One Way cruise booked...now how do you handle getting to and from

[strega7]

Ok, I have a southbound cruise booked for July, we get on in Whittier and get off in Vancouver. For all of you experienced cruisers, do you book two one way airfares? How do you get from airport to port, and port to airport. Do you spend many days ahead of time before and after the cruise doing different things at the ports. I keep seeing a train mentioned, do you use that to get to the port, or just sightseeing? Please help me with suggestions, I am getting ready to book airfare, and I am not quite sure how everybody does it. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

Marci

[vbmom87]

Ok, I have a southbound cruise booked for July, we get on in Whittier and get off in Vancouver. For all of you experienced cruisers, do you book two one way airfares? How do you get from airport to port, and port to airport. Do you spend many days ahead of time before and after the cruise doing different things at the ports. I keep seeing a train mentioned, do you use that to get to the port, or just sightseeing? Please help me with suggestions, I am getting ready to book airfare, and I am not quite sure how everybody does it. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

Marci

 

Do not rush and book your airfare until you have your trip figured out. You don't want to book flights and then find later that you didn't allow enough time to do all you wanted to do. It is very expensive to change flights.

 

On the airlines websites and/or sites like kayak.com, check for "multi-city" itineraries. Usually these will be cheaper than two one ways. However, it is wise to check the one way prices also. You never know when one will be cheaper than the other.

 

With a Southbound cruise it would be great if you have time to do some independent touring in the interior of Alaska prior to boarding your cruise ship. The more time you have the better. Some do only 3 days, many do a week and others do even longer land itineraries. If you haven't studied ALaska yet, you need to do that. Decide what interests you so you know how much time you will need.

 

The train you are probably reading about is the one between Anchorage and Seward. This is a very scenic route. However, your cruise is from Whittier. There are people who have posted that they are cruising out of Whittier, but will be taking the train from Anchorage to Seward and then taking a taxi from Seward to Whittier. This is expensive, but for those who have it as a priority, they are willing to pay the price.

 

THe other scenic train you may have read about is the one in Skagway. This trip actually often makes the lists for the top 10 train rides in the world.

 

You can take a train or bus from Anchorage to get to Whittier. Whittier has wonderful glacier cruises you might want to consider before boarding your ship.

[Budget Queen]

Being that you are not familiar with what is available for interior Alaska, I also agree, you are too early to be booking airfare. Do your homework. Head to your library and take out Fodor's Alaska and Frommer's Alaska/ Alaska travel books. Find out what interior Alaska has to offer you.

 

Overall, time is the most important feature, add on as much as you can afford. :) It will pay off many times over with "another" trip, taking advantage of touring when you are already all the way there.

 

Look over cruisetour routings, descriptions, itineraries. That will give you an idea what is available. IF open to going independent, extremely simple to do, then also consider looking at that option. Independent allows far more selection and ability to make better use of time for priority touring. Can offer significant savings with purchased coupon usage.

 

Your embarkment day- don't be in a rush to get on your ship. :) An excellent tour to consider is a boat trip of PWS. Far superior glacier viewing compared to anything from your cruiseship.

 

As for flights, WHEN you are ready, you are going to be also looking at multi city option flight booking, as well as perhaps a one way Anchorage flight, hooked up with a cheap round trip perhaps?

[Texas Tillie]

Also, when looking at your flights, be sure to look at Seattle. Options might include a round trip to Seattle, a one way to Anchorage on the way up and a transfer from Vancouver to Seattle (bus, train, etc.) on the way back. Also, a muti-city to Anchorage and home from Seattle (with the transfer from Vancouver) on the way home. Also, do check the "easiest" - to Anchorage and home from Vancouver. You only want to do Seattle if you SAVE money even after adding the cost of the transfer.

[psyfi]

we are also doing a southbound. we are coming in 2 days early, spending one day in anchorage and another doing the PWS tour BQ mentioned before getting onto the ship (taking advantage of the late sail out). We would have liked to do more of a land tour, but that's all the vacation time we could swing for this trip. We are doing a shuttle from Anchorage to Whittier as the train comes in too late for us to do the glacier cruise. From the port in Vancouver, we will either take the new public transit train or a taxi depending on our time. Usually booking a multi-city flight is cheaper than 2 one way flights. happy planning.

[ellbon]

I booked multi city RT the first time. this time i am using "open jaw" as i am using Alaskan Air to go from Vancouver to LA for a few days. by doing that i saved $50 on all my flights. when you are ready to book type in multi cities and then just book.

 

___________________

 

now read book- sit in B&N and read. read ports of call boards too.

 

i did a land tour the first time for 1 week. enjoyed most of it. this time I am doing my own thing in Seward before cruising. there is a lot to do there.

 

after the cruise add as much time as you can for Vancouver and Whistler. there is hiking, museums, stores, the second largest Chinatown o in the West coast and more hiking. plus great places to eat.

[vbmom87]

I booked multi city RT the first time. this time i am using "open jaw" as i am using Alaskan Air to go from Vancouver to LA for a few days. by doing that i saved $50 on all my flights. when you are ready to book type in multi cities and then just book.

 

Open Jaw and Multi City are the same thing. They both mean flying into one city and back from another city. Most airline websites use the term multi-city for booking these kinds of routings. Others have different terminology.

[tetleytea]

For the transportation from airport to port, Toursaver (toursaver.com) has a coupon for Girdwood Transportation that should get you from ANC to Whittier.

[ellbon]

Open Jaw and Multi City are the same thing. They both mean flying into one city and back from another city. Most airline websites use the term multi-city for booking these kinds of routings. Others have different terminology.

 

 

whatever! I had 3 flight to alaska- 2 to LA and 2 to asheville. now i have one from vancouver and it is 3 hours instead of 5. that is all i care about.

 

airlines are use to people doing that but some cruisers are not.

[scottbee]

Open Jaw and Multi City are the same thing. They both mean flying into one city and back from another city. Most airline websites use the term multi-city for booking these kinds of routings. Others have different terminology.

 

No they're not. Open Jaw is a specific type of multi city, where the unflown portion is the shortest distance of the three legs.

 

That is to say LAX-ANC-cruise-YVR-LAX isn't a valid OPEN JAW flight

LAX-ANC: 2345 mi

<cruise>: 1330 mi (not the shortest leg)

YVR-LAX: 1081 mi

 

but DFW-ANC-cruise-YVR-DFW is a valid open jaw

DFW-ANC: 3043 mi

<cruise>: 1330 mi (shortest leg, hence a real open jaw flight)

YVR-DFW: 1754 mi

 

If you use the 'multi city' option on most websites you'll get fares that are either open jaws (if they're valid open jaws), or just the combination of two one way tickets.

[wowsmom]

The train you are probably reading about is the one between Anchorage and Seward. This is a very scenic route. However, your cruise is from Whittier. There are people who have posted that they are cruising out of Whittier, but will be taking the train from Anchorage to Seward and then taking a taxi from Seward to Whittier. This is expensive, but for those who have it as a priority, they are willing to pay the price.

 

We actually took the Alaska RR from Anchorage to Whittier back in August.

 

Our train car was very comfortable - lots of leg room, cushy seats and adjustable foot rests. We booked independently and I did notice the cruise cars weren't as nice. The train stopped a couple of times to point out animals (dal sheep and a bear).

 

When you get to Whittier, you are right across from the ship. The one downside (which didn't affect us) was that it did arrive more than an hour late into Whittier. We had no plans before boarding so it wasn't an issue, but if you had a tour scheduled, that could be a problem.

 

I can't remember exactly, but I think for 3 adults and 1 child, it cost us around $230.

[strega7]

Thank you all for replying...you have been very helpful...now just researching to see what we want to do. :)

[MercedMike]

No they're not. Open Jaw is a specific type of multi city, where the unflown portion is the shortest distance of the three legs.

 

That is to say LAX-ANC-cruise-YVR-LAX isn't a valid OPEN JAW flight

LAX-ANC: 2345 mi

<cruise>: 1330 mi (not the shortest leg)

YVR-LAX: 1081 mi

 

but DFW-ANC-cruise-YVR-DFW is a valid open jaw

DFW-ANC: 3043 mi

<cruise>: 1330 mi (shortest leg, hence a real open jaw flight)

YVR-DFW: 1754 mi

 

If you use the 'multi city' option on most websites you'll get fares that are either open jaws (if they're valid open jaws), or just the combination of two one way tickets.

 

As you can see, the subject of Open Jaw flights is complicated. The very best advice I can give you is to let a local Travel Agent book your flight for you. Usually there is a small fee, maybe $25, but they will lead you through the maze of possibilities and find the best routing for you. They can compare the cruiseline air to independent air and discuss the advantages and disadvantages with you. Sometimes cruise/air is the best deal, often it is not. You probably do NOT want to buy two one way fares. That is almost always the most expensive.

 

If you book your cruise through a local Travel Agent who is a CLIA Accredited Cruise Counselor, there will probably be no fee for booking the air too.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[chachi]

I know that I am in the minority, but I prefered my time in Vancouver over Alaska. It is a great city with so much to see and do. You may want to consider spending a day or two after your cruise.

I spent 4 days before my cruise, and it was not enough.

[scottbee]

As you can see, the subject of Open Jaw flights is complicated. The very best advice I can give you is to let a local Travel Agent book your flight for you. Usually there is a small fee, maybe $25, but they will lead you through the maze of possibilities and find the best routing for you. They can compare the cruiseline air to independent air and discuss the advantages and disadvantages with you. Sometimes cruise/air is the best deal, often it is not. You probably do NOT want to buy two one way fares. That is almost always the most expensive.

 

Rarely these days are return tickets (or open jaw) within USA/Canada not merely the sum of two one-way tickets. There is little advantage to booking it as a return, and often booking as two one ways allows you to take advantage of something like one airline's cheap fare going up with a great schedule on another airline coming home. You can even combine tickets on airlines that some of the booking engines often don't carry; like WN or G4 in the USA or WS in Canada.

 

Open Jaw is not complicated, and a great deal for European trips (where it's not possible to buy heavily discounted Y fares). Within USA/Canada it rarely makes sense.

 

Try it, you'll be surprised.

 

 

If you book your cruise through a local Travel Agent who is a CLIA Accredited Cruise Counselor, there will probably be no fee for booking the air too.

 

Let me guess, you're a CLIA accredited Cruise Counselor

[tetleytea]

I know that I am in the minority, but I prefered my time in Vancouver over Alaska. It is a great city with so much to see and do. You may want to consider spending a day or two after your cruise.

I spent 4 days before my cruise, and it was not enough.

 

Close. I enjoy my time in BC over Alaska. Not necessarily Vancouver, but....

[MercedMike]

 

Let me guess, you're a CLIA accredited Cruise Counselor

 

LOL -- No, it is my DW who is a CLIA Master Cruise Counselor.

 

This board is pretty much slanted toward independent booking. You would probably be amazed at how much she does for her clients, and how many times she answers for them all the questions that appear on this board again and again.

[frugaltravel]

Rarely these days are return tickets (or open jaw) within USA/Canada not merely the sum of two one-way tickets. There is little advantage to booking it as a return, and often booking as two one ways allows you to take advantage of something like one airline's cheap fare going up with a great schedule on another airline coming home. You can even combine tickets on airlines that some of the booking engines often don't carry; like WN or G4 in the USA or WS in Canada.

 

Sometimes return or openjaw tickets are the sum of two one-way tickets but very often not. This is especially true with transborder tickets (between US and Canada). But it is also often the case for many domestic US tickets. Try booking Des Moines to Anchorage. That was the first city pair I thought of. You will save $75+ by booking it as round trip and not two one-ways. I am sure I could find thousands of other examples.

[ellbon]

not sure if you want to call it open jaw or multi city. but i am using on airline to ANC. another one form Vancouver to LAX. staying a few days. then going back to the first airline. i did it to save money and to fly FC from Vancouver to LAX.

 

very easy to do myself. the last time someone booked my flight it was to Europe in 2000.