Cruise West Owner, "Heartbroken" For Screwing You Over

Last weekend I happened to read a letter posted on the Avid Cruiser blog from Dick West, owner of the now-defunct Cruise West. In it, West said, "After 64 years our family business has succumbed to the global economy. We are heartbroken that we are going to be disappointing so many wonderful travel partners and guests, many of whom have become part of our extended family over the years. We did

Cruise West Ceases Operations

Cruise West today announced that they will cease operations on Saturday, Sept 18th. For the last year, Cruise West has aggressively pursued a number of options with interested parties to maintain operations, including investment, selling assets, and selling the company. In part because of the most recent dip in the markets and the continued lack of economic confidence, these options have not come

Cruise West Continues Restructuring Efforts

Even as they were planning to drop a disappointment bomb on some booked passengers, Cruise West—a global leader in small-ship explorations—wrapped up their late-afternoon announcement today with a note of optimism, "Cruise West believes that small is beautiful. Small-ship explorations allow up-close and personal experiences unmatched by the traditional larger cruise lines. For nearly 64 years,

Cruise West Sold & Suspends Bookings

Is this good news or bad news? We're not sure, but the family operated Seattle-based cruise line noted for its small ship voyages to Alaska is restructuring with new ownership, has suspended new bookings, and temporarily closed its reservations center. That's according to a recorded message I received when calling them this morning. At this time the new owners have not been named and my usual