Press Release

CRUISE WEST ANNOUNCES FIVE SPECIALTY CRUISES IN MEXICO - 2008-2009 Season Includes Volunteer Opportunity, Distinctive Specialty Cruises

July 23, 2008

SEATTLE, July 23, 2008 – Cruise West (www.cruisewest.com), a leading innovator of small-ship itineraries, announces its eight-day Mexico’s Sea of Cortés Whales & Wildlife schedule for 2008-2009.  Whales & Wildlife sails aboard the 138-guest Spirit of Yorktown and will offer 14 departures, including five specialty cruises and a new, optional post-cruise excursion to benefit the La Paz Children’s Home in Baja, Mexico.  The specialty itineraries include John Steinbeck-inspired cruises with literary experts aboard, a PENTAX photography cruise with professional photographers, and two holiday itineraries. 

After experiencing seven days of exotic wildlife and idyllic beaches, guests aboard the March 7, 2009 sailing can opt to disembark in La Paz to assist in a “work party” at the La Paz Children’s Home.  The work party is part of Cruise West’s “Our Bear Cares” program and was created in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, the travel organizer for the World Affairs Councils of America.  Volunteers will spend two nights in La Paz with one full day spent working at the children’s home.  The optional excursion is $225 per person, double occupancy.

Guests aboard the Christmas sailing, departing December 20, 2008, will enjoy a traditional Nochebuena Christmas Eve feast and unwind for a Feliz Navidad on a remote beach with festive Mexican holiday activities.  New Year’s guests on the December 27, 2008 departure will celebrate the Feliz Año Nuevo with a midnight toast and late night buffet, as well as a stop in La Paz to celebrate the “Epiphany” or “Three Kings” day. 

On the January 3 and 10, 2009 sailings, guest speakers, including John Steinbeck scholars, will explain how the author’s 1940 expedition to the region inspired his The Log of the Sea of Cortez.  The PENTAX photography cruise, sailing January 17, 2009, features a PENTAX professional photographer onboard to assist budding Ansel Adams imitators as they create masterpieces with their cameras.

All Whales & Wildlife guests will experience firsthand the Sea of Cortés’s abundant concentration of marine life, from dolphins to sea lions to pelicans.  Highlights on the eight-day itinerary include guided nature walks through lush islands, snorkeling, kayaking, whale watching aboard a panga boat in Magdalena Bay (the whales can typically be found from mid-January thru March), tours of historic missions and churches and a fiesta complete with Mexican music, dancers and a piñata.  Adventure seekers can add on a four-day post-cruise Copper Canyon Tour, including a railroad ride into the Sierra Madres through six interconnecting canyons, immersion in Tarahumara Indian culture and exploration of Pancho Villa’s hometown of Chihuaua.

Rates begin at $2,199 per person based on double occupancy.  Guests will save up to $350 on departures in December 2009 by booking and paying in full by March 27, 2009; guests will save up to $175 on departures from January through March 2009 by booking and paying in full by September 5, 2008.

For additional information regarding Cruise West’s Sea of Cortés voyage visit http://www.cruisewest.com/destinations/sea_of_cortes/ or call 1-800-296-8307.

 

~ 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.