September 26, 2007

Why I Love Our Mexico Cruise

	Those who know me best know my biggest fear - FISH.  I know its a silly thing to be scared of, but I prefer to be on solid ground and have quite the imagination on what lurks below me when it comes to getting into the open water.  I only swim in pools.  And, when I do brave it out and jump into open fresh or salt water sea, I always have my husband go in first to splash around and scare things away.  I really don't even like to look at fish in fish tanks, it just kind of gives me a chill.  So, when I traveled to Baja with my pregnant and dear friend it was quite the peer pressure situation when we had the opportunity to swim with Sea Lions.
	Young Sea Lions are known for their playful personalities.  They come right up to you and want to swim and twirl.  They are most attracted to the people that are out there moving and shakin'.  If my pregnant friend could do, I sure could.  So, maybe I was like a stick floating out there in the open water.  And yes, I was ready to use the fins covering my feet as a shield if I needed.  But, it was fun!  And, how often do you get the chance to swim with Sea Lions in the wild? (You can see how fun the Sea Lions are - I have attached a picture of one trying to join us in our DIB.)
	One of the best feelings in the world is to visit a beautiful piece of earth that is still natural and traveled by few.  I loved Isla Partida, there I took a short and easy beach walk with our Exploration Guide, Paulino.  Paulino was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the Baja region and from the moment we met him we knew he loved this beautiful region.  On our beach walk Paulino started to pick up small pieces of trash, and old fish hooks that he would find washed up on the beach.  Following Paulino's lead other Cruise West guests started doing the same.  There was a great since of pride in leaving the beautiful island even more unsoiled then it was when we arrived.
	The local children of Loreto that performed in the beautiful courtyard of the Loreto Mission were so fun.  They were so excited to perform for us and were talented too.

Chesna traveled on our Whales & Wildlife cruise through Mexico's Sea of Cortes in  March 2006.  Thanks for sharing your experience, Chesna.

Posted by Chesna Payne on September 26, 2007
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September 18, 2007

2007 Alaska Cruise Season Ends

Posted by Larry Johansen on September 18, 2007
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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

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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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September 07, 2007

Elizabeth's Alaska

I admit it. We are travel snobs. We pick an area, buy a few good guide books, gather detailed maps and find our way on our own terms. We have never traveled with an organization and were a bit wary of our Cruise West Alaskan tour and cruise -- but it was for a good cause, a family reunion to celebrate my parent’s 50^th wedding anniversary.

A long flight from Rome, Italy finally landed in Fairbanks to cool drizzle and mist. This is summer? Visions of the beach flashed before my eyes, but a Sunday brunch at the Pike’s Landing restaurant and a side-trip to the Chena Hot Springs the next day took care of our travel-worn bodies. We were fed, rested, relaxed and ready to begin.

“Here we are, on a tour”, we whispered as reality hit at the opening wine and cheese meeting with its discussions on luggage protocol and excursion reservations before we boarded our bus the next morning. First stop, the oil pipeline and then the Chena River cruise aboard an historic sternwheeler.

With expectations of a nip up and down the river, we were pleasantly surprised when Bob landed his bush plane port side and chatted with us via microphone before an exhibition take off and landing. In the winter, bush planes are the main means of transportation and 80% of year-round families own one. He was followed by a series of locals who showed us their ways, from a training camp for dog mushers to an Indian fish camp preparing salmon for the winter. Reindeer even came out to meet us.

There was a Disney-like flavor to it all, with people popping up on shore as we paddled by to talk to us via microphone, but heck, this in America and where else would you expect to find a professional well-organized show!

Next stop the University of Alaska museum for lunch with a video and visit before continuing to Denali. I was beginning to relax and enjoy the tour part – just having to show up at the bus on time without having to figure out where we were going. Everyone was pleasant and our guide, Chris, told us personal stories on life in Alaska as we headed on our way. When we arrived, we found our properly tagged luggage already in our rooms! We had mastered luggage protocol after all.

Denali park was beautiful, breathtaking actually – well worth the long, bumpy school bus ride. An afternoon white water rafting trip (dutifully reserved at the opening meeting), a couple of very good meals complete with Alaskan Crab legs and salmon and an evening hot tub overlooking the river under a hint of midnight sun put us into true vacation mode. Here we are, in Alaska, soaking away after a day immersed in uncontaminated wilderness. Life is good.

Sun led the way past THE mountain itself the next day on our scenic train ride and Anchorage gave us back to city life, at least for a few hours, before we headed to Whittier and boarded the ship.

Within our first half hour, we had already seen a bear scooping up some fresh salmon for supper and by the end of our three days on the boat, we had seen another bear doing the same, a mother with two babies playing on the beach and a swimming bear whom we followed and cheered on until he landed on a nearby island. The bears were accompanied by humpback whales, orca, lots of sea otters, harbor seals, steller sea lions, bald eagles, jumping pink salmon, tufted puffins, glaciers calving away and more. We saw it all, even the sun – a special treat.

The only other signs of civilization we encountered during our cruise were a few fishing boats in a small harbor and Dave, the oyster farmer, who boarded the ship to tell us about his lifestyle and profession. For those of us who live busy city lives, the silence, stillness and magnitude of nature were wonderful gifts, although we weren’t above tucking inside to warm up and enjoy some very nice meals with family and fellow sojourners.

The biggest problem we encountered was choosing between that last bite of dessert and following a whale sighting. Great vacation problem to solve. The whale won.

Thanks to Cruise West staff for a wonderful trip and a perfect introduction to the joys of organized tours.

See you in…..

Elizabeth Abbot.

Prince William Sound Cruise and Denali Tour, August 7-13, 2007

Posted by Elizabeth Abbott on September 07, 2007
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