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Small Ships make River Cruises a Big Hit by Jean Allen South Florida Sun-Sentinel - Feb. 15, 2004

Q: Any suggestions for cruises on the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest? A: Small ships of two cruise lines offer trips I'd like to take myself, following rivers inland all the way to Idaho and stopping at historic and scenic places. The next two years are especially good times to take one of these cruises, because they are routes Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traveled to reach the Pacific Ocean in 1805 at the end of their epic trip across the continent, currently celebrated as part of the Corps of Discovery's Bicentennial years. The explorers canoed down the Snake and Columbia rivers to the sea. The cruises will also encounter parts of the Oregon Trail that moved thousands of pioneers west. Cruise West, whose small ships spend summers cruising in Alaska, offers seven-night round trips from Portland, Ore., that explore nearly 1,000 miles between the Pacific and Lewiston, Idaho, along the Snake and Columbia rivers. The cruise features Lewis and Clark history, the Columbia River Gorge, Old West museums, and transits locks of eight huge dams on the two rivers. Shore excursions are included, notably a jetboat trip through Hells Canyon on the Snake River on the Idaho border, deepest canyon on the continent. Near Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River, passengers will visit a log reconstruction of Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Clark endured the cold, rainy winter of 1805. Cruise West also offers weeklong round trips from Seattle among the islands and channels of Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. Departures for both cruise itineraries are in March and April, September and October, before and after Cruise West's Alaska season. The ships carry a maximum 102 passengers. Discount fares available for advance bookings. Reservations, more information and brochures can be obtained from travel agents and Seattle-based Cruise West; call (800) 888-9378 or go to www.cruisewest.com . Similar river routes are offered by American West Steamship Company, which operates the country's newest sternwheelers, Empress of the North (235 passengers) and Queen of the West (163 passengers). They offer a selection of seven-, eight- and 11-night river voyages and one 11-night trip that includes the rivers, Puget Sound, Victoria in British Columbia, Canada and Seattle. This line, too, has free shore tours, including a visit to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, and a scenic ride through the Hood River Valley on the Mount Hood Railroad. Empress of the North cruises in Alaska in summer, and its river cruises are March to May, mid-October to mid-November. Queen of the West cruises the rivers all year. The company's catalog offers hefty savings coupons to cruisers who book by Jan. 31, 2004 and fly-free offers for some dates. For information and a catalog, call American West Steamship Company at (800) 434-1232, visit www.ColumbiaRiverCruise.com or see a travel agent.

Related Sites:
American West Steamboat Company Their Ships are In - 2/3 down the page is:

A shallow launch area has posed some environmental problems for the company. In preparation for the stern-wheeler launch, for example, Nichols ran afoul of federal, state and local environmental regulations and was fined nearly $100,000. It's now working with the agencies on mitigation and prevention of future problems.

American West Steamboat Company Itinerary Comparison Chart
Please use this chart as a quick reference for which features are included on each cruise itinerary.
Feature or Shore Tour	7-Night Lewis & Clark Cruise Round-trip Portland	7-Night Three Great Rivers Round-trip Portland	8-Night Path of the Explorers Round-trip Portland	11-Night Northwest Exploration Portland to Seattle
Astoria	x	x	x	x
Astoria Column	x	x	x	x
British Columbia Royal Museum				x
Bonneville Dam		x	x	x
Butchart Gardens				x
Cannon Beach		x
Clarkston / Lewiston		x	x	x
Confederated Tribes Native Dances		x
Columbia Gorge Cruise	x	x	x	x
Columbia Gorge Discovery Ctr.		x	x	x
Columbia Gorge Interpretive Ctr.			x	x
Columbia River Maritime Museum	x	x	x	x
End Of The Lewis & Clark Route	x	x	x	x
Fort Canby	x		x	x
Fort Walla Walla			x	x
Hells Canyon Jet Boat		x	x	x
Holiday Theme Cruises	x	x	x
Ilwaco Heritage Museum			x	x
Lake Quinalt				x
Lelooska Native Dance Program	x
Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center	x		x	x
Lewis & Clark’s Fort Clatsop	x	x	x	x
Lewis & Clark’s Station Camp	x		x	x
Long Beach, Washington			x	x
Longview, Washington	x	x		x
Makah Cultural Center				x
Maryhill Museum of Art		x		x
Mt. Hood Railroad			x
Mt. St. Helens	x	x	x	x
Multnomah Channel	x	x	x	x
Multnomah Falls	x	x	x	x
Nez Perce Interpretive Program			x	x
Noted Lewis & Clark Historian	x
Onboard Historian	x	x	x
Oregon Trail History	x	x	x	x
Portland Art Museum	x
Portland Hotel Overnight	x		x
Pendleton Real West Show		x
Pendleton, Oregon		x
Puget Sound Cruise				x
Salmon Bake with Native Dances				x
San Juan Islands Cruise				x
Seattle				x
Seattle City Tour				x
Special Lewis & Clark Programs	x
Stonehenge Memorial		x		x
Tamastslikt Cultural Institute		x
The Dalles, Oregon		x	x	x
Transit 8 Locks and Dams		x	x	x
Victoria, Canada				x
Vista House	x	x
Walla Walla			x	x
Whitman Mission			x	x
Willamette River Cruise	x	x	x	x
Wine Tasting	x	x	x	x
Winery Tour			x	x
Feature or Shore Tour	7-Night Lewis & Clark Cruise Round-trip Portland	7-Night Three Great Rivers Round-trip Portland	8-Night Path of the Explorers Round-trip Portland	11-Night Northwest Exploration Portland to Seattle
2004 Departure Dates		3/20, 3/27, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29, 6/5, 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7, 8/14, 8/21, 8/28, 9/4, 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/27, 12/4, 12/11, 12/19, 12/26	2/14, 2/21, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 11/28, 12/5, 12/12, 12/19, 12/26	5/9 Portland - Seattle 9/23 Seattle - Portland