First Time Alaska Cruise

[Davis2010]

Hi! My husband and I have been on multiple cruises, but always to the Caribbean. We have not had a "couples" vacation since our Honeymoon almost 10 years ago. We are STOKED to finally take a trip and to go to an amazing destination! But we are completely clueless about this. So here are my questions:

 

1. Guaranteed Rooms ($150 cheaper, but non-refundable) vs Booking Your Room ($150 more, but refundable)

     a. If Book Your Room, is there are "better side" of the boat to book a room on?

 

2. Inside, Ocean View, or Balcony?

 

3. Book both cruise & flights Now or Later? 

 

4. Any tips? Tricks? Advice? MUST-go places? Best excursions? Clothing? etc.

 

Thank you in advance!!!

[masterdrago]

When we booked our May cruise this year in June of last year, we were also so stoked it hurt. This place is where you'll find most if not all of the answers you're looking for.

 

I've been trying to research the "which side is better" question for a few weeks since only one time did we have a view not looking at the docks. I've been watching several ships recently (Radiance and Westerdam) using https://www.livecruiseshiptracker.com/

It seems to be really difficult to figure it out. I think one way that might give you a clue is to look at the pricing structure of any future planned cruise to see which side (port or starboard) is higher $$$. Recently, I did notice about a $600 difference on one Radiance cruise. I know that the dock side can be changed by the pilot/captain on the spur of the moment so not sure there is a positive way to find out ahead of time. Maybe talk with a TA or cruise planner.

 

Our 1st Alaska cruise on May 24th was going to be a balcony for sure. We wanted to be able to relax and watch the sea and land float by. I don't regret it. I'm not sure that next time we would save the $$$ for other expenses.

 

Sometimes, you can get a hell of a deal by waiting til the last minute but we were not gamblers in any way. I've read several places that 53 days out on a flight booking is the ideal time to book. When we were watching flights b4 booking that did not work as we wanted very specific seats and had to pull the trigger early. We did get good prices with Alaska Air since we use the BOA Alaska Mileage Plan card so get Companion Fare and mileage discounts. I used http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

to watch flight pricing.

 

These boards are full of tips and tricks but you have to prowl around and ask specific questions. My very long and as yet unfinished trip report is at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2660632-trip-report-may-24-2019-radiance-of-the-seas-seward-vancouver/

You will find tons of advice on many other trip reports at the top of the Alaska pages.

 

[skrufy]

5 hours ago, Davis2010 said:

Hi! My husband and I have been on multiple cruises, but always to the Caribbean. We have not had a "couples" vacation since our Honeymoon almost 10 years ago. We are STOKED to finally take a trip and to go to an amazing destination! But we are completely clueless about this. So here are my questions:

 

1. Guaranteed Rooms ($150 cheaper, but non-refundable) vs Booking Your Room ($150 more, but refundable)

     a. If Book Your Room, is there are "better side" of the boat to book a room on?

 

2. Inside, Ocean View, or Balcony?

 

3. Book both cruise & flights Now or Later? 

 

4. Any tips? Tricks? Advice? MUST-go places? Best excursions? Clothing? etc.

 

Thank you in advance!!!

1.If you book a guaranteed cabin you can be placed anywhere on the ship in the category you booked. The cabin might not be in a desirable area, this is the chance you take.  We did a guaranteed on our first, were assigned an obstructed view. Got lucky, the balcony was towards the rear of the ship and the obstruction was a midship lifeboat. No obstruction at all. 

2. A balcony is nice to watch the magnificent Alaska scenery. Depending on the time of year it gets really cool on the balcony while your at sea. Late in the afternoon it gets cold. We did a balcony on our first Alaska cruise, even though it was cold I was on it a lot with a mug of hot chocolate in hand. The second cruise we had our favorite an OV and had a great cruise.

3. We book everything as soon as it becomes available. We fly Southwest, so Incase there’s a problem we can change with no penalty. Hotels, we book rooms that can be cancelled with no penalty.

4. One tip is an Alaska cruise is very casual. You don’t have to dress up for dinner, Many people come directly to dinner from the day in port in jeans, sweatshirts, tee-shirts, shorts and sneakers. People do dress up for formal/elegant night, but not as many as on a Caribbean cruise.

Have a great cruise Alaska is amazing.

 

 

Edited August 24, 2019 by skrufy
Addition

[AngelDisney]

The Alaskan cruise was the only cruise we took full advantage of the verandah. We thought it’s worth the extra cost for sure on that cruise. Bring layers of clothing with a waterproof outermost layer. It rained most days when we were there. Don’t forget gloves, earmuffs, neck warmers and especially binoculars. We went in late August and it was warmer than expected. We brought our winter boots for the glacier excursion since we didn’t have waterproof hiking boots then. Walking around town in sneakers was fine. 

 

Have fun planning!

[thegoaliegirl]

Personal preference, but I would not pick a guarantee room. You are only guaranteed that category of room or better. What the cruise line thinks of as better, might not mean the same to you. You could end up in the front or back of the ship, way up high, below the pool, near the nightclub, etc. I much prefer to pick my own room and then mark it no upgrade (at least with Princess, where there will typically not move you but you might still get an upsell offer for a (usually) small fee but you get to pick your cabin and location.)

 

Recently went to Alaska- had booked two connecting insides and received an upsell to a balcony. It was so wonderful to have the balcony- I woke up before everyone else and was able to go out and sit and watch the world go by. Did a Southbound sailing and was on the right side of the ship- other side had more land while sailing. Sometimes we were on the dock side, others we weren't. I had originally booked the insides because balconies were over double the price per person. If you can afford it and think you might want to use the balcony (or at least get a little fresh air), then go for it.

 

Not sure what cruiseline you are looking at, but Princess ezAir allows you to book flights but not pay for them until final payment- they aren't ticketed until 45 days or so out (ours were 35 days out). The plus to this is that you can re-book your flights at NO PENALTY if the price drops, you find a better flight, etc. Even if the price drops after final payment but before being ticketed, you can still get a refund on the price difference.

[Heidi13]

On 8/23/2019 at 12:45 PM, Davis2010 said:

Hi! My husband and I have been on multiple cruises, but always to the Caribbean. We have not had a "couples" vacation since our Honeymoon almost 10 years ago. We are STOKED to finally take a trip and to go to an amazing destination! But we are completely clueless about this. So here are my questions:

 

1. Guaranteed Rooms ($150 cheaper, but non-refundable) vs Booking Your Room ($150 more, but refundable)

     a. If Book Your Room, is there are "better side" of the boat to book a room on?

 

2. Inside, Ocean View, or Balcony?

 

3. Book both cruise & flights Now or Later? 

 

4. Any tips? Tricks? Advice? MUST-go places? Best excursions? Clothing? etc.

 

Thank you in advance!!!

These are our thoughts:

1 - Never consider booking a Guarantee cabin, as we want to select the cabin location. In Alaska, the views are generally spectacular from both sides.

 

2. On most cruises we normally opt for balcony cabins, but in Alaska our preference is inside for a couple of reasons - daylight is long, especially in June when we normally cruise. An Inside cabin is better for sleeping. When enjoying the scenery we always go out on deck, so we see both sides.

 

3. Always book flights as soon as they are available, as I normally use points. For cruises, we book when we find an itinerary of interest, at an acceptable price and with an available cabin we consider acceptable.

 

4. Tough to answer without knowing your interests. However, bring layers & wind/rain gear. Binoculars and good cameras always come in handy 

[UPGrandma]

If you are doing a one way....Vancouver to Whittier for example on Princess, pick either side as you can see mountains/more land from starboard or some ocean/some land from port side (we pick starboard). If doing a round trip - start in Seattle and end there for example - either side as you see one "side" one way. 

[CoW mAn]

On 8/23/2019 at 12:45 PM, Davis2010 said:

4. Any tips? Tricks? Advice? MUST-go places? Best excursions? Clothing? etc.

 

For clothing I highly recommend you pack a full-zip fleece

 

 

[geoherb]

I went as inexpensively as possible this summer, so I roll the dice with guarantee cabins and was thrilled to be upgraded to one of the best ocean view from an inside guarantee. Of course I could have ended up in an inside cabin instead, but I would have still had a great time. 

I usually check airfare before booking a cruise. This summer, I placed my cruises on hold and booked my airfare before completing the cruise bookings. I flew to Vancouver the night before and stayed at one of the hotels near the airport with a free shuttle to the airport. In the morning, the shuttle driver dropped me off at a nearby SkyTrain station rather than all the way back to the airport. That saved me the $5 fee they add to train rides originating at the airport.

[fla gang]

I would say the one thing we used the most was my Nikon binoculars. We sat on the balcony and watched pods of whales breeching. The other thing we used a lot was my GoPro. Took a lot of video and still shots. I had to buy some jeans. Florida native with only one pair. Wore jeans every day. We went in June of this year out of Seattle and only used a windbreaker. Fiancé wore capris every day. We had fantastic weather the entire week. In Skagway the temp got into the upper 70's. We have been to the Caribbean many times but this was our first trip to Alaska, and our best cruise ever. We also did two days pre cruise, staying in downtown Seattle and we loved the city. The only sad thing was all of the homeless in downtown Seattle. Enjoy your cruise!

[moneeman]

Good replies, so I won't repeat what has been said, but will add a couple of points.

 

We read before our first Alaska cruise many years ago that it was best to book a room on the side of the ship facing the mainland (on a one-way cruise).  We did so, and were rewarded with the most magnificent snow-peaked mountain view when we opened our blinds the first morning on ship.  That really made an impression on us, and we were sold.  Fast forward to this year and we again made sure we booked to face the mainland, and on this cruise (same basic itinerary as before) we felt the side of the ship made no difference at all.  That mountain wasn't there this time, and most mornings we were in port when we opened the blinds.  You will find some that swear by this, and others that see no advantage either way.

 

The second comment relates to your question about when to book, though it is more so about upgrades.  When you read through the message boards, especially the one for your chosen cruise line, you will see a lot of people talking about upgrading their room.  This can happen many ways, but I will tell you how and why we upgraded.  We booked our room 9 months out because we had very specific dates we were tied to, and because we wanted a balcony on the mainland side of the ship.  When you book that far out, you are paying some pretty expensive rates.  The cruise line may be throwing out some "free drinks" or on board credit to sweeten the deal, but just know that the rate you pay at that point is comparatively pretty high.  It does come with the advantage of good room choice.  Booking that far in advance requires a small (or sometimes no) downpayment.  You then have to pay the balance of your cruise something around 100 days before departure.  It is after this "final payment date" that the rates for the remaining rooms suddenly drop.  The Concierge level room we booked for $2,800pp eventually sold for about half that price 4 - 6 weeks out from departure.  Of course, availability was limited.  The plus side to this was the room categories above Concierge were also dropping in price, and we were able to upgrade to the lowest level suite for the price we originally paid for the Concierge level room.  (Oh, and we LOVED the "suite life").  If you book early, then after final payment date, do a quick price check of your cruise (without logging into your account) every day or two and watch for significant drops.  They can go up and down a bit, so don[t worry if your desired category pops up one day.  It will likely eventually come back down.  When you feel the time is right, call your TA and ask to be rebooked into the higher level room.   You will get a much better room for the price you were willing to pay months ago for a lesser one.

 

I hope this is helpful.  Good luck in your planning!

[diarm]

Waterproof gloves. I like to stand on deck, especially in Glacier Bay, and I found that fleece gloves were NOT enough. Definitely pack layers, and a waterproof coat/jacket. 
Take GOOD binoculars. The ship is usually far enough from shore that it's hard to spot wildlife - bears, mountain goats, seals - without really good opticals. 
I've cruised southeast Alaska twice and my favorite excursion has been the Bering Sea Crab Boat tour in Ketchikan. 

[tjsmama]

On ‎8‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 2:08 AM, fla gang said:

I would say the one thing we used the most was my Nikon binoculars. We sat on the balcony and watched pods of whales breeching. The other thing we used a lot was my GoPro. Took a lot of video and still shots. I had to buy some jeans. Florida native with only one pair. Wore jeans every day. We went in June of this year out of Seattle and only used a windbreaker. Fiancé wore capris every day. We had fantastic weather the entire week. In Skagway the temp got into the upper 70's. We have been to the Caribbean many times but this was our first trip to Alaska, and our best cruise ever. We also did two days pre cruise, staying in downtown Seattle and we loved the city. The only sad thing was all of the homeless in downtown Seattle. Enjoy your cruise!

Hi, we are going in June of 2020 and staying in Seattle a couple of days prior to sailing. Can you tell me where you stayed and, maybe recommend some things that are "must see" in Seattle? We will have a car.

[fla gang]

4 hours ago, tjsmama said:

Hi, we are going in June of 2020 and staying in Seattle a couple of days prior to sailing. Can you tell me where you stayed and, maybe recommend some things that are "must see" in Seattle? We will have a car.

Hello, We stayed at the Grand Hyatt on Pine st. downtown Seattle. We walked everywhere and got plenty of exercise. Pike Place Market was our favorite place to visit but you need to get there early because it get's very crowded. Across the street from the market is a place called Beecher's. They sell cheese and also the best Mac n cheese I've ever had! If you like Starbucks no worries, they are on every street corner. We also walked to the Space Needle and it was pretty neat. Plenty of places downtown to grab a bite and a drink!  

We have been on all of the Oasis class ships and we really enjoyed the Ovation!

[Ptroxx]

I stayed at the executive hotel pacific on spring st.   Was an awesome older hotel in an older building recently remodeled.  

 

I did the Seattle Underground tour and that was real interesting.     I’d suggest it for about 21.00.     

Also walked around Pikes.   The Hard Rock for late lunch.     Was a long afternoon