Cruise West is based in the United States, and is owned and operated by West family, an American family. The cruise line is unique in a number of ways. It caters to a niche clientele that is unlike many major cruise lines.
Cruise West is unique and stands out from other cruise lines in the way that the line has its focus more on the varied destinations rather than providing resort on sea destinations.
There are a huge number of excellent destinations provided by the cruise line, and these are extremely varied and unique, often accessible only via sea, and mostly only by small sized ships.
The west family began offering unique personal travel expeditions to Alaska more than fifty years ago. The expanding operation at Cruise West works on the same philosophy that powered it at the time, that the concept of cruising should incorporate insights into wildlife, natural beauty, natural history, culture and such other factors, and should be enjoyed with like minded travelers rather than with strangers.
The ship sizes are on the small side, and have capacities ranging in hundreds rather than thousands. This is a definite advantage if you want to socialize and make friends. Also, the intimacy of a smaller sized cruise ship is something that the huge ships of nowadays do not have.
There are a huge number of excellent reasons other than these. Since the ships are smaller, it also becomes a lot easier to maneuver into destinations that are not accessible for the bigger ships.