August 16, 2007

New Photo Gallery is Live

Posted by Leigh Strinsky on August 16, 2007
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October 19, 2006

You are Invited!

 Join my wife, Leslie, my three well-traveled children, and me aboard the Spirit of Oceanus for another fabulous adventure in the South Pacific cruising to remote islands from Guam to Fiji. Visit Micronesia and Melanesia, and learn of the different cultures. Cruise the Caroline Islands and visit remote islands of Yap, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.

Last spring’s trip was sold out – so I couldn’t go! Lucky for us, and those able to join us, there is space available on the December Holiday cruise departing by air to Guam on December 18 (or earlier) and returning from Fiji January 4 (or later!).

We will enjoy Christmas Day at sea cruising between Chuuk and Pohnpei – just the names are mysterious and intriguing. New Year’s Eve will also be at sea, cruising between Guadalcanal and Tikopia in the Solomon Islands.

Our first cruise to this area last spring was an absolutely incredible, life-changing experience for our guests. We will visit remote islands, and meet people from a land that time has seemingly forgotten. This is truly a world-class exploration experience – with top-notch snorkeling – and - there is still time to reserve your suite.

No visas are necessary.  Give us – or your travel agent – a call!

Posted by Dick West on October 19, 2006
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August 07, 2006

Cruising to Asia

My family and I visited Vietnam aboard the Spirit of Oceanus in early May 2001, just after taking delivery of her in Singapore, where my daughter, Lauren, who was just seven years old at the time, christened her. It was a memorable, life- and perspective-changing experience for all of us.

While I did not serve in the military, having lived through the “Vietnam Era,” I was curious and a bit apprehensive about what I would discover in Vietnam. We had been exposed to so many years of negative news from this country, but what I found was completely different from what I expected. As the tourist bureau people say, “Vietnam is a country – not a war.” Fifty percent of the Vietnamese are under 25 years old! They did not experience the war years.

The people are very warm and friendly. The scenery and culture are remarkable. And in the past five years, more of Vietnam has been made more accessible to foreign visitors. There are now many flights into Vietnam, including our own United Airlines. There are more ports of call available to us than five years ago, making access to some of the remote cultural and historical treasures much easier.

New for 2007, our Vietnam cruise visits ports like Chan May, Hue, the cultural heart and soul of Vietnam, and Hoi An, a delightful town filled with remnants of its importance as a trading port in the 17th century and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Qui Nhon, a charming fishing port and Nha Trang, with spectacular beaches, snorkeling and birdwatching opportunities. 

Treasures of the Orient ports include many of the “life-list” places such as Shanghai, and Hong Kong, but also the virtually unknown places such as Xiamen in China and Hagi in Japan that remain treasure troves of culture that really offer an insider view to these countries that most tourists miss entirely.

All of this means we will have even more enriching, enlightening experiences for you, our guests, in 2007.

I hope you will consider joining us on one of our cruises to these wonderful, dynamic countries.

Posted by Dick West on August 07, 2006
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April 22, 2006

Our Inaugural Cruise To Japan

It is very gratifying to see the results of one’s efforts come to fruition. After many years of planning and developing our new Japan cruise program, my family and I joined 100 guests on our Inaugural Japan cruise from Kobe to Niigata March 10-20.

Kobe was chosen as our homeport in part because Kobe is Seattle’s Sister City. It also happens to be well located near Osaka’s Kansai Airport and the historic cities and former capitals of Kyoto and Nara. Kobe’s Mayor, Mr. Tatsuo Yada, extended a warm welcome to our Captain, crew and guests aboard the Spirit of Oceanus. Local news reporters and cameras were on hand for the event.

Every port we visited was special – at each we received a warm and friendly greeting. They do not get many American cruise ships coming to these ports. We are indeed unique. After a welcome reception in the small port town of Hagi, Leslie and I were in a pottery shop when the proprietor motioned to us to look at the TV she was watching, and there was our ship and some of our guests being interviewed! We were big news wherever we went.

(More...)

Posted by Dick West on April 22, 2006
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March 30, 2006

Welcome Our New "Family" Members

I am very excited to announce the addition of two beautiful U.S. flagged ships to our fleet – the 102-guest Nantucket Clipper, and the 138-guest Yorktown Clipper – recently acquired from Clipper Cruise Line. These two vessels are sister ships to our Spirit of Endeavour, formerly the Newport Clipper, and together represent the most significant and strategic evolution in our company since acquiring the ocean-going Spirit of Oceanus five years ago. These boats represent the culmination of many years of planning and negotiation. This growth would not be possible without our wonderful family of associates and professionals and, of course, your continued support of our small-ship programs! We now have 10 small ships with operations extending from Maine to Japan – from Fiji and the South Pacific to the Arctic Ocean!

Adding these two modern, comfortable ships gives us some wonderful homogeneity in our small-ship fleet. In addition, through this acquisition, we have immediately added 11 new itineraries and destinations from Chicago and the Great Lakes, through the St. Lawrence Seaway, down the Atlantic seaboard to the Caribbean, as well as new capacity on the west coast and Alaska.

Clipper Cruise Line has a great reputation for providing excellent service, which we plan to continue and enhance. We look forward to welcoming you aboard our new “family members!” To encourage you to try some of these new itineraries on the Atlantic coast, we are offering special introductory pricing, along with special Quyana member shipboard credits, in addition to your standard 5% Quyana discount!

Come join us – help us welcome our new “family” members into the Cruise West fleet!

Posted by Dick West on March 30, 2006
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