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Alaska Cruise on a budget?


kathy884
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Wasn't sure where to post this so put it both here and on the Alaska ports of call forum. Thought I might get responses from others who have done the Miracle in Alaska here.

 

I usually think of HAL or Princess when I think of an Alaskan cruise. We have always thought it would be kind of fun to take one of these, but have never done it, mostly due to cost (pricier than our normal vacation budget) and time (we can only take a week and a few days off of work (no time or budget for one of the land / cruise packages) and it seems like Alaska is so special that doing both together would be if you could the way to go.) I've always thought it would be nicer to cruise out of somewhere other than Seattle too, even though that's more expensive, as you would see more of Alaska.

 

DH, though, has some freebie Carnival balcony passes for two that we could use to take the Miracle, so that would be a big savings as we'd just pay for a third person (taking DS 18 too) and taxes on ours. For this particular cruise too we would fly in and out of Seattle (not my preference, but really inexpensive for us), as we'd have enough freebie miles on Southwest to cover air for all three of us too. Air to Vancouver or Fairbanks is pricey and a long trip vs. a free direct flight to Seattle. // Thinking never having seen any of the glaciers we'd enjoy the Tracy Arm Fjord too and be quite impressed, even though it's not what people think of as the most spectacular. // Do you think it would be worth it to do this cruise or would you suggest saving Alaska for another time if / when we had more vacation time and a bigger budget and could do a different itinerary on a different line?? Note: We do like Carnival -- have taken them in the Caribbean a few times and up to Canada from New York -- think of them as a good cruising value.

 

If it seems worthwhile to do the cruise the next big budget item is excursions. Excursions seem to be very pricey on these Alaskan cruises. We in our budget only have about $500 per person for these, really meaning two expensive excursions and things on our own. Here is what I was thinking. I welcome other suggestions if you think there would be other options that would make more sense and give us more bang for our buck.

 

Tracy Arm Fjord -- Thought this was a place to splurge and do one of the boat tours to get up close -- about $180 pp

 

Skagway -- to save dollars, thought here I'd rent a car, get Murray's guide and do a scenic driving trip with stops, My parents will probably come on the cruise too, so there might be five of us (so we'd split the rental car cost too.)

 

Juneau -- Looking at doing whale watching here, mostly because DS really enjoys whale watching and we haven't done any of this in the last four years or so (about $200 a pop here, so another splurge). In reality, for me and DH we've been on five different whale watching trips over the years, so I'd be more than happy to skip, but I think this is a must for DS with his love of marine mammals and desire to do whale watching.

 

Ketchikan -- Heard this is a nice place for walking around, so due to budget just planning on that here.

 

Victoria -- Have been here on vacation before for a full week, so am pretty familiar with this port (easy enough to play it my ear here with no expensive tour.) // I wouldn't pick this for a port on an Alaskan cruise, but I do love Victoria.

 

I welcome your suggestions. // Main questions: Given big price savings worth it to do Carnival or better to wait till we have a bigger budget and do a different itinerary and different line in your opinion?? // Given a limited excursion budget of about $500 pp what would you suggest? DH and I don't have any particular excursions in mind (open to anything). DS is the only one with a special request for whale watching and would be open to anything after that.

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sounds like you can ask anyone on here, but you have already given all the answers to your questions, you know what you want to do at ports and have looked out for everyone. Seems like you really want to see Alaska and know this fits your time and budget.

 

I say do what your mind and heart guides you to. It is afterall your vacation!

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we went on the carnival miracle in july 2013 and had a wonderful time. it is expensive!!

 

we did do the tracy arm fjord excursion through carnival. best purchase ever!! it was amazing!! you do pay for it on the ship.

 

we used harv and marv's for the whale watching trip. if you have 6 people you can hire them for a private tour. you pay certain amount at reservation and then the remainder a few months prior to cruise. if you use them request jaleen. she was wonderful. it was less than carnival whale watching excursion plus it was great to have only 6 people and the captain.

 

in skagway, we took a southeast tour through town and into canada. it was inexpensive. the town was great to walk around in before and after our tour.

 

in ketchikan we went to the lumberjack show right in town. it was fun but was too expensive for what it was.

 

in victoria, we paid $2.00 each to take a bus downtown and walked around. saw the great buildings, lights, flowers, etc. just did a little shopping and headed back. we weren't in victoria very long.

 

remember your tips are $11.50 per person per day. we have been on three carnival cruises and this was the most expensive but i would do it again in a heartbeat. it was amazing, breathtaking, beautiful..each day seemed to be better than the day before: whales, glaciers, icebergs, seals, dolphins, bald eagles. you'll have a great time.

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We've cruised Alaska 3 times (Princess, NCL, and Carnival) and have also taken a 2 week land trip in Alaska. You can tell we love it. The cruise line didn't matter to us --- all 3 were great cruises.

 

I'd recommend going this summer for several reasons. 1) You have a free balcony cabin for 2 of you, 2) your DD is 18 (so who knows how many more family vacations you'll have), 3) your parents might go (nobody knows when their health will decline.)

 

Yes, Alaska is expensive. But you've got time to save more money for excursions. Look for ways to save between now and then and set that money aside for your trip (eat out less, ...). Any birthdays coming up?

Edited by D4
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We did Alaska last summer very inexpensively. It was our first time there and, even though we didn't splurge on expensive shore excursions, land tours, expensive airfare, or the one way itinerary, we had an absolutely amazing time. Definitely one of the best cruises we've ever taken. If there's a wise time to redeem those cruise and airline vouchers that you have, this is it!! Absolutely do it!

 

- We chose Holland America. Surprisingly, it was cheaper than Carnival (we saved almost $1000). This is one cruise where the ship or cruise line isn't as important as what you will see. Trying Holland was a nice departure from our previous cruises, but it didn't "make" our cruise.

 

- Our 2 kids sailed for free (paid only taxes)

 

- We bought airfare from Southwest on the day our date opened. We snagged nonstop roundtrip tickets from Atlanta to Seattle for $258pp (one way tickets to/from Vancouver/Anchorage would've been closer to $700pp)

 

- Originally, we selected an oceanview cabin. Prices dropped at the last minute so we were able to upgrade free of charge to a balcony 4 days prior to sailing. In addition, HAL gave us a $150 OBC :).

 

- We sailed roundtrip from Seattle. Used points for one hotel night pre and post cruise.

 

- Researched each port to death (seems like you've been doing the same). Didn't spend much on excursions.

 

- In Juneau, we booked the Glacier Express to Mendenhall Glacier. Cost per person: $8

 

- In Sitka, we hiked through the Sitka National Forest to the Alaska Raptor Center. Admission to the Center: $12

 

- In Ketchikan, we took the Ketchikan Duck Tour which gave us a perspective from both land and sea. Cost: $40

 

- In Victoria, we shared a cab to the waterfront. Walked around the Parliament and the Fairmont Empress. You can actually walk from the pier to the downtown area (long walk but doable). Taxi was around $7

 

- Our ship sailed to Glacier Bay and pulled up right to the glaciers. No need for excursions.

 

All in all, it was an absolutely amazing experience, even though we didn't do any fancy excursions like helicopter rides, dog sledding, etc. Some family members in our group did and loved it though.

 

The way I look at it is that we did Alaska on a budget to see what it was about. Now that we know how amazing it was, we'll do it again and splurge on everything that we didn't do the 1st time. Feel free to click on my review with photos. The link is in my signature. Hope its helpful!

Edited by Tapi
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We did Alaska last summer very inexpensively. It was our first time there and, even though we didn't splurge on expensive shore excursions, land tours, expensive airfare, or the one way itinerary, we had an absolutely amazing time. Definitely one of the best cruises we've ever taken. If there's a wise time to redeem those cruise and airline vouchers that you have, this is it!! Absolutely do it!

 

- We chose Holland America. Surprisingly, it was cheaper than Carnival (we saved almost $1000). This is one cruise where the ship or cruise line isn't as important as what you will see. Trying Holland was a nice departure from our previous cruises, but it didn't "make" our cruise.

 

- Our 2 kids sailed for free (paid only taxes)

 

- We bought airfare from Southwest on the day our date opened. We snagged nonstop roundtrip tickets from Atlanta to Seattle for $258pp (one way tickets to/from Vancouver/Anchorage would've been closer to $700pp)

 

- Originally, we selected an oceanview cabin. Prices dropped at the last minute so we were able to upgrade free of charge to a balcony 4 days prior to sailing. In addition, HAL gave us a $150 OBC :).

 

- We sailed roundtrip from Seattle. Used points for one hotel night pre and post cruise.

 

- Researched each port to death (seems like you've been doing the same). Didn't spend much on excursions.

 

- In Juneau, we booked the Glacier Express to Mendenhall Glacier. Cost per person: $8

 

- In Sitka, we hiked through the Sitka National Forest to the Alaska Raptor Center. Admission to the Center: $12

 

- In Ketchikan, we took the Ketchikan Duck Tour which gave us a perspective from both land and sea. Cost: $40

 

- In Victoria, we shared a cab to the waterfront. Walked around the Parliament and the Fairmont Empress. You can actually walk from the pier to the downtown area (long walk but doable). Taxi was around $7

 

- Our ship sailed to Glacier Bay and pulled up right to the glaciers. No need for excursions.

 

All in all, it was an absolutely amazing experience, even though we didn't do any fancy excursions like helicopter rides, dog sledding, etc. Some family members in our group did and loved it though.

 

The way I look at it is that we did Alaska on a budget to see what it was about. Now that we know how amazing it was, we'll do it again and splurge on everything that we didn't do the 1st time. Feel free to click on my review with photos. The link is in my signature. Hope its helpful!

 

I just read your Alaska review. It was wonderful and the photos are amazing. I've been to the mountains in Montana and recall that any pictures that I took didn't come close to describing what I felt while I was there and I'm sure Alaska is much like that experience. This is on our list of places to visit and now even more so :D

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Did the inside passage on NCL years ago and on Miracle last year. My thoughts; Tracy Arm is amazing and I's recommend staying on the ship and bring a good camera and a pair of binoculars. You'll stay warm and the naturalist on board points out things as you proceed(over the PA) Skagway; the 3 hour train ride was worth every penny and you catch it just feet from the ship. Juneau; you can catch a cab (about $40) to Mendenhall Glacier. $3 pp to admission to the Visitor Center. Lots to see there and numerous walking trails.For the whole family under $100 for the whole experience. We had the cabbie pick us up at a certain time and told her she'd get her tip for both ways then. (she was waiting for us) Juneau is a good walking town with lots of picture opportunities. And don't miss the Red Dog saloon. Don't remember much about Ketacan and we stopped at Victoria after dark and it was cold and most folks stayed around the ship.

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hi we did the last 2 cruise of the miracle last season.. If i have a choose i would do the glacier bay cruise (last one of the year for the Miracle) Glacier bay is just jaw dripping.. we stayed on our balcony a were really lucky to be right in front of a glacier when it calved 3 times in 2 minutes. You can do this trip on a budget and still see a lot. I would do this cruise if given the opportunity again.

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If your son really wants to go on a whale watch, you can get a cheaper price booking an independent tour instead of going through the ship. In 2011, we went with Orca Enterprises and had an AMAZING time. It was the highlight of the trip for me. Capt Larry was the best and the naturalist on board with us was also very fun and informative. Their prices for this season are $125 per person. Another advantage of independent vs the ship tour is you are on a smaller boat so it is less crowded and closer to the water, better for viewing. Their office was an easy walk from the ship. It is across the street from Tram and close to Tracy's Crab Shack-YUM!!! Hoping to convince my father to go back to Alaska in 2015, and another tour with Capt Larry will be one of the first excursions we book:)

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Thanks so much for the advice everyone. You've convinced me that this would be a fun cruise to do and worth it do it even with just a week and a few days, and given me some ideas for shore excursions too, so it will just be a matter of picking and choosing. I enjoyed hearing about your experiences and appreciate your taking the time to post.

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I've been to the mountains in Montana and recall that any pictures that I took didn't come close to describing what I felt while I was there and I'm sure Alaska is much like that experience. :D

 

It is. I watched as many photos and videos as I could find before we went. NOTHING came close to what we experienced. It's a multi-sensory experience. Looking at the amazing scenery, feeling the crisp, fresh breeze, listening to glaciers calving, and breathing the pure air. It's just wonderful.

Edited by Tapi
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I'd recommend going this summer for several reasons. 1) You have a free balcony cabin for 2 of you, 2) your DD is 18 (so who knows how many more family vacations you'll have), 3) your parents might go (nobody knows when their health will decline.)

I can't agree more about sailing with your 18 YO. Our oldest son last sailed with us the year he turned 18; we hoped to bring him on a cruise during college but his schedule never worked out. Now he's a Navy officer, so he cruises without us. Not quite as comfortable as a cruise ship, though.:p We feel fortunate that we were able to travel with him when we did. And I think some of that traveling encouraged his career choice. This summer our other two sons will be 18 and 14 for our Alaska cruise.
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We just got done doing some extensive research on an Alaska cruise this July. Just fyi, but HALs rate seemed much cheaper than Carnivals, right now at least.

 

We had a party that couldnt swing it with their budget (air fare), so we are back on the Magic in July, but just wanted to share that bit of info.

Edited by EnTnSA
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I will be on the Miracle on June 17, 2014. I was jut wondering what week your cruise was being offered. It seems like the June 17th cruise is filling up fast. I just don' know if that is normal for an Alaskan cruise or if there are a lot of people being offered free rooms for that cruise.

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I will be on the Miracle on June 17, 2014.

 

It seems like the June 17th cruise is filling up fast. I just don' know if that is normal for an Alaskan cruise or if there are a lot of people being offered free rooms for that cruise.

 

Although Carnival offers a great variety of itineraries in the Caribbean, they only have one ship in Alaska. Because of this, their prices tend to increase more steeply than other cruise lines with more ships and more capacity there. Only one ship means less cabins to sell. Reduced inventory = increased prices.

 

That's why cruise lines like Holland and Princess, with multiple ships in Alaska, are often priced lower than Carnival specially as you get closer to departure (as we found out last summer). Not only can they be priced lower, but they will also offer better and more varied itineraries including one way itineraries, as well as itineraries with multiple glacier viewing days.

 

Also, NCL, Princess and Holland sail to breathtaking Glacier Bay all season long since they own the majority of the permits to sail there. Carnival unfortunately only gets 2 permits per season (first and last sailing) so they visit Tracy Arm instead.

Edited by Tapi
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Although Carnival offers a great variety of itineraries in the Caribbean, they only have one ship in Alaska. Because of this, their prices tend to increase more steeply than other cruise lines with more ships and more capacity there. Only one ship means less cabins to sell. Reduced inventory = increased prices.

 

That's why cruise lines like Holland and Princess, with multiple ships in Alaska, are often priced lower than Carnival specially as you get closer to departure (as we found out last summer). Not only can they be priced lower, but they will also offer better and more varied itineraries including one way itineraries, as well as itineraries with multiple glacier viewing days.

 

Also, NCL, Princess and Holland sail to breathtaking Glacier Bay all season long since they own the majority of the permits to sail there. Carnival unfortunately only gets 2 permits per season (first and last sailing) so they visit Tracy Arm instead.

 

Thanks for the information. I booked early saver on this cruise, so I guess I missed the boat on this one. :D

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we used harv and marv's for the whale watching trip. if you have 6 people you can hire them for a private tour.

 

Even if you have only 5 people, like the OP might have, you can book a private whale watching trip. It would be well worth it IMHO. They offer great tours and are longer on-the-water than any other whale watch tour that I am aware of.

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Ketchikan is a great port to walk around. There are two very informative walking tours that you can get the maps for at the visitor's center right off the cruise ship. The downtown area tour goes to Creek Street and the totem poles while the west end tour has wonderful views from Water Street and lots of eagles that hang around the canneries. Here is a link to the maps.

 

http://www.historicketchikan.org/sub_pages/sub_walktour.php

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Tracy Arm Fjord -- Thought this was a place to splurge and do one of the boat tours to get up close -- about $180 pp

 

Is this through your vessel or out of Juneau? There's an independent tour of Juneau which is about that price and will usually see whales on the way, if not in Tracy Arm.

 

I disagree with the other poster who said to stay on your ship and not spring for the smaller boat. You will not get as close and it's truly worth it. The ice floes at the face of the glacier are covered with harbor seals and it's not the same to look at them through binoculars.

 

Skagway -- to save dollars, thought here I'd rent a car, get Murray's guide and do a scenic driving trip with stops, My parents will probably come on the cruise too, so there might be five of us (so we'd split the rental car cost too.)

 

This will be cheaper than a tour and very much worthwhile.

 

J

uneau -- Looking at doing whale watching here, mostly because DS really enjoys whale watching and we haven't done any of this in the last four years or so (about $200 a pop here, so another splurge). In reality, for me and DH we've been on five different whale watching trips over the years, so I'd be more than happy to skip, but I think this is a must for DS with his love of marine mammals and desire to do whale watching.

 

If your parents are along, may I suggest they go with your son and you and your husband do something less expensive like go to the glacier and hike? I realize it's the mentality to have everyone move together as one closely knit herd, but why waste the money if you're not going to utterly enjoy it? I just love going out on the water, and do so every chance I get, so that's something to consider. There's shoreline and islands everywhere. It's not like in CA or Mexico, where there's nothing but ocean and whales.

 

And I agree with others. $200 is much too high, wherever you're getting that price. If it's the ship's, go independent.

 

Alaska's one of the most beautiful places on earth. And that's free. :)

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Ketchikan is a great port to walk around. There are two very informative walking tours that you can get the maps for at the visitor's center right off the cruise ship. The downtown area tour goes to Creek Street and the totem poles while the west end tour has wonderful views from Water Street and lots of eagles that hang around the canneries. Here is a link to the maps.

 

http://www.historicketchikan.org/sub_pages/sub_walktour.php

 

Thank you for the link to the walking tour map! Looks like the perfect thing for us! I appreciate it. :)

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Wasn't sure where to post this so put it both here and on the Alaska ports of call forum. Thought I might get responses from others who have done the Miracle in Alaska here.

 

I usually think of HAL or Princess when I think of an Alaskan cruise. We have always thought it would be kind of fun to take one of these, but have never done it, mostly due to cost (pricier than our normal vacation budget) and time (we can only take a week and a few days off of work (no time or budget for one of the land / cruise packages) and it seems like Alaska is so special that doing both together would be if you could the way to go.) I've always thought it would be nicer to cruise out of somewhere other than Seattle too, even though that's more expensive, as you would see more of Alaska.

 

DH, though, has some freebie Carnival balcony passes for two that we could use to take the Miracle, so that would be a big savings as we'd just pay for a third person (taking DS 18 too) and taxes on ours. For this particular cruise too we would fly in and out of Seattle (not my preference, but really inexpensive for us), as we'd have enough freebie miles on Southwest to cover air for all three of us too. Air to Vancouver or Fairbanks is pricey and a long trip vs. a free direct flight to Seattle. // Thinking never having seen any of the glaciers we'd enjoy the Tracy Arm Fjord too and be quite impressed, even though it's not what people think of as the most spectacular. // Do you think it would be worth it to do this cruise or would you suggest saving Alaska for another time if / when we had more vacation time and a bigger budget and could do a different itinerary on a different line?? Note: We do like Carnival -- have taken them in the Caribbean a few times and up to Canada from New York -- think of them as a good cruising value.

 

If it seems worthwhile to do the cruise the next big budget item is excursions. Excursions seem to be very pricey on these Alaskan cruises. We in our budget only have about $500 per person for these, really meaning two expensive excursions and things on our own. Here is what I was thinking. I welcome other suggestions if you think there would be other options that would make more sense and give us more bang for our buck.

 

Tracy Arm Fjord -- Thought this was a place to splurge and do one of the boat tours to get up close -- about $180 pp

 

Skagway -- to save dollars, thought here I'd rent a car, get Murray's guide and do a scenic driving trip with stops, My parents will probably come on the cruise too, so there might be five of us (so we'd split the rental car cost too.)

 

Juneau -- Looking at doing whale watching here, mostly because DS really enjoys whale watching and we haven't done any of this in the last four years or so (about $200 a pop here, so another splurge). In reality, for me and DH we've been on five different whale watching trips over the years, so I'd be more than happy to skip, but I think this is a must for DS with his love of marine mammals and desire to do whale watching.

 

Ketchikan -- Heard this is a nice place for walking around, so due to budget just planning on that here.

 

Victoria -- Have been here on vacation before for a full week, so am pretty familiar with this port (easy enough to play it my ear here with no expensive tour.) // I wouldn't pick this for a port on an Alaskan cruise, but I do love Victoria.

 

I welcome your suggestions. // Main questions: Given big price savings worth it to do Carnival or better to wait till we have a bigger budget and do a different itinerary and different line in your opinion?? // Given a limited excursion budget of about $500 pp what would you suggest? DH and I don't have any particular excursions in mind (open to anything). DS is the only one with a special request for whale watching and would be open to anything after that.

 

My advise - go now! With all ur discounts, plus the fact your parents and your child could go would make that trip amazing! Hubby and I wanted to go to Alaska with our son and my parents. We waited too long and for the last few years, my mother has been too frail to go. Right after I booked my up coming May cruise on the Miracle plus my airfare, my dad decided he may go to Alaska by himself. It makes me sad and I am trying to convince him to join us.

 

You have the option to go now - and both your child and parents could go. It could be the last time that the chance comes up. It would be priceless!

 

 

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