Is Alaska worth the 10 grand its going to cost?

[ndabunka]

One thing I find humorous is the WAY in which people have responded to the original inquiry. That is to 'claim' you can cruise cheaper than $10K and you can but who spent the least is not the question. Rather, it was a VALUE question and that is a bit more difficult for ANYONE to answer until we know more about the OP. Any good listener will FIRST try to identify the inquirer's values BEFORE presenting benefits. Yet, everyone here is spewing benefits BEFORE hearing those details (me included).

 

As we have seen in this thread, one client might see value in a balcony while others think it is a waste of $'s. However, nobody asked the OP what THEIR views were. More importantly, WHY those were their values. So, before we can tell the OP if it is "worth it" or not, we first need more details on the expectations and their background.

 

Let's start by working from some basics.

1) What does the OP's family "normally" spend on a vacation?

2) How frequently do they travel (once a year, 3 times, once every 3 years)?

3) What is a general idea of their income source to fund this adventure? Needless to say, a family that makes $200K/year won't blink twice at spending $10K on a 7 day cruise but that same family making $60K/year might need to save up for 3 or 4 years in order to be capable of funding a similar trip (even @ $6K)

4) Do you drive a 10 year old Honda Accord (low-end) or do you "require" a car that is less than 3 years old Lexus (high-end) car? This will tell us what expectations may need to be met (e.g. A small ship with fewer amenities may for for the Honda group whereas multiple high-end restaurants may be needed for the Lexus set).

5) Ages - How old are the travelers and what are their interest.

6) Mobility - How well can everyone on the cruise 'get around'. Lower mobility may drive up costs on certain excursions.

7) Location, location, location - As we know, flight costs have increased so the costs may be 35% higher simply depending on your location (as it is in my case but may not be for the OP). That is a HUGE difference in cost projections so may be the #1 factor in understanding costs

8) Shopping - How do you shop TODAY? Do you drive 20 miles to go to a Wal-Mart for groceries or do yo find it more convenient to hit the local Harris Teeter 1/2 mile from home and pay the higher $'s for that convenience? This answer will tell us what you would be the happiest with regarding a cabin location and therefore, associated costs.

 

NOTES: Expertise - Some may find using a travel agent to be beneficial but others may not trust that resource to provide them an un-biased guidance. So, asking a TA for these analysis may not be the best for a client as they feel that the TA is simply trying to find "opportunities" to "upsell" a vacation to them so asking a forum like this makes sense but we may need these details to best help

[travelin_nat]

OR - we could take note that OP has already moved on with their plans, is deciding which cruise line to take, and save ourselves the time and speculation....:D

[CT New-Cruiser]

 

4) Do you drive a 10 year old Honda Accord (low-end) or do you "require" a car that is less than 3 years old Lexus (high-end) car? This will tell us what expectations may need to be met (e.g. A small ship with fewer amenities may for for the Honda group whereas multiple high-end restaurants may be needed for the Lexus set).

 

this one made me chuckle....we are a 2 car family - a 2003 Honda Accord and a 2010 Lexus....so, where do we fit in? :rolleyes:

[Host Jazzbeau]

I was debating small ships vs. large -- right up until I saw the prices for the small ships. They ain't no 10-year old Hondas! More like Tiffany diamonds.

[frugaltravel]

Lots of options with the replys. :) For $10,000 "worth the expense" for they have listed- for me- never. I didn't spend that for the month I was there last year. :)

 

I don't spend $10,000 in three months of travel (not consecutive days!) :)

 

But I certainly have spent way more than anyone else on this board , total, touring Alaska- so, definately (sic) well worth all the costs to me. :)

 

You are probably correct that you spent more than me for the same number of Alaska travel days :):)

[scapel]

The trip is worth what you can afford. This always seems to be the case.

Don't know how old the kids are. Young children book Celebrity Millennium class ship (Infinity,Constellation,Summitt, or Millennium). Doesn't go to Glacier Bay but Hubbard is beautiful - Book Cabin 7202 or 7199 FV class which has a veranda with a 270 degree view.

If teenagers to stay in cabin by themselves book one of the stern cabins on any of these ships in the center(don't remember the numbers), but on deck 7,8,and 9 there is one inside cabin across from the stern cabin with the veranda (only 180 degree view here) but not much hall traffic and can just about leave the cabin doors open and function like a two room suite, with all of you enjoying the veranda on the stern.

We used this arrangement with friends that had the inside cabin and during the day left the doors open and they just walked back and forth. Nice arrangement for teen agers in an inside cabin and parents across with a nice veranda. Use the bridge cam on the tv to see what is coming up. Book early since only one cabin inside on each deck.

[ndabunka]

this one made me chuckle....we are a 2 car family - a 2003 Honda Accord and a 2010 Lexus....so, where do we fit in? :rolleyes:

 

One Balcony/One Inside cabin across the hall...:D

 

PS - We are similar with 750Li BMW & a Toyota Highlander both of the same year and that is what we booked for our trip. The frugality of one balances out the luxuries of the other.

 

Suites are (generally) only necessary for families that both have newer model cars. Then again, if you both have 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass's, you probably also have all the cash you need to be able to splurge on Suites all you want so what do I know. That is why you can't take the questions one at a time but rather need to address them all to get an all around idea of qualifications.

[scapel]

So maybe a better question for those who have been would be: What was it about your cruise to Alaska that made it a wonderful experience for you? I'd also love to hear what your favorite activities were, and if there are any excursions you wish you had skipped....

 

Nat & Dan

So maybe a better question for those who have been would be: What was it about your cruise to Alaska that made it a wonderful experience for you?

I have enjoyed all our cruises to Alaska- the cruise idea is more expensive I think but has luxury and with an inside cabin can be done cheaper than with an outside cabin. Just don’t stay in the cabin except to sleep and shower.

One must not forget that Alaska can be done cheaper as a land trip. I have been to Unalaska, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Homer, Seward, Anchorage, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Valdez, Ketchikan, Denali, Fairbanks, and Anatuvik Pass (spell?). One can book flights when on a land trip to view and land on Glaciers. This way you are spending your money on excursions rather than the luxury time on the ship. We booked a van out of Anchorage and then turned in the van and did the train to Denali, then on to Fairbanks, and rented another van and flew back out of Fairbanks after a few days. Stay in the B&B’s.

I'd also love to hear what your favorite activities were, and if there are any excursions you wish you had skipped....

There are none that I wished I would not have taken, but I think the trip out of Juneau by Helicopter to a Glacier was wonderful and I enjoyed the Dog sleds, but it was $400/p and I think too expensive and would not recommend it because it was too pricey, not because it wasn’t wonderful. The helicopter flight alone would have been enough. They have to charge a lot for the dog sleds because of the expense of keeping the dogs on the Glacier and moving them if the snow freezes.

I think the Misty Fjords trip out of Ketchikan is beautiful and will be doing it again this June.

Skagway—we don’t go this time, but I think I would take a trip to Emerald Lake rather than the White Pass Railroad. The view back toward the inlet is beautiful though.

This June we will finally get to Glacier Bay I hope. We stop in Haines this trip in June and we are looking forward to meeting Drake Olsen. He seems like quite a character.

Nothing better than eating Alaskan King Crab in Alaska.

__________________

[Chasey]

 

Cruise Cost for family of 4 in a basic outside cabin - no balcony: $4500-$5000

Alaskan cruises on RCI start at about $400 PP for an OV stateroom. For the price you quoted or could be in a balcony or even a suite.

[laughing husky]

Lots of options with the replys. For $10,000 "worth the expense" for they have listed- for me- never. I didn't spend that for the month I was there last year.

 

But I certainly have spent way more than anyone else on this board , total, touring Alaska- so, definately well worth all the costs to me. __________________

Happy Alaska travels

 

budgetqueenalaska@yahoo.com......Girl, You need to move up here.....It is cheaper....:) :) :) :D

[Budget Queen]

Lots of options with the replys. For $10,000 "worth the expense" for they have listed- for me- never. I didn't spend that for the month I was there last year.

 

But I certainly have spent way more than anyone else on this board , total, touring Alaska- so, definately well worth all the costs to me. __________________

Happy Alaska travels

 

budgetqueenalaska@yahoo.com......Girl, You need to move up here.....It is cheaper....:) :) :) :D

 

With 30 trips, It's over $100,000. :) YIKES, gives a whole another perspectivie to $10,000 trip.

[travelin_nat]

Thanks, Scapel. I know we are going to want to go back for a land tour...

 

Chasey - the $799 you see on the website is per person, not for the cabin. Then you have to add taxes and port fees and tips...

[panthererab]

My husband and I spent 10 grand on a cruise tour of Alaska on Princess two years ago. You want a balcony cabin. There's plenty to see. It was our first cruise but we enjoyed everything. We chose our excursions carefully because we didn't want to add alot of expense. Even browsing the ports is fun. Princess has much in Alaska and was worth the cost.

[sbflcruiser]

We took my family of 4 to Alaska in June 2009, we spent 2 1/2 weeks doing a cruise and land tour. We spent just under $10K for our trip, for our family we think it was worth it. Yes it is a lot of money, however, the experiences and the memories we have from that trip are priceless.

 

We made choices that saved us money and allowed us to do more. We flew into Seattle then took the train to Vancouver, as it was $250.00 less per person. We booked an inside cabins (orignially we had balcony cabin but changed during a price drop to allow us to do more on our land portion).

 

Our kids were older 17&18 when we made this trip, so they often had different intrest than us, so we did different excursions during the day then would have dinner together and share our experiences.

 

We still talk about our wonderful experiences from this trip regularly and how much fun we all had. We were able to make our trip unique to each of us, so it is very memorable to us.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[Chasey]

Chasey - the $799 you see on the website is per person, not for the cabin. Then you have to add taxes and port fees and tips...

I quoted $400 per person. A family of 4 for an OV turned out to be around $2K when I did a mock booking yesterday. :)

[ndabunka]

I quoted $400 per person. A family of 4 for an OV turned out to be around $2K when I did a mock booking yesterday. :)

 

$400pp, really? Which cruise ship and what dates. The lowest I have seen for anything in the summer of '12 is $699 for an INSIDE cabin & $799 for an OV

[travelin_nat]

I'm sure she was looking at 4 in the same cabin. I did a mock booking for a friend yesterday who is considering joining us. On RCI Rhapsody 6/1 I can get to an average of $534 pp for an inside guarantee (you have to add fees and tips to that).

 

Like many have said, it all depends on what's important to you and where you draw the line. For us, we drew the line between OV and balcony. Balcony would have cost us about 2x OV, and it wasn't "worth" it to us. I think I got the best of both worlds b/c we ended up in one of very few OV rooms that have a floor-to-ceiling window. :D Others may be perfectly fine with that inside guarantee if it means the difference between going and not going. And still others would never settle for less than a balcony, or suite even.

 

We had added expense of cameras, binoculars, rain gear, and all the other things one "needs" for a trip like this. Next time, without all that added expense, we may feel like the balcony is "worth" it. To each his own! ;)

 

Bon Voyage!

Nat

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm dropping around $10K on our upcoming SF-Vancouver 10-day Alaskan adventure. But it's on a luxury line, and I'm used to paying this kind of amount for the smaller more personalized ships.

 

Not so bad really, considering that this amount includes tips, alcoholic beverages throughout the ship, air and almost all excursions, which in Alaska are particularly expensive. I also get a balcony stateroom that's about 350', great rooms.

[Caliterp07]

$400pp, really? Which cruise ship and what dates. The lowest I have seen for anything in the summer of '12 is $699 for an INSIDE cabin & $799 for an OV

 

I just peaked tonight and see a Coral Princess on August 13 for $599/inside or $649/OV. It's a southbound cruise too, while usually I've found Seattle based cruises to be cheaper. Looks like the same price for sapphire or island princess ships in august too.

 

Definitely not $400pp (I've never seen that either, unless that's including 3rd/4th person discounts in the same room), but not a bad price.

[rescue]

We are planning a cruise to Alaska in 2013. I am not cheap and I really want to go. However, it is going to cost 10,000 for my husband and I and our two kids unless we go on some cheap cruise line and that just isn't us. If we are going to go we want to do it right. But a little voice in my head keeps nagging at me about how that is a lot of money to spend for 1 wk.

 

Do other people that have been to Alaska feel it was worth the expense?

 

If you have to ask then it is too much.

[vbmom87]

If you have to ask then it is too much.

 

Good response!

[savvyRN]

Our first cruise to Alaska was in 1996, our sons were 7 and 9 at the time. We sailed on HAL Ryndam in an inside cabin. We took minimal shore excursions to save money...kayaked in Ketchikan, hiked in Juneau, just walked around town in Sitka. It was beautiful and amazing. HAL has a naturalist onboard who also speaks at the kids program. Our boys are in there 20s now and still talk about the things they saw and learned. I would say it was totally worth it and made family memories we still talk about. That said, you should know that an Alaska cruise is not a warm or sunny cruise...it is "just" beautiful scenery and wildlife. My husband and I took an Alaskan cruise from Seattle 4years ago,(Noordam) booked an inside cabin, got upgraded to OV, did minimal Shore excursions and had an amazing time...we are sailing again this year with friends on a Southbound Coral Princess cruise from Whittier to Vancouver. So yes, I would say it is worth it! As with anything, you have to know what will make you happy.

[yogi_6977]

1balcony cabin,2 inside cabins, 7 people, tax port charges and ins.=$8870. roundtrip from san francisco may 2012.

[ndabunka]

1balcony cabin,2 inside cabins, 7 people, tax port charges and ins.=$8870. roundtrip from san francisco may 2012.

 

Yep, if you CAN go off-season (in MAY), then sure, it's cheap. Heck, September may be even cheaper but the reality is that most with kids cannot afford to pull their kids out of school for 10 days (including travel).

[Tapi]

YIKES! We MUST be the ones doing Alaska on the "cheap"! :eek:

 

Here's our breakdown for a family of 4 sailing on the Norwegian Jewel:

 

• $3010 - Total cruise fare (Oceanview cabin) including taxes AND tips
  
• $1050 - Airfare from Atlanta to Seattle
  
• $620 - Shore Excursions booked through the cruise line
  
• $175 - Pre-cruise hotel stay
  

_______

 

TOTAL: $4855

 

(Also figuring out an additional $1000 spending money)

 

I DO see how it can end up costing $10,000 to go to Alaska though. I'm fully aware that we ARE doing this trip economically. If we did this trip the way that I REALLY would like to do it (upgraded cabin to a balcony or suite, one way iitinerary instead of a Seattle roundtrip, more expensive excursions like Helicopter rides, and a pre or post land tour), this cruise could EASILY reach (and EXCEED) $10,000