Smaller Vessel Cruising With Cruise West

In spite of the economic downturn, mainstream cruising is still proving to be a solid choice for many vacationers. The year-over-year growth in bookings won't be quite as robust this coming season, but that doesn't mean no one will be cruising. Most cruise passengers are still drawn to the megaships that offer up the traditional itineraries like the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera and Alaska.

But if you're looking for an alternative to traditional cruises, a brave new world awaits. By comparison, only a relative few know about specialty cruises or small ship cruising. Yet there is a growing fascination and demand for these alternative cruising experiences.

Cruise lines like Seattle-based Cruise West offers the perfect antidote to big-ship, mainstream cruises. Here is a company with a fleet of 11 vessels that range in capacity between 40 and 148 passengers. Because each ship has been designed with a shallow draft, the vessels are able to sail into coves, inlets and inland waterways the larger ships simply can't get to.

Even when the small vessels mirror the itineraries of the larger ships, the difference is night and day. On an Alaska cruise, for instance, it's the difference between spotting a grizzly on shore through powerful binoculars versus practically nuzzling up to the giant beast as your motor vessel pulls to within a few feet of the shoreline. This is the intimacy of the small ship cruise experience, an experience that permits an extraordinarily up-close view of scenery and wildlife, and a much more personal connection to the villages and people you're likely to meet along the way.

In the beginning, Cruise West focused on the Pacific Northwest and Alaska but they have diversified considerably since their first cruise in 1990. Even though several vessels in their fleet still offer an Alaskan experience that is nothing short of spectacular, they have spread their wings to cover many other fascinating destinations. On the home front, they offer intriguing cruises along the Pacific Northwest's Columbia and Snake Rivers, following in the footsteps of the great explorers, Lewis and Clark. And then there cruises for the whale-watching buffs that take in Mexico's Sea of Cortés.

Further afield, cruises to Central America's Panama and Costa Rica take in not only the flora and fauna of these countries brimming with the bounty of nature but also offering up opportunities to meet the indigenous Kuna Indians of Panama's San Blais Islands.

Their flagship vessel, the Spirit of Oceanus, is an anomaly compared to the rest of their fleet. With a capacity of 120 guests, this is their first ocean-going vessel and is also their most luxurious. With fascinating itineraries that start at the Aleutian Islands at the top of the Pacific Ocean, it takes in seldom-traveled routes through Far East Russia, Japan, coastal China, and Vietnam before heading into Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia in the South Pacific. Cruises to the ultra unique Galápagos Islands and river cruises along Europe's Danube; round out their greatly expanded repertoire of intriguing places to visit and explore.

If unique vessels and unique ports of call help define specialty cruises, one added feature helps to differentiate these kinds of cruises from the mainstream cruise vacation. That third attraction is cruise themes, and Cruise West excels at offering cruises with a special slant that will appeal to those who share a common affinity or interest. Photography cruises, for example, have become extremely popular and Cruise West has teamed up with Pentax to offer seven special itineraries where professional photographers accompany the cruise, offering their expertise and advice to seasoned and novice photographers alike.

A whole new world of pleasures and ports awaits when you sign up for a specialty cruise. So if you're looking for something different, something quite unique for your next cruise vacation, consider a cruise on a small ship - the big alternative to big-box cruising. For more information visit http://www.uncommoncruises.com.