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.