This is the Alaska you came to see, and this is the Alaska Cruise West will show you. So close that binoculars are superfluous, and so personal that the memories you take away will last you a lifetime.

When Chuck West established his first Alaska tour service in 1946, he knew he wanted to offer something different. Something for people who step forward when others hang back, people who are hungry for new experiences. That's why our maneuverable small ships and knowledgeable Captains take you through narrow channels, into shallow bays, and right up to isolated beaches out of reach of other ships. In fact, you'll often find that you and your shipmates are the only visitors in a picturesque port or wilderness waterway.

We take you close enough to feel the mist from a waterfall. Close enough to see the concentration on the face of a whiskery sea otter as he pounds a rock against an oyster balanced on his belly. Close enough to hear the creaks and groans of a calving glacier. And give you the chance to get to know the people of The Great Land - from Chukchi Eskimos to Tsimshian elders.

If you, too, hunger for new experiences, then come with us on a journey to Alaska that will touch your soul and send you home forever changed.