Cruise prices for first timer

Hi!

I'm planning my first Alaskan cruise. I read quite a lot, and I think I understand the pros and cons of the different routes.

Because I have just started looking at prices and have no reference for last year and last minute booking, I am not sure what is a reasonable price for a cruise.

The cheapsest option (which also acceptable with dates and routes) is 649$ for inside room (NCL), and it is the cheapest no matter which month, ship, route I am searching. The second one is 749$ with Princess.

Are this the prices or is it too soon to book, and just like the Caribbeans, the price will keep dropping (for the inside rooms) till the summer is here?

Thank you!

Sounds good, but would also depend on how long the cruise is?

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IMO.... Things to consider in planning an Alaskan cruise...

• which cruise line? Different cruise line will see different age clientele and entertainment may be focused for them. After Alaska.... do you plan to become a repeat cruiser? If so you may want to look for a cruise line that also stops at your other ports. Some cruise lines don't have small ships to go to smaller ports. Families with young children really like DCL.
  
• some cruisers are here to see a glacier. Glacier Bay offers the best experience. Holland America and Princess offers the most sailings.
  
• which month? May and September will be the cheapest. June to July is the warmer. June offers the most daylight. August will offer more bear sightings as they feed for the winter. August starts to get wet with September statistically is best for storm chasers. May is cheap... but ice congestion can mean Tracy Arm is not navigatable. If you read the threads.... you see everyone will have a different fav month depending on their priorities... I like mid-July to avoid the rain.... dry weather also means higher cruise prices.
  
• most go for 7 day round trip, but there are 14 days and one ways to see central Alaska. HAL offers a Yukon Denali option where you can go from South-East Alaska to Central Alaska without a boat.
  
• Depending on where you live.... you can start your Alaskan cruise from Canada, Seattle, and some ports in California.
  

Thanks for the replies. Let me add more info.

We are a couple in our 30ish, planing to visit Vancouver, Seattle and a cruise. Time frame is 2 weeks in the end of August (work restrictions).

We have been on a cruise before with NCL Getaway to the eastern Caribbean and enjoyed the ship, the food and the port of calls very much. 7 nights is perfect. We can;t do more than this, and less probably won't takes us to the good places.

I understand Glacier bay is probably the best place to go, and Princess Millennium at August 25 is a good option, but it's not a must for us. We can settle for another glacier if necessary.

We would really prefer a roundtrip from Seattle or Vancouver, but we are restricted by our time frame. The princess Millennial is 749$ each (before 350$ taxes and gratuities). are this the usual prices?

Princess doesn't have a ship named Millennium. Think that is Celebrity.

As price is your main driver, and you are familiar with NCL, you probably will stay with NCL. As to price drops, there is no way to know what will happen. $6-700pp isn't a bad price. I would do some research on the NCL board, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

to see what happens if you book now, then the price falls before and/or after final payment. It sounds like you are locked in on the timeframe. Waiting until the last minute on air fares will eat up savings on last minute cruise fares.

I keep mixing this two.. you are right, it's princess.

While I am looking for low price, I will book a cruise if I know that it's reasonable. Do you know what happen if there is a price drop after I book it?

Last time I used Orbitz, and they kept matching to the new price after it dropped. But I figured it's more to do with NCL policy..

while I liked the getaway I understand that I need to lower my standards here and it's fine. I guess most cruise ship are pretty much the same. As long as the food is good, I don't mind the cruise company.

I was between rc and ncl I decided to go with rc. It was cheaper since I'm a solo traveler. I'm booked at $700 pp on the first week of sep. I've looked at prices. And they've gone up to $1100 so I'm glad I booked over a year plus in advance.

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We sailed the Pearl on 8/28 this year. We booked in January of 2015. There were 27 of us in several categories. Had some friends waiting for last minute price drops. Never happened. The rates for all of our categories only went up and a lot! Obviously can't say that happens all the time but that was our experience.

We spent 2 nights in Seattle first and really enjoyed it! Did not get to Vancouver.

We had one damp misty day (Skagway) but other than that we were blessed with great weather. The Glacier Bay day was unbelievable. We even saw the Northern Lights!

Loved Alaska and loved the Pearl. Have a blast whichever ship/line you choose!

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I'm going on the explorer of the sea. I haven't cruised since I was a kid. So I planed for 3 cruises on three different liners. Next week I'm going to the Caribbean on carnival. March I have southern Caribbean on the ncl getaway. So for my Alaska one I'm on the eos on rcl they gave me a better rate. And since I was still not ready to choose at the moment. The agent through a bunch of goodies and extras for me to book with him. Guess playing hard to get does work. Lol.

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Neither Celebrity nor Royal Caribbean visit Glacier Bay.

Princess, HAL, NCL and (limited) Carnival have Glacier Bay on their itineraries. Verify your specific sailing as they do not all visit Glacier Bay.

Thanks for the replies. Let me add more info.

We are a couple in our 30ish, planing to visit Vancouver, Seattle and a cruise. Time frame is 2 weeks in the end of August (work restrictions).

We have been on a cruise before with NCL Getaway to the eastern Caribbean and enjoyed the ship, the food and the port of calls very much. 7 nights is perfect. We can;t do more than this, and less probably won't takes us to the good places.

 

I understand Glacier bay is probably the best place to go, and Princess Millennium at August 25 is a good option, but it's not a must for us. We can settle for another glacier if necessary.

We would really prefer a roundtrip from Seattle or Vancouver, but we are restricted by our time frame. The princess Millennial is 749$ each (before 350$ taxes and gratuities). are this the usual prices?

Glacier Bay is not just a glacier. It is a National Park and by its very designation different than the other glaciers you might see. Alaska is a popular destination these days and I have only seen the prices go up. Our ship is more than half filled already. Please keep in mind this is a completely different type of cruise than a Carrubesn Cruise. It's not sand and sun. In fact most days will be overcast. Alaska is about glaciers, mountains, nature and wildlife. I only say this because I want you to know what to expect and not be disappointed. We love it and this summer is our fifth trip to Alaska. Happy Planning.

If you book now, your fare will be protected from price drops until final payment, and since your planned trip is the end of August, your final payment date will likely be the end of May or first of June, depending on the cruise line. So, yes, you would be able to take advantage of price drops between now and final payment, and if you found a lower fare on another cruise line, you could cancel and rebook without penalty. After final payment is made, all bets are off. Most cruise lines will not adjust prices after final payment, although some will allow you to upgrade. Just make sure that your travel agent, if you use one, does not charge cancellation or rebooking fees.

Last year I booked our September 10 cruise the previous October for an obstructed oceanview cabin. The price never went lower but it did go higher and the ship filled quickly. With the world unrest, Alaska has become an increasingly popular destination.

CruiserBruce made a good point about airfares sometimes being higher on late bookings. Airfare is a big component of an Alaska cruise for Northeasters. Last year I got hammered because my flight home from Vancouver was canceled three months out, and I had to rebook with another line at a much higher cost. Just something else to think about.

If you book now, your fare will be protected from price drops until final payment, and since your planned trip is the end of August, your final payment date will likely be the end of May or first of June, depending on the cruise line. So, yes, you would be able to take advantage of price drops between now and final payment, and if you found a lower fare on another cruise line, you could cancel and rebook without penalty. After final payment is made, all bets are off. Most cruise lines will not adjust prices after final payment, although some will allow you to upgrade. Just make sure that your travel agent, if you use one, does not charge cancellation or rebooking fees.

 

I think you mean price increases.

This may help to see what ships visit the bay end of August and into Sept

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruises-to-glacier-bay-alaska.html

We cruise NCL and Celebrity, but chose the NCL Sun for our recent Alaska cruise, due to promo prices and bennies.

It was a great cruise.

Here is my review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=547125&et_cid=2764671&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

Vancouver is a great city, plan to spend some days there.

This may help to see what ships visit the bay end of August and into Sept

 

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruises-to-glacier-bay-alaska.html

The link didn't work.

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If you choose to stay with one cruise line for future cruises make sure you are registered through the cruise line so you get past guest credits.

Hi!

 

The cheapsest option (which also acceptable with dates and routes) is 649$ for inside room (NCL), and it is the cheapest no matter which month, ship, route I am searching. The second one is 749$ with Princess.

Are this the prices or is it too soon to book, and just like the Caribbeans, the price will keep dropping (for the inside rooms) till the summer is here?

 

Thank you!

I would not bank on that theory, the dates for my cruise were changed because the cruise line is adding more ships to Seattle because more people want to cruise to Alaska. More demand means that the prices are probably not going to drop.

Not sure if you plan on drinking adult beverages, bottled water or soda, but Holland America has a "sale" now called Explore 4 - might be worth looking into if you do plan on drinking something other than tap water, tea, regular coffee, lemonade. (Those extras add to the cost quickly.)

So for my Alaska one I'm on the eos on rcl they gave me a better rate.

That's because they have an inferior itinerary. (No Glacier Bay)