Our 2024 Alaska Adventure--including planning!

[Stowaway LFC]

Good to know!  I've been keeping watch on mine, there's a lot not even showing yet and the ones that do are pretty expensive.  I think they try to sell those high dollar ones first.  September 2024 here!

[no1racefan1]

Was able to book a rental car as of this morning! Based on the research I've done, you should book a rental car as early as possible in Alaska. I booked through Enterprise for 5 days, and it came to under $400 total. This was kind of middle of the road pricing. I had to guess on pickup time since flights aren't available yet (and will probably change 200 times anyways).

 

Budget was significantly cheaper. HOWEVER--I read a lot of stories about last summer when Budget cancelled people's rental cars for a period of time because supposedly their pricing was wrong on their website. Those people ended up having to rebook at a much higher price last minute. So, I am choosing not to trust the cheap prices!!

 

I considered booking two cars just in case one of them ends up cancelling on me, but I don't really want to contribute to the car shortage problem by tying up two cars knowing I'll only use one. So, fingers crossed I get good karma from that and everything works out just fine with my Enterprise reservation!

 

 

[greatestvalue]

3 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

by looking at the details I can see we still have time to book more or change our minds.

Your planning sharing is fabulous!!!

How do you look at details and determine how many spots are left and available for an excursion, if you wouldnt mind sharing?  Thank you 

[SightCRR]

go on youtube and view excursions. just about every tour will be there. with all the glacier viewing skip Mendenhall and go whale watching. skip the log show in ketch and do crab boat. since the road past mp 43 likely closed skip Denali. with budget flights are out. Keep Matanuska glacier whatever you do. Look into Musk Ox farm nearby. 

[no1racefan1]

1 hour ago, greatestvalue said:

Your planning sharing is fabulous!!!

How do you look at details and determine how many spots are left and available for an excursion, if you wouldnt mind sharing?  Thank you 

Log into your account on princess.com, go to 'View Excursions' which should take you to the Excursion Reservations page. There is a green 'View Excursions' button for each port. Or, if you have already booked excursions, those are listed under each port.

 

Click on 'View Excursions'. Go to the excursion you are interested in, click on 'View Details' and that screen looks like this. You can see there are 20 spots available to book right now.

[no1racefan1]

Only 348 days until we're on our way to Alaska!! 😅

 

I've been continuing to check Airbnb for places in Seward and Talkeetna. I saw a place in Talkeetna that looks perfect, but it wasn't available to book yet. I contacted the hosts and they said it wouldn't be available to book for next May until November. So, I booked my second choice just to make sure I have something secured, and then I will check again in November. Something to know about me....I tend to plan and replan and book and rebook things as I figure out better arrangements....I'm addicted to planning! This is why I always book things that are cancellable and refundable.

 

 

 

[diesel1973]

I have not read all the posts but have you considered renting a motor home? 

The savings in hotel rooms, dining out, food storage, unpacking and packing, etc. might be worth it. Also it's too bad you aren't in Glacier View on the 4th of July. Instead of fireworks they have a " Car Launch Event". Google  it as it is a hoot! Good luck with your trip planning. I will be up there for 5 weeks this summer and am planning on going to the State Fair. Can't wait.

[Stowaway LFC]

15 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

Only 348 days until we're on our way to Alaska!! 😅

 

I've been continuing to check Airbnb for places in Seward and Talkeetna. I saw a place in Talkeetna that looks perfect, but it wasn't available to book yet. I contacted the hosts and they said it wouldn't be available to book for next May until November. So, I booked my second choice just to make sure I have something secured, and then I will check again in November. Something to know about me....I tend to plan and replan and book and rebook things as I figure out better arrangements....I'm addicted to planning! This is why I always book things that are cancellable and refundable.

 

 

 

My kinda person!  

[no1racefan1]

1 hour ago, diesel1973 said:

I have not read all the posts but have you considered renting a motor home? 

The savings in hotel rooms, dining out, food storage, unpacking and packing, etc. might be worth it. Also it's too bad you aren't in Glacier View on the 4th of July. Instead of fireworks they have a " Car Launch Event". Google  it as it is a hoot! Good luck with your trip planning. I will be up there for 5 weeks this summer and am planning on going to the State Fair. Can't wait.

I've seen so many fun summer events in the towns we are visiting! I wish we could be there for all of them.

[cmmaxwell03]

On 3/31/2023 at 10:21 AM, no1racefan1 said:

In today's trip planning news...okay, so I actually research this trip basically every day in one way or another, but it would be get pretty boring if I posted about it here every day. Here's what I do in an effort to stay on top of costs and look for deals:

--Check CC of course, to see if there's any chatter about Princess/Alaska/tours/etc. Sometimes one of our CC friends might find a good deal or coupon code for something and post about it! This is where I learned you could buy Princess gift cards from AARP Rewards for a 10% discount.

--Go on Princess.com and do a mock booking for my same cruise/cabin type to see if prices have decreased. They have already dropped once since booking and I was able to call and get re-fared. Also while I am on princess.com I check out shore excursions. I have 'favorited' the ones we are interested in but I'm not ready to purchase yet, so I look to see if they still show the same number of tickets available. So far, so good.

 

Today I purchased a $100 Princess gift card from AARP Rewards for $90 and applied it to my balance. I plan to do this every payday, which will pay off the cruise portion of this trip relatively painlessly. The only downside is if we for some reason end up cancelling...that's going to be a lot of digital gift cards to keep track of when they issue refunds. That's incentive to not cancel, ha!

 

Before purchasing I checked my rewards credit cards to see which would give me the best deal on my purchase. Discover is offering 6% cash back on Paypal purchases through 5/31, so I paid for the gift card via Paypal and bam! Another 6% off. I *might* change my card buying strategy and buy more before this offer expires so I can take full advantage of this deal.

 

DISCLAIMER: I AM IN NO WAY RECOMMENDING THE USE OF CREDIT CARDS FOR UNNECESSARY, UNPLANNED PURCHASES OR IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO PAY THE BALANCE IN FULL EVERY MONTH. I DO NOT CARRY A BALANCE ON ANY CARD.

 

Itinerary-wise, even though we made a revised itinerary we are still going back and forth on whether we should come in Sunday or Monday and add Denali back to the trip. On the one hand, yes it cut out a few hundred dollars and several hours of driving to drop Denali. On the other hand, it would be a lot less expensive to include it in this trip than it would to plan a whole other trip to Alaska someday to visit Denali. So many decisions!! (A person on Tripadvisor recommends a flight-seeing trip over Denali which sounds really amazing and also like it would be *adding* to the budget, not taking away from it....but also, amazing! Sigh...)

I'm making my way through 4 pages of comments now.  We have similar planning and spending styles.  I used a credit card to purchase the cruise and then was able to apply those points to our flights to Anchorage.  I am also using hotel points for our 2 night stay in Anchorage.  

 

Quick question, do you recommend any specific threads/topics on TripAdvisor to help with planning?  I also check CC almost daily for updates 🙂 

[no1racefan1]

42 minutes ago, cmmaxwell03 said:

I'm making my way through 4 pages of comments now.  We have similar planning and spending styles.  I used a credit card to purchase the cruise and then was able to apply those points to our flights to Anchorage.  I am also using hotel points for our 2 night stay in Anchorage.  

 

Quick question, do you recommend any specific threads/topics on TripAdvisor to help with planning?  I also check CC almost daily for updates 🙂 

I've been following the Alaska forum on TA. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

[no1racefan1]

I'm keeping a running list of things to pack for our Alaskan trip. I try not to overpack and only bring things we actually need and will use, so a lot of typical 'cruise' things that I've seen recommended have not made it onto the list. However, as I read reviews of Alaskan cruises from this year, I'm making note of items people say have been the most useful, and adding those to my list!

 

Packing list:

Hot chocolate

Instant coffee

Thermal cup

Collapsible cooler

Rain jackets

Hiking boots

Binoculars

Bug spray

Waterproof phone cases

Laundry soap

Earmuffs

[cmmaxwell03]

2 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

I'm keeping a running list of things to pack for our Alaskan trip. I try not to overpack and only bring things we actually need and will use, so a lot of typical 'cruise' things that I've seen recommended have not made it onto the list. However, as I read reviews of Alaskan cruises from this year, I'm making note of items people say have been the most useful, and adding those to my list!

 

Packing list:

Hot chocolate

Instant coffee

Thermal cup

Collapsible cooler

Rain jackets

Hiking boots

Binoculars

Bug spray

Waterproof phone cases

Laundry soap

Earmuffs

I have been watching YouTube videos about "what to pack" and "things I packed and didn't use".  I like that you are basing your list on reviews and feedback from this year.  That is really smart 🙂  I have a very similar list.  I would include some magnetic hooks to help store stuff in your rooms.  I'm also think of taking some packages of Wet Wipes so that we can use them on the go or keep them in our pockets while on the boat.

[dd57]

Those magnetic hooks are really useful for hanging up damp raincoats.

[cmmaxwell03]

How's the planning going, @no1racefan1?  My excursions and dinner reservations open up in 1 week.  I am excited to see what will still be available through our cruise line vs what is sold out.

[no1racefan1]

38 minutes ago, cmmaxwell03 said:

How's the planning going, @no1racefan1?  My excursions and dinner reservations open up in 1 week.  I am excited to see what will still be available through our cruise line vs what is sold out.

I've been itching to give an update!! I'm currently waiting for airline schedules to open up for booking. I think I have about a week to go before I can book tickets!

 

I went ahead and booked the lumberjack show in Ketchikan for myself while DH goes fishing. I had some shareholder OBC to use so it was free.

 

 

[no1racefan1]

Budget update! As I mentioned in my last post, I still have a little bit of time to wait until all of our flight dates are available to book. Here's where our budget is sitting right now (left hand side is estimate, right hand side is actually spent so far). My ultimate goal is to spend under $7k. Still have a ways to go to save on costs!

$600.00	Plane tickets			Plane tickets
$338.87	Rental car		$338.87	Rental car
$80.00	Gas in rental car			Gas in rental car
$1,859.2	Cruise fare+protection		$359.20	Cruise fare+protection
$80.45	Lodging in Palmer 5/15		$80.45	Lodging in Palmer
$300.00	Lodging in Anchorage 5/13-14			Lodging in Anchorage
$300.00	Lodging in Anchorage 5/17			Lodging in Anchorage
$270.00	Lodging in Seward5/16			Lodging in Seward
$300.00	Matanuska Glacierhike			Matanuska Glacier hike
$100.00	Wifi on board			Wifi on board
$224.00	Onboard gratuities			Onboard gratuities
$708.55	Shore excursions		$708.55	Shore excursions
$100.00	Anchorage bike rentals			Anchorage bike rentals
$300.00	Orca quest tour			Orca quest tour
$400.00	Massages/spa			Massages/spa
$650.00	Dog sitting			Dog sitting
$120.00	Guide tips			Guide tips
$60.00	Extra ship tips			Extra ship tips
$650.00	Meals/groceries			Meals/groceries
$200.00	Train to Whittier			Train to Whittier
$80.00	Taxi/Ubers			Taxi/Ubers
$150.00	Miscellaneous			Miscellaneous
$100.00	Mt Roberts Tram?			Mt Roberts Tram?
$25.00	Fishing license			Fishing license
$30.00	Laundry			Laundry
$45.00	Bear spray			Bear spray
$500.00	Shopping			Shopping
$8,571.79			$1,487.07

[no1racefan1]

I've spent this morning making some exciting trip updates! First of all, since our itinerary changed to spend two nights in Anchorage rather than trying to get to Denali, I needed to figure out a hotel for the 2nd night. I made sure the Hyatt Place still had availability. Then, I cancelled the reservation I had for the first night so I could make a new reservation for two nights. I was short a few thousand points for two nights, but I was able to purchase points to make up the difference. Pro tip: when trying to use points/miles,  make sure to check how much it would cost to buy more points. In this case, it was cheaper to buy the points than it would have been to book a hotel room! With points in hand, I rebooked the Hyatt Place for two nights. Total cost for 2 nights: $192.00 (what I spent on points).

 

AND...while messing around on the Alaska Airlines page, I realized our flight was available to book from Denver to Anchorage! I jumped on that and booked us the flight we wanted for 40K miles each. I wish it was first class but alas, not in our miles or real budget. Seats weren't available to choose yet so I'll log back on later to select those. Total cost: $11.20!

 

I have some Alaska miles left over and I'm hoping to use those to book our final night in Anchorage before we board the ship. I still need to see if I can gather a few more points first.

 

Now we just need to book our United flights to get us TO Denver, and to get us home from Vancouver. Those aren't available to book quite yet.

 

I told DH this trip is really happening now that we have flights!! 

 

 

[cmmaxwell03]

2 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

I've spent this morning making some exciting trip updates! First of all, since our itinerary changed to spend two nights in Anchorage rather than trying to get to Denali, I needed to figure out a hotel for the 2nd night. I made sure the Hyatt Place still had availability. Then, I cancelled the reservation I had for the first night so I could make a new reservation for two nights. I was short a few thousand points for two nights, but I was able to purchase points to make up the difference. Pro tip: when trying to use points/miles,  make sure to check how much it would cost to buy more points. In this case, it was cheaper to buy the points than it would have been to book a hotel room! With points in hand, I rebooked the Hyatt Place for two nights. Total cost for 2 nights: $192.00 (what I spent on points).

 

AND...while messing around on the Alaska Airlines page, I realized our flight was available to book from Denver to Anchorage! I jumped on that and booked us the flight we wanted for 40K miles each. I wish it was first class but alas, not in our miles or real budget. Seats weren't available to choose yet so I'll log back on later to select those. Total cost: $11.20!

 

I have some Alaska miles left over and I'm hoping to use those to book our final night in Anchorage before we board the ship. I still need to see if I can gather a few more points first.

 

Now we just need to book our United flights to get us TO Denver, and to get us home from Vancouver. Those aren't available to book quite yet.

 

I told DH this trip is really happening now that we have flights!! 

 

 

 

Thanks for the updates.  I'm also planning so I completely understand your excitement.  Also, you are savvy with your points 🙂 I dig it!

 

[no1racefan1]

Here's how our itinerary is shaping up! I'm always open to suggestions 🙂

 

 

Monday, 5/13

Morning--Fly to Denver

B--Denver airport

L--airport? in flight?

12:10pm depart Denver (BOOKED)

6:07pm arrive Anchorage (BOOKED)

Pick up rental car (BOOKED)

D-Moose Tooth Pizza?

Stay @ Hyatt Place (BOOKED)

 

Tuesday, 5/14

B-FREE @ hotel (BOOKED)

Buy groceries

Rent bikes from Pablo’s Bike Rentals

Bike Tony Knowles Trail

L-Hot dog food truck

D-

Dessert-Wild Scoops

Stay @ Hyatt Place (BOOKED)

 

Wednesday, 5/15

B-Free @ hotel (BOOKED)

Drive to Glacier View

Matanuska Glacier guided hike

L-The Butte Burger Place?

Bodenberg Butte hike?

D-Make at Airbnb

Airbnb in Palmer (BOOKED)

 

Thursday, 5/16

B-Make at Airbnb

Drive to Seward

Scenic stops along the way

L-picnic?

Visit Exit Glacier

D-Woody’s Thai Kitchen or The Cookery

Airbnb in Seward

 

Friday, 5/17

B-Make at Airbnb

L-Leftovers?

12-4 pm Orca quest tour in Seward

Drive back to Anchorage

Buy wine & soda for cruise?

7:30pm Drop off car @ airport (BOOKED)

D-49^th State Brewing?

Wild Scoops ice cream

Stay @ Hotel Captain Cook?

 

Saturday, 5/18 Embark Whittier 8pm

B-@ hotel

9:45am-12:05pm Alaska Railroad

L-leftovers? or in Whittier?

Portage Pass Trail hike?

5:20pm dinner in MDR

 

Sunday, 5/19 Hubbard Glacier 3pm-8pm

Laundry day

6:40pm dinner in MDR

 

Monday, 5/20 Glacier Bay 9:15am-7:30pm

5:20pm dinner in MDR

 

Tuesday, 5/21 Skagway 7am-8:30pm

7:30am-11:45am Chilkoot Hike & Float (BOOKED)

Lunch back on board (unless it's a tender)

Walk or shuttle to Gold Rush Cemetery

Hike to Lower Reid Falls?

Shopping in Skagway

6:40pm dinner in MDR

 

Wednesday, 5/22 Juneau 6:30am-4pm

7am-10:30am Mendenhall Explorer (BOOKED)

Lunch—Alaska Fish & Chips Co.

Mt. Roberts Tramway?

5:20pm dinner in MDR

 

Thursday, 5/23 Ketchikan 10am-6pm

Breakfast in MDR

10:30am-11:45am me lumberjack show (BOOKED)

10:30am-3:30pm DH fishing excursion (BOOKED)

Walking tour/shopping

6:40pm dinner in MDR

 

Friday, 5/24 Sea Day

Laundry day

5:20pm dinner in MDR

 

Saturday, 5/25 Disembark Vancouver 7:30am

Breakfast on board

Taxi to airport

L-airport

D-airport

Fly home

[Stowaway LFC]

Sounds like an awesome plan!

[LEMJMcC]

Question for those who fly frequently (we do not!).  It's been years since I last flew and that was a quick business trip to Texas which didn't require more than once carry-on bag.  For our trip to Seattle the wife & I plan to check two suitcases and carry-on two.  Do airlines allow "personal" bags in addition to a carry-on?  Would a medium-size (think day hike) backpack be considered a personal bag that could be stow under the seat? 

 

Thanks.

[cmmaxwell03]

1 minute ago, LEMJMcC said:

Question for those who fly frequently (we do not!).  It's been years since I last flew and that was a quick business trip to Texas which didn't require more than once carry-on bag.  For our trip to Seattle the wife & I plan to check two suitcases and carry-on two.  Do airlines allow "personal" bags in addition to a carry-on?  Would a medium-size (think day hike) backpack be considered a personal bag that could be stow under the seat? 

 

Thanks.

 

I would check the luggage FAQs on your specific airline.  However, when I have flown with Delta or American Airlines, I have had a carry on roller bag suitcase and backpack while my husband has a carry on roller bag suitcase and his CPAP.  The suitcase goes in the overhead storage bin and the other items go under the seat in front of us.  

 

Keep in mind when selecting your seats that some might not have under seat storage in front of you (bulkhead seats, some exit row, etc).  But that information should be available on the seat map when you selected your seats. 

[no1racefan1]

7 hours ago, LEMJMcC said:

Question for those who fly frequently (we do not!).  It's been years since I last flew and that was a quick business trip to Texas which didn't require more than once carry-on bag.  For our trip to Seattle the wife & I plan to check two suitcases and carry-on two.  Do airlines allow "personal" bags in addition to a carry-on?  Would a medium-size (think day hike) backpack be considered a personal bag that could be stow under the seat? 

 

Thanks.

For our trip to Alaska I think we will each bring 1 checked bag and 1 backpack (day hike), and share 1 small rolling bag as a carry on. Normally we wouldn't bring the carry on, but I think we'll need to extra space for camera, etc. I believe this is exactly what you are suggesting to bring and you should be fine, but check with your airline.

 

7 hours ago, cmmaxwell03 said:

 

I would check the luggage FAQs on your specific airline.  However, when I have flown with Delta or American Airlines, I have had a carry on roller bag suitcase and backpack while my husband has a carry on roller bag suitcase and his CPAP.  The suitcase goes in the overhead storage bin and the other items go under the seat in front of us.  

 

Keep in mind when selecting your seats that some might not have under seat storage in front of you (bulkhead seats, some exit row, etc).  But that information should be available on the seat map when you selected your seats. 

Yeah, I agree with everything @cmmaxwell03 said. I am NOT a frequent flier--II fly maybe once a year. AND I try to carry on as little as humanly possible because I don't like to haul carry on bags around... but anyways, I have traveled with a regular-sized laptop backpack as my personal item and a small rolling bag as my carry on (one time when I HAD to travel carry on only due to switching airlines).

[cmmaxwell03]

@no1racefan1 Tomorrow at 12pm PST my excursions through the cruise line open up.  I'm stoked!!  I have 3 that I am hoping to book through them and have already booked 1 independently.  Fingers crossed.  Then I will wait until June 30th to make dinner reservations for the specialty restaurants on board.  I'll be channeling your inner planning power tomorrow 🙂