seasickness on Cruise West mini-ship?

Has anyone experienced a Cruise West trip in Alaska? A very sea-sick prone friend is joining a group trip (and an expensive one) on a small, close to nature trip to Alaska on Cruise West (I'm not sure which ship). What do you think the sea-sick likelyhood...more than a 'real' cruise ship..or the same ...or less? I'm thinking she'd be alot more likely to get sick on such a small ship (about 100 pass I think).

Anyone out there have any predictions?:rolleyes:

We have cruised on 2 of CW ships. One in very calm waters--no problems. The other in the Sea of Japan--one bad night. I would get some type of seasick patch. Most small ships are very good about announcing that rough water is approaching. Your friend's doc should be able to give her a prescription for some type of sea-sick remedy.. Travel safely and enjoy. Pat

PS The CW ships are real cruise ships, just not floating resorts.

The doctor prescribed patches are $44.00 and the sea bands available at super markets and drug stores cost $10.00. They worked for me and you can eat or eat anything without worry.

We cruised the inside passage with Cruise West on the Spirit of Endeavor. I definitely recommend the seabands. I had a prescription patch but did not need to use it.

I agree with Pacmom that CW's cruise ships are not floating resorts. Far from it! The glitzy promotional materials made our ship seem way more comfortable than it was. (Our sheets were too short for the bed and kept popping off at night, for just one example.) However, we didn't mind this half as much as the "exploration leaders" mis-identifying rocks and giving wrong info on puffins! They also were poorly versed in local history. It was a shame given the great expense of the trip, but we found the information at the wildlife exhibit in Juneau's little airport a lot more detailed and informative than the info given by CW's "trained" naturalists. We got some good laughs out of that. (Eased the pain in the pocketbook.)

Hope your friend has a good time!

We cruised the inside passage with Cruise West on the Spirit of Endeavor. I definitely recommend the seabands. I had a prescription patch but did not need to use it.

 

I agree with Pacmom that CW's cruise ships are not floating resorts. Far from it! The glitzy promotional materials made our ship seem way more comfortable than it was. (Our sheets were too short for the bed and kept popping off at night, for just one example.) However, we didn't mind this half as much as the "exploration leaders" mis-identifying rocks and giving wrong info on puffins! They also were poorly versed in local history. It was a shame given the great expense of the trip, but we found the information at the wildlife exhibit in Juneau's little airport a lot more detailed and informative than the info given by CW's "trained" naturalists. We got some good laughs out of that. (Eased the pain in the pocketbook.)

 

Hope your friend has a good time!

I have to totally agree with you on the ships. We were told by the chef that we would be served mussels because Dungeoness Crabs were way too expensive - this after spending over $5000 per person for a 7 night cruise. My sheets were thread bare, the carpets filthy and the crew, while nice, were uninformed and even less knowledgable.

The ship did ok in the protected waters, but rocked and rolled in the open waters.

I have to totally agree with you on the ships. We were told by the chef that we would be served mussels because Dungeoness Crabs were way too expensive - this after spending over $5000 per person for a 7 night cruise. My sheets were thread bare, the carpets filthy and the crew, while nice, were uninformed and even less knowledgable.

 

The ship did ok in the protected waters, but rocked and rolled in the open waters.

Your comment about Cruise West food certainly brings back un-fond memories! We were offered a "dessert bar" the first evening that consisted of ice cream, fruit recycled from the happy hour, and cookies that were not even as good as those sold at Costco. The "breakfast buffet" the next morning was comparable to the food my daughter gets at her college dining hall. It got to the point where we were happy when the food was just mediocre and not awful! Also, since no snacks were offered, and it was a long time between breakfast and lunch (and lunch and dinner), I learned by the second day to grab muffins, fruit, and cold cereal from the breakfast bar and stash this stuff in my backpack for use later during the day for when my husband and I got hungry. At first people looked at me funny, but by the middle of the cruise, many other people were doing the same thing!

Your comment about Cruise West food certainly brings back un-fond memories! We were offered a "dessert bar" the first evening that consisted of ice cream, fruit recycled from the happy hour, and cookies that were not even as good as those sold at Costco. The "breakfast buffet" the next morning was comparable to the food my daughter gets at her college dining hall. It got to the point where we were happy when the food was just mediocre and not awful! Also, since no snacks were offered, and it was a long time between breakfast and lunch (and lunch and dinner), I learned by the second day to grab muffins, fruit, and cold cereal from the breakfast bar and stash this stuff in my backpack for use later during the day for when my husband and I got hungry. At first people looked at me funny, but by the middle of the cruise, many other people were doing the same thing!

I did the same thing! You would not expect gourmet food since their galleys are so small, but I felt they used very substandard food to begin with. I am not sure that I could say I had one "great" meal the entire time.

I did the same thing! You would not expect gourmet food since their galleys are so small, but I felt they used very substandard food to begin with. I am not sure that I could say I had one "great" meal the entire time.

The meals might not have been great, but guessing what would show up was definitely interesting. During our trip, for three nights, some of the items featured on the dinner menu were one day off. Therefore, the night I ordered an Asian-type salad, a different salad was delivered. (The Asian-type salad was on the following day's menu, but not available). Now I am severely allergic to shellfish (pointed out to Cruise West both before and during the cruise). On not-really-Asian-salad night, I got a forkful of lettuce just outside of my mouth when I happened to see...shrimp...underneath. Turns out there was a layer of shrimp at the bottom of the bowl. A little too Up close and personal" for sure!

I've just started checking out Cruise West in Alaska - I'm very interested in everyone's experiences. Please fill me in and let me know how long ago you cruised. Thanks

I've just started checking out Cruise West in Alaska - I'm very interested in everyone's experiences. Please fill me in and let me know how long ago you cruised. Thanks

Hi, we cruised the Inside Passage in August 2006. We sailed on the Spirit of Endeavor from Ketchikan to Juneau. I would not recommend Cruise West. We found that they do not live up to their promises in most areas. Here is an example from our trip that kind of sums up our feelings about this cruise line. Cruise West's promotional materials often feature a "their bear (big ship) vs. our bear (small ship)" comparison, as you will probably see as you get into your research. We found it bizarre, to put it bluntly, that when one of the guests on our tour bus spotted "our bear" on a hillside during an included shore excursion with Cruise West's "specially trained naturalists," and this guest asked what kind of bear it was, our naturalist replied, "I don't know, all bears look the same to me" and went on to attempt to persuade us to agree to stopping at her friend's fudge shop on the way back to the ship. It wasn't just us viewing the bear, by the way. The viewing area was open to anybody, not just Cruise West guests. If you would like more examples, I will be happy to share. Good luck in your research!

Thanks for your input and yes, I would like to know more about your experiences with Cruise West. thanks

Thanks for your input and yes, I would like to know more about your experiences with Cruise West. thanks

In answer to your request for experiences about Cruise West, here are my impressions. When we booked our (very expensive) trip on the Spirit of Endeavour, we knew we were making trade-offs. We knew that the stateroom would be smaller than on a big ship--110 square feet—because the measurements were given on the website. (We did not know, however, that the sheets would be too small for the bed and would pop off in the middle of the night, leaving us to wake up on a bare mattress.) We figured the food would be good but not awesome. (We did not know it would be horrid at worst and mediocre at best, as I have described in an earlier posting, nor that the service would be so slow that typically the guests toward the back of the dining hall were often just receiving their meals as those at the front were finishing.) We booked with CW because they promised, for a premium price, to provide us with a “different experience” from that offered by the large cruise lines. Well, we received a “different experience” for sure, but not the one promised in the glossy brochure! In retrospect, I think that Cruise West tries to make people feel special (and justify the premium price) by promising their guests that they will go “where the big ships can’t go.” However, there actually are big ships just about everywhere! In fact, in Glacier Bay, a big ship got closer to one of the glaciers than we did. Big ships also go to Haines, Skagway, Tracy Arm (Sawyer Glacier), Sitka, and, of course, Ketchikan and Juneau. In Haines, we were “parked” right next to a big ship! The two places on our itinerary where big ships didn’t go were Hyder and Petersburg, neither of which, in my opinion, is worth visiting. Hyder is a mind-numbingly boring town with a RV wash and a pizza joint that even the Captain of the ship disparaged for its total lack of interest. He told us that Hyder was being removed from the itinerary this year but I have not checked on that. The glossy brochure makes a big deal of delivering an experience of history and culture (again to justify the premium price), and in Petersburg this consisted of being subjected to a few Norwegian folk dances, in a musty old hall, by eight enthusiastic but unskilled pre-adolescent girls. Cruising the Portland Canal on the way to Hyder might have been interesting if the on-board “trained exploration leaders” (another of CW’s marketing enticements) had told us what we were seeing or had given us some history of the area, but they did not. The leaders, two young ladies who I believe had just graduated from college with specialties in marine mammals, were vivacious but unschooled in the type and depth of content that Cruise West promises you will receive. We were surprised to find out that we knew more about Alaska from our research than our “leaders.” We even know more about minerals. For example, when one of the leaders called granite “metamorphic,” my husband took her aside and pointed out that it was really “igneous.” There are many other examples, but I am sure you get the drift. I realize this is getting too long, but before I close I do want to acknowledge that the Captain of our ship was wonderful. He often pointed out interesting things, and slowed the engines twice—once so that we could observe a pod of orcas and another time to circle around a pod of humpbacks. Those were a magical 90 minutes, and if the entirety of the cruise had offered more experiences of this richness, we probably would not feel like sheep who were led to slaughter, paying a premium price for a third-class voyage.

Sorry that your cruise wasn't the dream trip we all long for. I hope I can get more feedback before I plunk down a small fortune. Thank you

musicmom3 – thanks so much for referring me over to this thread. As I stared in the other post, I’m also strongly considering Cruise West, if for no other reason than because their materials do such a good job of making the price difference seem worth it…I’m actually doing this research for my parents, who have amazingly generously decided that they would like to take my brother and I and out wives on a once in a lifetime family trip before we start having too many kids and obligations and blah, blah, blah, other stuff…anyway, the Cruise West prices are WAY out of our budget, but my folks are willing to blow the bank if it’s truly going to be worth it. I’d never forgive myself if we decided to go with a particular ship/line due to my research, and then ended up having an experience like yours…(no offense of course)….after all, there’s a WHOLE LOT you can with the cost of sending 6 people on one of their week long trips.

I hate to directly echo the poster above me, but do you (or anyone else) have any other ideas for small boat, intimate, out of the way options? We are NOT looking for luxury, but we want to get what we pay for…

Thanks in advance!

musicmom3 – thanks so much for referring me over to this thread. As I stared in the other post, I’m also strongly considering Cruise West, if for no other reason than because their materials do such a good job of making the price difference seem worth it…I’m actually doing this research for my parents, who have amazingly generously decided that they would like to take my brother and I and out wives on a once in a lifetime family trip before we start having too many kids and obligations and blah, blah, blah, other stuff…anyway, the Cruise West prices are WAY out of our budget, but my folks are willing to blow the bank if it’s truly going to be worth it. I’d never forgive myself if we decided to go with a particular ship/line due to my research, and then ended up having an experience like yours…(no offense of course)….after all, there’s a WHOLE LOT you can with the cost of sending 6 people on one of their week long trips.

 

I hate to directly echo the poster above me, but do you (or anyone else) have any other ideas for small boat, intimate, out of the way options? We are NOT looking for

luxury, but we want to get what we pay for…

Mojua, it is 4:15 AM here and we are out the door to catch (I hope) a flight to Florida on good old Jet black-'n-BLUE! Bless your parents! My husband and I hope to do the same thing with our brood at some point (although not with Cruise West). There was a family group on board the Spirit of Endeavour (wives, husbands, and some kids, including a baby) when we cruised the Inside Passage. More on this when we settle into the sunshine state.

Mojua, it is 4:15 AM here and we are out the door to catch (I hope) a flight to Florida on good old Jet black-'n-BLUE! Bless your parents! My husband and I hope to do the same thing with our brood at some point (although not with Cruise West). There was a family group on board the Spirit of Endeavour (wives, husbands, and some kids, including a baby) when we cruised the Inside Passage. More on this when we settle into the sunshine state.

thank you, thank you, thank you....and safe journey to FL....which is actually where my folks live....they're north of west palm beach, and it's been COLD the past few weeks...hopefully it'll warm up while you're down there...but hey, i'm in Boston and it's 16 degrees right now...so anything would be better than this...

regarding the trip; it's really overwhelming actually...my dad called a few weeks ago and said he and my mom were starting to think about an AK cruise, and would I please do some research for him (he knows I like this stuff)...anyway, I started looking, and a week later he was like, "yea, so, i guess i should probably come clean. Mom and I have decided that we want to take everyone on this trip..." I didn't even know what to say...totally speechless…we've all done a lot of traveling, and have even taken a few trips together in the past, but NOTHING like this...

Anyway, after hearing your stories about CW, I'm a bit scared, to say the least. Part of me actually wonders if we should just suck it up, book nice rooms on one of the big boats, and then do a lot of extra excursions...

Safe journey once again...have a blast, and I'd love to hear your thoughts when you're settled in...

Mojua, have you considered Lindblad for your family cruise? They are very family friendly & have outstanding naturalists. We went to Galapagos with them & loved every minute. I hear their Alaska is excellent. You might check them out. Sounds like you should give your parents a "parents of the year" award!

I do not feel we got what we paid for on Cruise West. We were promised to get upclose, have trained naturalist and excellent home style food - we didn't expect more than that - but didn't even get that. When were went down Tracy Arm, we were told by the naturalist several times that we were so fortunate because we were the only ones small enough to get down to the Twin Sawyer glaciers. We were out on deck, when my husband told me to look behind me. There was one of NCLs ships passing us - and got closer - in fact blocked us from the Sawter glaciers. The naturalist said they had never seen another ship come down there before - but that turned out to be false, because many of the larger ship go down the fjord rountinely. I think you are better of on a traditional ship- just don't go too large. You can actually probably get a Regent ship for what you pay for Cruise West - and it will include all your tips and drinks- and the ship and cuisine and service will be MUCH better.

Thank you both for your advice. We have looked into Lindblad...it's even more expensive than CW...like $5k pp + $500 airfare to/from AK/Seattle + airfare from the east coast + excursions... = too much money...even for a once in a life-time trip. Regent and the 'small' (600 pax) Princess ship are two others that we're looking into now...we're just NOT into the whole floating shopping mall / resort thing...I know that's a horrible thing to say on a cruise forum, but we're very modest people...no need for luxury, or formal attire, or gourmet cuisine, or fancy nightlife...we're honestly just looking for the 'real' Alaska experience; wildlife, glaciers, fjords, whales, huge mountains, good fresh caught seafood, home cooked meals, casual atmosphere...this is turning out to be a lot more overwhelming that I had initially thought.

Thanks again for your advice!

I know exactly what you are referring to. I'm just trying to find something for my hubby & I and am struggling to find somthing that I feel would be worth the price. Let me know if you come up with anything. Thanks

I have not done Cruise West in Alaska, but we were on the Spirit of Oceanous in Japan this Fall. I agree with the comments about the food: breakfasts were good, but dinners ranged from merely edible to mediocore. The quality was what I would expect in a cafeteria or all-you-can-eat buffet. However, I knew that before the trip started, so I was not disappointed. The crew were wonderful, and our guides in Japan were very knowledgeble local people.

I also felt that the experience delivered did not live up to the experience described in their brochure. We did have a wonderful trip, but I have very mixed feelings about ever doing another Cruise West vacation. I should add that my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and respective spouses did Cruise West in Alaska, and loved it. The pictures they brought back were amazing. They are very "outdoorsy" people, into biking and hiking, and that may be why they enjoyed it so much.

We have done the Inside Passage on Regent, and had a wonderful trip. The Mariner is elegant, but not a floating shopping mall, with under 500 passengers. Food ranges from good to excellant. Dress is "country club casual"- no suits or ties required. The excursions let us get "up close and personal" with Alaska. For example, we boarded a small boat that took us up to the face of the South Sawyer glacier in Tracy Arm. I think Regent is a good compromise between the comforts of a large cruise ship, and the advantages of small ships like Cruise West. The price is probably similar to Cruise West, but is all-inclusive.

Whatever line you choose, you will enjoy the wonders of Alaska.

I have not done Cruise West in Alaska, but we were on the Spirit of Oceanous in Japan this Fall. I agree with the comments about the food: breakfasts were good, but dinners ranged from merely edible to mediocore. The quality was what I would expect in a cafeteria or all-you-can-eat buffet. However, I knew that before the trip started, so I was not disappointed. The crew were wonderful, and our guides in Japan were very knowledgeble local people.

I also felt that the experience delivered did not live up to the experience described in their brochure. We did have a wonderful trip, but I have very mixed feelings about ever doing another Cruise West vacation. I should add that my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and respective spouses did Cruise West in Alaska, and loved it. The pictures they brought back were amazing. They are very "outdoorsy" people, into biking and hiking, and that may be why they enjoyed it so much.

We have done the Inside Passage on Regent, and had a wonderful trip. The Mariner is elegant, but not a floating shopping mall, with under 500 passengers. Food ranges from good to excellant. Dress is "country club casual"- no suits or ties required. The excursions let us get "up close and personal" with Alaska. For example, we boarded a small boat that took us up to the face of the South Sawyer glacier in Tracy Arm. I think Regent is a good compromise between the comforts of a large cruise ship, and the advantages of small ships like Cruise West. The price is probably similar to Cruise West, but is all-inclusive.

Whatever line you choose, you will enjoy the wonders of Alaska.

Thanks Dr. Tom, for your great insight. We have pretty much ruled out CW at this point, and are now deciding between Regent and the 'small' Princess ship. Fortunately, unlike CW, there's tons of info on this forum about Regent and Princess...thanks again!

Hi Mojua, just wanted to mention that you might want to check out Holland America's Veendam (1300 passengers, I believe). We kept running into them (not literally!) when we were aboard Cruise West, and even docked right next to them in Haines. They seemed to run some really cool shore excursions (cooler than ours, anyway). I understand what you are saying about the "floating resort" thing, but there may be advantages to a larger ship when traveling with a baby, as you are. There was an infant aboard our Cruise West voyage and, as the days wore on, the mom was looking more and more stressed; toward the end we didn't see her much--I think she was staying in the room with the baby. The people we travelled with were all very nice, but most of us were of a certain age, and when you are the one with the infant crying...well, I've been there and I know how conspicuous it feels to be the one with the fussy kid! Any responsible parent is going to take care not to disturb the other passengers, and since the little lounge on the Spirit of Endeavour was usually sardine-packed, I think the situation may have become uncomfortable for the family. I know I would not have been comfortable with a baby or even young kids on that ship. Anyway, a bigger ship is more child-friendly, obviously, so that may be a beneficial side-effect of choosing a larger vessel for your trip.

Hi Mojua, just wanted to mention that you might want to check out Holland America's Veendam (1300 passengers, I believe). We kept running into them (not literally!) when we were aboard Cruise West, and even docked right next to them in Haines. They seemed to run some really cool shore excursions (cooler than ours, anyway). I understand what you are saying about the "floating resort" thing, but there may be advantages to a larger ship when traveling with a baby, as you are. There was an infant aboard our Cruise West voyage and, as the days wore on, the mom was looking more and more stressed; toward the end we didn't see her much--I think she was staying in the room with the baby. The people we travelled with were all very nice, but most of us were of a certain age, and when you are the one with the infant crying...well, I've been there and I know how conspicuous it feels to be the one with the fussy kid! Any responsible parent is going to take care not to disturb the other passengers, and since the little lounge on the Spirit of Endeavour was usually sardine-packed, I think the situation may have become uncomfortable for the family. I know I would not have been comfortable with a baby or even young kids on that ship. Anyway, a bigger ship is more child-friendly, obviously, so that may be a beneficial side-effect of choosing a larger vessel for your trip.

Great advice, and something I hadn't given enough thought to. We've switched 180 degrees at this point, and are now leaning toward the Pacific Princess (670 pax). We can all get mini-suites and take advantage of the best excursions for less than the price of CW...plus, as you mentioned, it'll give us a bit more flexibility to be on a bigger boat. thanks again for all of your wonderful insight!!!

Can any one explain why the reviews on the Japan cruise are spactacular and these are so poor? Is it the ship or what ?