September 07, 2007
Lulu Visits Maine
Rarely in the modern world of today do you feel like you've been suspended in a nearly perfect world for an entire week. Our recent cruise along the fabled Coast of Maine was just such an experience.
My mother and I are Maine natives so we would be more aware and/or critical of the chosen path. The itinerary the cruise followed was well thought out and held many surprises. The stops and shore excursions were a good adjunct to our cruising time. The ship showed amazing nimbleness to weave in and out of the myriad islands allowing us, as CW promises in its brochures, to be "up close and personal" in the true sense. We were so close to islands and lighthouses that we could see folks living out their lives on these remote locations.
It was a delight to observe the Maine fishing industry up close ....at times it seemed like we were navigating through a mine field of lobster buoys. This is a working coastline and to observe it at such close range gave us a renewed respect for the rigors it requires to put wild, non-farmed seafood on our plates.
Life on board was blissful. Our cabin was well designed to maximize utility in a small space.
The amenities were of a high caliber: English toiletries, lots of hefty wooden hangars, big fluffy towels, no harsh chemical cleaners to set off our sensitive noses!
Dining service had us looking forward to each meal!! I loved the early risers breakfast buffet and the all day beverage service in the observation lounge. Again, no cheap shortcuts: I really appreciated that no paper plates, styrofoam or throw away plastic were used. (I am an ardent recycler and abhor such waste for the sake of convenience) All foods and beverages were served in appropriate china or glass. The dining table settings were lovely and well thought out. Service was unfailingly gracious and efficient. I could go on endlessly about how wonderful the meals were. Kudos to the chef, pastry chef and their staff for some truly exceptional dining. How they turn out that caliber of cuisine in what must be tight quarters was a miracle to all of us!
Life at sea floated along at a dreamy pace. One particular joy was to rest in bed in the afternoon with the door open, reading and watching the coast of Maine drift by. The memories of this time on board will remain cherished in our minds for a long time.
Our compliments to CW for delivering what it promises!
Lulu Kalanzis
Seattle
Special thanks to Lulu for sharing her experience with us. Do you have feedback from a trip you taken with us or want to share information about a fun experience that our guests would enjoy knowing about? We'd love your to receive your submission.
Posted by Lulu Kalanzis on September 07, 2007
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August 16, 2007
New Photo Gallery is Live
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We are so excited about our new photo gallery. Several weeks ago, we quietly released it to our website. Many of our Quyana Members (past guests) have loaded their photos to the gallery. Our CEO, Dick West has also loaded his South Pacific cruise photos to the web. There's a E-Postcard feature as well as the ability to send a link of your entire album to your friends and family.
The gallery is still in beta mode and we'd love to have your feedback. What's working? What needs improvement? Email us and share your thoughts with us.
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Posted by Leigh Strinsky on August 16, 2007
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June 18, 2007
Review of our Wilderness Inside Passage Cruise
This review was sent to us by Bonnie Koch at El Camino Travel in San Clemente, CA. Bonnie travel with 10 of her clients on our Wilderness Inside Passage trip aboard the Spirit of Endeavour. Thanks for sharing your notes with us, Bonnie. It's always nice to hear about our cruises from the perspective of a travel agent.
We had a great trip - flew into Juneau Alaska Monday -June 4th and spent one night -it was foggy but light until 11PM- so we walked around town a bit- Not too big- the roads only go into the back country 10 miles. Juneau had 200 inches of snow this last winter- usually is about 100 in the surrounding area and 80 inches of rain. - boy couldn't we use some of that!
Tuesday morning we took a float plane up and over 4 glaciers around the Juneau Area- beautiful colors and clear skies in places- otherwise we were flying under the clouds. Our 100 passenger Cruise West ship - the Spirit of Endeavour- sailed about 5PM Delightful well traveled passengers - cabins were small but each with big windows for easy viewing- even from bed! ha! Our doorway opened to the deck so it was easy to get out when animals or waterfall or glaciers were spotted.
The first morning we awakened at 645am (every day wake up call time) at the base of a huge Waterfall- Our ship's nose was right up next to the mist! A bit later we spotted Otters, whales, dolphins, and lots of waterfowl.
We sailed to both North and South Sawyer Glaciers- Unbelievable color and size! We cruised through icebergs (big ones!!! remembering 10 percent is all that shows above water)- up to about 1,000 feet of the base of the glacier. Each time they 'calved' or some of the ice broke loose, you could feel the ship rock with the surge. They make a large groaning and crackling noise. The glaciers and icebergs have a beautiful Glacier blue in color All along the way - there would be ice bergs - and smaller bergie-bits with harbor seals onboard - mommies and babies that were just born. The dad's were off somewhere else playing - The mothers give birth in about 8-9 months - they care for the babies only about 4 weeks, then they are off on their own. They weigh about 25 pounds at birth.
We saw so many Humpback Whales - Mothers and babies - just returning from Maui - about a 3,000 mile trip- They come to Alaska to feed -they call it the kitchen - and to Maui Channel from Nov -March for fun and games (the bedroom) One evening at dinner we were surrounded by the whales playing and diving and breeching - it was quite phenomenal!!
Each day the waters were smooth and the skies were clear and blue - for 8 days we enjoyed beautiful weather- another rarity in Alaska.
There were pods of Sea Otters- 20-30 in a group - they would all be on their backs - looking up at us -as we looked down on them - Many had their food on their bellies cracking it with 6" Oyster shells. Then they would all go under the water and disappear- So much fun to watch. They are about 5 feet long. big eyes, long whiskers- very cute!
One day we used the zodiacs to go ashore on an island to see the sealife along the shore - many many oyster shells - about 3-8" across, the live ones were making cute watershoots -cleaning their food. We walked into the woods a few steps until someone spotted bear scat- so scurried out of there.
We stopped at Sitka - only about 60 air miles from Juneau - but 2 days to reach it because of many optional beautiful detours in Icy Straits etc.
Sitka was founded by the Russians and the place where Seward purchased Alaska - Very interesting community - Under 9,000 population. They do not have as many cruise ships call here (There were 4 in port in Juneau 2,000-3,000 on each ship) because they do not have a deep-water port and the people do not want one- I don't blame them - it is really a great port of call. They only had 2 days of sunshine all of last summer - so were delighted with the warm weather.
One of the highlights was a visit to Elfin Cove- a small fishing village - with only 10 Winter residents last year - and about 250 permanent summer residents that service the 6-8 fishing lodges. Fishermen fly in by float plane for a week or so at a time to catch salmon and halibut among other fish-
It was so warm there that day that the locals kidded that it was Summer- Just that day probably! it was close to 75 degrees - HOT for them! The water was so smooth there was a guy water skiing when we left. This little village is all built on boardwalks and has many commercial fishing boats as well as the lodges. It faces the open Pacific Waters- so I'm sure they see some brutal weather at times. Only on the small Cruise West boats can you visit places like this.
When we arrived in Glacier Bay National Park we were met by a Park Ranger, Linda, and Curator- Howard, a Tlingit Alaskan Native. They joined us for an overnight on the boat to spot animals and tell us the history and customs of the lands and their people. We also did some walking tours through the Glacier Park lands. There is a very nice Lodge here- you can access the park by flying into Gustavus - in the summer - or float planes or boat. No roads some into the park. The large ships do not stop here- they just cruise the bay - only very limited numbers of vessels are allowed in the bay. We saw Brown/Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, more whales, dolphins, puffins, many many other sea birds and Eagles- galore!!!!, Mountain Goats, porcupines at the park, as well as red squirrels. Lots of Sea Lions and more otters. The only animals we missed were the Orcas and Moose- We visited 4 more glaciers in Glacier Bay - and had sunshine - again - 8 days straight!
It was truly a relaxing, educational, enjoyable vacation - There were 12 of us traveling together, and we laughed and had a really great time.
The crew on the ship worked very hard and did a great job- We had two Naturalists onboard at all times that were very informed and managed to entertain us in the evening as well!
Our Captain Mike and his crew made sure we were safe at all times. We really were fortunate in all we got to see and all the wonderful experiences.
If ever I return to Alaska- it would definitely be on one of these small boats- A great experience to the Great Land - known to locals as "Southeast" My photos are not nearly as good as some of our traveling companions with their super duper lenses and digitals- but I will share a few of them when I get a chance.
Posted by Leigh Strinsky on June 18, 2007
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June 04, 2007
Most Excellent Alaska Photo Album
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Thanks to one of our Quyana members, Evan Chu for his most excellent photo album featuring his cruise to Alaska. Evan was on our Wilderness Inside Passage cruise aboard the Spirit of Discovery. In fact, he was on the cruise that our Exploration Leader, Amanda McKutcheon reported seeing the northern lights!
If you've been wondering what the REAL Alaska looks like, take a look at Evan's album. Warning: you're not going to see a photo of a single gift shop or long lines of people, although you will see a few big cruise ships passing by whales, which we are taking the time to enjoy. |
Posted by Leigh Strinsky on June 04, 2007
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January 17, 2007
Letter from Carisa's Mom
As employees, we are thrilled when one of our family members is able to experience our cruises. Last fall, Carisa Carnes, our Reservations Manager was able to travel with her mother to Costa Rica. When Carisa's mom, Anita, learned that we were featuring our Costa Rica cruises, she sent me this letter. Thanks, Anita! We all love getting compliments and they are especially meaningful when they come from our mothers!
 I would like to thank Cruise West for my recent trip to Panama and Costa Rica. There were many highlights to my visit, but visiting the Embera village was the most exciting. It was quite amazing to realize that people can live quite simply and be so content with their surroundings. The people were obviously very proud and live their lives to the fullest without all the trimmings the rest of us seem to need or want. It makes you wonder have we really progressed or regressed in all that we have accomplished.
I truly miss rising in the morning and looking out at the jungle. The scenery was so lush and green it almost seemed surreal. The trip was a true learning experience, besides, of course, all the fun. Daniel, Steven, Eric and Rudy, the Exploration Leaders, were great educators about both Panama and Costa Rica. Their enthusiasm for the subjects they discussed was catching. I know much more about sharks, turtles, monkeys and the land masses in these two exotic places. The evening presentations were very professional. I felt like I was watching the Discovery Channel, since the information was so thorough.
Everyone on board was friendly and outgoing. Cappy, the ship’s captain interacted with the passengers and made us all feel like part of his ‘on board’ family. The staff was definitely one of the important factors of a wonderful week. Jonathon, the bartender had us try a variety of new local concoctions and had us all very relaxed before the dinner hour. The dinners were all varied and we had plenty of choices each evening. All were delicious and beautifully presented. The pastry chef, Juan, was outstanding and a great dancer. We found that out the night of the fiesta. Cappy picked up a live band in one of the villages and we partied for several hours one evening. It was fun and I learned to salsa with our zodiac driver, Oldemar.
The Panama Canal, the Botanical Garden, the Rehabilitation Center, Manual Antonio were all great destinations with each a different type of beauty and interest. During the snorkeling trip, I saw my first shark, Moray eel and puffer fishes. The island was something out of a dream. I spent about an hour watching cutter ants do their thing in Manual Antonio Park. They could definitely teach us something about living in harmony, working as a team and developing a determination beyond compare. We had a family of monkeys visit us one afternoon while we were lazily lying in our hammocks. They preened and performed antics for us for about a half hour. The nature hikes revealed Scarlet Macaws, a wide variety of other birds, a Jesus Christ lizard, crabs, bats, spiders, iguanas and two varieties of monkeys. We ended the afternoon sitting under a waterfall in the river. Paradise does not describe those experiences.
Once again, I cannot thank you enough for my time on your beautiful ship and for your wonderful hospitality.
Posted by Leigh Strinsky on January 17, 2007
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July 31, 2006
Alaska Cruise Review on Gather.com
 Cruise West Quyana Member, Kat Braman wrote a fantastic series of articles on her recent trip to Alaska. The Inside Passage cruise portion of her trip was with us onboard the Spirit of Endeavour in her post, Whales and Glaciers and Bears, Oh My! Part III: A Bird's Eye View & Sailing Day on gather.com.
The entire post is great, but I especially love her description of our beloved Chef Irv:
"Once cocktails and appetizers were over, the chef came upstairs to present that evening's dinner menu. Chef Irv, as we came to know him, is from New Orleans and has been with the Spirit of Endeavour for six years. Every night he came up to the lounge and entertained us with his humor and passion for his craft as he presented the menu. He would end it with "Ya'll ready t'eat?", wait for the crowd to cheer, wave his hand toward the dining room and say "Les eat!". He was definitely one of the most loved crew members with all of the passengers."
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kat! Quyana!
Posted by Leigh Strinsky on July 31, 2006
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July 24, 2006
Meet Al and Sylvia
This article was originally printed in our Q-News, which is our quarterly Quyana Newsletter. We caught up with Al and Sylvia at their home in California.
 Q: Where was your first trip with Cruise West?
A: We went to Alaska’s Inside Passage on the Spirit of ’98. We had the Denali package too. It was a wonderful trip even though we didn’t see Mt. McKinley in Denali and we had some pretty bad weather and were overtaken by a storm, it was an adventure we really enjoyed.
Q: What was your next trip?
A: We like the small-ship cruising so much we went to the Sea of Cortes. We had been to Mexico before, flying in a small plane. It was so fun to see Loreto and La Paz by ship and the Spirit of Endeavour is a terrific boat. We took the Copper Canyon land tour and were so impressed by the very talented Tarahumaras.
Q. But you didn’t stop there did you?
A: No way. We went to Costa Rica and through the Panama Canal, which is my (Sylvia’s) favorite cruise so far. Then we took the Spirit Of Oceanus on the Coastal Odyssey cruise with an amazing helicopter ride by Mendenhall Glacier. After that, and our most recent trip, we went to the California Wine Country and enjoyed that experience as well.
Q: Have you cruised with other lines?
A: Not even once – we saw those big ships in Alaska and wouldn’t consider ever going on them – the escalators, the big lines, the waiting and waiting. We chose Cruise West because we liked the idea of fewer people, and we’ve met some lovely people onboard. They are truly wonderful.
Q: Do you have a favorite memory?
A: I (Al) went on the aerial tram line through the treetops in Costa Rica – it was wild and fun! I (Sylvia) have too many favorite memories to mention.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: You people are the tops as far as helping people out and taking care of them, how well you take the effort to make sure people see what can be seen in each destination. Although we’re older, the younger crew takes good, kind care of us.
We love Cruise West, everyone is so thoughtful!
Quyana, Al and Sylvia, we love you, too!
Posted by Leigh Strinsky on July 24, 2006
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July 07, 2006
Quyana Haiku
 I thought this would be fun for a Friday and a great way to start the weekend. Please enjoy this Haiku, written by Quyana Member and Poet Joesph J. Turncale. Joseph composed the first three while traveling on our British Columbia cruise aboard the Spirit of Columbia. The last two are from his book, Season of the Warrior: A Poetic Tribute to Warriors.
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Gray clouds above
Sailing calm waters
Mysterious islands
2.
Cool and refreshing
Wind in your face
Looking out to sea.
3.
Red leaves on trees
Sweet chill in the air
Natures paint brush
(More...)
Posted by Leigh Strinsky on July 07, 2006
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June 11, 2006
Two Frog on Nantucket
Submitted by Cruise West Quyana Member, Sonja Keohane (you'll have to visit her site to understand the Two Frog connection)
Good Day,
My husband and I have just returned the day before yesterday from our fourth cruise aboard the Nantucket Clipper. On this latest cruise, we sailed from Alexandria, VA to New York. We have enjoyed all of our cruises aboard the Nantucket Clipper and this one was certainly no exception, this was 10 days of heaven!
We were very happy to see our friend Bill Ewen, the on-board historian, on this cruise, as we always enjoy Bill's expertise and love of the water and ships. Bob Lippson, as on-board naturalist was also a treat, as we had heard about him from Bill but had not had the opportunity to sail with him before.
Both Bill and Bob provide a wealth of information that enhances the cruise experience to the point where a cruise without them would be lacking much that makes the trip enjoyable for us..
We took this same cruise in the fall of 2003 except that the itinerary was in the reverse. I thought you might be interested in my photographic chronicle of the cruise. I will add more photographs taken from this last trip as soon as I have the new ones organized.
You may see my photographs here:
This page has an index of photos from two of our other Nantucket Clipper cruises, one to Troy, NY and the other to the Islands of Long Island Sound.
We look forward to sailing with you again.
We are delighted that Sonja wanted to share her site with us. Not only does she feature her cruises on the Nantucket Clipper, but if you dig a little deeper, you'll find poetry, a great photo album of East Coast Tugs and other artwork. Thanks for sharing, Sonja!
Posted by Leigh Strinsky on June 11, 2006
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April 16, 2006
Voyage to the Bering Sea Photo Journal
 I'm delighted to be sharing another wonderful photo journal with you. This album was created by Quyana member Brian Cleverly. Brian traveled with us in August of 2005 aboard the Spirit of Oceanus, from Nome to Anchorage on our Voyage to the Bering Sea cruise. Brian's album is special, because he's inserted a bit of commentary on each port of call and has even added in the nautical coordinates of each location. Being a sailor myself, I appreciate his perspective. I've created a permanent link to Brian's album within our Quyana section, but you can also view his album online by clicking here: Brian Cleverly's Album
Thank you, Brian, for sharing your album with us!
Posted by Leigh Strinsky on April 16, 2006
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April 12, 2006
Quyana Costa Rica Photo Album
 Yesterday, I found this lovely photo album, which is a collection submitted by several of our guests who traveled on our Costa Rica & Panama, Between Two Seas cruise in February, 2004. I contacted Quyana member, Ron Windeyer- creator of the site, to ask permission to share it. Here is his response:
Hi there! Glad to hear from you; yes, I would be most honoured to have you link the page to your website. It actually came about by way of a chance remark – we had a lovely time on the cruise, and met lots of really nice people (as you often do), and I had a video camera with which I was recording as much as I could. With a telephoto lens and an underwater box I got some really nice footage; especially lovely were the Embera children - they were so excited to see themselves on the viewscreen of the camera as I played back the tape to them!  Anyway, we compared photos a bit, and as we were leaving the ship one lady asked if there was any way I could send photos online. I said of course, and maybe I could even set up a website (hoping that I would be able to figure it out!!!!!!). Fortunately I got hold of Adobe photoshop essentials – that had an album creation thing in it, and I was away. I emailed the other guests to see if they also wanted to contribute, and fortunately many of them did. So it just sort of happened!
The other photos were higher resolution (therefore better) than mine; mine were frame grabs taken from the video as I was processing and editing it for DVD. They’re still not bad though, and they show what a fun time we had.
(More...)
Posted by Leigh Strinsky on April 12, 2006
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videos 
booked guests 