Press Release

CRUISE WEST RETRACES ANCIENT CANOE ROUTES OF THE “SALISH SEA” AND COLUMBIA AND SNAKE RIVERS DURING PACIFIC NORTHWEST FALL SEASON

Jun 22 2004 12:00AM

Contact: Elliot Gillies, (212) 724-7783, elliotgillies@gzpr.com Seattle, June 2004 -- 10,000 years before explorations by Lewis and Clark and British Captain George Vancouver, dugout canoes crafted by aboriginal forebears of Salish, Nez Perce and Clatsop peoples plied the Pacific Northwest rivers and coastal waters. During Fall, 2004, Cruise West small-ship voyages will retrace some of those ancient canoe routes. One itinerary sails from Seattle via the former “Salish Sea” up the coast of British Columbia; the other cruise, leaving Portland, explores the Columbia and Snake Rivers from the Pacific Ocean to Hells Canyon. Seven-night “Coastal Wilderness” cruises link Seattle to the remote and roadless British Columbia fjord country, and to Vancouver, Victoria, the San Juan Islands and the pioneer communities Nanaimo, Friday Harbor, Rosario and La Conner. Each was once a participant in the colorful Northwest frontier history. Departures run from September 18 to October 23 with rates from $1,699 to $3,599 per person, double. From Portland, the seven-night “River Voyage of Discovery” covers 1,070 roundtrip river miles, including an exhilarating jet boat excursion into Hells Canyon, giving access to magnificent Western scenery and a treasury of museums, frontier-days sites, art collections, and the Stone Age cultures of Nez Perce and Clatsop tribes. 19 departures are scheduled between September 9 and October 22 with prices of $1,499 to $4,549 per person, double. Cruise prices include shore excursions at all stops: “River Voyage of Discovery” explores the inner workings of Bonneville Dam, the U.S. Army cavalry-era museum at old Fort Walla Walla, Whitman Mission site, Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center, Maryhill Museum high on a bluff overlooking the Columbia, 620-foot-high Multnomah Falls, Astoria’s Columbia River Maritime Museum, and Fort Clatsop; the “Coastal Wilderness” cruise visits Vancouver’s Stanley Park and the Capilano Canyon Suspension Bridge, Victoria’s Butchart Gardens, Nanaimo’s Cameron Island Promenade, Old City Quarter and District Museum, and the Friday Harbor Whale Museum. Cruise West vessels have large forward lounges and plenty of outside deck space for viewing and photographing wildlife and scenery. Cabins have private facilities and life aboard ship ranges from casual to very casual. Dress for meals is informal, with open seating in the dining room. Exploration Leaders, trained in regional history, cultures, ecology and geology, accompany the cruises and shore excursions. Reservations, additional information and brochures can be obtained from travel agents and Cruise West, Suite 401, 2301 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121, telephone (800) 888-9378; fax (206) 441-4757; web site www.cruisewest.com ### Gillies and Zaiser 110 Riverside Drive New York, NY 10024 CW-12-June, 2004

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Cruise West – a second-generation, family-owned business based in Seattle – offers the opportunity to explore remote, worldwide locales by providing distinctive, one-of-a-kind, personalized itineraries not offered by the traditional larger cruise lines. Cruise West’s smaller ships – nine in all – hold between 78-138 people each, and the casual style onboard encourages relaxation and congenial interaction between guests and crew alike. The experience is personally enriching through expert Exploration Leaders providing onboard narrative and lectures, special local guests from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the library provided on each vessel. All have forward lounges and ample outdoor deck space for viewing and photographing wildlife and scenery. All vessels are also equipped with inflatable landing boats for close-up exploration of remote areas and shore landings.

Destinations served include: Alaska and the Bering Sea, British Columbia, Columbia & Snake Rivers, California Wine Country, Mexico's Sea of Cortés, Costa Rica & Panama, Japan, the South Pacific, and the Kuril Islands.