Press Release

FOLLOW THE PATHS OF EXPLORERS, CONQUERORS AND KINGS ON CRUISE WEST’S VOYAGES IN ASIA. Early Booking Savings up to $900 Available for 2008 Grand Asia Sailings

July 23, 2007

Cruise West will explore the dynamic contrast of modernism and tradition in the thriving cities and ancient capitals of Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea on two distinct voyages in Asia for 2008. Guests aboard the 120-guest Spirit of Oceanus will be true insiders, journeying beyond well-known attractions to get up-close with the culture and people of these countries. Cruise West’s knowledgeable Exploration Leaders will share their passions and expertise, while guest speakers and even perhaps a geisha, Buddhist monk or local farmer provides an intimate experience onshore.

The 2008 Grand Asia itinerary, which sails on November 10 and 24, 2008, offers an early booking incentive of up to $900 per person for guests who book their cruise and pay the full amount by February 8, 2008. Guests sailing on a spring 2008 Hidden Treasures of Japan itinerary, available on April 13, 23, and May 3, will save up to $400 per person if booked and paid in full by October 12, 2007; and guests sailing on a late-fall 2008 Japan itinerary, which leaves October 1, 11, 21 and 31, 2008, will save up to $800 per person if the trip is booked and paid in full by January 18, 2008.

For guests who cannot wait until 2008 to sail on one of Cruise West’s majestic journeys to Asia, they can still book the Vietnam itinerary, sailing on November 18 and 25, 2007. This 11-night excursion travels from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City or reverse, visiting the nation’s ancient capitals, experiencing the French colonial influences on architecture and cuisine, and enjoying the country’s blossoming cities. This trip is priced starting at $4,599 per person.

~Grand Asia~

The 18-night Grand Asia experience, increased from 16 nights in 2007, offers four new ports of call: Kobe, Miyajima/Hiroshima, Danang/Hoi An and Chan May/Hue. The journey between Kobe and Hanoi sails the Japan’s Seto Inland Sea and the Yellow and South China Seas, winding around islands and down a mystical coastline that boasts the diverse terrain of pristine beaches and verdant mountains.

There are new highlights to experience each day as the Spirit of Oceanus visits Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam on a voyage of connection that brings guests from centuries of culture and tradition in ancient temples and monasteries to the bustling markets of these countries’ thriving cities. The sailing includes: a visit with a Shinto priest and performance in Miyajima; tours of the peace parks in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Shanghai, once a sleepy fishing town and now China’s premier cultural, commercial and financial center; the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay; and Hue, the Imperial City. The Grand Asia itinerary is priced starting at $7,549 per person.

Guests can extend their journey with two pre- and/or post-land tours. The Japan land tour offers four days exploring the cities of Kyoto, known as the “Heart of Japan;” Nara, home to the enormous bronze Buddha, the Daibutsu, at Todaiji Temple; and the port city of Kobe, home to Himeji Castle. The Vietnam and Cambodia land tour offers seven days exploring cities and sites including: the cosmopolitan city of Ho Chi Minh; the Cu Chi Tunnels, a 75-mile-long underground maze and one of the most famous battlegrounds of the Vietnam War; the temples of the World Heritage Site Angkor Wat; and Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh.

~Hidden Treasures of Japan~

Cruise West’s voyage through Japan brings guests amidst the enigma that has enticed visitors for centuries, where the past lives alongside the present; where magnificent castles sit in the backdrop of city skylines and ancient feudal values are a part of everyday life.

This 11-night journey that sails round trip from Kobe includes new ports for 2008: The island of Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its unique warm-temperate primeval forest that is blanketed in nearly 2,000 ancient Yaku-sugi trees ( a Japanese cedar endemic to the island ) , including the Jomon-sugi tree estimated to be up to 7,000 years old; and Kagoshima, nestled in the crevasses of steep hills on the shore of beautiful Kinko Bay. Other highlights include visits to the Yoshida Shrine and Tokoji Temple in Hagi, the famous gardens in Okayama and Takamatsu, and also tours of Miyajima, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Hidden Treasures of Japan itinerary is priced starting at $5,849 per person. Guests can also extend their journey with the four-day pre-cruise land tour in Kyoto.

~Spirit of Oceanus~

Cruise West’s Spirit of Oceanus is the line’s most spacious and luxurious ship. Each suite offers spacious closets, a large marble bathroom, sitting area and television. Two lounges, an outside bistro and an open-seating dining room provide a casual atmosphere for guests to interact with one another, the crew, Exploration Leaders and guest speakers. Seven suite categories are offered onboard, including 14 suites with private balconies and one elegantly appointed and spacious Owner’s Suite located on the ship’s Sun Deck.

~ Up-Close, Casual and Personal Cruising ~

Cruise West offers the opportunity to explore remote and distinctive destinations throughout North and Central America, Asia and the South Pacific. Small-ship cruising allows for personalized experiences not offered by larger cruise lines. Guest capacities aboard Cruise West’s nine ships range from 78-138. Guests may expect personal enrichment through onboard narrative and presentations by local experts. The ships’ forward lounges and ample outdoor deck space provide outstanding viewing opportunities, and inflatable boats allow for up-close exploration and shore landings.

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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.