Flying to Alaska

[CruzLover80]

Okay, so we have a trip with NCL booked for May of next year. When do you suggest is a good time to book a flight? We are traveling from Florida, so it is an orchestrated trip. We embark from Vancouver and disembark in Seward, but were thinking of flying to Seattle for a couple days prior to the cruise.

 

I'm just trying to figure out when is the best time to book for the best price...

[teachatthebeach]

We are from Florida, cruising next June from Vancouver to Seward (Celebrity), and are planning on visiting family in Seattle first. We are looking to book our flights as soon as possible as we want to use our airline miles.

[CruzLover80]

I have gained a new respect for people who travel to Florida yearly to cruise, thankfully, we do not need to do that. So much additional planning... right now Alaska Air is the winning price just under $500 p/p r/t, but I'd love to get it cheaper.

[mapleleaves]

I have gained a new respect for people who travel to Florida yearly to cruise, thankfully, we do not need to do that. So much additional planning... right now Alaska Air is the winning price just under $500 p/p r/t, but I'd love to get it cheaper.

 

$500 RT florida is a great price!

I paid that much for Seattle/Anc RT 2 yrs ago!!

[AKStafford]

right now Alaska Air is the winning price just under $500 p/p r/t, but I'd love to get it cheaper.

$500 isn't bad. In fact, it's pretty good. I wouldn't expect to get any cheaper than that.

[slider728]

$500 isn't bad. In fact, it's pretty good. I wouldn't expect to get any cheaper than that.

 

Personally, I'd probably book at that price. I'm guessing that is Anchorage? $500 is a pretty good fare. Most of my flights from Chicago to Anchorage are in the area of $600 and that is with direct flights.

 

If it were me, I'd probably book at $500pp.

 

The only other recommendation I would have is to wait until the Alaska Permanent Fund is distributed. When the State sends the checks to Alaska residents, there tends to be what they call PFD sales. I think the payment goes out 10/2/14 this year. You could wait until then and see. Alaska Airlines has a few flights to Florida, so the PFD sale might help. I'm not intimately familiar with airfares in Florida, but I honestly don't think you are going to do much better than $500pp

[Budget Queen]

You are booking a multi city, I'm assuming? What rate are you hoping for ? $500 is a very good rate. I'm assuming your return is out of Anchorage. Anchorage is a VERY high load airport for airlines. As an example, I fly nonrev, for an entire week, on the airline I use, EVERY flight was full or oversold. NONE of the standbys got out. I had decided a few days prior to pay a cheap fare to get out, I then continued with my nonrev flights outside of Anchorage. This is common all season, with a banner across the Standby lists on Anchorage- to be prepared for not getting out, and having alternative plans. No where else I have gone in the past year has had this.

 

You might want to see what the one way fares may be, and wait for Southwest to Seattle? Problem is, no guarantee Southwest, as an example will be cheap. :) Perhaps keep an eye out and track your flights for a while, and see what comes up. But don't back yourself in a corner by waiting too long. At some point rates will go up. Anchorage and Seattle are very popular travel destinations.

[Northern Aurora]

I have gained a new respect for people who travel to Florida yearly to cruise, thankfully, we do not need to do that. So much additional planning... right now Alaska Air is the winning price just under $500 p/p r/t, but I'd love to get it cheaper.

 

As someone who lives in the middle of Alaska we fly to every embarkation port -- even when we do Alaskan cruises. Because of air fare we tend to do B2B or B2B2B cruises. But my real reason for posting is to join the chorus that $500 p/p/rt is a reasonable fare.

[EliseL]

We're doing Alaska next June and just got our flights. Boston to Seattle to Anchorage there and Vancouver to Montreal to Boston back. About $600 pp so $500 sounds great.

 

 

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[Ashland]

I'll agree too...that's close to what we just paid BUR-YVR & ANC-BUR...Using LAX out and in would have been a bit cheaper but it's not always the $$'s that makes the difference. Book the $500.00pp and you'll probably be glad you did.

[travgurl]

Cool Cruiser, who did you book with for your flights? We will be coming from Baltimore next summer!

[thinfool]

I have gained a new respect for people who travel to Florida yearly to cruise, thankfully, we do not need to do that. So much additional planning... right now Alaska Air is the winning price just under $500 p/p r/t, but I'd love to get it cheaper.

 

That price will only go up. Jump on it.

 

Having said that, my choice would be to fly to Vancouver. There is so, so much to see there. We spent our precruise day visiting Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island near Victoria. Then a city tour of Vancouver the morning of our cruise. Absolutely spectacular.

[starfish216]

Wow if you can get r/t air for $500 that is great!

 

I booked airfare for our recent July Alaska cruise in December, we were a party of 7. We paid over $1000 for airfare by the time we got through with upgrading to economy comfort seats and luggage. We are taller than average and prefer the extra leg room especially on longer flights.

 

I did research a few times before I booked. The best I could do was $383 one way non stop on United from Newark to Vancouver for a 8 AM. Plus $70 for economy comfort and luggage fees. It was a 6 hour flight……United had no in flight entertainment at all (no movie or radio). We get more flying from Newark to Florida than we did going from coast to coast. BTW several weeks before we left I was checking airfare prices when I noticed the air fare dropped almost $140 per person for the same flight. United would do nothing about it…..that's a significant cost when you times it by 7 people. Oh well lesson learned.

 

For the flight from Anchorage to Newark we flew Delta with a stop in Minneapolis, one way was $520 for a 6 AM flight. Plus $120 for economy comfort and luggage fees. By the time we added in the fees we were able to upgrade to First Class for a little over $100 dollars pp. But what a huge disappointment First Class was especially the MSP to EWR leg, there was nothing first class about this. The plane looked really old and run down. I found previous occupants trash left in pocket of seat, no entertainment, no meal only a snack. Just a little wider seats that's all. I will not be flying Delta again.

 

We have flown first class before on another airline and it was really nice, clean and comfortable. You felt like you were sitting in luxury.

 

BTW….. we thought we did great snagging 3 aft balconies in October only to have them unusable since it rained/poured all week. With the drop in airfare that occurred I think next time I will wait things out and try booking cruise and air a few weeks out if the pricing is right and I won't worry where my cabin is located.

[sharktums]

Add another vote for grab that $500 airfare now!

 

We're from Florida and cruised Vancouver to Seward this past May 2014. We watched flights from June 2013 all the way through till May 2014 (for some people that wanted to join last minute). The cheapest we ever saw was $480 and it was up around $800 several times. These were all for one and two stop itineraries.

[laughing husky]

Many times if you are going in or out of Vancouver, it can be much cheaper to go to Seattle and them take the bus, train or ship transfer to Vancouver. It takes about 2.5 hrs and is a nice trip.....might save you a few hundred..transfers start at 39 bucks one way and go up...depending on the when's and what time....

[Budget Queen]

Many times if you are going in or out of Vancouver, it can be much cheaper to go to Seattle and them take the bus, train or ship transfer to Vancouver. It takes about 2.5 hrs and is a nice trip.....might save you a few hundred..transfers start at 39 bucks one way and go up...depending on the when's and what time....

 

You need to allow 4 hours for the transfer.

 

Bolt bus can be way cheaper. I'm using Grayline twice this year at good rates.

[cruisin'mama]

I just booked the first leg of our trip from LAX to Anchorage. The price was so good, I couldn't pass it up! $177.79 plus taxes for a total of $206.80.

 

I'm waiting to book our return flight from Vancouver incase we decide to transfer to Seattle for our flight home. We should have our minds made up where to fly home from by the time the PFD sale happens.