Regret not booking Alaska

[mumtopugs]

Waaaaaaaaaa! Just need to vent to people who get it. My sister and I were supposed to go to Europe in the fall. She has had some mobility issues that we were hoping would get better. No luck, so we scrapped those plans. I thought maybe we could go on a cruise to Alaska instead, but I wanted to talk to her in person about it. From Friday until today the price doubled. A casino offer I had disappeared. The cruise is very full already and I doubt I will get any drops. *sigh* Shoulda coulda woulda. I find some colsolation in the fact that I sail away on the Freedom in 5 days, but my wallet will be much lighter :(

[jenng1976]

Have you looked at Holland America or Princess? They both have amazing prices on some last minute Alaskan cruises, especially if you're ok with inside or ocean view. Plus go to Glacier Bay!

 

We sailed HAL on our honeymoon in Alaska and loved it. :)

Edited May 5, 2015 by jenng1976

[Cruznjuly]

I can relate!!

Spent the weekend convincing hubby to book, and not only did the cabin I wanted disappear, but the price was $600 more!

Bummer.

Sorry- I feel you and it sucks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Have you looked at Holland America or Princess? They both have amazing prices on some last minute Alaskan cruises, especially if you're ok with inside or ocean view. Plus go to Glacier Bay!

 

We sailed HAL on our honeymoon in Alaska and loved it. :)

 

I agree. This could be a blessing in disguise unless the OP is one of those people who won't sail on another cruise line.

 

Bill

[sfaaa]

Watch for last minute sale in late Aug or Sept. Price may come down again when kids are returned to school.

[Tapi]

Like someone said above, I would consider this a blessing in disguise as well. I agree about looking at other cruise lines that have more ships and are more established in Alaska. Carnival, with its one ship, tends to be more expensive, and for a worse itinerary and less convenient mid week departure. Not the cruise line that I would choose for an Alaska cruise.

 

Check out Princess and Holland America. With some flexibility, you can get some great last minute deals, and to much more attractive destinations the include Glacier Bay and Sitka. When we sailed to Alaska, we chose Holland, and it ended being considerably cheaper than Carnival. We took advantage of several price drops, a complimentary upgrade to a balcony, and a kids sail free promotion. And the itinerary was a dream. We couldn't have asked for more. Even other cruise lines like Norwegian, Celebrity, and Royal have a stronger presence in Alaska with more diverse itineraries.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Tapi

[jenng1976]

It always amuses me that Alaska is the one destination that most of us recommend non-Carnival ships for! On the Carnival board!

 

I like to sail Carnival as much as the next person, but when there's a special destination I want to visit, itinerary always comes first. And with Alaska it's a bonus that the other cruise lines are often the cheapest too.

 

Anyway, good luck OP. Hope you find another cruise or go another year, Alaska is definitely worth going to one way or another.

[Surfwench]

Carnival offers one 8 day itinerary each season that features both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. The ports of Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway are between 8+ to 12+ hours. The only thing missing for me is Sitka. I booked a year out and the prices have done nothing but increase.

[mumtopugs]

Thanks for all your replies. I am looking into other lines. I haven't cruised other lines. Not because I wouldn't but primarily because the casino offers I usually have make it so reasonable that I didn't really need to look elsewhere. I will also look for some Pack N Play type deals as it gets closer to Aug/September. All good ideas.

[45014]

We sailed Celebrity to Alaska. It was wonderful.

[winddawn]

Waaaaaaaaaa! Just need to vent to people who get it. My sister and I were supposed to go to Europe in the fall. She has had some mobility issues that we were hoping would get better. No luck, so we scrapped those plans. I thought maybe we could go on a cruise to Alaska instead, but I wanted to talk to her in person about it. From Friday until today the price doubled. A casino offer I had disappeared. The cruise is very full already and I doubt I will get any drops. *sigh* Shoulda coulda woulda. I find some colsolation in the fact that I sail away on the Freedom in 5 days, but my wallet will be much lighter :(

So sorry for your dilemma! Have you checked Princess? Princess often has cheaper Alaska fares than Carnival. Like Pacific Princess $249 May 19th. Holland America has been offering some pretty good Alaska deals lately too also cheaper than Carnival.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Carnival offers one 8 day itinerary each season that features both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. The ports of Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway are between 8+ to 12+ hours. The only thing missing for me is Sitka. I booked a year out and the prices have done nothing but increase.

 

With Carnival only having one ship to fill and lots of fans who won't cruise other lines it easy for CCL to fill the ship, thus price increases and not decreases.

 

Princess has many ships doing Alaska and they have plenty of deals .

 

Bill

[Earthworm Jim]

Thanks for all your replies. I am looking into other lines. I haven't cruised other lines. Not because I wouldn't but primarily because the casino offers I usually have make it so reasonable that I didn't really need to look elsewhere. I will also look for some Pack N Play type deals as it gets closer to Aug/September. All good ideas.

 

Though if you book the cruise last minute, you'll likely have to pay more for airfare. So it may not be any cheaper in the long run.

 

I've always thought the way to do it would be to pick a cruise, book the air well out when you see a good price, then book the cruise at the last minute when it has a cheap Pack n Go rate. But I've never been brave enough to actually do it.

 

Your in Denver? Driving to Seattle would be 21 hours. That doesn't seem too viable. Particularly if your travel partner has mobility issues. So that doesn't help.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Earthworm Jim

[Tapi]

I've always thought the way to do it would be to pick a cruise, book the air well out when you see a good price, then book the cruise at the last minute when it has a cheap Pack n Go rate.

 

 

I wouldn't buy airfare first. What if you book airfare for the one week when there are no deals or price reductions on the cruise that you're thinking about? I'd book the cruise with a REFUNDABLE deposit and watch the airfare until final payment.

 

Traveling early or late in the season increases the chances of getting a good deal, not only on the cruise, but also on airfare, even close to departure. We sailed to Alaska early in the season and snagged roundtrip nonstop flights from Atlanta to Seattle for $280pp! Doesn't get much cheaper than that.