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Published on: 2/1/2009
Last Visited: 2/20/2009
Even within its niche of small-ship cruising, American Safari Cruises offers a distinctly different product, says Capt. Dan Blanchard, president and CEO of the company whose fleet consists of four yachts: the 12-passenger Safari Escape and Safari Spirit, the 22-passenger Safari Quest, and the newly acquired, 36-passenger Safari Explorer.
"I think there are a couple of items that set us apart," he explains.
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"For us, being a U.S.-flag operator means we can cruise interstate," Blanchard says.
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While Alaska and Hawaii are the anchors of American Safari's summer and winter seasons, the line fills in its cruise calendar with itineraries to destinations in-between, Blanchard continues.
"We have cruises in Washington and British Columbia of the Pacific Northwest.
We also operate on the Columbia and Snake rivers system, which runs about 800 miles inland.
We do the Sea of Cortes on two different itineraries," he says.
The latter includes another new-in-2008 trip for the company, one that visits islands billed as the "Galapagos of the North" due to their extraordinary abundance of birdlife and marine mammals.
Also of special note are the company's wine cruises, which are six-day, charter-only departures; in this respect, they differ from the offerings of other lines in this suddenly growing niche market, where a wide range of competitors from Cruise West to Celebrity Cruises have recently been promoting their Pacific Coast wine-country cruises.
Continuing on the theme of differences, Blanchard talks about the company's onboard experience, from accommodations to entertainment, noting that the amenities may vary by ship.
"Some of our cabins have Jacuzzi tubs," he says, "and we have heated tile floors and heated towel-bars and iPod docking stations-a lot of the details that make an experience more luxurious.
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With a product so distinct, it might be hard to label it, but Blanchard manages to capture American Safari's essence neatly and succinctly: "We have a tagline that says 'luxury in the pursuit of adventure,' and I think that describes us fairly.
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Of course, luxury like this doesn't come cheap, Blanchard confirms.
Average per diems vary by destination, he says.
"We're going to be on the low end about $700 and on the high end about $1,500.
The fares are all-inclusive, Blanchard adds, including "everything except for air fare and gratuities, which of course are an optional thing.
But all the onboard tours-in Hawaii there's helicopter flight-seeing and in Alaska we do sport-fishing-and the use of all onboard equipment.
All fine wines.
The wines we serve at dinner retail for about $40 a bottle-these are great wines, not two-buck-Chucks."
American Safari's passengers come from the upper end of the income bracket and range in age from the late 40s to the late 60s.
"Our clients for the most part make up the business community," Blanchard says.
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Someone who's looking for ice-sculptures and gambling won't be happy with our product," Blanchard says.
Agents, however, will be pleasantly surprised at how accommodating and customer-service oriented that American Safari Cruises can be.
"Ultimately, our whole business is about customer service," Blanchard concludes.
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