Almost ready to book...is this a good deal?

[ChasingHenry]

I'm so excited! After much debate and combing the Internet for weeks, I think we are ready to commit to our July 2013 Alaska cruise

Hubby and I want a romantic trip to celebrate our ten year anniversary and spend a week toddler free. Decided to go with Celebrity since it sounds like a mellow, grown up oriented line. I've cruised a couple times when I was a teen with the parents and DH is a cruise newbie. We have never visited Alaska.

So the trip we are hoping to book is the 7 night NB out of Vancouver (Ketchikan - Icy Strait Point - Juneau - Skagway - Hubbard Glacier - Seward) on the Millennium. Found an online TA offering it for $899 with $100 OBC. Is this a good time to book? Is that a decent deal? We want the cheapest cabin and I read those sell out plus we can't be too flexible about the dates.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I'm brand new to CC and this is my very first post, so bear with me if my questions are dumb.

[Putterdude]

My sense is that for a July date it is a pretty good price...you might save $100 by waiting but it's hardly worth the risk.

[bonvoyagie]

I hope that you are planning on spending a few more days to tour the interior of AK. At the very least you will need to travel from Seward to Anchorage to fly home.

As for the deal it sounds good - you probably won't save much by waiting.

Enjoy your cruise

[Keith1010]

I would book it and it sounds great.

Celebrity is also a very nice cruise line.

Keith

[Budget Queen]

you mention a "week". I too strongly encourage you to at least consider a few extra days for Seward, and ideally 5 so you can include Denali Park. Otherwise, there is also a round trip Vancouver Celebrity, isn't there? Compare your air costs, if needed, and transfer costs.

[Italy52]

Love the Celebrity line & the Millennium to Alaska --- we're sad that we can't book it again for 2013. My pictures below my signature were taken during our Celebrity Millennium B2B cruise this past year.

Even though we can't do the Millennium itinerary to Alaska we are doing a RCI cruise to Alaska in July 2013 and have booked an inside cabin --- your price is a good one.

[ChasingHenry]

Originally Posted by Budget Queen

you mention a "week". I too strongly encourage you to at least consider a few extra days for Seward, and ideally 5 so you can include Denali Park. Otherwise, there is also a round trip Vancouver Celebrity, isn't there? Compare your air costs, if needed, and transfer costs.

Thanks for the good info, Budget Queen.

We would love to go to Denali...we have the time available but maybe not the $. I think we will book now and then see where we are financially as we get closer to see if we can add a few days on land at the end. The RT Celebrity cruise out of Vancouver is on an older ship and the itinerary didn't appeal as much, but I will look closer at the costs as I know flying open jaws will be more.

[ChasingHenry]

Originally Posted by Italy52

Love the Celebrity line & the Millennium to Alaska --- we're sad that we can't book it again for 2013. My pictures below my signature were taken during our Celebrity Millennium B2B cruise this past year.

Even though we can't do the Millennium itinerary to Alaska we are doing a RCI cruise to Alaska in July 2013 and have booked an inside cabin --- your price is a good one.

Thanks Italy52 and others who confirmed that the price is a good one. I just have last minute cold feet about booking so its very reassuring to hear that we are getting a decent deal. My parents cruise a lot and thought it was a bit pricey but they are retired and can take advantage of shoulder season and last minute deals....we are teachers and can only go during peak season. Now I just need to gather the courage to book this and then we can really start making plans. Although DH and I did both just buy heavier coats that we don't really need for southern CA winter just in case we do find ourselves on a glacier soon

[vbmom87]

Originally Posted by ChasingHenry

Thanks Italy52 and others who confirmed that the price is a good one. I just have last minute cold feet about booking so its very reassuring to hear that we are getting a decent deal. My parents cruise a lot and thought it was a bit pricey but they are retired and can take advantage of shoulder season and last minute deals....we are teachers and can only go during peak season. Now I just need to gather the courage to book this and then we can really start making plans. Although DH and I did both just buy heavier coats that we don't really need for southern CA winter just in case we do find ourselves on a glacier soon

Welcome to CC.

Check with your TA about cancellation and change fees. Some charge, others do not. If you book this cruise with a TA that does not charge you for cancelling before final payment is due, than you needn't have cold feet. As long as you wait to book your airfare, you have nothing to lose for now, up until final payment, ( if you book with a TA with no fees)

Once you do book, keep checking prices. If they go down, many TAs will make the cost adjustment for free. Others, however, will charge a fee. No matter whom you book through, do your homework and read all the fine print. Also do a BBB check and do a google search with the name of the TA and the word "reviews" or "complaints". Once you are well-informed, your cold feet will warm up a bit.

For a July cruise, I consider the price you got to be a fair price.

[ChasingHenry]

Originally Posted by vbmom87

Welcome to CC.

Check with your TA about cancellation and change fees. Some charge, others do not. If you book this cruise with a TA that does not charge you for cancelling before final payment is due, than you needn't have cold feet. As long as you wait to book your airfare, you have nothing to lose for now, up until final payment, ( if you book with a TA with no fees)

Once you do book, keep checking prices. If they go down, many TAs will make the cost adjustment for free. Others, however, will charge a fee. No matter whom you book through, do your homework and read all the fine print. Also do a BBB check and do a google search with the name of the TA and the word "reviews" or "complaints". Once you are well-informed, your cold feet will warm up a bit.

For a July cruise, I consider the price you got to be a fair price.

Thanks VBMom...I know my cold feet don't necessarily make sense, but your advice makes me feel better. I guess part of the hesitation is deciding if we can really afford the trip, but one of the pluses of planning this all out now is lots of time to save up. Plus I feel more motivated to save knowing exactly what we are getting and cruises are easier to budget for since much of the cost is up front. I sure could use some pampering and serenity though...life with a 2 year old is fun but I miss some of those press mommy luxuries like showers that last more than 10 minutes and eating something that isn't his leftover chicken nuggets!

[deladypilot]

You will love Alaska and you will surely love your time alone.


I have not cruised Celebrity but the price sounds good to me. Alaska is one of the more expensive cruises to take so I think you are getting a good deal.

Do not forget to ask the TA if you can pay it out. Most cruise lines allow you to pay a little at a time so the TA should as well. He/She should give you a final payment date as well as payment schedule if there is one.

I know you are new to cruising but do not get all caught up with the cruise line excursions. They can be rather expensive. You can take them or book your own. Read up on the Alaska board and find out who offers great tours cheaper. You can look up the tourism sites for each port. Many have free walking tours maps that will give a good overview of each town.

Have fun. Do not forget to join your roll call once you have booked

[Budget Queen]

I would also suggest you may want to "compare" prices. There are some search features with booking groups that could be lower prices.

With your financial issues, verify there are not any agency fees for cancelation, or low enough fees that you can live with. There are clearly written cancelation dates you will get with any booking.

I would recommend, you plan for Denali at this time. At the very least, get a car rental reservation in place as the lowest rates possible, keep checking. It can be a cheap add on. The lodging I stay at is in the $100++ range per night, and the Denali Park shuttle buses are the best bargain in all of Alaska. I spend way less than what many post. Using purchased coupon books, with other touring can offer significant savings. Plenty of ideas on this board.

Although you claim to want the Celebrity ship- frankly Alaska can have more to see and do outside the ship. I've sailed the Millie, it's ok. IF money is tight enough to mean you either go or not- then compare all the cruiselines and see where the rates fall.

[vbmom87]

If money is tight I suggest you take a look at excursion prices in AK. They are more costly than many other destinations. Many, like myself, had a case of sticker shock. If you really want to get away from the ports and explore the wilderness of Alaska, it does take some costly excursions.

Not sure if you are familiar with a website (we can't give names on CC) where different travel agencies compete for your cruise business. You register on the site, put in which cruise you want and then agencies send you their price. You will know which agency it is and can, therefore, do some BBB and google searches on them. I did this for our last cruise and saved $800 over what the cruise line was charging. As BQ mentioned, you may want to look at some other cruise lines to see if there is a better deal out there. Always check glaciers and port times when comparing. So many people think itineraries are similar, when in reality they sometimes have significant differences. Good luck. I know how hard it is to choose that first Alaska cruise. I researched for months the first time. The second time I knew exactly what I wanted.