Need Help With Alaska Cruise

Hello Everyone,

We've decided to do 2 weeks in Alaska in Aug/Sept of this year. We know we're late to the party, yet we'd still like to do this. We really wanted to do the 14 night on Star, Golden, or Island out of Vancouver. This is out first time on Princess being long time X sailors. Cabins are slim pickins'. I really wanted a minsuite since the regular balcony cabins seem to be much smaller than X's. The sq. footage I'm seeing for minsuites is about what you get with a standard X balcony. That said, the only mini's are Dolphin deck uncovered, which doesn't interest us. There are a couple of aft balconies on emerald E730/731 available (I think, more cabins sold out overnight). Would you do an small aft cabin, or would you peice together 2 - 7 day cruises in min suites if you could? I'm willing to pay a little more to get a better cabin, which is the case when booking a B2B vs. the 14 day.

We've also considered land touring for 7 days and then taking a southbound, but I'm seeing a lot of the hotels booked and we're not really intersted in a cruisetour. Not keen on spending much time in Fairbanks with cheesy excursions. I'd rather spend time in Denali, Seard, Homer and on the Kenai. Now we're thinking there's less hassle with 14 days of cruising (unpacking, longer flights, more expensive flights, etc.), but we're still open to the land trip.

BTW, we chose Princess for the intinerary, Glacier Bay specifically, and if we did the return we'd get Hubbard too. HAL is an option for a B2B, but we'd miss Hubbard, which miught not be so bad. There's much better larger cabin availablity on HAL (We could even afford a nice suite). HAL has a nice 14 day too, but it doesn't include Glacier Bay, unfortunately.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I feel I'm running out of time and should book something very soon.

Have you talked directly with Princess or your travel agent about the available staterooms that meet your desires?

Sometimes... the computer/website doesn’t know all.

If you decide to do land for 7 days, an option is to book directly through princess lodges.com. It give you the opportunity to book the train/room but everything is DIY. Then you could rent a car in Anchorage to go to Seward and other locations, if you desire.

Avoid the Island, we love her sister, the Coral, but they reconfigured the Island, adding rooms and taking away public spaces and it is a no go for us.. Then with Star and Golden, the balcony rooms on Caribe deck have larger balconies, which are partially covered. Mini-suites are also great, and we don't mind the uncovered larger balcony. Frankly, we find the regular balcony rooms to be well thought out with enough space, but not lots of space. At this point, grab the available cabins you want/can.

Avoid the Island, we love her sister, the Coral, but they reconfigured the Island, adding rooms and taking away public spaces and it is a no go for us.. Then with Star and Golden, the balcony rooms on Caribe deck have larger balconies, which are partially covered. Mini-suites are also great, and we don't mind the uncovered larger balcony. Frankly, we find the regular balcony rooms to be well thought out with enough space, but not lots of space. At this point, grab the available cabins you want/can.

Yes, thanks for this. I've done my research and undersatnd the issues with Island. It is a very last choice.

If you decide to do land for 7 days, an option is to book directly through princess lodges.com. It give you the opportunity to book the train/room but everything is DIY. Then you could rent a car in Anchorage to go to Seward and other locations, if you desire.

Princess lodges are are booked pretty solid at the end of August. I don't think it's an option.

Have you talked directly with Princess or your travel agent about the available staterooms that meet your desires?

 

Sometimes... the computer/website doesn’t know all.

I have not, but I guess I should. I've honestly never seen so many cruises fully sold out or close to sold out. It's new thing to me.

I've done b2b to Alaska. Loved it

Just got back from a 10 day cruise to Alaska, had a mini suite.

What is nice is the room inside, if weather is bad can sit inside

and look at everything. Can bundle up on Glacier days and sit

outside and watch and not be as cold or windy as on top.

That being said have had a balcony cabin half covered for Alaska that was nice.

Also done Alaska with a window and a inside.

Alaska is a beautiful cruise no matter what cabin you have.

I have gone on 7 Alaska cruises.

You will enjoy Alaska no matter what cabin you pick. You should book it

now as you said they are getting full. Changes from day to day.

We booked a last min minisuite a few weeks back on Dolphin. The weather during our week was incredible so no issues at all with it being uncovered! I'd do it all again!!

We wanted an early season sailing, so we sailed in May. Most of the time, it would have been VERY chilly and windy on a balcony!!!! May is supposed to be little dryer than than the summer/fall months. But, it didn't work out that way for us!!! We were lucky with some breaks in the weather, but a LOT of rain!!!!! This was due, in part, to that coastal climate. When we rented a car at Skagway and drove up to Emerald Lake and back... inland was warm and sunny!

We booked a last min minisuite a few weeks back on Dolphin. The weather during our week was incredible so no issues at all with it being uncovered! I'd do it all again!!

A lot must depend on the choice of ship. The smallest cabin I've ever been in was on the Celebrity Infinity. We had a lovely stateroom host/steward, but a miniscule cabin.

However....our experience for Alaska has been that the weather was great in August and September. We've been warned that this is the rainy season, but we rarely had any rain. However, we prefer the scenery from the 360 vantage point of the open decks. We have a window suite for our next cruise, in part for this reason.

I agree with the recommendation to contact a TA--the computer doesn't always know everything that is available or whether there is any room to manipulate cabins.

I guess the question is how much time you'll spend in your cabin. You should have a feel for this based on your other cruises. If you'll spend time in your room, you might want a bigger cabin...but if you are an "out and about" sort of person who uses the cabin mainly to sleep and dress, a standard balcony may be fine. You don't get any suite perks with a mini, so the only real benefit is some real estate on the ship.

I really wanted a mini-suite since the regular balcony cabins seem to be much smaller than X's. There are a couple of aft balconies on emerald E730/731 available (I think, more cabins sold out overnight).

If you're saying that E730 or 731 are still available...GRAB IT!!

I'm talking about Star, Grand, etc, not the Island or Coral.

Completely covered balcony. Larger than normal balcony, aft view.

Returned two weeks ago from a southbound cruisetour on the Golden Princess.

Hubbard Glacier was one of the highlights of the cruise. Not to be missed.

Originally, were not interested in a cruisetour but did it any way out of convenience. Very well organized and outstanding experience. Really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. We are not "tour" people usually and mainly book independently.

Thanks all. We do spend time in our room and absolutely enjoy sitting on the balcony, although that might or might not be feasible in Alaska without bundling. So, I'm working on this and will see what I come up with...

We have sailed to Alaska 4 times- the Golden is our FAVORITE ship!

IMHO, we enjoyed Hubbard Glacier more than Glacier Bay, but either

is a must.

If those Emerald aft balconies are still available, grab one!

We have sailed to Alaska 4 times- the Golden is our FAVORITE ship!

 

IMHO, we enjoyed Hubbard Glacier more than Glacier Bay, but either

 

is a must.

 

 

If those Emerald aft balconies are still available, grab one!

Oh boy. It shouldn’t be so tough, right?

HAL is having a nice sale, making princess about the same price for an aft balcony vs. a suite with HAL.

There’s so little available on the 14 day cruises I’ve started pricing the legs separately. It’s about double the cost to do it that way. Same dates, just changing cabins after 7 days.

Bang for my buck is definitely a motivator. Especially when the itineraries are the same.

Does anyone know the interior size of a normal Princess balcony cabin?

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Oh boy. It shouldn’t be so tough, right? HAL is having a nice sale, making princess more expensive for an aft balcony than a suite with HAL. Close to twice as much since I’d be paying for a B2B ( both legs separately) instead of a 14 day cruise.

 

That motivates me when the itineraries are the same.

 

Does anyone know the interior size of a normal Princess balcony cabin?

 

 

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SMALL. Not sure of the dimensions, but you can look them up on the Princess web site. THe measurements for a balcony cabin will include the balcony, so look at the size of an oceanview as well.

If you're interested in knowing about the onboard activities, I did a "live from" on my blog last month - NB on the Island and SB on the Golden.

If you're interested in knowing about the onboard activities, I did a "live from" on my blog last month - NB on the Island and SB on the Golden.

Yes, thanks. Where do I find the blog?

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Yes, thanks. Where do I find the blog?

 

 

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In my signature. And right here, too: http://www.debsdays.com/

Hope it's helpful!

Hello Everyone,

OP here...I wanted to thank each of you for giving me your honest opinions in this thread. We've decided to go in a completely different direction and have booked a Seabourn cruise that will give us the opportunity to see some very unique locations on a smaller ship, do some very special shore excursions and still visit a few of the more frequented places. If, like so many of you, we become enamored with Alaska and want to visit again, we'll certainly consider Princess, but we'll start looking much further in advance of our desired sailing date for the right cabin. Thanks, again.

In my signature. And right here, too: http://www.debsdays.com/

 

Hope it's helpful!

Hi Deb! I have enjoyed looking at your blog and I just got your e-book to help prepare us for our first cruise! We plan to cruise after a DIY land trip in Alaska. I will look for other posts from you on Cruise Critic too. You have been very helpful!

Renee

Hi Deb! I have enjoyed looking at your blog and I just got your e-book to help prepare us for our first cruise! We plan to cruise after a DIY land trip in Alaska. I will look for other posts from you on Cruise Critic too. You have been very helpful!

Renee

Thank you so much! If you have any questions, please ask. I'll also be doing another "live from" on the blog in August, but for the Caribbean this time. Have fun planning for Alaska!

Sojourn, wow that a whole different animal then what you were looking at.

• 
  
  • Maiden Voyage: Jun-10
    
  • Tonnage: 32000
    
  • Ship Length: 650 feet
    
  • Beam: 84 feet
    

  [*]

  • Maximum Speed: 19 knots
    
  • Crew Nationality: International
    
  • Officers Nationality: International
    
  • Passenger Capacity: 450
    

  [*]

  • Number of Crew: 335
    
  • Number of Elevators: 3
    
  • Number of Restaurants: 4
    
  • Number of Pools: 2
    

  [*]

  • Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
    

• Nice perks included in the price though...............
  

All Inclusive Cruising

With Seabourn Cruises all the following amenities are included:

• Gratuities

• Complimentary welcome champagne

• All dining venues - dine where, when and with whom you wish

• In suite bar stocked with your preferences

• Open bar throughout the ship

• Fine wines poured at lunch and dinner