Did We "Miss the Boat?"

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mll1013

Guest
My wife and I have never been on a cruise and were looking forward to doing so this year on our 10th anniversary. We've been talking about AK for years, and thought this would be the perfect opportunity. However, due to some financial constraints, we are just now able to consider a cruise. Is it too late in the year to plan an early-June cruise to AK? Can we arrange all of the logistics in that time frame? Are there still good ships/cabins/deals to be had? I see some on this message board start planning over a year in advance!

While the 10th anniversary seemed like the perfect time, if it makes more sense to wait and get the best cruise at the best value in 2006, then I think we can wait a year as well.

Thanks!
Mike Lewis
 
A

antron

Guest
mike

congrats on your anniversary and decision to cruise to alaska. it is not too late to go this year. there are always cabins open on one of the ships. may and sept are the cheapest months to go ( the shoulder months--first month of alaska cruising and the last is sept ). the sales on the ship and in the ports are really good in sept. check all the cruise lines, find the best itinery for you , choose a port to leave from and get on board. have a great time.
 
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halfdome86

Guest
I would suggest going in to Yahoo Travel or Expedia, any of the on-line travel sites. Plug in the dates you're interested in going. Then you can compare cruise lines and pricing, etc. Personally I wouldn't use those to book, I'd go with a cruise specialist travel agent. But you'll get a good idea with these sites on cabin pricing and availabilities.

You will have too many choices so you'll quickly need to decide on what you want to do or can afford. If you want to do a land tour to Denali, etc you should choose the one-way cruise. I would suggest if you won't be doing a land tour then the round trip to/from Vancouver or Seattle is the way to go. It'll be cheaper that way and more convenient.

IMHO for a first Alaskan cruise find one that visits Glacier Bay. This would also help you focus on a cruise itinerary and cruise line to book with. Celebrity for example doesn't go to Glacier bay.

Vancouver trips go much more into the inside passage and it's really quite spectacular.
Seattle trips go outside of Vancouver island and less inside passage. Still quite beautiful and Seattle's a more convenient port if you're traveling from the U.S.. I prefer Vancouver however.

You are not too late as mentioned above. Start doing the research to narrow down your needs, wants, and budget. The research is actually fun IMO.

You've made a good decision. Alaska is awsome.
 
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mll1013

Guest
halfdome:

Thanks for your response. I appreciate your points of view on the Inside Passage itenerary that does the round trip to Vancouver. However, we've been more attracted to the Northbound/Southbound itenararies for a couple of reasons. First, it seems like you'd see more on this type of trip, since there is no back-tracking that would result from the round-trip itenerary of similar length. Second, we've read lots of wonderful things about College Fjord, and it really seems like we wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to see it.

But, we'll certainly weigh your advice with all of the rest and make a decision based on a complete pros/cons list.

Thanks,
Mike
 
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halfdome86

Guest
I've never gone the one way trip but when I do I will make sure to choose one that goes to College Fjord so you won't get any arguments from me on your choice. ;^)

Best would be go to both College Fjord and Glacier Bay. I've talked to people who've done both and they say Glacier Bay is more beautiful than College.

Hubbard glacier is magnificant too but we still liked Glacier Bay better.

My understanding, and I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, is that most of the trip north of the Glacier bay area is open sea so there won't be as much scenery for you.

We've gone 3 times, twice from Vancouver and once from Seattle and the route was different coming and going on each trip.

I did overhear someone however claim that there was "too much scenery. Miles and miles of green hills and islands. This is boring".

Amazing

You'll have a great trip.
 
M

mll1013

Guest
halfdome:

Again, thanks... You pose some excellent food for thought. Certainly a couple more points to add to the pros/cons list!
 
C

cruisegary

Guest
Just reading your message, that was posted in March. Now May 1st and STILL NOT TOO LATE to book a trip. Options may have thinned, but there cabins still out there, even for our May 30th trip.

Good luck to you.
 
Q

Qcruiser

Guest
I just got solisited by Princess about one way itineraries to Alaska 7 days starting at an amazing $399 pp..... with upgrades even.... they are trying to fill all their ships and offering great deals.... good luck!
 
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