Lots of Questions about Alaska Cruising

[Shaka]

My husband, mom, and I are trying to plan a cruise to Alaska in June 2005 and have lots of questions. I have gotten excellent info off these boards in the past and hoping you all will come through for me again.

How soon should I book? I know the season is short up there. When will I get the best prices?

Other than adding a land tour in Alaska, are there other advantages to doing a one-way trip versus a round-trip? How much do the airfares differ between one-way and round trip?

Is a balcony worth the extra expense? We are debating about balcony rooms. Alaska is all about the wildlife and scenery. To me it just seems like it would be worth it.

Is there much difference in the type of people that go on Princess, NCL, Celebrity, and Holland America?

Which glacier is most impressive?

Thanks for any input you all could provide!<img>

[worfsmom]

just booked our sept 2005 alaska cruise tonight, and it's filling up fast, but it's a 9 day one. Get a balcony, only way to go. We went in Sept last year, and weather was great. Expect the worst, and if you get a bonus day, be thankful. We cruised Celebrity, and really enjoyed it, have done Carnival to Carib (hated it), and have done Royal Caribbean to Carib, it was ok. My preference is Celebity.

[kkorman]

[quote name='Shaka']My husband, mom, and I are trying to plan a cruise to Alaska in June 2005 and have lots of questions. I have gotten excellent info off these boards in the past and hoping you all will come through for me again.

How soon should I book? I know the season is short up there. When will I get the best prices?[/QUOTE]

It depends on how import the type of cabin is for you. I booked my first AK trip NB on the Coral Princess 2 weeks before and got a single inside cabin for under $900. This is totally a comfort thing for you though.

[quote name='Shaka'] Other than adding a land tour in Alaska, are there other advantages to doing a one-way trip versus a round-trip? How much do the airfares differ between one-way and round trip?[/QUOTE]

Sometimes it is signifcantly cheaper to take the NB/SB runs. Itineraries can also change. A stop in College Fjords is nice as well. It also seems that most of the RT Vancouver or Seattle ships do not make a entrance into Glacier Bay which is a highlight of any AK vacation.


[quote name='Shaka'] Is a balcony worth the extra expense? We are debating about balcony rooms. Alaska is all about the wildlife and scenery. To me it just seems like it would be worth it. [/QUOTE]

Balconies are even more expensive in AK. TO me they are not worth it, but again this is a personal taste. There are plenty of open decks for viewing anything and everything in ALaska and you get to see both side. Also, because of the long daylight house, having the balcony makes it light in the room (even with the curtain closed) until sometimes after midnight. I like total darkness when I sleep.

[quote name='Shaka'] Is there much difference in the type of people that go on Princess, NCL, Celebrity, and Holland America?[/QUOTE]

Somewhat. Alaska draws a lot of families, but HAL typically has the oldest crowd. NCL is usually the cheapest cruise and therefore you can expect more families on them. Celebrity and Princess have a wide range of age groups.

[quote name='Shaka'] Which glacier is most impressive?[/QUOTE]
For met it is Glacier Bay and College Fjord combo. The whole expereince in Glacier Bay is amazing. That is why I take the NB/SB over the RT.

[mrsbojamp]

I, too, recommend the one way trip because you go to College Fjords. I was very impressed there, even more so than glacier bay. To me, the balcony WAS worth it. We were three couples travelling together and the balconies were able to be opened up, giving us a nice expanse for viewing or relaxing. We were on the Princess Dawn, and the crowd was definitely more subdued than a Caribbean cruise, but still we saw all ages. The different "climate" I think was due to the destination rather than the age of the passengers. Alaska attracts a different profile of passenger. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would love to go back. A word of advice- don't scrimp on your excursions. These were the highlights of our trip! Have fun planning!

[Host Caroline]

[quote name='Shaka']My husband, mom, and I are trying to plan a cruise to Alaska in June 2005 and have lots of questions. I have gotten excellent info off these boards in the past and hoping you all will come through for me again.

How soon should I book? I know the season is short up there. When will I get the best prices?

Other than adding a land tour in Alaska, are there other advantages to doing a one-way trip versus a round-trip? How much do the airfares differ between one-way and round trip?

Is a balcony worth the extra expense? We are debating about balcony rooms. Alaska is all about the wildlife and scenery. To me it just seems like it would be worth it.

Is there much difference in the type of people that go on Princess, NCL, Celebrity, and Holland America?

Which glacier is most impressive?

Thanks for any input you all could provide!<img>[/QUOTE]
All cruise lines have bookings for Alaska open now. If you book now you will get choice of cabin etc. If you wait to book next spring and cabin isn't that important to you there are always bargains afster final payment time but you have to be prepared to possibly compromise on cabin etc.

Most impressive Glacier: Glacier Bay itself.

One way or roundtrip: IMHO only it is not worth it to spend the extra on airfare etc. for a "one way" if you are only doing the cruise. College Fjord is lovely but IMHO only the money could be well spent on excursions.

In Alaska the destination is the highlight, not the ship.... there are families, couples, singles (older) and retirees on all the cruises -- although HAL tends to draw an older crowd. We've been on Princess and RCI... definitely Princess over RCI. Have not done Alaska on NCL or HAL..

If you can cruise in early June the Cruise Critic Group might be an option? We leave June 4 from Seattle. Link to info is below.

[kkorman]

[quote name='Host Caroline']

One way or roundtrip: IMHO only it is not worth it to spend the extra on airfare etc. for a "one way" if you are only doing the cruise. College Fjord is lovely but IMHO only the money could be well spent on excursions.[/QUOTE]

You can often find airfares very similar to a RT Vancouver for a Point A to ANC and then Van/Sea to Point A. I paid $525 for my ticket and the RT for Van that same time was 475. (Seattle was in the upper 300s) Like with everything, a little flexibility and searching and you will find a good deal.

[quote name='Host Caroline']
In Alaska the destination is the highlight, not the ship.... there are families, couples, singles (older) and retirees on all the cruises -- although HAL tends to draw an older crowd. We've been on Princess and RCI... definitely Princess over RCI. Have not done Alaska on NCL or HAL..
[/QUOTE]

Hey, I have travelled single in AK this summer and I am only 28!! JK

[lydiagb]

[b]My husband, mom, and I are trying to plan a cruise to Alaska in June 2005 and have lots of questions. I have gotten excellent info off these boards in the past and hoping you all will come through for me again.[/b]

[b]How soon should I book? I know the season is short up there. When will I get the best prices?[/b]

My husband and I are taking a 12 day Alaska cruise through Celebrity next month. We booked in 10/2003 and we saved by booking early. The prices only went up and I was told the cruise was booked in 4/04. But I looked on the site and there are still some rooms open but they are quite a bit more expensive than what we paid. If you want an exact amount let me know.

[b]Other than adding a land tour in Alaska, are there other advantages to doing a one-way trip versus a round-trip? How much do the airfares differ between one-way and round trip?[/b]

In my limited experience (I went on one previous cruise to Alaska in 8/99 through Celebrity) I have found round-trip airfare to be much cheaper than one-way. In fact it was only and extra $600 for us to take a 12 day cruise out of San Francisco (driving from Los Angeles) than a 7 day cruise out of Vancover with round-trip from Los Angeles. But for us we can drive to Marin County and stay with my Mom before and after the trip plus she will shuttle us to and from Pier 35 in SF. So it all depends on where you live too.

[b]Is a balcony worth the extra expense? We are debating about balcony rooms. Alaska is all about the wildlife and scenery. To me it just seems like it would be worth it.[/b]

On my first cruise I happen to get a room with a verandah and was so happy that I did. I went as part of a group and had the extra money so I figured why not and signed up for one that did. So when we booked the cruise for next month it was a must for us. When you're unpacking, packing, etc. it's nice to take breaks and step outside. If you count on the public decks you have to make sure you've got everything with you and it's more of an effort. Not that you want to hole up in your room the entire trip either. But it is definitely worth the extra money. I guess if you just consider the room a place to crash and shower then it might not be worth it.


[b]Is there much difference in the type of people that go on Princess, NCL, Celebrity, and Holland America?[/b]

I've only been on Celebrity. I noticed a really good balance of young, old, families, etc. I was single and 29 at the time I first went but I had a blast. Of course I wasn't cruisin' the single scene either though. The service and food were excellent which is what made us decide to cruise Celebrity again.

[b]Which glacier is most impressive?[/b]

I believe the only one we saw was Glacier Bay. But it was quite impressive.

[b]Thanks for any input you all could provide!<img>[/b]

I really think you can't go wrong with Celebrity. Order their brochure which is more like a catalog. It's free and you get a good idea of when and where they go through Alaska. I hope this has been helpful.

Lydia

[mscloyd]

I would go ahead and book early and have your choice of cabins. We booked in July 2003 for our August 2004 trip. Had our choice of cabins and got the early booking discount. I then checked several online sites for price changes regularly and it paid off. In January there was a price drop and then again in February. Saved $700 total from our original price.

[LEtue]

Just for clarification RCI and Celebrity do not sail in Glacier Bay only Hubbard Glacier so if the itinerary (including time in ports) is more important than the ship - choose carefully.

I am in the process of researching for next year and have found that the one way trips are so much less in price that it makes up for the difference in airfare. I probably can't take 5 extra days but 3 is possible when sailing on Mondays.

Princess is offering some very low single rates through mid June and again in late August. In addition, I found 1/2 deposits for past passengers on the sailings I'm considering :D

[robbinsca]

I am surprised that I haven't seen the comment here that I normally do- that it is better to book your land tour yourself than to take the package deal with the Cruise line. Thanks to the many suggestions from Cruise Critics we were able to book ourselves around the state for 7 days rather cheaply compared to what they would charge you.

Our preference was to have a balcony- on Celebrity. It was nice to be able to sit out there by yourself if you wanted to- but I do agree that there are plenty of spots on deck where you can grab a deck chair and watch the world go by. The first time we wanted the balcony- next time we probably would not.

The scenery you see from the ship doesn't include the wildlife up close- that is on your shore excursions- but you do see lots and lots of pretty landscape. Once again- book the shore excursions yourself to save money. Just be sure to get back to the ship in time! We bought the Toursaver book and saved over $500 on just a couple of coupons.

[Coral]

I have traveled by myself to Alaska and I am 34 - I ran into lots of singles and young people on my sailings. Maybe in Sept there are mostly older people but on all 4 of my sailings (May, June and July) - there have been people of all ages (including young people).

I also found it less expensive to sail one way than roundtrip. The RT sailings out of Seattle and Vancouver have been a couple hundred dollars more then my one way cruises on Princess. Airfare (to Anchorage and back from Vancouver) has been a little more then RT Vancouver but with the cruise far being less, it made up for it.

Celebrity and RCCL do not go to Glacier Bay - they go to Hubbard Glacier.

[kkorman]

Glaciers by Cruise Line:
Princess NB/SB - College Fjord & Glacier Bay
Princess RT Seattle - Tracy's Arm/Sawyer Glacier
Princess SF - GB or Tracy's Arm/Sawyer Glacier
RCI/Celebrity - Hubbard
NCL - Tracy's Arm/Sawyer Glacier (Star goes to GB)
HAL -Hubbard or GB or GB/College Fjord
Carnival - College Fjord (early/late season sailings go to GB)

Those are the big players.

I guess the best advise is to determine what you think is most important and then price all alternatives.

[Coral]

Thanks kkorman!

[natesfirewife]

I agree that the ports of call are more important than the ship. When I researched our cruise for next summer I looked for the ones that had the most time in Juneau and Ketchikan. We are saving the interior for when the kids are a couple years older. We would like to take the ferry system up through the passage and then spend 1-2 months driving around and checking everything out. We figured that would be the best way to see everything and if we wanted to camp we would have all our stuff. :) For cruising Alaska I would surely book asap so you can pick you cabin assignment, but if you go last minute any cabin will do.

Misty

[Budget Queen]

Factors to consider- route- more inside sailing is better, time in ports, ports, glacier, PRICE. I myself would never consider a one way without at least 5 additional days interior touring- I go there all the time and still feel it is worth the time of being all the way there- it isn't a frequent trip for most. HAL gets my vote- passengers are similar- middle aged and up the norm- but HAL ships are superior for deck space and a "smaller" ship sailing Alaska- BETTER. Also a BIG edge to Seward- again only if you take advantage of being there- far too many people just pass through- what a missed opportunity!!! :) For wildlife- TOURS are necessary also a good pair of wide angle binouculars. If you book now - keep track of pricing trends YOURSELF and immediately contact your booking agent for an adjustment- don't count on them to do this for you.

[Shaka]

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I knew that I could count on CruiseCritic members! I am getting excited about booking soon.