Alaska 7 night versus 9 night?

[CruisinMama33]

Hi everyone,

 

Alaska is on our bucket list for 2018, so I was happy to see the 2018 summer itineraries released today. Upon pricing out both cruises, the 9 night will cost us $5K more than the 7 night. This is because of the extra cost of the 9-night, plus we have an on-board ship credit that we can apply to the 7 night cruise to bring down the cost (can't apply it to the 9-night since date is beyond the 2 years allowed for ship credit). My question is: is it worth the extra $5k to do the 9 night, and be able to see Hubbard Glacier and Icy Straight? This is not offered on the 7 night. I want to do Alaska the right way and not feel like I have to come back again... your thoughts?? Our children will be 8 and 10 at time of sailing. Thank you!!

[DCLCrazy]

I highly recommend you find one that does a land tour as well. we did RCCL for ten days and loved Fairbanks. You also get to see Denali. You can't go there on the boat. You also get to ride a beautiful train that has a glass top to view the mountains. Highly recommend!

 

 

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[moki'smommy]

At the risk of being "that person," other cruise lines have more clearances than DCL has and can go to places that DCL can't. The big difference between a 7 and a 9 night cruise is 2 days. I'd price a Princess, Celebrity, or Royal cruise that includes a land portion or a "one way" that you can do 7 nights in one direction and then a B2B return if desired. You'll see more that way than 2 additional nights on the Wonder. I'm just guessing that you can do a land/sea or a 14 night sea on one of the other lines for the same price as the 9 night Wonder cruise.

 

Alaska is a port intensive cruise--you are there to see things, not just for the ship. The other lines all have kid programs. Celebrity even had "characters," although they weren't anywhere near DCL quality. While my kiddo is too old to care about the programs, I heard very good things from parents on our Celebrity Alaska. Alaska is one place where I wouldn't pay the extra money to do Disney as they offer less in terms of the cruise and are over-priced to begin with.

[Knobhdy]

Plus 1 to @DCLCrazy. If you can swing the vacation time, take a one way cruise with a land trip before or after.

I did NLC from Vancouver to Seward last summer. After we got off the boat we took the train from Seward to Denali and then, after a couple days in the park, we headed by train again to Fairbanks.

While we were up there, we decided if we took the trip again with children, we'd rent a camper so we could take the trip at our own pace.

 

 

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[CruisinMama33]

Thank you all! You're really giving me something to think about. I just priced out Alaska on RC and found it to be much more cost effective with better ports and almost half the price for a 9-night- wow!

 

In order to do a land/sea combo, do you recommend I use a travel agent or can you book them directly with the cruise lines? I never use travel agents but may need one for this kind of trip? Thanks!

[DCLCrazy]

If you use a TA You might get a little extra OBC. :)

 

 

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[moki'smommy]

Thank you all! You're really giving me something to think about. I just priced out Alaska on RC and found it to be much more cost effective with better ports and almost half the price for a 9-night- wow!

 

In order to do a land/sea combo, do you recommend I use a travel agent or can you book them directly with the cruise lines? I never use travel agents but may need one for this kind of trip? Thanks!

 

 

Many of the cruise lines offer the land/sea combo. You can book them directly yourself or thru a TA. The cruise line arranges the land portion as well--sort of like doing an Adventures by Disney land thing and then getting on a DCL ship. You can book the entire package by going thru the cruise line. I know Princess, Holland America, Royal, etc. offer these. Honestly, since this is a new thing for you, an experienced agent may be a help. You're going to be doing international flights in addition to the cruise (or if departing from Vancouver, price out flying into Seattle and taking the train to Vancouver--it can be a couple hundred dollars less per person!)

[moki'smommy]

Also, DCL is unique in their "the price is the price" deal. Other lines allow TAs to buy up a block of cabins and resell them at a discount. You can sometimes get a better price than that advertised by going thru an agent who does a lot of business with a particular line.

[Knobhdy]

I purchased the land portion of my trip through Alaskan Railroad. I love trains, so I couldn't resist.

I've never used a travel agent. Maybe I should find one for the OBC. [emoji4]

 

 

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[xlxo]

If you are willing to give up the pixie dust.... Research Princess and Holland America for Glacier Bay. Glacier seekers say Glacier Bay offers the best glacier viewing experience. Sawyer is a better example of glacier extinction.

[MCC retired]

Alaska itself is the highlight of the cruise . Choose a cruise ship that has the itinerary/price that you like . Save the DCL onboard experience for the Caribbean someday .

5K for 2 extra days is crazy .

If you wish to do longer than 7 days , do a Cruise/Tour to actually see more of Alaska than just southern coast.

[DCLCrazy]

Personally, I found the cruise ports to be very touristy with nothing but shopping. I want to see the real Alaska. I'm so glad I took the land tour. You really get a better sense of the people the beauty of nature when you go up the interior.

 

 

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[gometros]

I want to chime in on the look at other cruises crowd. We sailed Princess three years ago, exactly for the reasons stated. Holland America and Princess have the longest established time in Alaska. They pair with land portions that use their own hotels and facilities. We did a southbound one-way from Whittier to Vancouver, flew into Anchorage two days early and took the train to Whittier and then stayed two more days in Vancouver. With the one-way we were able to go into Glacier Bay and see Hubbard Glacier without the extra two days DCL is requiring. Since Alaska is so port intensive, we really didn't spend that much time on the ship except for the evenings. My only regret, and the reason I will some day go back, is that I didn't have the vacay time to go into Denali.

[moki'smommy]

Exactly--you can do so much more in Alaska for the same cost as a DCL cruise....5K for 2 days is crazy. Seriously look at a land trip as well, and I second the recommendation for one of the train trips. Again, Princess can book it for you as a seamless vacation. They will also give you some OBC if you are a veteran, own stock in their company, or did an on board future cruise credit. If you live near Ft. Lauderdale, you can do their "BonVoyage Experience" where for $39, you board their ship, have a lunch including wine, a photo, and can use all the ship's facilities for about 4 hours. You can also buy "future cruise certificates." If you book a cruise within a certain time period (60 days? maybe 90) of doing this, the $39 is applied toward your cruise cost, making your only cost for the day your parking! The future cruise certificate translates into OBC based on the length of the cruise and the category you select. The BVE is offered at some other ports, but Ft. Lauderdale is the main one that does it.

 

Honestly, unless you plan to plunk little kids in the childcare and see Alaska on your own, the premium you pay for DCL is rather a waste in Alaska.