frugaltravel

The may be some deals but for me it looked like bogus advertising. I booked an excursion in Alaska months ago and the 20% off price now is still $10 more than I paid.

On 3/31/2024 at 7:14 PM, wolfie11 said:

No.  You can't make an exception for a fleet (68 cruise ships in Alaska this summer) of foreign-owned, foreign-registered ships who pay no taxes, violate any number of US labor laws, don't have to adhere to US Coast Guard safety standards (they answer to IMO) and would happily not see a dime of passengers money spent in the local economy if they could help it. 

Sounds like you would rather see the cruise lines not sail to Alaska at all 🙂

On 4/2/2024 at 10:20 AM, Ileneilene123 said:

I’m in the same stages of planning as OP, with the same ports. Speaking of port times, this is my very first cruise & I am concerned about taking an outside excursion and missing the boat (literally!). So, for the most part, I’m going with the HAL excursions to be on the safe side. 

 

But, I am looking for a mid afternoon Helicopter Glacier Landing with Dog Sled while in Juneau, following the Tracy Arm excursion. HAL is not offering one. 

 

What is the latest one should plan to get back to the ship before departure (I have a 10pm departure time from Juneau)?

 

PS. Any recommendations for great companies for this excursion? Temsco is popular on the Board, but is not running that afternoon. 

If you tell the independent operators which cruise ship you are on, they will get you back to the ship on time.  I have never heard of an independent operator in Alaska not getting their guests back to the ship in time.  In fact, many have "guarantees" to get you back to the ship in time or they will pay for your food, lodging and costs to get you to the next port.  Then they usually say that in their X decades of doing business, they have never had to use the "guarantee."

I would aim to be back to the ship between 8.30-9pm since all board is usually 1/2 hour  before sailaway.

8 hours ago, royal3 said:

Not matter the weather, take a rain poncho to the falls. The mist from the falls will get you wet. Also, bring something to dry your camera lens afterwards. 

No matter what, people should always have rain gear with them when in Alaska.  The sun can be shining when you get off the ship and can change to rain by the time you reboard the ship.  Same with exploring on land before/after the cruise.

I have found that independent operators are less expensive than the Princess transfers.  I am using Alaska Cruise Transportation for my upcoming cruise.

I love wildlife and photography So much of my time on the ship is spent either outside toward the front or in a forward-facing lounge. I have binoculars and a camera and I'm constantly searching for wildlife. The more time I spend there, the more I can see.

2 hours ago, Warbird said:

For those that want to do it on the cheap you can ride the local transit.  The last bus stop is about 1.5 miles from the Mendenhall Visitors Center.  If you are inclined it's easy to walk and handicap accessible.  Bus fare is $2.00 one way.  Check out Juneau Capital Transit for info. 

Just realize the bus stop for the glacier is not the "last bus stop." That is deceiving. Definitely check the schedule and ask the driver for the correct stop . 

On 3/19/2024 at 10:47 AM, Elizabeth K. said:

How do you find out about luggage storage at the Egan Center?

Good question. Princess toll free number probably is just reading from a script. I don't think they hold luggage after the last departure from Egan Center to the ship, which is probably about 6 pm. 

If you get to Anchorage airport about 3:30 p.m. you can leave your luggage there. Maybe your airline will let you check in that early but if not you can leave your luggage at a luggage storage facility on the arrival level. Go to The millennium/lakefront Hotel. You can have dinner there and watch float planes take off and land. You could also go downtown. Take a 1 hour trolley tour for $25. Eat downtown. Then head back to the airport. A public bus runs every 15 or 20 minutes and a taxi or Uber will cost about $20 each way.

You could spend the night in Anchorage and take the train or bus the next morning to Seward.  You would still have a lot of time to explore Seward before you board the ship.  The 6 hour Kenai Fjords trips are great, maybe Exit Glacier, maybe Sealife Center.  Lots of options.

Why not walk to New Sagaya Market on 13th Avenue?  That might be the best to give you variety.

When I cruise solo, I always get a shared table.  But I specifically ask for a table of 6.  Any more than that and you only have conversation with the person on either side of you.  The larger tables are just too large to carry on a conversation with (or even to hear) others on the other side of the table.

15 minutes ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

Wow sorry to hear that. 

Our friends flights to FLL today to board Carrib were cancelled. (JetBlue said storms off coast)

Had they taken the later flight?  They just might have been able to board afterall.

Unfortunatly they didn't have EZAir.  And no way to know ship would return, if thats the

reason its returning?

I wonder how many other folks didn't get to board today due to weather and cancelled flights?

 

Another example of why it's never good to fly in the same day that the cruise ship departs.

10 minutes ago, Coral said:

Also because I think whale watching is better in ISP/Hoonah.

I guess it depends on each trip.  I have had better experiences in ISP area (Pt. Adolphus) and better experiences in Juneau sometimes.  YMMV.

The main reason to do whale watching in ISP is that there is a lot more to do in Juneau besides whale watching.  In ISP your options besides whale watching are limited.

The issue with the natural history tour is that you can replicate 90% of that tour on your own for no charge normally when buses are operating.

I strongly suggest you consider renting a car from keys to Denali. They will deliver the car to the canyon area where you are staying. Then you can drive on your own to mile 30. I would do that both in the morning and in the evening.

I love Princess cruises but the land tours in Alaska leave much to be desired, even in the main tourist season which is memorial Day to Labor Day.

On 1/23/2024 at 5:10 PM, Host CJSKIDS said:

My platinum had spend $700  or more and get 17,500 points.  First time for the points and not credit. 

 

 

I would have preferred the points. Used Gold card. But I don't turn down $175 😀

It wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit if Princess sold the Island.  I was on it a few years ago after the renovation when they took out some public areas and added more staterooms.  Too crowded, lines for dining, theater, etc.  No thanks.  Never again.

The bow of the Royal Princess has glass. You'll want to be on one side or the other on an upper outside deck. They should be at the glacier half the time with one side of the ship and the other half of the time with the other side of the ship facing the glacier. You're much better off on the open deck as you suggested rather than being on your balcony. You don't see nearly as much from the balconies.

You usually start disembarking in Whittier about 6:30 a.m. or 7:00 a.m. you'll be lucky to get the 7:00 a.m. tunnel. Otherwise it would be 8:00 a.m. . The tunnel is only open for 15 minutes every hour in each direction. So if you take the 8:00 a.m. tunnel you might get to Anchorage by 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. very tight for an 11:15 a.m. departure. I definitely would not recommend it.

On 12/15/2023 at 7:54 AM, gianmatt said:

I found this older post that explains what to do:

"We booked our train to Whittier like you last year independently and we were on Princess.

 

This is how it works. Have your cabin tags on your suitcases so when you get the depot you will see a check in area outside the depot that is accepting luggage. Have your cruise document and ID ready. A worker will then verify your information and take your luggage. Since the train can't take all that luggage, Princess will come down with trucks and put them on for the drive to Whitter.

 

Then you'll go inside, check in for your train ride, have a nice journey, get to Whittier, check in and board. Then sometime later, just like magic, your bags will be delivered to your cabin."

Bingo. This is exactly how it works.

33 minutes ago, nasa1974 said:

I purchase Princess Gift Cards from my local grocery store chain. For every $50 I get 10 cents off a gallon of gas up to 30 gallons. My truck holds 36 gallons. We had 4 cruises booked for 2020 and late 2018 through 2019 I purchased $10,000 in gift cards. Those cruises were cancelled, and my gift cards had full refunds. I kept each gift card used with the cruise folder, so it was easy to check when each card got refunded. I am now using those gift cards for current cruises booked. I purchased those gift cards with a credit card that gave me cash back

6% back on your gas purchase plus cash back using your credit card. Sounds like you know how to work the system well. I do it a lot as well.

1 hour ago, Ellipooh said:

Isn’t there a valid insurance-related reason to wait for Final Payment?

 

I’ve always gotten by with Princess insurance, but my next two cruises are solo and abroad, so I’ve signed up for a 3d party policy with extra medical, delay, cancellation, repatriation, etc. Since I’m being charged for the insurance based on monies spent toward the cruise at the time those monies are spent, I was advised to wait to apply my collection of Gift Cards to my account. 
 

Was that incorrect advice?

I would base insurance on the total trip price regardless of when you pay.  Otherwise are you saying the money you paid for a deposit wouldn't be covered just like payments before final payment? I am 99% certain travel insurance doesn't work that way. You insure the total trip price regardless of when payments are made. 

On 12/7/2023 at 10:41 AM, startedwithamouse said:

Wait.

 

You're giving Princess free money, money you could be investing. 

 

 

Depending on the dollar amount and the length of time, I would not invest the money but save it in a high-yield savings account.

In my case, I plan to pay my cruise off several months early because my credit card has an incentive with Princess cruises that if I charge a certain amount by a certain time I will get $175 statement credit. Different strokes for different folks.

No surprise at all that you can't easily change names in this day and age.  Bookings are specific to a person whose name the reservation is booked for.  Same with airline tickets.  Lots of nefarious people who try to change names when they can't go themselves.  But hopefully you can get the innocent mistake fixed.