Is Alaska worth the 10 grand its going to cost?

[vbmom87]

Eventually, we got out (roughly 36 hours after we started), but my wife still talks about "that dreadful saturday"...:o

 

On my August 2011 cruise out of Seattle we met a lovely couple. It took them until Tuesday (from Saturday) to get on a flight to Atlanta. :( Perhaps they don't know how to work the system, but that was a real nightmare for them. They slept in the airport all those nights. :eek:

[Budget Queen]

On my August 2011 cruise out of Seattle we met a lovely couple. It took them until Tuesday (from Saturday) to get on a flight to Atlanta. :( Perhaps they don't know how to work the system, but that was a real nightmare for them. They slept in the airport all those nights. :eek:

 

Airline employees?? More lengthy waits for standbys- are low seniority, NOT the employee- parents, spouse, buddy pass etc all have lower boarding priority. Using a Buddy Pass out of Seattle, is a poor choice, since they never gain on the lists, the "next" flight they are still at the bottom. The other down the list option is interlining on other airlines. You, as well, never gain prioirty, come behind all the employees, retirees, spouses, parents, buddy passes- then the interline.

 

The story of this poster is strange- flight crews only have to get in their uniforms, and they jump to the front of the line. It may be, they have no priority because they work for a commiuter and interline? Coming behind the list I give above. I do know how to work the system, but, I'm not traveling Christmas Eve, or full flight times either. I travel mid week, am at the airports at 5am or earlier etc etc etc. It certainly is worth all the inconveniences to me.

[msar1076]

If this is the case??? Then, $10000 for one week is way on the high end, and must include some suite cabin, and costly tours??? I was gone a month last year, with a 3 day add on to Prudhoe at $2000, 2 people, my trip was no where near $10 grand. :)

 

I don't think that is including a suite cabin and costly tours. I am traveling with my family in July and I got an inside cabin. When it's all said and done with the cost of the cruise, airfare for four from Boston, time spent in Seattle, hotels in Seattle, food, souviners, and the cost of two excursions, I am well over $10,000.00. It's the time of year too. I'm going mid July when the prices are way up there.

If you can afford it, I say go and enjoy it.

[AKBound2012]

I don't think that is including a suite cabin and costly tours. I am traveling with my family in July and I got an inside cabin. When it's all said and done with the cost of the cruise, airfare for four from Boston, time spent in Seattle, hotels in Seattle, food, souviners, and the cost of two excursions, I am well over $10,000.00. It's the time of year too. I'm going mid July when the prices are way up there.

If you can afford it, I say go and enjoy it.

 

For our family of 3, we are looking at a tick under $8K. Which includes multi-dest. air from the east coast, an OV cabin; hotels in YVR and SEA; 1 way Amtrak YVR to SEA; Tips on the cruise; the cruise; airline luggage fees; and 4 nights of hotels in YVR and SEA and Add 2 excursions of our choice ...

No Spending $$ included...

[Tapi]

Was it your own airline? I have always gotten out the same day. Was it a holiday? I have never heard of this with 28 years of nonrev travel.

 

Yup, it was. The problem was that we tried to defy everything that I've learned in my 20+ years of non-revving and sure enough, it bit us in the butt.

 

Even though I have pretty decent seniority, we got stuck for two reasons. First, it was one of those days were most flights were so full, that the airline was asking for volunteers who were being protected on later flights that still had a few seats. Second, my airline allows each employee to use a higher priority code 6 times a year when they non-rev. Unfortunately, when we were returning from this cruise (late November), I had already exhausted mine for that year. So we had no choice but to watch as others with less seniority (but who still hadn't exhausted their higher priority bookings for the year) bumped us down and took the few seats that became available during the day. Yes I could jumpseat, but my wife couldn't.

 

I don't live at my base, so I non-rev or jumpseat on a weekly basis to get to work (have been doing so for the last 20+ years), so I think that I have the non-rev game down (still haven't had a MFA because I couldn't get to work). However, that time in 2008 was one time when we were caught off guard.

 

What we should've done was to NEVER try to non-rev on that day, extend our vacation, and wait a day or two when we knew we'd have a better chance of getting out, OR we should've just purchased a confirmed ticket. As I said before, lesson learned. :rolleyes:

[Assateague Island Princes]

Change of subject, Tapi - the dog in the photo is just adorable. The picture never fails to make me smile:D!

[Tapi]

Change of subject, Tapi - the dog in the photo is just adorable. The picture never fails to make me smile:D!

Thanks! :D The dog in the picture is Tapi. She has been making us smile for 8 years now...

[vbmom87]

Has the OP been back?

[frugaltravel]

Change of subject, Tapi - the dog in the photo is just adorable. The picture never fails to make me smile:D!

 

A change of topic - back to the original topic - is needed :D

 

Has the OP been back?

 

Not surprisingly, no. They got kind of bashed several times, the thread turned into a personal chatroom for a couple of people and more. If I had started the thread I probably would not come back to post either!

[TheCalicoCat]

Not surprisingly, no. They got kind of bashed several times, the thread turned into a personal chatroom for a couple of people and more. If I had started the thread I probably would not come back to post either!

 

That and they did not hear what they wanted to hear. (I kind of doubt that they ever returned. I noticed that they were Canadian & asked why they hadn't considered cruiseing our of Vancouver - that surely should have been cheaper for them - not leaving the country...)

[Gloria Mundi]

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.

 

Yeah, we booked Tiffany but we're happy with it. We wanted to avoid all the drawbacks of big ships (waiting hours to board and disembark, upcharges, extras, crowded dining rooms, etc.) and don't care for the experiences of on-board shpping, art auctions and shows. So, we'll be informal and up-close and personal with nature.

[tjroadster]

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?

 

hm.. we spent about $4000 for 4 of us. Maybe we went with cheap lines

[2little time]

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?

'

I have traveled all over the world and IMHO Alaska is the crown jewel. It is well worth every penny.

[Northshorecruisers]

I'll let you know the second week of August :D

 

When we cruise, we like to have a good time and not think about the money. We worked hard to earn it and if that's what gives us pleasure - so be it. The kids are grown and our only responsibility is to ourselves.

 

We like a nice cabin with room to enjoy the cabin (booked a SY guarantee to save a few $$$), we have airfare to and from the cruise city from the midwest, we like a couple dinners in the specialty dining venue, we buy some photos, we like to spend a day or two sightseeing in the departure city (hotel, rental car, meals, sightseeing), we like to order a bottle of wine at dinner and a couple cocktails a day, we do the shore excursions we want to do (one excursion is almost $500 and another is close to $300), we like to buy 1 very nice item to bring home to remind us of a wonderful trip. Throw in a formal dress and some warmer clothes for me and a new camera for DH - we'll probably spend between $8-9,000 on the trip.

 

It's high, but people keep going back and raving about it - so we'll see if it's worth it. Friends that are going with us will be taking this trip for the 3rd time. We won't be able to do it again until we retire, and that's a few years away and I've already survived cancer once and my husband survived some bad heart issues, so we might not be around for retirement. Anything can happen. Enjoy it while we can and are able to make the trip.

[ace1zoe2]

Anything can happen. Enjoy it while we can and are able to make the trip.

 

Agree 100%. I keep telling my husband the same thing. Let's go. & do while we are healthy enough to travel. By the time we retire we may have health probs or mobility problems that would keep us from being able to do the type excursions we enjoy.

[frugaltravel]

Yeah, we booked Tiffany but we're happy with it. We wanted to avoid all the drawbacks of big ships (waiting hours to board and disembark, upcharges, extras, crowded dining rooms, etc.) and don't care for the experiences of on-board shpping (sic), art auctions and shows. So, we'll be informal and up-close and personal with nature.

 

Having just returned from a fairly long Alaska trip including a 7-night cruise on a "mass market" cruise line, I didn't have any of the experiences you mentioned. When I boarded there was no one else in line (we didn't check in and board right when they opened), never saw the art auctions (easy to avoid), didn't buy anything on board shopping-wise and went to a couple of the shows, but spent most of my time on the ship outside on the front deck watching wildlife and/or the scenery.

 

hm.. we spent about $4000 for 4 of us. Maybe we went with cheap lines

 

It can definitely be an affordable trip. My entire trip from which I just returned including everything averaged $125/person/day including the land trip and the cruise. We took a lot of boat tours and one flightseeing tour. Also rented a car both for the land tour and in a couple of ports.

[Smokeyham]

We're anticipating costs around $8,000 when all is said and done. We've chosen a higher-end balcony, and we're glad we booked when we did since they have been sold out for months, and cruise fares have only gone up.

 

To answer the OPs question, I would say that your costs aren't out of line. I've been to Alaska before, and what draws me back is the incredible scenery, and the fun of the cruise.

 

Could we do it for cheaper; yes... but for us the overall experience is worth he cost.

[Smokeyham]

We're anticipating costs around $8,000 when all is said and done. We've chosen a higher-end balcony, and we're glad we booked when we did since they have been sold out for months, and cruise fares have only gone up.

 

To answer the OPs question, I would say that your costs aren't out of line. I've been to Alaska before, and what draws me back is the incredible scenery, and the fun of the cruise.

 

Could we do it for cheaper; yes... but for us the overall experience is worth he cost.

 

Realize this thread is a little old now, but thought I would update that our costs in the end were a bit lower than we had anticipated.

 

For two of us, staying in one of the nicer balcony cabins (BA on Princess) with air flights from California to Alaska, and then shuttle/air flight back from Seattle to California, total cost was around $7,200. Of course, your costs will vary, but the bottom line for us was that it was a great trip, and well worth the cost.

[Mark42]

Here is our breakdown for 3 people

 

Hampton Inn MSP with 10 nights fee parking. $0.00

Non stop Flights MSP-YVR & ANC-MSP (using miles) $30.00 taxes

2 rooms in Vancouver pre cruise (using Hilton Points) $0.00

Cruise, Junior Suite Cabin $4500.00

Onboard costs, tips etc (w/$425. credit thru RCCL card) $200.00 (or less)

Excursions (we booked on our own) $800.00

RCCL Train from Seward to ANC for 3 $300.00

Anchorage Embassy Suites (Hilton Points) $0.00

Misc. $300

_________

Total out of pocket costs for 3 $6,130.00

 

Footnote.

We use our credit cards to accumulate a lot of miles and points, to make a trip like this reasonable.

[roblox84]

It's probably not worth ten grand, but there's no way it should cost that much. Unless you're doing a presidential suite or something, lol. We did Europe for a month staying in b&b and it came out to ten grand but with a bunch of expensive souvenirs bought.

[Sheringdale]

This is the top trip on my husband's 'bucket list' and as he's not well and won't get any better, we've bitten the bullet and spent the children's inheritance.

 

Gold Leaf on the Rocky Mountaineer and only an outside cabin on the ship, but still costs the debt of a small nation!! £10,000 - that's just the start! :)

[Ontario cruise duo]

This is the top trip on my husband's 'bucket list' and as he's not well and won't get any better, we've bitten the bullet and spent the children's inheritance.

 

Gold Leaf on the Rocky Mountaineer and only an outside cabin on the ship, but still costs the debt of a small nation!! £10,000 - that's just the start! :)

 

I applaud you and say "go ahead and spend your children's inheritance". If you were my parents I would be "all for it". You deserve it and if in the end there is anything left over for your children, they should "consider it a bonus (gift)" and be "thankful" for the same.

 

My parents who are 75 and 76 travel often by truck and fifth wheel camper and my motto to them is "spend it while you can" because if you leave it to us (their 6 kids), we're definitely going to spend it after. All 6 of us enjoy travelling and have done so many times over recent years, so they both know that we really mean it.

 

Happy travels to the both of you and may the memories you make last forever!

[Smokeyham]

This is the top trip on my husband's 'bucket list' and as he's not well and won't get any better, we've bitten the bullet and spent the children's inheritance.

 

Gold Leaf on the Rocky Mountaineer and only an outside cabin on the ship, but still costs the debt of a small nation!! £10,000 - that's just the start! :)

 

Both the Rocky Mountaineer and an Alaska Cruise are incredible experiences! I hope you and your husband enjoy both of the experiences, and they give you many happy memories.

[Jdfireman]

Just went over our budget for 2 weeks in Alaska and we are over 12k total. Yes we are doing some awsome shore tours.. Its going to be a great time

 

I have saved for a while for this trip

or you can use my friends theory ( if the US government can be in debt why cant I)

 

Happy Sailing

[rachelfran]

Just went over our budget for 2 weeks in Alaska and we are over 12k total. Yes we are doing some awsome shore tours.. Its going to be a great time

 

I have saved for a while for this trip

or you can use my friends theory ( if the US government can be in debt why cant I)

 

Happy Sailing

 

I'm at almost 7k for 16 nights which doesn't include any grats or food for the land portion or admissions in Vancouver - where we have three nights .. Our Anan/misty Fjords excursion is by far the most expensive but I think it'll all be amazing and worth every cent. Fortunately, most of it is paid off ...

 

 

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