My wife and I took this cruise because we were interested in the Lewis and Clark expedition and this cruise followed their path on the Snake and Columbia rivers. This was our first trip to the Pacific Northwest (we live in the Northeast). The countryside was beautiful, the Columbia River was more massive than I pictured. One shore excursion was to Mt. Saint Helens and it was awesome. Seeing that mountain (or at least what's left of it) and seeing the destruction that resulted from the eruption and landslide was mind-blowing. Pictures don't capture the reality of it as does seeing it in person. That alone was worth the cost of the trip.

North-westerners (at least those we encountered) were very friendly and hospitable. The museums we visited were all top notch. The staff on the ship was very young (average age about 20) and exceptionally good at what they did. They were friendly and personable and all the passengers were impressed by their work ethic.

The ship was small and didn't have a full complement of passengers so we got a chance to meet and talk with many nice folks. We found that very pleasing.