Archive for the 'Cruise West' Category

I met Rick and Debbie Farr on a flight from Seattle. We were headed to Fairbanks to begin two separate cruisetours, in this case, five-day land tours that would take us to Fairbanks, Denali National Park and Anchorage.  Read more... (115 words, estimated 28 secs reading time)

The weather could not have been better during our September fly-by of Denali.

We flew with Greg Lahaie, owner of Kantishna Air Taxi. Greg tells us: “Kantishna Air Taxi is the only air service in the Denali National Park area that guarantees passengers a good flight tour. We can guarantee this because, quite simply, if the majority of the Alaska Range and Mt. McKinley aren’t visible, we won’t fly.”  Read more... (80 words, estimated 19 secs reading time)

First woman to finish the Idatirod, Mary Shields leads our group in howling to her huskies and hoping for a response.

From Fairbanks, it’s only a five-mile drive to see Mary Shields on a tour that carries her name. In 1973, Mary became the first woman to finish the 1,049-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race. She lives in a modern log cabin that she and her former husband built. There, she tends to her garden and to her team of huskies.  Read more... (188 words, estimated 45 secs reading time)

A few weeks ago we wrote about Cruise West’s 335-day circumnavigation, a world cruise titled “Voyages of the Great Explorers.” Cruise West has provided us with a link to it eBrochure for the upcoming 2010-2011 cruise. The line is offering savings of up to $9,200 for those who book and pay in full by July 15. For more information, click on this link to view the brochure.

While we probably won’t have the time to sign up for this particular global tour with Cruise West, we can’t help feeling a large twinge of envy for up to 120 lucky souls who will be departing with the Spirit of Oceanus from Singapore on March 6, 2010. What a wonderful trip it’s going to be: 242 ports, 59 countries, all part of a 335-day circumnavigation, returning to Singapore on Feb. 3, 2011.  Read more... (314 words, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

A record number of ships are wanting to give you a close-up look at Europe’s rivers in 2009.

“Attention ladies and gentlemen. We are approaching a very low bridge, and we kindly ask that you vacate the Sun Deck until we have passed.” Floating down Moselle River, Peter Deilmann River Cruises’ Heidelberg is passing under a bridge — a low bridge.  Read more... (286 words, 1 image, estimated 1:09 mins reading time)

Cruise West will offer guests two overnights in Glacier Bay National Park on its Wilderness Inside Passage itinerary during the upcoming Alaska season. The additional time gives guests the opportunity to explore the birds and sea lions of South Marble Island, the 15,000-foot peak of Mt. Fairweather, and massive glaciers of all varieties, all while under the expert guidance of a National Park Ranger and Native Cultural Interpreter. Cruise West also will offer more departures on this itinerary with two ships instead of one: the 84-passenger Spirit of Discovery and the 102-passenger Spirit of Endeavour. Yet another advantage with this itinerary is the line’s steadfast Whale Sighting Guarantee: Should whales not be spotted on a sailing, the line will refund $250 to each guest — a refund that Cruise West proudly proclaims it has never had to pay.

In September of 2006, I signed on for Cruise West’s 15-day Gold Rush Inside Passage Cruisetour.

What’s a cruisetour? It’s a combination of a cruise and a tour. And it allows you to see and experience the best of Alaska.

The cruise itself sails between Seattle and Juneau, and takes in cities and towns featured on many Alaska itineraries: Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau. As well as some towns that aren’t regularly featured on Alaska cruise itineraries, such a Sitka, Haines and Petersburg.  Read more... (181 words, estimated 43 secs reading time)

On a Cruise West “D Tour” we go deep into Denali, 90 miles from the National Park’s Entrance and up close and personal to Denali itself. Want to get away while getting close? Take a look.