Press Release

NEW 24-NIGHT "IN HARRIMAN'S WAKE" ITINERARY, EXPANDED LAND-SEA OPTIONS AND NEW LINE-UP OF WILDERNESS LODGES ARE SOME OF THE ANNOUNCED ENHANCEMENTS TO CRUISE WEST’S 2005 ALASKA PROGRAM

Oct 21 2004 12:00AM

 A new 24-night “In Harriman's Wake" itinerary -- an extraordinary 3,600-mile exploration of British Columbia, Alaska, the Aleutians and Far East Russia, unique to Cruise West -- increased cruise-tour options featuring newly added remote wilderness lodges, port changes and several itinerary revisions are some of the enhancements to Cruise West's 2005 Alaska programs. All of the Alaska itineraries are detailed in the new 135-page "The Alaska Experience 2005" brochure, which also underwent a change, now cataloging the cruises by region.

Operating from early May to mid-September, Cruise West’s Alaska portfolio of three- to 24-night cruises feature 30 Alaskan and Russian ports -- from tiny isolated fishing hamlets such as Elfin Cove, with just 32 residents, to lively cities like Anchorage with a population of about 260,000. Cruise West’s seven Alaska-based small ships -- carrying between 70 and 114 passengers -- focus on the destinations by traversing wilderness regions from the southern tip of the Alaska Panhandle to the Arctic Circle in the Bering Strait, including the Inside Passage, Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound, the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea and Russian Far East.

The comprehensive “In Harriman’s Wake” knits together the 11-night “Coastal Odyssey” and 13-night “Voyage to the Bering Sea” itineraries into an epic journey that retraces the route taken by Edward Henry Harriman, a railroad magnate, who organized and funded a research expedition during the Gold Rush in 1899. His voyage, documenting the state’s fragile ecology, was to become the most significant scientific expedition ever undertaken in Alaskan waters and its findings are still in use today as a base for further studies. Highlights for guests aboard the 114-passenger Spirit of Oceanus, Cruise West’s all-suite flagship, include Shumagin and Pribilof Islands, Eskimo and Russian villages, Savoonga, Petersburg, Juneau, Sitka, Anchorage, Kodiak and the national parks of Katmai and Glacier Bay. Four departures -- May 25, June 16, July 10 and August 1 -- range from $13,199 to $19,499 per person, double.

The rustic and isolated Redoubt Bay and Winterlake lodges are featured in conjunction with new “Coastal Odyssey” and “Voyage to the Bering Sea” cruise-tour options, uniting the cruises with two nights at the traveler’s choice of lodges, accessible by floatplane. Redoubt Bay’s cozy lodge and cabins overlooking the Big River lakes are the only accommodations in a 171,000-acre critical habitat area, with one of the densest bear populations in the state. Guests may observe grizzly bears fishing for salmon, or enjoy animal tracking, canoeing, kayaking and hiking. The 15-acre Winterlake Lodge, set on Alaska’ historic Iditarod Trail 200 miles from Anchorage, offers hiking on a network of trails, viewing flora and fauna such as various bird species and wildflowers, floating the Happy River and fishing in Canyon Creek. The lodge’s owner/chef, author of two cookbooks, prepares savory local dishes. New “Coastal Odyssey” cruise-tours D and DD cost $7,499 to $11,049 per person, double, while “Voyage to the Bering Sea” cruise-tours D and DD range from $9,949 to $13,549.

The "Coastal Odyssey" cruise itinerary was reduced from 12 to 11 nights, eliminating a hotel night in Anchorage and replacing port calls at Prince Rupert and Homer with a visit to Metlakatla, the only federal reservation for indigenous Alaska people. Cruising in Prince William Sound has been added and Misty Fjords, Petersburg and Frederick, Juneau, Glacier Bay and Sitka round out the trip. Prices are $5,599 to $9,149.

The 2005 version of “Voyage to the Bering Sea” calls at the remote Bering Sea Eskimo village of Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island -- home to 700 indigenous Alaskan and Siberian Tupik people for 2,000 years -- replacing visits to Gambell and Little Diomede on the northbound sailing and Gambell on the southbound. Fares are $7,799 to $11,399.

An alternate version of the eight-night "Alaska's Inside Passage" replaces calls at Skagway and Haines with a visit to Hyder, "The Friendliest Ghost Town in Alaska." An eight-night sailing was added to the "Daylight Yacht Tour" roster, in which travelers cruise by day aboard the Sheltered Seas yacht and overnight in Petersburg, Juneau, Ketchikan and Glacier Bay Lodge. Four- and five-night "Daylight Yacht Tour" itineraries are also offered.

Other 2005 Alaska itineraries are the eight-night "Wilderness Inside Passage" (renamed from 2004's "Wilderness Waterways"), 10-night "Gold Rush Inside Passage and three- or four-night "Glacier Wonderland,” which explores Prince William Sound. Eight- to 17-night land-sea packages are available in conjunction with all cruises except "In Harriman's Wake." Cruise fares range from $1,149 on the Spirit of Columbia for a three-night early season "Glacier Wonderland" sailing to $19,499 for the Spirit of Oceanus' Grand Titan suite on the 24-night "In Harriman's Wake," mid-season.

Reservations and brochures can be obtained from travel agents and Cruise West, Suite 401, 2301 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121, telephone (800) 888-9378; fax (206) 441-4757; web site www.cruisewest.com

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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.