New Venture for Cruise West Chairman

Punta Espinoza (Fernandina) Galapagos

What's Next for Dick West of Cruise West?

September 18, 2010, Dick West, them Chairman of Cruise West, announced the cessation of operations of his small cruise company that had been founded by the late Chuck West in 1973.  This was a sad day for the cruise industry, and for lovers of small cruise ships alike.

Cruise West early success was in Alaska and later the company branched out to other locations where small ships could explore areas that the big boys couldn't.    One of those locations was Galapagos.  

When Cruise West stranded passengers last year, Dick West had worked with their Galapagos partner, Canodros,  to provide alternative options for guests booked on the cruises that were to depart through 2011.   

Shortly after the demise of the company, Dick West had indicated that he intended to return to the cruise industry, but that he would not own ships, but rather would work with other vendors to provide a similar small ship experience.   

Travel Weekly is reporting that the former chairman of Cruise West would launch his comeback cruise and tour venture in the Galapagos by the end of this year and will start taking bookings this summer.  The article indicates that the new company, Explor Tours, would offer a product similar to Cruise West.

We will monitor this story and bring you additional details as plans are unfolded.   A quick search of the internet finds another company with a similar name, so we will have to see if that is indeed the final name of the emerging cruise company.

Galapagos is one of those once-in-a-lifetime destinations that end up on most cruise enthusiasts bucket lists.   This is typically one of the most expensive cruises that you'll take.   It will be interesting to see the response he gets to his new venture.    We wish him success.

Cruise West Ceases Operations

The final chapter in the 64 year history of Cruise West was written this weekend as Chairman, Dick West, announced that the company was shutting down. He said in the statement that he is "heartbroken" by the end of his family's legacy.  The small ship, Seattle, Washington-based cruise line was founded by the late Chuck West -- a pioneer of tourism in the state known as "Mr. Alaska".

Visiting the Cruise West website, you'll find the following statement:

"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 to fruition."

The statement indicated that it has canceled all future sailings, with the exception of a Danube river voyage scheduled to begin on Wednesday.


In July, Dick West had secured a $1.5M personal bridge loan to allow operations to continue.  As reported in our blog post,  Cruise West Continues Restructuring, the company has recently sold the Spirit of Oceanus in a last effort to continue operations.    Perhaps this was too little too late.

West thanked the line's "loyal employees, many of whom have been here for decades."  "I am devastated that, though they have given abundantly of their time and energy, we will be unable to continue delivering memorable experiences," he said.

As reported previously, layoffs had already begun at the company as part of the restructuring.  Only a small handful of employees will remain to complete the shutdown.

Their Galapagos partner, Canodros, is working to provide alternative options for guests booked on the cruises that were to depart through 2011.   For other guests, the instructions are the same as we reported when the news first broke (see the actual statement for details if you are impacted).

The actual date of the cessation of operations is September 18, 2010.  This is a sad day for the cruise industry, and for small ship lovers in particular.

Cruise West Continues Restructuring

Port of Seattle, Washington

Seattle-based Cruise West is continuing it's restructuring of the company as it attempts to survive.  We first broke the news several days ago that the Spirit of Oceanus' world cruise had been terminated in Newfoundland, Canada.   (Cruise West Undergoing Restructuring).

We have learned that the Washington state Employment Security Department has received a legally required layoff notification from Cruise West.. The department says Cruise West laid off 24 employees last Wednesday and another 41 were to be laid off starting last Friday.  This isn't a surprising event since new bookings were suspended when the original news broke.

Meanwhile other sources indicate that the Spirit of Oceanus might be on the chopping block, which would make sense based on the termination of the world cruise.   Cruise West has been very silent throughout this process but the announcement released September 8th did indicate some cruises would continue through October.

UPDATE: Spirit of Oceanus Sold

When Cruise West abruptly terminated the 335 day world cruise on Spirit of Oceanus last week, it was rumored that the ship would be sold.    We now know the rest of the story...

Spirit of Oceanus has indeed been sold by ship management company International Shipping Partners (ISP), on Cruise West's behalf, to a group of  Danish investors. The ship will be renamed Sea Spirit, and will be available for long-term charter according to ISP.   Full story: ISP Insider

So ends the story of the Spirit of Oceanus.  Secrecy continues surrounding the various changes at Cruise West.   No word yet on the fate of the other ships in the fleet or the company itself.

If you are scheduled to sail on Cruise West, keep a close eye on this developing story.

Cruise West Undergoing Restructuring

New Bookings Suspended

Spirit of Oceanus Cruise Terminated

Cruise West announced the continuation of restructuring of the company.  Passengers on the Spirit of Oceanus' Voyage of the Great Explorers terminated their world cruise in Newfoundland, Canada.

A recorded message indicates that the cruise line has not been sold and that the call center is temporarily closed as the company restructures.

According to the line's press release, "Additional assets may be sold and other steps are being pursued towards a restructure. As part of this process, Cruise West has suspended accepting any new bookings." 

The statement indicated that some cruises will continue:


"The Spirit of Endeavour will sail from Seattle on the British Columbia Cruise and the Spirit of '98 from Portland, or along the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Cruise West will also complete cruises or land tours already underway in Alaska."

According to information on the Cruise West website, impacted guests who have not yet traveled on the Spirit of Oceanus world cruise should file a claim with their third-party insurance company, contact their credit card company, or if payment was made by check, contact info@cruisewest.com.

The statement indicated that executives would not take media calls at this time and will be releasing additional details in the future.   We will monitor this developing story and report any updates.

For more information, call the company's emergency number at 888-396-0280, email info@cruisewest.com or visit www.cruisewest.com.

Why 3rd-party Travel Insurance Important

This unfortunate situation, for passengers impacted by the terminated cruise, underscores the importance of purchasing third-party travel insurance at the time your cruise is booked.    Cruise line failures are rare, but when they occur, passengers can be stranded in remote parts of the world.  Fortunately, this cruise was terminated in one of the scheduled ports of call, perhaps minimizing the impact on the guests.  


About Cruise West

Cruise West offers small-ship experiences to guests.   We hope that they will be able to obtain the necessary funding to continue operations.  We wish them success in their restructuring efforts.    Stayed tuned for more information as it becomes available.