May 3rd from Seattle

[scott1234]

My wife and I will be in Seattle and have an extra week of vacation. We're looking at booking a last minute (within 60 days or so) cruise. For Alaska, either HAL or Princess..question..is one better than the other? We are in our early 40s , Very active, outgoing and have been on 10 cruises between us (never alaska) How low does everyone think (or seen in the past few yrs) the remaining balcony or oceanview rooms go for? I see HAL at $1000pp now for balconies.. Any thoughts are much appreciated!

Scott

[SightCRR]

1. Look for cruises that best match your dates.

2. Look at itinerary with special places (Glacier Bay etc) paying attention to times in port ie arrive 7am leave noon are not very good.

3. Alaska excursions are very expensive but very good. Book inside and hope for upgrade then spend on the excursions.

Juneau Helo glacier $400 p/p, Ketch Bering Sea Crab $100 p/p, Skagway train $100 p/p. Prices are approx. but you get the idea. Close to costs of cruise. Two flights and you are more than the cruise.

My thoughts are from one side of the ship you are missing 1/2 of what there is to see and you need to be somewhere where you have 360 degree views.

4. Watch for price drops & sales. We are booked on HAL and got adjustments twice since we booked. I am looking for another drop when current sale program ends (best guess 28 Feb) but that may be overly optimistic and the prices may go up.

Sightcrr

[1025cruise]

May 3rd is extremely early in the season. You might miss stuff due to weather.

[SEAEDP]

hi Scott....I live in Seattle and I'm planning on doing the same cruise. May 3 is my Bday, so I thought I'd celebrate with a cruise. I was planning on HAL, as I love the look and traditional style of the ship; however, I'm worried that I will be bored in the evenings, as the reviews for the nightlife on this ship are not very good. Since I'm traveling alone, I was going to get a balcony, but people have told me not to since it's so early in the season, as it will be too cold. Consequently, I'm going to get an inside cabin and spend the extra money on excursions. BTW...I looked at inside cabins on the Golden Princess for the May 3 sailing, and they are sold out. I was so surprised.

[scott1234]

Hi everyone thanks for the info and input...and early happy bday to "seaedp". I have noticed that princess will have 11 interior rooms available one day-sold out the next-then a few days pass and the rooms ate available again?? Anyways still looking for anyone elses help

-scott

[DaveOKC]

Hi everyone thanks for the info and input...and early happy bday to "seaedp". I have noticed that princess will have 11 interior rooms available one day-sold out the next-then a few days pass and the rooms ate available again?? Anyways still looking for anyone elses help

-scott

 

I normally book the signature or neptune suites. A very good price for the signature suite is $999 (hard to find though), $1299 is a "good" price for Alaska IMO. Right now the Westerdam is $1499 on these for May 3, so I would wait a few weeks and see if they go down (they often do after final payment time which was last week as I recall for this cruise).

 

These cabins are very nice and large. Plus, this is the category that normally gets the upsell offers to a Neptune suite for a very reasonable price (about $200 pp).

 

DaveOKC

[agabbymama]

I would not book an inside room. I know lots of folks do, but if it were up to me the ship would sail empty rather than book an inside. No natural light, I'd go crazy in about 20 minutes.

 

I'd look for an ocean view. While I love a balcony (and won't cruise without one now, no matter the destination), our first cruise to Alaska was an ocean view. I managed okay with lots of time up on deck.

 

And just a tidbit, you don't have to spend $$$$$ on excursions unless you absolutely want to. Our first cruise we did not book one excursion either through the cruiseline or independent vendors. Of course they want people to book, but we were happy and satisfied just to be in Alaska, didn't need to go whale watching or flight seeing to enjoy the cruise. I did join a Native small van tour in Ketchikan for $15. Then in Sitka they had a small van/bus for $6 (now $10 I hear) that made like 6 or 7 stops around town. We rode up to the Raptor Center, then walked back down through the park/rainforest.

 

We enjoyed Alaska so much that for our 2nd trip I decided to do an 11 day cruisetour. It was awesome seeing the Yukon and interior Alaska. Wish it could have been longer, but I only have so much vacation time from work. A lot of others on this board recommend independent travel, but with limited number of days you have to cover certain mileage if you want to see things the cruisetour is a great alternative for me. Our cruisetour covered 1800 miles, with a bus driver and tour guide, no hassles for me, tell me where and when to be there and I'll let them worry about traffic, road closures, breakdowns, etc. I just sit back and enjoy the scenery.

 

Have fun planning, then taking your cruise to Alaska. It is an awesome destination!:D