Are there any good deals for Alaska 2013?

[emeltee]

vbmom - just out of curiosity, why didn't you like the Wildlife Conservation Center?

 

kelsea - I'm planning a similar trip in early July. We'll arrive 3 days prior to our Sapphire Princess cruise. The first day, I plan on going up to Matanuksa Glacier for a hike, the second day will be spend exploring the Seward Hwy and everything that mapleleaves & vbmom mentioned. The third day, we'll go on a PWS cruise before embarking on our ship.

[trident777]

$399 for a 7 day Alaska cruise from Whittier sounds unbelievable!! Currently the price is about $850 for a inside room. Was this a last minute deal? If so, it's probably unrealistic to aim for to most people!

 

I have been told anywhere from $750-850 range is a good deal for a inside room on a 7 night Alaska cruise.

[mapleleaves]

$399 for a 7 day Alaska cruise from Whittier sounds unbelievable!! Currently the price is about $850 for a inside room. Was this a last minute deal? If so, it's probably unrealistic to aim for to most people!

 

it was only $349 if you had sailed with Princess before!

It wasn't a 'last minute' deals where the price was posted today for a cruise leaving Monday; there was at least 3 weeks notice.

If you have flexibility with your schedule, and better yet, airline miles, it's worthwhile to check each cruiseline's web site on a daily basis.

[vbmom87]

$399 for a 7 day Alaska cruise from Whittier sounds unbelievable!! Currently the price is about $850 for a inside room. Was this a last minute deal? If so, it's probably unrealistic to aim for to most people!

 

I have been told anywhere from $750-850 range is a good deal for a inside room on a 7 night Alaska cruise.

 

Those deals typically come after final payment. Cruiselines do not like sailing with empty cabins and will do what they have to in order to sail full. The problem is that often times you can get the great cruise deal, but then your airfare will be more costly. Even if you have miles, those last minute flights usually will cost you a lot more miles than if you purchased earlier. Also, those deals are often for guarantee cabins. For us, who get queasy in the forward part of the ship, this is not as good of a deal as it looks. If we were stuck cruising in a forward cabin, we would not be happy campers. If you live near the port and don't have to fly, you truly can find some great last minute bargains.

[vbmom87]

vbmom - just out of curiosity, why didn't you like the Wildlife Conservation Center?

 

For us seeing the animals at the Wildlife Conservation Center was more like going to a zoo. The animals are in confined areas, although most of those areas are quite large. Many, many people truly enjoy their visit here and like the fact that they can see so many AK animals in one place. For my DH and me, we like to see the animals in the wild, in their natural habitats, which we were able to see in Denali. The facility is well-maintained and clean. The animals seem well taken care of. We just prefer seeing them in a different setting.

[trident777]

Those deals typically come after final payment. Cruiselines do not like sailing with empty cabins and will do what they have to in order to sail full. The problem is that often times you can get the great cruise deal, but then your airfare will be more costly. Even if you have miles, those last minute flights usually will cost you a lot more miles than if you purchased earlier. Also, those deals are often for guarantee cabins. For us, who get queasy in the forward part of the ship, this is not as good of a deal as it looks. If we were stuck cruising in a forward cabin, we would not be happy campers. If you live near the port and don't have to fly, you truly can find some great last minute bargains.

 

In that case is it worth taking a chance and booking flights first and then the cruise after final payment? Of course the risk is that there will not be any space but isn't that risk extremely small 70-75 days out? In the case of my last cruise on Celebrity the prices did not come down at all.

[vbmom87]

In that case is it worth taking a chance and booking flights first and then the cruise after final payment? Of course the risk is that there will not be any space but isn't that risk extremely small 70-75 days out? In the case of my last cruise on Celebrity the prices did not come down at all.

 

Everyone has to decide for themselves what risks they are willing to take. I would say it is chancy to buy airfare first, unless you have several options for cruises. If you could find out how well the ship is filling, that would give you a better idea.. Some travel agents may be able to find out this information. Otherwise you would need to spend a lot of time putting cabin numbers into potential reservations to see if cabins are available. Not exactly fun and definitely time consuming.

 

I had one cruise where the prices went up after final payment and another cruise where they went down. So you just don't know.

 

My DD has flights right now, but no cruise. I don't know if she is going to wait until after final payment or not. They found a great deal on flights and grabbed them. They are still pricing out the cruise with different agencies, looking for a bargain.