Are we wasting our money cruising in late Sept.???

[Yukon]

Did you cruise late Sept. to early Oct.?

 

I was going to post that there are no October cruises, then I checked and saw that NCL has one this year that runs Sept 25 through Oct 2 - what in h*** are they thinking?? Everyone else quits a week or more earlier, with good reason - nothing will be open and there will be no excursions.

[Budget Queen]

Did you cruise late Sept. to early Oct.? If so, can you elaborate on your experiences?

 

Thanks!

 

I cruised to the end of Sept. October is WAY too late.

 

Sorry, these were give away- cheap cruises ONLY. I paid less than $500. I also did earlier trips the same year, which were significantly better.

 

I am of no help to you, since you are looking for a shred of positive replies.

 

A significant priority will be for you to be well prepared in your attire and activities. It will be dusk shortly after 6pm, with cold temps.

[vbmom87]

 

Should we just wait for the following year when everyone can afford to pay more to cruise earlier in the summer?

 

Since this is a once in a lifetime trip, definitely wait until next year and go at a better time.

[MizzouMary]

I was going to post that there are no October cruises, then I checked and saw that NCL has one this year that runs Sept 25 through Oct 2 - what in h*** are they thinking?? Everyone else quits a week or more earlier, with good reason - nothing will be open and there will be no excursions.

 

I noticed the Whitepass RR at Skagway season ends before the 9/25 cruise, but has added an additional date on 9/29 for this sailing. http://www.wpyr.com/schedule.html

 

I honestly appreciate everyone's replies, both positive and negative, since we are still undecided. We want to gather as much info. as possible so we can make the best decision as we will be paying a change fee to change the date.

 

Yes, the cruise was very cheap and we were able to reserve the handicapped cabins, which was a must. We were also able to afford a balcony cabin whereas if we go earlier this year or 2011, we will need to go with an inside. I'm very concerned about the weather and short days. I'm also concerned about the itinerary (should we go on a different cruise that goes to Glacier Bay instead of Sawyer Glacier?). My husband is leaning to changing to May, 2011 even if it is more expensive since we'll have longer to save and the days would be longer. Would the second week of May be better than the end of Sept.? I heard by going at the end of Sept., you will find lots of sales in the shops. Is there any truth to this?

 

Thanks again!

[vbmom87]

My husband is leaning to changing to May, 2011 even if it is more expensive since we'll have longer to save and the days would be longer. Would the second week of May be better than the end of Sept.? I heard by going at the end of Sept., you will find lots of sales in the shops. Is there any truth to this?

 

Thanks again!

 

 

I have often read the third and fourth weeks of May are better than the first two weeks. However, have also read of some having good experiences in the early part of May. Mid May to Mid June are "statistically" less rainy.

 

There may still be sales offered for cruises next year.

 

I would never pick a cruise to Alaska based on sales in ports. The only thing I bought in ports were post cards. No time to shop!!! We were busy seeing Alaska. However, perhaps you have different priorities. As has been said many times, you need to pick the cruise for your priorities.

 

Again the debate between Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord: What are your priorities? If it is glaciers, then yes, pick a cruise to Glacier Bay. If just scenery will make you happy, then Tracy Arm will be fine. You may or may not get the bonus of seeing glaciers there as has already been explained. Not sure what else any of us can say regarding these two areas.

 

For someone on a budget, I wouldn't even consider a balcony for Alaska. Use the money for some excursions. Plus, that late in the season, it may be so cold and rainy that the balcony will go unused. Of course, none of us know that for sure. You could end up with unseasonably warm and dry weather. However, are you willing to take that chance?

 

I think the posters on this thread have pretty much covered all the bases for you. Not much else to say here. It is now in your hands. Basically, I think you want to keep what you have and you want someone to post here that what you picked is great and to go with it. I for one, can't do that. I see, BQ the resident Alaska expert on the board, is not willing to do that either. It is up to you to make the decision and then go with it.

 

Again, for a once in a lifetime trip, I would go at another time on an itinerary that included Glacier Bay. Just my two cents.

[MizzouMary]

Thanks for your 2 cents, vbmom87. Our main goal is to see Alaska. My MIL loves to shop, but that's not our first priority on this trip. I apologize if this thread seems redundant to you. We have never been to Alaska, as others who have commented have. Therefore, we are trying to gather as much information and points of view as possible. This will allow us to make the best decision without wasting additional time and money.

[negc]

Thanks for your 2 cents, vbmom87. Our main goal is to see Alaska. My MIL loves to shop, but that's not our first priority on this trip. I apologize if this thread seems redundant to you. We have never been to Alaska, as others who have commented have. Therefore, we are trying to gather as much information and points of view as possible. This will allow us to make the best decision without wasting additional time and money.

 

By now you must realize that most of those folks who have responded to your question have advised against a late September Alaska cruise. I am not sure how much more information you expect to receive and why you would think that this will somehow support your sailing on the date you have booked. Continuing to seek advice after having received so many negative responses makes it appear that you are merely looking for someone to support the decision you have already made and that if even only one person suggests staying with the September cruise, you will seize upon that opinion to justify what you have decided on. If I am misreading your posts, I apologize but that is really what you seem to be saying.

[MizzouMary]

Actually, we are just trying to gather opinions since we haven't decided one way or the other. I like to hear from as many people as possible, not just a few. I thought that's what the CC boards were for.

[bwater]

MFINN, since you are gathering info- a couple of thoughts..

 

1. the weather in alaska is always a crapshoot, may can be rediculously cold- or warm, as can september ( not to mention june, july and august)..if youre happy with price, itinerary- go for it

Ive read plenty of reviews where people went in late july, and were cold and rained on the entire time

 

2. On the other hand- i have looked at prices for a long time.. A May cruise will be VERY INEXPENSIVE in 2011. A couple of ships leave, BUT DISNEY AND CRYsTAL come back and ALL the families will go Disney, leaving the others to drop prices due to lack of filling up quad cabins. With unemployment at 10% and not getting much better- there will be downward pricing pressure on Alaska for some time. Its more expensive to FLY RT to Vancouver than many Cariibean cruise cost TOTAL!! The Price you see today for May 2011 is much higher than it will be 1 year from now. Every Price cruise for this summer I have seen has come down in price some since looking back in July / Aug..

 

Pik the Itneary you like and go have fun, you will get a great price on either time frame

[Toyz711]

personally, i would not plan a cruise after the 1st week of sept. we did the 2nd week (2006), yes, the stores had bargains....but very little merchandise. saw a sign where one store was planning the big end of the year party for a few days after we were there. after the majority of the cruise ship leave for the season, most of the shops close up and go on vacation. (same with many of the tour vendors)

since our ship was in juneau from 2pm to 10pm, most of that time was wasted...it was dark by 7pm, plus we were cold and very wet.

we did have a couple of nice days, glacier viewing was a great day...the warmest of the cruise. ketchikan was a wipe-out, heavy rain all day.

most nights we had fog so heavy that we couldn't see past the balcony, no star, couldn't see the water. it was very eerie, with all the fog horns blaring all night.

we had a great family cruise, but i wouldn't do it again. while the autumn colors were pretty, the rain kept us from really enjoying them.

(if i have said this before, sorry, computers problems and couldn't find if i had posted on this thread or not)

[Budget Queen]

I do agree with negc's frank post. This board is for all kinds of posters and please do not take offense. I also speculated you are only looking for positive posts to support this choice.

 

You definately appear conflicted and "want" to continue with this choice, since you list so many pluses. Then do so. No one can predict the future, but you have been give accurate information by extremely seasoned and knowledgable Alaska informents. So you know what now to expect and be prepared for.