dictionary to help a Japanese man make the most of the trip. And another found a warm coat for a man with special needs. When an elderly passenger became ill, they turned the ship around to get her medical help in Valdez, and a crew member left the ship to stay with her. Although the small crew got no sleep that night, they were cheerful the next day, making us a wonderful lunch (unplanned) before preparing the ship for the next group.

The weather in the Inside Passage is often rainy and can be cold, but we did not let that bother us. Sometimes we were the only ones on deck! We considered the weather part of Alaska's beauty. Wear layers, bring some woolies and a hooded rain coat.

No personal travel experience with them. However, our apartment deck for the previous year was just across from their Petersburg docking site...always on time, dock crew friendly and prompt and the excursions they offered certainly looked fun.

Be careful what you wish for...a tour employee got bit by a bear on Kupreanof Island here last year! With these smaller ships you won't have any problem getting close to the wildlife/glaciers.

We'll look forward to seeing you in Little Norway!

Thank you for all your responses about my Cruise West question. It's so nice to hear comments from "real" people when planning a vacation.

This travel board is invaluable. (Hope that is a word!)

Ginny

Ginny - if you take this trip, please report back to us and tell us how it went. I have been interested in taking this particular cruise for a long time, but I don't know anyone who has taken at Cruise West cruise.

J_Correa,

I decided against this particular cruise this trip for various reasons, (Mostly logistics). But I know I want to go back again and take it.

Ginny

Ginny, you might also want to consider Intrav's Clipper Cruise line as another option for the small ship experience. I took their 12 day repositioning cruise along the Inside Passage from Seattle to Juneau last May and it was very similar to the experience sluggo describes on Cruise West.

Retired Teacher,

Thanks for the reminder! I definitely will look at Clipper also. They have cruises similar to Cruise West. Your trip sounds wonderful!

Ginny

So sorry Ginny is not able to make it this year as I would have loved to meet her. My husband and I are doing Inside Passage with CruiseWest in August. *I* will report back! :-)

pollyvw,

Hope you have great cruise this summer. Please make sure you tell us all about it when you get back. This time we are taking a mid-size cruise after a 7 day land trip. But I know for sure, I am going to miss the up close experience you will be getting.

I already told my hubby that we will be going back up there and doing a small ship cruise in the not too distant future. Afterall, like he says, "someday" is here and no sense in waiting for it.

Have a great time -

Ginny

I did the Spirit of Endevour Inside Passage a few years ago and loved it. Nothing luxurious, but the crew tries hard. Atmosphere on board is very relaxing - the main activity is watching the scenery go by. The captain is very good about stopping or redirecting the ship in order for the passengers to get better views of wildlife or glaciers, etc. Clientele seems to be very well educated and friendly.