Cruise West Information

Cruise West founder Chuck West established his first tour service in Fairbanks in 1946. He went on to pioneer nearly every element of todays Alaska travel scene.

Chuck Wests wife and lifetime companion, Marguerite, has links with Alaska that go back a century. Her parents owned gold dredges in Nome and she herself was Miss Alaska in 1937.

As a young bush plane pilot in Alaska in 1946, Cruise West founder Chuck West was convinced that Alaskas natural wonders deserved to be shared with a wider world. Through the decades since, Chuck pioneered the first motorcoach line the first chain of hotels the first modern small-ship cruises in Alaska. Cruise West has continued to seek out new routes, and new ways to explore, ranging ever farther throughout the West. Today, Cruise West is North Americas leading small-ship cruise line, with unique routes from Alaska and British Columbia to Costa Rica and Panama.

Cruise West itineraries are tailored to the interests of travelers who want an in-depth experience at extraordinary destinations. Our intimate acquaintance with secluded waterways and local communities allows us to create itineraries that deliver the exploration of your dreams: up-close, casual and personal.