2019 - Starting too late?

Numerous Caribbean Cruises under our belt. Member on here since 2005. We were in the middle of planning a trip to Austria Czech Rep, Germany, etc. for our 25th Anniversary next summer. All of a sudden we both thought, "poop on that! Let's finally do the Alaska cruise!" So, here I am and here is what I know and questions I have. I would love some insight. We're planning to do a one way (7 Day?) and we live in Portland, so going to Seattle or Vancouver is no big deal.

1. 10 years ago starting to plan an Alaskan cruise trip a year in advance was "late" and you might get whatever is "left." Is that still the case now? I'm I getting started too late to find a good cabin on a good cruise too late?

2. In watching tourism videos, it seems like only a few ships a day are allowed into Glacier Bay, or into one of the cool parts of it (to get up close). Holland and Princess are two I heard are. Is that right, and should that make affect my decision?

3. I've always had a balcony on cruises and it was absolutely worth is. Is that the same on an Alaskan cruise? Is it worth it?

4. Are there cheaper times to go, or are they all the same. We would have to go in mid September.

5. Is it cheaper, easier, fewer people, and thus better cabin choices going south rather than north. (Just imagining fewer people starting in Anchorage headed south.)

I'm usually the detailed researcher and planner and this is impulsive for me! What am I missing? I'm about to start reading everything on here I can.

Thanks!

Jim

(LeftatGator)

I don't think you are starting late. Partly because you are starting earlier than I did. I booked our June 2018 cruise in October 2017...so to me...looking now for September 2019 seems about right.

Some of the most desirable cabins may be taken, but that is always the case. Only you will know when you start looking at the cruises in your time frame.

I think what they call the shoulder seasons...May and September are the cheaper times of year to go. This is because the seasons are just getting started or ending...so there may be fewer excursions available because of the weather and what you could realistically see and do.

I think you are correct in the Glacier Bay knowledge. There are only so many ships that are permitted into those waters, so if that is important to you...then you will be limited to the cruise lines that have the permit. I didn't sail to Glacier Bay so I'm not up on that knowledge personally.

I'm not sure that your thought about sailing south is current. My impression is that there are many more southbound partial cruisers than northbound cruisers. There is this idea of putting the shorter flight home at the end of the vacation. People are more perky toward the begining of their vacations and thus, think it is easier to deal with the longer flight to Anchorage at the beginning.

Also...people seem to like the idea of doing a land tour earlier in the vacation as well. Do the more active and tiring touring (depending on how you do your land tour) when you are freshest, the beginning of your overall vacation...and then do the more pampering, relaxing thing toward the end.

I watched the prices a lot as we neared our sailing date. It seemed to be that most of the "bargains" were for the northbound sailings...but nothing could beat the deal that I had booked in October for my party. My parents were able to purchase a significant upgrade for very little extra though.

I didn't pick sailing north...that was just the best deal I found for a cabin that I thought would be great for my family. I didn't even put any thought into which way was best. Talk about crazy impulsive! I did like the northbound sailing though...I liked having the scenery get more and more spectacular as the cruise progressed. Then we thought of the land vacation following as the opportunity to finally get more involved in the state of Alaska after dabbling in it in the ports along the coast.

I don't think you can wrong necessarily...you do what works...whether it's budget based or itinerary based...the time frame that works the best...or finding an available cabin for a good price. Then you just make the best cruise vacation from there...let go of the path not taken.

We had an OV. I think you can enjoy sailing in Alaska any way you go...you pick the pros and cons. A balcony would be lovely for being to always have that outside view...assuming that you can deal well with whatever weather is current. The coast of Alaska is nearly always in view so there is a lot of time that you could spend looking out from your balcony...but if you don't have one...you can usually find a view somewhere on the ship...so again...I think you end up picking the price point and the cabin that work the best for your situation and then just make the best of whatever you got. And if you don't book a balcony from the beginning...keep watch to see if you could upgrade later for a price you are willing to pay, if you would want one.

When I made our cruise plans in October...it was something that we had been thinking about doing for years so I had a fairly good idea of what I was looking for in my Alaska vacation. I kept to my personal vision when learning about excursions, etc. I'm a researcher, planner too...it doesn't take too long to come up to speed when you have other constraints and a clear vision of what you envision going to Alaska to entail.

There was a tremendous amount of availability in October and November for planning for me.

Have fun planning your cruise and vacation!

I will imagine your original plan was better than AK cruise for a memorable 25th an; however, that was not the question.

So, I will try...

I did the seattle rt.trip AK 3yrs ago. And just came back from a ANC southbound to Vancouver. And they are completely different routes. Usually, people on the one way cruise expend more time in AK either with the cruise tours or on their own.

1) is never to late if you find and booked what you want. Still a year away.

2) if you can, choose southbound that way you only fly the longest day at the beginning of cruise. There is a difference in price northbound vs southbound. Most people actually sails southbound. Keep that in mind.

I have not done the glacier park. I can’t comment on that.

3) I do not recommend the balcony on AK. I think you can use all that money in excursions and other packages as well. A lot of people will raise hell on this. However, the weather is so sporadic that you may not enjoy it anyway.

Just my opinion

If the view is what you want....You will get better view on higher decks.

An if you really want the best view of AK, I recommend, you can use the money you save on the helicopter ride to the glacier. Is a lot better that your balcony view. FACT!

4) also, NCL and RCL are using new cruise ships ( Bliss and Quantum) on rt trip seattle if that makes a difference to you. The rt trip are usually cheaper than on way cruise. That will probably change with the new ships.

5) Usually, September is the end of the season. It is cheaper but it start getting colder and weather isn’t as good as June and July. That is the reason June and July sails at prime rate. But nature can play on your side any week 🤞.

Hope this helps.

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I think I answered most of your questions in my trip report so give it a view and glad to answer a few of your specific questions.

1 - Still time for planning.

2 - we’ve done 3 cruises and always done Glacier Bay and although the weather didn’t cooperate this year, i still recommend it

3 - balcony always gets debated as it is quite a bit more. But if you think it was worth it on past cruises, Alaska is likely the same. The odds of their being something to see is pretty large. While people are right, you should go in deck to see things too but it so nice to just be able to look outside.

4 - once school starts, the prices drop and September is going to have less hours of daylight and more chance for rain so rates should be good

5 - I like northbound as the cruise kind of builds but either way is going to be great. Adding a land tour adds to the trip beyond the cruise but can also be done in either direction. If you are not doing the land tour, than round trip cruises are an option

We (us and cousins) took a Princess cruise northbound from Vancouver several years ago. Debated paying more for a balcony but when Princess came up with a great offer for one, we pounced. Our cabin was on the starboard side and our companions were on the port. The weather was not always optimal for sitting outside, but when the ship stopped at the two big glaciers for 1 1/2 hrs and took a 180 turn for viewing, it was wonderful to be able to enjoy the view from our balconies, not squashed amongst those folks up on the deck. That alone was, in my opinion, worth the cost.

I am cruising Alaska this September but a lot of people wouldn't advise going at this time due to weather. I haven't been in September before but I am hearing 50 to 60 degrees with 50% of rain. I chose not to get a balcony this time due to potential rain. I prefer Hubbard glacier over glacier national park but most people will disagree. I went with princess in June and did both. Interesting to note that there are more ships in port on September vs. June cruise. I absolutely love Alaska but would advise going another time due to potential rain and less daylight. I believe Denali shuttles would have stopped by that time also.

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(Can I edit the thread title to just make this my trip planning thread?)

Thanks for all the info. Very helpful! So I have some more questions, if you would be willing to help. We're not looking for a budget trip, but also not looking for any type of "premium package."

1. When does the late summer (school's out / higher prices) end vs. when the cheaper / poorer weather begin? Is there a way to slip in between those two?

2. In part, I think we would rather go without a balcony and risk being on a crowded deck, and use that money for an excursion like a helicopter trip to a glacier. Are those prices anywhere near close enough to pick one or the other?

3. If starting in Alaska for a southbound trip, is it better to go with a cruise or independent tour company, or just plan it ourselves.

I'm still researching frantically! Thanks for your help!

We booked our July 2016 cruise in January of that year! LOL! So no, you're not too late. We always get a balcony, but that's a personal preference. I like the ability to just sit out on our own balcony, whenever we want, without other people. We did a R/T from Seattle on Carnival and loved it. So much to see and so many options.

The only thing I would say is to book any excursions early, if you choose to do them through the cruise line. You can usually cancel up until just a few days before if you change your mind. But there are excursions that sell out for sure and you want to make sure you do everything that YOU want to do. We did the helicopter ride on Mendenhall and it was amazing!! Once in a lifetime thing for us. We loved everything we did.

We did the helicopter ride on Mendenhall and it was amazing!! Once in a lifetime thing for us.

Thanks for the info!

1. Did you do the helicopter through the cruise line?

2. I haven't gotten that far yet in planning, but (I'm scared to ask) - what roughly did you pay for the helicopter trip? (Don't hurt me)

- Jim

Thanks for the info!

 

1. Did you do the helicopter through the cruise line?

 

2. I haven't gotten that far yet in planning, but (I'm scared to ask) - what roughly did you pay for the helicopter trip? (Don't hurt me)

 

- Jim

Yes, we did it through the cruise line. That's just what we prefer. Not sure how much cheaper that is booking on your own. We paid about $400/person for the 3 of us. But we knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. We have no plans to ever go back, and we feel we did/saw everything we wanted for us. We just want to see other things around the world instead.

The key to planning is to identify the things that you want to do, prioritize them and then match them against the cruise offerings. Itinerary is the key thing to work out first.

The weather is unpredictable even a few days in advance much less a year. So knowing when next year to plan is a challenge. The price list for the cruises are also available to review once you pick out the itinerary that you want.

If a helicopter tour is on your priority list and the only way that you could see doing it is to save money on the cabin, then by all means do that. A balcony is nice and for the right people is a good decision it may not be for you and you may get more enjoyment out of doing other things.

You can do guarantee and hope for something better or you can compromise and do an ocean view. When we sailed in 2010, we booked ocean view but watched and when a sale dropped the prices, we grabbed a balcony. This year, we booked the balcony a year in advance and prices didn’t drop much. But one of the other people in our roll call did say the get a good upgrade on a guarantee rate. I prefer knowing well in advance where our cabin is but again, that is why your preferences not mine have to drive your decisions.

(Can I edit the thread title to just make this my trip planning thread?)

 

Thanks for all the info. Very helpful! So I have some more questions, if you would be willing to help. We're not looking for a budget trip, but also not looking for any type of "premium package."

 

1. When does the late summer (school's out / higher prices) end vs. when the cheaper / poorer weather begin? Is there a way to slip in between those two?

 

2. In part, I think we would rather go without a balcony and risk being on a crowded deck, and use that money for an excursion like a helicopter trip to a glacier. Are those prices anywhere near close enough to pick one or the other?

 

3. If starting in Alaska for a southbound trip, is it better to go with a cruise or independent tour company, or just plan it ourselves.

 

I'm still researching frantically! Thanks for your help!

1. Weather is unpredictable in Alaska. There are threads just on that. If I were you, I would determine what you want to see/do and what is your budget. If you want to go to Denali, you need to know when the shuttles end in September. Do you want to go on bear excursion? Need to be when the salmon is running (starts in July usually) and depends on where you go. You can start pricing cruises and looking at excursions and that will give you some ideas. You don't have to book with Princess but they have a good website where you can see the excursions offered before you book a cruise.

2. Balcony is a preference. I saved $1,000 by getting inside vs. balcony in September which is enough for bear excursion or helicopter excursion for 2. I would highly recommend both. In June, I got a balcony and it was sunny most of the time. A preference and budget decision.

3. I recommend land tour (plan yourself- easy to do) along with a cruise.

Good luck!

I almost never book cruises that early ;-) I did once - a river cruise - because of truly limited capacity, a good deal, and traveling with parents & in-laws. We booked our late August/Sept cruise in May this year? But we tend to do that with most of our travel. We're pretty flexible on travel and wait until we see something we want to do at a price we want to pay:p This will also be my 4th trip to Alaska (2nd cruise with husband - and he picked it for his 50th birthday trip)

I love Glacier Bay and would highly recommend it. For 2018, the lines I've seen that have the concessions (permits from the Park Svc) are Holland America, Princess & NCL. We're actually going on Seabourn this year and it's not on our itinerary, but since we have been there, I figured it's ok to try something new;p

There is SO MUCH good information on this board - TONS of excursion reviews & recommendations, trip reports, specific recommendations on trips with kids or limited mobility or wanting to see bears or whatever it is YOU decide is a priority!

And for me, balcony. Always. Our last cruise in AK was on Pacific Princess and we sat on our balcony with our binoculars & cameras and saw tons of wildlife and amazing scenery and.....We just dressed as needed for the weather and no worries....But none of these are decisions others can make for you. I know me -I'm an introvert and I need/want time alone on my balcony to sightsee vs being on a deck or lounge with other people. And because I know I actually use my balcony, I don't mind budgeting for it. Certain of my friends or family (who don't seem to like "weather") I would never recommend they get one because I know for them it wouldn't be worth the money. Different strokes for different folks and all that....

I would at least consider a southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver. Advantages over Seattle RT include:

1. Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward

2. Opportunity to take a spectacular 6 or 8 hour cruise out of Seward before boarding ship.

3. Last day cruising through the inside passage can be very scenic if the weather is decent.

4. Sailing into Vancouver on the last day as the sun is rising is amazing.

I try to book this route if I can find affordable rates.

Great responses so far, so I'll add just a few more:

* Had a balcony the last time that we barely used because it was too danged cold. Warm weather finds me on my balcony all the time, but not so much in Alaska. So, for the upcoming 2019 trip, we opted for a GTY high-deck "panorama" room with floor-to-ceiling windows -- they are basically extra bedrooms for the upper end suites. If they sell out, we'll be bumped to a balcony, which we'll gladly take as a free upgrade. The GTY was a good choice for us, since we will be perfectly happy with those (warm) floor-to-ceiling windows on a high deck.

* I prefer the 1-way to the RT because it seems like there are more ports/glaciers in the itineraries.

* CC dogma says that thou shalt only cruise on ships that go to Glacier Bay, but so much of Alaska is so extraordinary, that I personally have resisted the dogma. Someday I'll be happy to go there, but it's not a deal breaker. I think adhering to that rule too strictly limits your options too much.

* When I was shopping for my 2019 cruise, it seemed like itineraries earlier in the season may be a bit longer with some more interesting/off-the-beaten-path stops. Say, late May and early June. In high season, itineraries looked shorter and more regularized. Maybe I'm over-generalizing, but that's what it looked like to me.

* We are opting to start with DIY to Denali even though the entire road won't be open yet (again, bucking dogma). By going in late May, we expect to enjoy smaller crowds, slightly dryer weather, yet still ample wildlife and wilderness. Alaska Railroad has been very easy to work with on the rail/lodging package. Here, we do adhere to the advice that you need at least 3 nights in Denali to make the journey worth it.

* Vancouver has been extremely easy to plan DIY for our post-cruise adventures.

Enjoy the planning, and your celebration!

Just went on HAL in June. Absolutely get a balcony!!! The decks get very crowded. It truly was wonderful to sit on our balcony with a blanket and take in the amazing sights. I'd recommend a land tour too!

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By the way we booked in Aug of 2017 for June 2018. We had perfect weather. We just got lucky.

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Definitely NOT too late! I started planning our trip to Alaska in mid-April this year for a 6 day DIY land tour followed by a cruise on the 4th of July. It was our first cruise and our first trip to Alaska. I spent a LOT of time planning once we decided to go, but when the time came, we felt well prepared and didn't have any issues with things being sold out or fully booked. Everything went as planned and it was the trip of a lifetime.

regarding the is it too late question: we booked a 14-day sailing on june 4th and sailed july 16th. we loved our cabin and had ample time to plan our port excursions, all of which we did on our own.

i've also sailed to bermuda on 3 days notice (i was like hey hon, i'm going to bermuda on sunday.) last minute cruises can be fantastic bargains.

So, which direction Northbound or Southbound ?

 

 

Wanting to do Southbound

Just ran into a Grand Suite cabin 1554 next to our 1556 on deck 10 of Radiance that was not available when we booked in June for May 2019. So never too late. I would say balcony is great always. Others will not agree. We do not go into Glacier Bay. Wish we did. Also arrival time in port of Juneau is not good for glacier watching tours. Having to work that out with a DIY land tour that fits in Prince William Sound. May and August/Sept look lower cost. Good luck and have fun.

We also booked in April of this year for our July cruise. Our TA was shocked as I usually plan early.

Also, at least in July, every port had lots of tours that you could book right then.

I only have one Alaska cruise under my belt but just returned so I'll jump on the band wagon and offer my opinion on your questions.

1. Starting too late? I don't think so. We booked our cruise a little over a year in advance but then booked excursions, all independently, about 6-7 months in advance.

2. Glacier Bay - Glacier Bay in my opinion is a must see as well as Hubbard Glacier. Both are magnificent! We specifically chose the Norwegian Jewell because both were included on our July 2018 northbound itinerary.

3. Balcony - Oh my goodness yes! In my humble opinion well worth it. You've had a balcony before. How are you going to feel with no balcony? It was wonderful to be able to step out the second we thought there might be something to see if we were in our cabin getting ready or just relaxing a bit. And, there were beautiful views everywhere we looked!

4. Cheaper times - Mid September probably is cheaper but I'll leave this to the experts to assist you with.

5. Leaving this to the experts as well but loved our North bound inside passage "smaller" ship cruise and we've cruised some larger ships before. We did a DIY land cruise once we arrived in Seward.

Enjoy the planning. So much fun!

I booked our HAL triple inside cabin three weeks ahead of our sailing on Aug 5. We got a good price, and excellent location on the ship. We needed to sail southbound from Seward due to some plans we were made in Vancouver, but for a first time visitor to AK, I strongly recommend cruising northbound as the scenery will get better and better as you go north. Excursions are very costly in AK and saving money by getting an inside was well worth it in my opinion. We did not find decks too crowded when viewing the glaciers and it was very comfortable watching from covered promenade deck during rainy times.