My husband and I recently sailed on the Niagara Prince from New Orleans to Chicago.  We had a wonderful time and wanted to pass on our appreciation for the excellent work of the crew.  Everyone one was extremely helpful, courteous and delightful to be around.

The Chef, Donovan and Assistant Chef Holly did an outstanding job with such a small space.  The homemade breads were to die for.  Donovan’s soups were amazing.

My sincere appreciation goes to Jennifer McDaniel for her dedication and hard work keeping everything moving smoothly. While on a tour bus in Kentucky I lost my cell phone. Jenn was able to contact the bus driver.  He found it; and when we returned home, it was here in the mail.  Such integrity would be simply be unheard of in larger metropolitan areas.  Many thanks.  Jenn made me feel like family and I felt like I adopted a daughter.  What a wonderful asset to your company.

Again, we truly enjoyed the “small ship” experience and are contemplating your Belize adventure.

Sincerely,

Col. and Mrs. Ted Graves

Info on this cruise: American Heartland River Cruise

Our recent Alaska trip was the third trip we booked through USA River Cruises. Cindy is an absolute sweetheart to work with, and her firsthand knowledge of the vacation spots has been so helpful in helping us to plan our itineraries. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my travel plans! Thank you so much for another vacation of a lifetime.

Paul & Cara Catrett

Info on this cruise: SE Alaska Aboard the Island Spirit

Destination of previous travel: Alaska, Hawaii, Bora Bora

Dates of previous travel: 2010, 2006, 2004

We had a truly amazing trip to Peoria, IL! We stayed the night before at the Embassy Suites, and we could see the ship from our room. And when we boarded the ship in the morning, we could see our hotel. It was fun! The ship was beautiful, and all the employees were nice, pleasant, and easy to spot with their Spirit of Peoria polos. The Captain was really nice, too, and local. The ship is a beautiful paddlewheel! It was so much fun to recline on the back of the ship, soaking up the sun, and feeling the mist of the paddlewheel. The food was great! A lot of it came from the Chefbs garden. Homemade creole sauce on the creole shrimp, prime rib with new potatoes, and vegetarian lasagna were highlights on the menu. But we had plenty of opportunities to sip fountain soda while watching the Illinois River go by. We enjoyed listening to briverb music, provided by two musicians, and stories of life on the river by our host. They were all full of so much information, and great music. The ship has a calliope, and one of the musicians knew how to play it! So much fun! When we went through towns, people would come out to wave, and hebd play the calliope. It was great. When we got to Starved Rock Lodge, the beauty was everywhere. We were surrounded by nature, and there were beautiful carvings on the lawn. In the morning, our host took a tour of people down one of the paths to see the Starved Rock, where one tribe of Native Americans laid siege to another tribe until they starved on the rock. Not a pleasant history, but beautiful, none the less. And yeah for gift shops! Love coming home with souvenirs, and local fudge! This was a great cruise, and my husband and I look forward to our next!

- Ashley Whitham

Dates: June 27th, 2010

Info on this cruise: Historic Steamboat Cruises aboard the Spirit of Peoria

We had a truly amazing trip to Peoria, IL! We stayed the night before at the Embassy Suites, and we could see the ship from our room. And when we boarded the ship in the morning, we could see our hotel. It was fun! The ship was beautiful, and all the employees were nice, pleasant, and easy to spot with their Spirit of Peoria polos. The Captain was really nice, too, and local. The ship is a beautiful paddlewheel! It was so much fun to recline on the back of the ship, soaking up the sun, and feeling the mist of the paddlewheel.

The food was great! A lot of it came from the Chef’s garden. Homemade creole sauce on the creole shrimp, prime rib with new potatoes, and vegetarian lasagna were highlights on the menu. But we had plenty of opportunities to sip fountain soda while watching the Illinois River go by. We enjoyed listening to “river” music, provided by two musicians, and stories of life on the river by our host. They were all full of so much information, and great music. The ship has a calliope, and one of the musicians knew how to play it! So much fun! When we went through towns, people would come out to wave, and he’d play the calliope. It was great.

When we got to Starved Rock Lodge, the beauty was everywhere. We were surrounded by nature, and there were beautiful carvings on the lawn. In the morning, our host took a tour of people down one of the paths to see the Starved Rock, where one tribe of Native Americans laid siege to another tribe until they starved on the rock. Not a pleasant history, but beautiful, none the less. And yeah for gift shops! Love coming home with souvenirs, and local fudge! This was a great cruise, and my husband and I look forward to our next!

-Ashley Whitham

Spirit of Peoria Info

A hilarious “Ride the Ducks” city and harbor tour started off our adventure, and the rest of our pre-boarding day was enjoyed in the Marriott Hotel Seattle Waterfront; a great location.  The next day we were picked up for the drive, with lunch, to La Conner Wa.  Our first stop was Tulip Town to view all the beautiful tulips there and at the famous Roozengaarde fields nearby.  We then boarded the Island Spirit, docked at downtown La Conner, & began our San Juan Islands cruise with delicious appetizers and cocktails.  Jeff, our Captain, made sure we were always docked in a safe harbor for the evenings.

Included shore excursions took us to historic lighthouses; Ft. Casey State Park, Admiralty Head & New Dungeness.  Ports also included Coopeville on Whidbey Island, WA & Friday Harbor on San Juan Island WA.

Jeff & his crew took great care of us!  The food, especially desserts, was excellent!  Being on a small vessel made it possible to become acquainted with all of our fellow passengers and crew.  The cabins were very comfortable and the quiet nights were great for sleeping. We ended the cruise on a beautiful sunny day; cruising through the Ballard Locks in Seattle and into Lake Union.

I have told friends, and would tell anyone else, what a great time I had!  Thanks Jeff and crew for your attentive service and a fun and relaxing 5 day cruise!

Jan O’Shea

Going the Extra Nautical Mile
Our small ships deliver huge value. You’ll enjoy the following features and benefits on Cruise West sailings:

1. A truly all-inclusive price (except alcohol) – including port charges, taxes, fees, and onboard services. Unlike other cruise lines, gratuities are neither required nor expected.
2. The chance to travel with dozens of like-minded fellow guests, instead of thousands of strangers.
3. At least one included shore excursion in every port, plus select Ultimate explorer experiences.
4. Onboard enrichment programs provided by expert Exploration Leaders and other namable authorities from partners like Smithsonian Journeys.
5. Flexibility to spontaneously explore nature’s unplanned events.
6. Inflatable excursion craft landings on most itineraries to get you up-close to wildlife and natural beauty.
7. Fine cuisine prepared with the freshest local ingredients, served in an open seating arrangement.
8. Specials savings when you bring a friend on any cruise.
9. Special rates for single travelers.
10. Connecting air, rail, motorcoach, and transfers for all land tour portions of your journey.

Bear in Alaksa Photographed from the Island Spirit

We wanted to book a cruise to Alaska, so we called USA River Cruises and talked to Cindy who told us about their small ships that did the Alaska itineraries. We had only been on large ships and a European river cruise, so we found this fascinating as we loved our river cruise and we had decided we did not want a cruise with thousands of folks on it; we were tired of the lines and crowds and waiting to get on and off all the time, and all the extra costs that come with the larger ships. When Cindy explained to us about the Island Spirit, we were really impressed…

We took a Cruise on the Island Spirit late summer of 2009 to Alaska. It was an experience we will always treasure., from first landing in Sitka the shuttle picked us up and took us to the ship, the driver was friendly and informative. Once we reached the ship we were greeted by the crew and given our room accommodations, we never picked up a bag. The ship was beautiful, relaxing and it felt like home after a few minutes, everyone was so nice and helpful. The meals were so scrumptious and having wine with dinner and an evening cocktail hour every night was unbelievable, nothing like this on the big ships!!  On our 8 night 9 day cruise we went to places in Eastern Alaska that no ships go to, a village of 97 residents called Tenakee Springs, where we visited the store founded in 1899 and tried their fantastic bakery, was one of our favorites. It was an amazing place. Captain Jeff and his crew really know what service is and they are passionate about Alaska and all its wilderness, they made every day truly a great experience. The whole cruise was amazing, we were so close to glaciers we could touch them and once we even saw a Bear catching fish in a stream, not on a picture but in real life and how many folks can say that??? There were so many wonderful things to see, that we have decided to go back and do the repositioning cruise in May so we experience even more, and of course we will call USA River Cruises, they know their cruises and their customers and that is refreshing nowadays!!

- Herbert and Ruth Chandler, AZ

Dear Cindy,

We just wanted to thank you and let you know that we had wonderful time on our Grand European Cruise. The hotels you picked out for us were perfect for our extended trip. A boutique hotel on a quiet street in Amsterdam was modern and close to everything, a grand old world hotel in downtown Budapest was an elegant end to our trip. I would recommend that everyone add some extra days before and after their cruise.
Although the weather tended to cold and damp(it was November), the sun did shine occasionally and we never let a little bad weather stop us. Our cruise started with a warm welcome by the crew on board the Viking Spirit. There were introductions and briefings about the ship and our trip. Everyone on the ship spoke English and were always friendly and helpful. They seemed to think of everything to make our trip a “cruise of a lifetime.” The rooms were spacious with plenty of storage so that we could unpack everything and settle in to life on board the ship. One of the best things about cruising in Europe is that you don’t have to pack and unpack with every new city. The ship engines are quite and you hardly feel like you are moving.

The food was excellent. There were numerous options and we liked being able to choose a light lunch in the lounge or a full luncheon in the dining room. There was a beverage center that was always open with coffee, tea, hot chocolate and water. There was some entertainment at night, a glass blower, a one man oompah band and, our favorite, a German band that was a cross between folk and rock music. The crew also entertained at times during the cruise and gave some lectures on various subjects such as Mozart, the canal system and the German language. There were also some fun times with special drinks and food having to do with the region.
The tours were excellent. On walking tours there was always an easier paced option for those who didn’t want to or couldn’t manage the regular tour. The guides used electronic speakers and we had individual ear phones and receivers so that everyone could hear, even the people in the back. There was a nice balance of guided tours and free time.
Some of our tour highlights were the Wurzburg Residenz palace, the Abbey at Melk, the concert (optional) in Vienna and the “roughing it” tour in Budapest (we walked and took public buses and trams and were able to spend time in the market building.) On one cold, rainy evening, after a long day of touring, we were greeted back on board with a wonderful glass of hot, mulled wine. Perfect! Viking always provided maps for us and made suggestions on what we could shop for and what we might want to eat while at each stop. They also told us how to use the subway in Vienna so that we could have more free time there.

During our free time we were able to spend a fun evening in a Rudesheim restaurant, coffee at a world famous Viennese coffee shop, a traditional Hungarian dinner in Budapest. The Christmas Market was open in Budapest and we enjoyed fair food and all the craft stalls.
This is our second small ship river cruise. We enjoy them because they are not the big, impersonal megaships. You get to know the other passangers and become good friends with at least a few of your
fellow travelers. You even get to know the crew. On one beautiful day in Melk, we walked back to the ship with the maitre ‘d and chatted about his family. On our last night, there was a crepe dessert that
our table decided would be wonderful with ice cream. After the waiter jokingly gave us a hard time, we had our ice cream and it was wonderful!

Thank you Cindy, we had a great time and didn’t have to worry about a
thing. You took care of it all! We look forward to traveling with
USA River Cruises again, soon!

Heidi and Bob Galster

New Hampshire

Learn about this cruise

I was “introduced” to USA River Cruises when searching the Web for river cruises. After decades of making travel arrangements myself, I thought it was time to sit back and let the pros take over. That was the beginning of a delightful relationship.

In April 2008 I took my first river cruise with Majestic America through USA River Cruises. The staff could not have been better as they had every detail taken care of, without my having to lift a finger.

The Columbia Queen traversed the Columbia and Snake Rivers, with magnificent and different scenery at every bend along the way. Visits to several towns including Astoria and Pendleton, a boat ride down the Snake River into Hell’s Canyon, views of the rock formations, Fort Clatsop, and changes of weather from rain one minute to snow the next, were just a few of the highlights of the trip.

On the Snake River, East of Pendelton, OR

Fort Clatsop

Enjoying this experience, Cindy suggested a river cruise up the northern Mississippi from Missouri to Minnesota. In September 2008 I was on the American Queen, taking in the sites along the Mississippi River.

Mark Twain’s House in Hannibal, MO

In April 2009 I ventured to Europe taking a Wind Star cruise from Portugal to Spain with stops at Gibraltar, and Almeria, Ibiza, and Port Mahon, Spain. I was on a roll and decided why stop traveling in Western Europe. Cindy provided information about a 16-day river cruise on the Danube River from the Black Sea to Nuremburg, Germany. Wow! What a wonderful time.

Hungarian “Cowboys”

Gibraltar and its Famous Rock