Alaska Toursaver & Coupon Books - Did You Save?

[Travel-Jen]

Thinking about buying an Alaska Toursaver Book or other coupon book. Do you really save alot, and is it worth it? Any books or links to recommend?

 

Thanks!

[tmt218]

Thinking about buying an Alaska Toursaver Book or other coupon book. Do you really save alot, and is it worth it? Any books or links to recommend?

 

Thanks!

I saw this website today www.toursaver.com It shows what is discounted and how much. I hpoe this helps.

[Budget Queen]

I am a LONG time user of Toursaver and highly recommend them. BUT you need to figure out what your usage will be?? There can be a secondary market for these, not on this board, but other avenues for shared books.

[Travel-Jen]

Thanks, just bought the Toursaver one. I didn't find the Northern Lights one very helpful, for me personally.

 

Toursaver had coupons for the Prince William Sound Glacier Tour we wanted to do, the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour, Princess Rail Tour for Mt. Mckinley (huge savings!), Alaska Rail Tours (for Denali), as well as hotel and rental car coupons in Anchorage. Oh yes, and Anchorage sightseeing coupons (for museums, etc.)

 

That alone, is a HUGE savings for me. I appreciate the tip! It also helps direct my planning a little easier, saving me time, in addition to money...love it!

 

So when booking your tours, do you just call, or can you use the coupons online too? Do all the vendors accept them with no problems?

[Lanaki]

I found with the TourSaver that I had to call the vendor so that you can give them the book #. I also liked calling so that I could make sure we were able to use the coupon and confirm the discount. The only one I had to book on-line was with Prince William Sound for their cruise. I called first and was told to book it on-line and put in the notes that we had the book. That our credit would come after the booking or some such thing. Otherwise the rest have been via phone. So have your book ready and start dialing. :)

[Italy52]

I actually bought the Northern Lights coupon book and the TourSaver coupon book. For me, both offered quite a few savings - the books paid for themselves and offered me additional savings. I called the vendors ahead of time as some of the coupons mentioned advanced reservations required and subject to availability.

 

Remember, when using the TourSaver coupon book, you must bring the book in tact, you can't tear out the coupon ahead of time.

[Boo's Mom]

I bought the book.

Used one coupon.

Saved a couple of hundred dollars.

Resold the used book on Ebay.

 

Do it ! :D

[vbmom87]

Here is the link to the Northern Lights Book:

 

http://www.alaska-discounts.com/http://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/tour.htm

 

 

What you need to do, is figure out what you want to do in Alaska, and then look to see what coupons you might be able to use. Only then can you decide if it is a good deal for you. We bought the Northern Lights book for 2008. It was $50. We used several coupons, and saved money. Then I sold it for $25 when we got home. In the 2008 book there were many coupons duplicated. Since we only needed one, there was still one coupon left. In our case, most of the vendors didn't even ask for our coupon when we got there, so I had both two coupons left. We saved about $150 on the Kenai Fords tour. We saved $58 on the Portage Glacier Boat Ride. (the coupons were for two free rides), we saved one admittance to the Sealife Center, as well as to the Conservation Center, and we saved about $60 at the Cabin Theatre in Denali (would not do that again..even with the discount it was not worth it.) So, as you can see, we saved a lot for a $50 investment, that I sold for $25 upon our return.

[Travel-Jen]

OMG thanks again...I had NO IDEA I had to bring the book too. I would have been tearing out every coupon...LOL! ;)

 

But again, when you call the vendors, you just mention your book number, and they just charge you for one ticket?

[kenish]

I used Toursaver last summer after looking at their website and Northern Lights. TS seemed better for most cruise travelers in the SE Peninsula, Seward, ANC, and Denali areas. NL was better for interior Alaska and had a lot of "local" coupons to restaurants, roadside gift shops, and grocery stores that residents or RV travelers could use.

 

Many of the tour operators have restrictions that may not be on the TS website. For example, most have a coupon limit per day or per tour. Call the tour operators and see if they have reached their limit for the specific date of interest. Also, some provided discounts outside of the coupons. For example a flightseeing company had a 2:1 for their late evening tour which we couldn't do. But they also offered 20% off any other trip. (Not all coupons are 2:1).

 

The book paid for itself but we "recovered" more of the cost by selling it on eBay. There's a thriving market; people who sailed May thru mid-July sell their books, and people sailing later in the season are buyers. If you buy, be sure the listing explictly states which coupons have been removed and also be sure the seller provides the book's serial number.

 

Be sure to carry the book off the ship with you; you will need it when you pay the tour company. Also, I personally recommend tipping based on the full (not discounted) price.

 

HTH!

[Lanaki]

That is how it works. You give them your book # when you book your hotel/tour and they only charge you for the one. We were charged for only one night for our Denali hotel. So we already saved over $200. And yes, definitely carry the book with you.

[Travel-Jen]

I will, thanks again!

 

I can't wait to see what's in there, from their website, there are at least 5 coupons that I know I can use. The excursions are so expensive, so every little bit helps.

[Lanaki]

I will, thanks again!

 

I can't wait to see what's in there, from their website, there are at least 5 coupons that I know I can use. The excursions are so expensive, so every little bit helps.

 

I know what you mean. It is nice to save the $$$. Especially when there are excursions we are going to take that do not have coupons. So I don't feel as bad spending it there knowing I am saving elsewhere. I actually ordered both the TourSaver and the Northern Lights. I will probably do as others and sell the Northern Lights as we seem to be able to use mainly TourSaver coupons. No matter what, we are going to save hundeds compared to what the two books cost.

[Miss Jolly]

We bought Northern lights for $50 solely for the PWS Glacier cruise. As we have 4 in our family and there were 2 coupons each with a saving of $109. That's $218-$50 -$10 for postage. That's $158 saving in the end just for this one tour. That's $248 saving in Australian dollars on today's exchange rate.Prince William Sound allow us to use this coupon for the May 16 6 hour Wildernes tour despire it being labelled as a different cruise and date. You must phone though to use it in this way.

[Travel-Jen]

I agree, that's a huge savings!

 

But as a PP said, for the PWS tour coupon, do they really charge you upfront for 2 tickets, then credit you back one later? Anyone else have that experience upon booking? If so, that stinks.

[pizzalady1]

But as a PP said, for the PWS tour coupon, do they really charge you upfront for 2 tickets, then credit you back one later? Anyone else have that experience upon booking? QUOTE]

 

When I reserved the Renown Kenai Fjords Tour, they asked for my book number and only billed me for one ticket and showed one complementary ticket on the receipt.

[vbmom87]

I agree, that's a huge savings!

 

But as a PP said, for the PWS tour coupon, do they really charge you upfront for 2 tickets, then credit you back one later? Anyone else have that experience upon booking? If so, that stinks.

 

I did not do the PWS tour, but no vendor charged me for two tickets and then refunded. They all charged me for one but booked me for two. As I said before, most of the vendors did not ask for the coupons when I showed up. That made my book more valuable for resale.

[Lanaki]

I agree, that's a huge savings!

 

But as a PP said, for the PWS tour coupon, do they really charge you upfront for 2 tickets, then credit you back one later? Anyone else have that experience upon booking? If so, that stinks.

 

That is what they told me when I booked. Her email stated:

 

If you book online, you would have to include the coupon in the notes sections, when we receive it at our office, we can apply the coupon and send you a refund.

 

Even though she states "If you book online" that seems the only way to book so that is what I did. I will make sure I have the book with me and get the credit for one when we show up. The bonus is that they do give you free passes to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC).

 

They are the only ones I have had this issue with.

[crazycath]

Do the coupons have experation dates, do you need a 2009 book for tours in 2009?

 

With the Northern Lights Prince William Sound coupon can you include the rail and still use the coupon?

 

Thanks

 

Cathy

[Lanaki]

Do the coupons have experation dates, do you need a 2009 book for tours in 2009?

 

With the Northern Lights Prince William Sound coupon can you include the rail and still use the coupon?

 

Thanks

 

Cathy

 

Both coupon books (Northern Lights & TourSaver) have expiration dates. Also, Northern Lights coupons seem to have "black out" dates that the TourSaver book does not. The Northern Lights coupons mostly seem to be good from October 2008-October 2009. Of course there are exceptions and some expire sooner. There are so many coupons you would have to look at that specific one you are wanting to use. The TourSaver book is for 2009 only with expiraton dates from March to December, again depending on the coupon.

 

Not sure about the tour you are asking about. Are they two separate excursions? If so, you should be able to use two different coupons. If they are a combo-tour then you would have to ask the vendor if you can apply the coupon to part or all of the excursion. Maybe someone who has done this excursion can help you with that second question.

 

Hope this helps.

[crazycath]

Thanks for your answer, I think the PWS tour is with OR without rail. I am trying to get to the cruise terminal via the PWS tour . I have emailed the coupon company.

 

Thanks again

 

Cathy

[karatemom2]

I asked this on the other coupon thread, but thought I'd ask here as well:

 

Does anyone know if any of the vendors will allow you to use a coupon for more than one person? We are a family of four and I was wondering if they would allow us to pay for two, get two free with one coupon or if I should buy two books and if I do buy two books, can I use two coupons on one transaction?

 

Advice appreciated!!

[Lanaki]

I asked this on the other coupon thread, but thought I'd ask here as well:

 

Does anyone know if any of the vendors will allow you to use a coupon for more than one person? We are a family of four and I was wondering if they would allow us to pay for two, get two free with one coupon or if I should buy two books and if I do buy two books, can I use two coupons on one transaction?

 

Advice appreciated!!

 

I can not speak for the vendor and have read that some will work with you but I can tell you what the coupons state.

 

TourSaver coupons all seem to be 2-for-1 only. So can not use for additional people so would need a 2nd book. Also some of the coupons state that only so many coupons will be accepted per day or limited space is available. They do not state how many coupons they will take each day or time period. It's the notation at the bottom of the pages.

 

Some coupons in the Northern Lights book actually state "25% off for party of 4". Others are 2-for-1. It just depends on the coupon/activity.

 

Sorry I can not answer your question directly. I think only the vendors can tell you if they will or will not do what you are asking. Or if someone else has experience using the coupons the way you want to.

[Miss Jolly]

I asked this on the other coupon thread, but thought I'd ask here as well:

 

Does anyone know if any of the vendors will allow you to use a coupon for more than one person? We are a family of four and I was wondering if they would allow us to pay for two, get two free with one coupon or if I should buy two books and if I do buy two books, can I use two coupons on one transaction?

 

Advice appreciated!!

We are a family of 4. We have bought the Northern Lights book because it has 2 vouchers in it for the cruise we want to do (PWS ). Please see my earlier post on this thread for more details.

[Beechnut99]

Is this worth it if we are doing a Princess Cruise-tour? or is it more for people who are off on their own schedule? The link to princess cruises on the site was "unavailable"

 

Also since I am travelling with a child will it be worth it or are the child prices not discounted as much?

 

thanks