Best time to book an Alaskan tour and cruise?

[BayAreaCruisers4]

My wife and I are thinking of booking an Alaskan tour and cruise on Princess. My parents have done the same and say that Princess has the best lodging and tours for their cruises. We don't have a specific date or even year in mind, but probably within the next year or two.

 

When is the best time to book something like this? Is it better to book early or "last-minute"? We just finished an Eastern Caribbean cruise on Carnival and it seems that Carnival's prices only increase as it gets closer to the sailing date. Is Princess the same?

 

We did a 10-day Princess cruise from San Francisco to Acapulco years ago, but I don't remember what the pricing was like. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[caribill]

It is a supply and demand situation which you cannot anticipate in advance.

 

If sales are down, then after final payment there may be some great bargains.

 

If few cabins are available the price will remain high or could even go up.

 

So if your travel dates are flexible and you do not care which ship you will be on, the "best" time may be after final payment.

 

Of course the later you book, the less reasonably priced airline tickets may be available.

[birdiebill]

We have done the Alaska cruisetours twice. We went in August of 2010 on the Diamond Princess and in early June of 2013 on the Sapphire. The weather was more chilly in June than in August, but when we went in early August we had over cast skies while on the tour portion. We only saw Mt. McKinley from the train while going north from Anchorage. In our June trip we had clear skies for the entire six days of the land tour. The weather can be clear or cloudy anytime, though, so no guarantee of seeing Mt. McKinley.

 

We enjoyed both trips---so much to see. Stayed at the Denali and McKinley Princess lodges both times. Stayed at Copper River the second trip. At Denali we recommend the Wilderness Tundra excursion into the park.

 

We booked the first time about six months in advance (it was our first ever cruise) and the second time we booked about nine months in advance to ensure we and two other couples could get the staterooms adjacent to each other and in the location we wanted.

[geoherb]

We booked in May 2012 for July of that year--after the final payment date. We did the tour that started with two nights in Fairbanks followed by one at Denali, one at the McKinley Lodge, and one night in Anchorage before starting our cruise. The price currently for a similar tour and cruise is $2,000 more per person than we paid. As long as your dates are flexible, I'd wait until after the final payment date to look for deals.

[Colo Cruiser]

I would not wait, they fill up fast.

[hllwdcruiser]

I think it all depends on you and what your expectations are for your trip.

 

I spent a lot of time researching before I booked our trip to Alaska so as to try to "control" as much as I can - ship, cabin, side of ship, excursions etc. Therefore, I was willing to spend more to guarantee that I got what I wanted.

 

Conversely, when we travel to the Caribbean, which we've been to numerous times, we wait for last minute deals (after final payment date) and don't really care about the ship, ports, excursions, our cabin or what side of the ship we are on.

 

Just an FYI - I just booked a 2015 cruisetour in Alaska. When I look at the prices advertised now for 2014, the prices are very similar and the cruisetour we booked is completely sold out for the entire season although the cruise by itself isn't.

[Kinkacruiser]

We've also booked now for a May 2015 cruisetour - to get the cabin we wanted and hopefully clearer skies.

[eldridchapman]

Agree with the rest. I booked my June 2014 cruise in Oct 13 and by then there were few starboard side(for a NB cruise) rooms and no adjacent cabins available for regular balcony room.

Edited March 14, 2014 by eldridchapman

[Hotdog 52]

We booked in Sept. 2011 for our 2012 cruisetour. We booked our own flights. On black Friday, our cruise dropped $600. Our TA rebooked at the lower price. By the time our cruise rolled around, our flight had gone up $1000 from $1800 to $2800. For the cruise, to get the room you want, book early. Book early for the flight also for the price and to get the flight times that you want.:)

[ntvsdgrl]

I just booked my cruise for next year today. The 2015 Alaskan cruises just went on sale this week on the 11th. I'm doing a cruisetour first that starts on 6/29 and the ship sales on 7/4. I looked online today and there are already a lot of cabins booked for the cruise. Trips book up fast.

[kryn]

We booked our Cruisetour for July 2014 last June2013. I have called throughout the past year to inquire for special deals, ect. on our cruise before making the final payment . There were none and was just told that our cruisetour was soldout, so there would not be any decrease in price. Everytime I called the price was more than we paid and the airfare has increased considerably since we booked it through Princess EZAir in September.

[New York Nana]

My wife and I are thinking of booking an Alaskan tour and cruise on Princess. My parents have done the same and say that Princess has the best lodging and tours for their cruises. We don't have a specific date or even year in mind, but probably within the next year or two.

 

When is the best time to book something like this? Is it better to book early or "last-minute"? We just finished an Eastern Caribbean cruise on Carnival and it seems that Carnival's prices only increase as it gets closer to the sailing date. Is Princess the same?

 

We did a 10-day Princess cruise from San Francisco to Acapulco years ago, but I don't remember what the pricing was like. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

We did a 5 day cruise tour in June 2011. Enjoyed it so much, we are heading back this coming June. We booked our first cruise 9 months out. This time we booked as soon as they became available and were able to take advantage of a couple price drops. I am happy to provide our 2011 review including info on 3 of the Princess resorts. Just email me at beh614@gmail.com and put "Alaska" in the subject. I will do an updated review after our return this year as well.