"very tenuous situation"

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2010/07/report-small-ship-line-cruise-west-seeking-capital-to-shore-up-finances/100529/1

We plan to leave home in about 5 weeks for what we planned as our only big vacation this year. Today we read the words above in a quote from Dick West, Cruise West Chairman in financial news regarding his company, and our next cruise line. Can you say Renaissance flashback?! So, another damper on our enthusiasm after our little rush of getting our cruise documents. It seems like every time we find a cruise line that we like or think we would like, it goes under! It seems like a miracle that we got 3 cruises on RSSC without them actually going under. So, hopefully Cruise West will go as RSSC has and come out strong. Fingers crossed!

Cruise Documents Arrived!

Okay! When something tangible arrives it is a little hard NOT to get a little excited! While we were out at a movie on Friday (Sorcerer's Apprentice. I liked it. Clay slept through the first hour until his snoring had people turning to look and I had to pinch and poke him awake.) the USPS left a delivery notice with our mail. This morning we drove to our zip's Post Office and picked up a Priority Mail envelope from Cruise West in Seattle. A heads up email beforehand would have been a nice touch. Anyway... Inside the USPS cardboard envelope was what should have been a very nice and classy, navy blue leather zippered case. Should have been because it is nice, compact (about 10"x 7"), useful, etc. but the logo is printed on it upside down to the pockets inside! So, when it is zipped up, there is a logo and the words Cruise West embossed on the lower right of the what you think is the front of like a sealed book. When you unzip it, the insides are upside down and back to front. So, to keep things in the pockets and the nice lined notepad on the back from falling out, you have to turn it over. Now, the embossed logo and company name are upside down at the top of the back of the binder. I hope that Cruise West got this batch of defective, manufacturing error binders at either a great discount or free, but they should have returned them and demanded correct ones. I realize that I shouldn't let little things bother me, but even Clay agreed that it was an unpleasant surprise that would have lasting consequences if we actually use the thing and carry it along with us as it was intended. So, what could have been a really good first impression is conditionally so-so. Too bad. Fingers crossed that will be the only sour taste we get!

The rest of the package was very detailed. Four nice looking luggage tags. Downside is that they are very brittle plastic and got stress fractures just from me taking out the paper inserts to fill them in with our required information. That does not bode well for luggage handling and arrival intact to be used by Cruise West crew. Maybe heavy paper and elastic strings are not such a bad idea! 2 polar bear pins we are supposed to wear on arrival at the airport for them to find us. Umm... Not too sure we are actually liking this but, trying to give the benefit of the doubt for now. The only 2 items in the documents that were questionable were, one it says there are binoculars available in your cabin for your use onboard. Then on the day of the jet boat trip to Hells Canyon, it says bring your binoculars. But, binoculars are not on the packing list, so do they mean bring "your" binoculars if you brought them, or do they mean you can borrow theirs off the ship that day? The other question is actually the packing list along with the suggested luggage limits. They request that you only bring one small suitcase and one carryon item. Then, they give you a packing list of stuff that includes a day pack and 3 different kinds of head coverings and would never fit into that small amount of luggage. Which makes the binoculars question all the more intriguing. Oh, well. We'll sort it out. We are flying Southwest, so there are no worries about luggage allowances/up charges, etc. But, right now were are still planning to fly within the carryon allowances only to minimize the risk of lost luggage with connections on such a short cruise. Good thing it is an all casual trip!

Try saying Walla Walla a bunch of times! It is written about 8 times on one of the itinerary pages. I was trying to read it to Clay and started sneezing! An allergic reaction? I hope not. But, anyway, I sneezed about 30-50 times in the next 10 minutes or so and my eyes and nose ran for the next several hours. Go figure! On second thought, maybe you better not try saying Walla Walla a bunch of times. Hah! Walla Walla Washington! What does that even mean, Walla Walla? Ah, according to Wikipedia: Walla Walla is a Native American name that means "Place of Many Waters."  So, there you go.

Below are some cool factoids about our Columbia & Snake Rivers cruise.
We will go through 3 states, 3 rivers and 8 locks and dams.
Bonneville Lock is 60 feet tall.
Beacon Rock is one of the largest basalt formations of its kind at 846 feet (port side before Bonneville).
Multnomah Falls is the largest waterfall in Oregon.
Columbia River Gorge is the only low-level crossing of the Cascade Mountain Range between California and British Columbia.
Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge on earth with a maximum depth of 7,900 feet.

More Cruise West information

This is our first trip with Cruise West, so if you're curious about them read on. If you already know, or don't care, skip this entry.

Cruise West's fare includes tips, taxes, fees, land portions (including a ride to and from the airport on arrival and departure), 1 shore tour per port, coffee, tea, juices, and soft drinks. We paid a total fare for the both of us of $6,398. We did get a quote to include airfare, but it was more than double what we could book on our own, so we declined. We will be returning to Southwest Airlines for the first time, I think, since we left El Paso!

We are booked on Spirit of '98. We are booked in the lowest level cabin. We are in Category A, cabin 104. This will be our first cruise without a balcony! Gasp! Here is our thinking on that decision... It is a very small ship. There are no balcony cabins. The higher level cabins on the ship have outdoor entry. But, this also means that people walking or standing around on the outside decks can see in your cabin. The price difference to get an outside cabin for 7 days was $1600pp. We just didn't think on a ship this small that it was worth that to us to be able to open the door to get to outside air, not to mention having to keep the curtains closed for privacy. So, we'll see. I'm sure that we are going to be uncomfortable in this tiny windowed cabin, but it is only for 7 days and there was no size difference! Ours is 10'6"x9'6" and the outside door upgrade on a higher deck is exactly the same size! So, time will tell if we made the right decision, but we couldn't cough up the price difference for an outside door, especially since if it rains all week, we would be very unhappy to have to go outside in the rain to get to dinner or breakfast! So, we'll see.

How small is the Spirit of '98 you ask? It accommodates a maximum of 96 guests. It is 192 feet long and has a cruising speed of 13 knots. It is registered in the USA. It has satellite phone, email and Internet capability. There is an elevator from the Main Deck (where the Dining Room and our cabin is!) to the Upper Deck (which is one deck below the Sun Deck).

 Here is some trivia for you. The Kevin Costner movie Wyatt Earp was filmed onboard Spirit of '98. I couldn't find a build date for the little ship but Cruise West says it was "designed to emulate an early 20th century coastal steamer complete with carved wooden cabinetry, plush floral upholstery, a Grand Salon, plus a full bar with old-world charm." Last bit of trivia regarding our cruise is that we will transit 8 locks/dams.

Preface

So, last year about this time we were getting psyched for a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disney World in Orlando, FL in September. This year Clay has been out of the country for about 2 months so far this year, so no vacation travel has been possible until now. You would think that would make it easy for us to get psyched then about this upcoming trip, but so far not happening. I'm not sure why... Maybe Clay is all traveled out already and it isn't to a new country or a month at sea or anything big. I have been pretty excited about it, but his apathy has put a damper on my enthusiasm as well. So, anyway, all the planning is finished. We have 2 nights without hotel reservations, so we'll be improvising during the road trip. Not something Clay has historically handled very well, but I had made all the decisions I felt comfortable making, so we'll just have to see what happens! This will be my first time flying or cruising since being diagnosed with Meniere's Disease and I am more than a little nervous about it. Keeping fingers crossed that all goes well without setting off any episodes.

We plan to take a laptop with us and hope to keep this blog updated in real time. We'll try to do better than last year when we got out the laptop outside Orlando and Clay realized he had not packed a power supply.

Photo of Cruise West's Spirit of 98 from their website.

OK. Below is our Cruise West itinerary.

Round Trip from Portland


Day 1 Cruise From Portland
On arrival in Portland, you will transfer to the ship. This evening enjoy a sparkling wine toast as the ship slowly cruises the Willamette River to view the Portland skyline. This 240-mile tributary of the Columbia River is crossed by 19 bridges and 3 ferries. D

Day 2 Cruising the World-Renowned Columbia Gorge National Scenic area
Your ship slips through the locks of Bonneville Dam at the entrance to the Columbia River Gorge. Since 1938, this historic landmark has supplied hydroelectric power, fish and wildlife protection, and recreation. Stop at the dam’s Visitor Center, then tour by motorcoach to breathtaking Multnomah Falls, the tallest falls in Oregon. Return to the ship to continue your journey upriver. This spectacular river canyon, 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, is a natural wind tunnel that cuts the only sea level route through the Cascade Mountains. BLD

Day 3 Pendleton
Travel to Pendleton along a route used by the Oregon Trail Pioneers. Uncover the Wild West past of Pendleton’s underground tunnels, dug by Chinese emigrants between 1870 and 1930. Lunch is served at the impressive Hamley’s Saloon, offering a home-style barbeque lunch. Explore the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute honoring the 10,000-year history of the confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, Cayuse, and Walla Walla. Learn about their history through interactive exhibits and a Living Cultural Village. BLD

Day 4 Hell’s Canyon
After your final upriver locking at Lower Granite Dam, the vessel will dock in historic Clarkston, Washington, “the Northwest’s most inland seaport” at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers. Board motorcoaches for transfer upriver to a riverside lodge where you will have lunch, just prior to boarding covered jet boats for an exhilarating excursion into Hells Canyon. This free-flowing river cuts its way through North America’s deepest canyon and boasts incredible scenery beneath steep cliffs rising thousands of feet on both sides of the gorge. Keep your eyes peeled for elk, bighorn sheep and 7,000-year-old Indian petroglyphs. BLD

Day 5 Walla Walla
Internationally recognized for its production of award winning wines, Walla Walla is a quaint town where you will enjoy an historic tour and time allowing, an opportunity to explore and shop on your own. A special casually elegant lunch has been arranged at a local favorite restaurant before a tour and tasting at two unique wineries. Return to the ship for dinner and evening cruising. BLD

Day 6 River Cruising
The river lends its unique rhythms to life onboard. You will have a full day of leisurely cruising past ancient petroglyphs, granite and basalt cliffs, Beacon Rock, Multnomah Falls, Cape Horn and legendary Rooster Rock. By end of day you’ll have locked through McNary, John Day and The Dalles, where man and nature work hand in hand. BLD

Day 7 Spring & Fall Itinerary (April to May / September to October):
Astoria and Fort Clatsop
Stand in Lewis & Clark’s footsteps at the Fort Clatsop National Memorial, where Lewis & Clark spent the winter of 1805-1806. See the fascinating Columbia River Maritime Museum. You’ll have free time to discover the hidden treasures of this charming Victorian seaport, that is the western terminus of the TransAmerica Trail. BLD

Summer Itinerary (from June to August):

Option 1 - Rainier & Mt. St. Helens

Disembark in Rainier for a coach drive to Mt. St. Helens. The Johnston Ridge Observatory brings the 1980 eruption to life. Here you will see evidence of and learn more about the cataclysmic 1980 eruption — an explosion that leveled 230 square miles of mature forest and removed 1,300 feet from the top of the mountain. Discover that the eruption was more than just a single event and see first hand how scientists continue to monitor this active volcano. BLD

— OR —

Option 2 - Astoria

Board a motorcoach for a transfer to the Lewis & Clark National Historic Park and the site of Fort Clatsop where the explorers spent the winter after making it to the Pacific Ocean. See the fascinating Columbia River Maritime Museum. You’ll have free time to discover the hidden treasures of this charming Victorian seaport, that is the western terminus of the TransAmerica Trail before returning to the Ship. BLD

Day 8 Back to Portland
Return to Portland’s attractive riverfront where your week-long voyage ends. A transfer to the Portland Airport is included.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner


Oh, We have selected to do Option 1 above. We had to decide on the same day in the same phone call that we booked the cruise! I guess we could have said we didn't know yet and then taken whatever was available later, but we figured that we could see Astoria on our road trip and so we have booked a night at a B&B there. Hopefully, we'll be able to do everything the CW tour would have done and more. Plus, Mt. St. Helen's just sounds really interesting and where a guide or narrator might be more important to the experience.