Thinking of booking Jewel to Alaska in September

[pseudochicken]

I am debating booking an Alaskan cruise for the September 13th sailing on the Jewel. My SO and I will be flying to the Seattle area for a wedding, and have been talking about going on a cruise together for quite some time. An Alaskan cruise considering we'll be there anyway makes some sense. I was curious, since September is shoulder season for Alaskan cruises, as to when would be the best time to book the reservations? Right now rates are reasonable, however I was under the impression that September Alaska cruises often get very cheap a few weeks out before the sail date. Would I be better off booking the cruise sooner rather than later? Any information on the matter will be much appreciated! :)

[triptolemus]

The same basic rules applies to booking an AK cruise as any other... if cabin selection is not terribly important to you, you can book closer to the cruise date and maybe catch a break on the price. If cabin selection is important to you, book now and watch for price reductions. You can rebook later with the new lower price, with some limitations. You can always cancel (within terms) later if you needed to.

 

Personally, I book now. You said it yourself: Prices are reasonable now. Book it now... get the cabin type and location you want!

 

Also - the Jewel is currently in San Francisco sitting in dry dock. She is getting some work done with some new features added and will be shiney and be new for your trip in September.

Edited May 8, 2014 by triptolemus

[pseudochicken]

The same basic rules applies to booking an AK cruise as any other... if cabin selection is not terribly important to you, you can book closer to the cruise date and maybe catch a break on the price. If cabin selection is important to you, book now and watch for price reductions. You can rebook later with the new lower price, with some limitations. You can always cancel (within terms) later if you needed to.

 

Personally, I book now. You said it yourself: Prices are reasonable now. Book it now... get the cabin type and location you want!

 

Also - the Jewel is currently in San Francisco sitting in dry dock. She is getting some work done with some new features added and will be shiney and be new for your trip in September.

 

OK, thanks for the info!

[sdmike]

we did the jewel in AK and loved it. I have a review with pictures in my signature area

 

Have fun

[WintrHawk]

Weatherwise, things might be a little different this year than previous years due to an El Nino warming of Alaska this summer through winter. However that will also probably mean more clouds too.

[pseudochicken]

Weatherwise, things might be a little different this year than previous years due to an El Nino warming of Alaska this summer through winter. However that will also probably mean more clouds too.

 

Will that mean more rain as well?

[WintrHawk]

Will that mean more rain as well?

 

Unfortunately, yes. Also higher risk of more violent storms due to warm moist air moving further north. You may want to scope out the past weather for Alaska in 2009 during the month of Aug, Sept and Oct which was the last El Nino occurrence.

Edited May 11, 2014 by WintrHawk