Alaska - May '06

[juliethecruiser]

Good Morning All,

 

I'm planning a trip to Alaska for May '06 and needed some advice. I have currently booked and placed a deposit for a NB trip on the Coral for May 22, 2006, but wanted to know if it is the best idea to book now or wait until closer to the trip.

 

I currently have a AC mini-suite booked @ a reduced deposit of $200 per cabin for 3 people. I chose a mini-suite because I wanted plenty of room for us all. I think a regular cabin would be too small for all 3 of us since it's me, my husband and my mother. Yes, I'm bringing my mother because she'll never have the opportunity to go alone or with any friends and desperately wants to go to Alaska.

 

The mini-suite is running us a little more than what I wanted to spend, especially since we'll have extra costs in travel due to the one-way route. Here are my questions:

 

1. Should I release the deposit now and wait until after final payment to book this trip? I know Alaska is popular, but I am going earlier in the season and thought I may save a little money waiting until say 60 days before the trip. I've heard of some awesome deals booking last minute. What have been some of your past experiences booking on short notice for Alaska?

 

2. Is a balcony necessary for Alaska or should I save a few bucks and book an inside cabin? I don't know if I'd save too much money because there is 3 of us and I would have to purchase 2 cabins, one being a single. However, I have heard of some last minute deals $399/$499, so I may save a great deal of money going to 2 inside cabins if that's the case.

 

3. What type of transfers are available for one-way SEA to Vancouver? I've heard of a train and bus, are they economical? I'm looking at nearly $600 per airline ticket right now for my flight due to multi-city destinations. Round trip to SEA and one-way from Anchorage to SEA are very reasonable, I could save over $200 a ticket, but then I have to get from SEA to Vancouver. What do you think?

 

I've received alot of good advice on this board and really appreciate your input. There's alot of savy travelers out there and any help you could give would be wonderful.

 

Thanks a bunch!

[GloriaF]

We did the sb on the Coral this past May in a BB - the balcony was a necessity in our case. The weather was wonderful, and if we couldn't go out and look at all the beautiful scenery we would have not had half the fun. In Glacier Bay particularly, rail space is limited so your private balcony is very welcome. There is very little open water with no views of land in site on this cruise, so I think you will enjoy the balcony a great deal. Not only scenery, but wildlife sightings and weather checks.

 

We booked way out and had good rates, but just 2-3 weeks prior to departure the minis became only $7 more than what we were paying for a BB. If you and your entourage can wait until that close to the last minute, you can pick up a great deal - but it was our experience that there is so much to research about AK that we enjoyed the time we had to do it. Had we only been planning on grabbing a last-minute deal but did not know for certain, then the planning wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.

 

The Coral is a wonderful ship and the Naturalist on board, Barbara, was super. I hope you have her as well. If so, be sure to go to some of her lectures and keep the tv tuned to the ship's channel when nearing a port and in Glacier Bay- she is a wealth of info.

 

We took the Vancouver-Seattle connector bus, there only business is border crossings and we didn't even get off the bus or show our passports at the border, the driver took care of it all. That is probably not the norm, but it was a nice relief not to have to go thru customs. The cost was $33 pp, I believe. The bus will drop you at a hotel downtown or at the SEA airport.

 

It is a great trip and I hope you all 3 have a wonderful time!

[cherylandtk]

Julie, I found the late booking savings were mostly offset by the increased air prices. Found some terrific last minute deals about a month out on June cruises, mostly insides, not balconies because they were sold out, but the flights were limited and more expensive or required additional days and hotel costs at either end of the trip. Cruise air was about the same price, but was sold out for our city and not available. May is a better chance than June of getting a good deal. Good Luck

[juliethecruiser]

Thanks Gloria for your input. I'll have to look into the SEA-Vancouver transfer. That is exactly what we're looking for.

 

You're correct that the planning will take some time for this trip. I'll leave things as is for now. Final payment isn't until March 8th, so I'll just keep an eye out until then and make a decision if I want to cancel before final payment and take a chance on lower fares later.

 

I've always got a balcony cabin and thought that you'll definetly want one for Alaska, but the extra expenses of shore excursions and travel are squeezing our budget. I'll guess I'll just have to find some money elsewhere to make this trip happen. Maybe if I skip some manucures, massages and facials, I'll come up with the extra money that I need. Something to think about. I'm sure it will be all worth it in the end.

 

Thanks again for the information and take care!

 

Julia

[juliethecruiser]

Cherylandtk,

 

That's exactly what I was thinking could happen. I'm looking at using some airline miles to offset some of the cost and I know those tickets are scarce the less notice you give. I don't think I could even get airmile tix a month out.

 

Based on the two responses so far, I think I'll stay put and just try to save some money where I can. I feel that I got a good deal on the AC mini-suite cabin at around $1,000 per person, so maybe I won't be able to do much better after final payment anyways.

 

I really want this trip, especially for my mother. It will be a trip of a lifetime for her and most likely for me and my husband as well.

 

Thanks for input.

[MichTraveler]

We've done Alaska 3 times, and all times in May. All times in an inside, but there are only 2 of us. We book way in advance because we use FF miles for the airfare. It is expense when you fly into one airport and home from a different one. We did see excellent prices after final payment was past. We were a little jealous of others getting such deals, but we played on the side of caution because we did not want to miss out if there were no deals or if the ships were booked. There were no unsold cabins on any of our May cruises. As for costs of excursions, you can research here and find that many ports offer interesting and inexpensive opportunities for sightseeing and fun. Have fun!

[GloriaF]

Julie, if you have a mini for $1000 pp, you are not likely to do much better - at least based on last year. My B guarantee was $9something, and when a CC friend got a mini for something like $967pp that was a deal. Hold on to what you've got.

 

As for excursions, consider doing other than Princess excursions - you can save a bundle and have a better excursion also!

 

Last, if you haven't checked out the Alaska Port of Call Board, you should do so. There is a wealth of info there!

 

I wish we were going again! They say May is the driest month.

[GloriaF]

Airline FF miles may be more strict, but we used FF miles/point reward system from a credit card thru the credit union. We were required to make reservations thru one central travel agency in CA, and I had assumed we would have to fly to SEA RT, then take Alaska Air from SEA to ANC on our own. But I lucked out and had a wonderful reservationist - I told him where I needed to go and he managed to book us to ANC going and leaving from SEA -- it cost less than the way I was thinking and was more convenient. So, the moral of this story is to talk with the people in charge and maybe they will be able to do something special for you. And good luck!

[cruzluvr2]

juliethecruiser - My parents, another couple, and I went to Alaska this past May. This was my father's first cruise. We all got Cat BB cabins. My father loves to travel but not be tied down to timetables, etc. In my parents case they loved the balcony and I would have fretted if they had not had the balcony. Daddy stayed out there much of the time. If my parents ever sail again I'm quite sure it will be in a balcony cabin (and they do not throw $$'s around very easily). It was nice to be able to just step outside (even in pj's) and check out just how light it still was at 10:30 p.m. and then during the wee hours of the morning.

 

We scheduled a few months prior and were able to save some $$'s by booking with independent excursions. Just a note though, check the prices. We went to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show and it was actually a dollar or two cheaper through the cruiseline.