When to book excursions for cruise

[cruise.freak]

How far in advance should you book excursions for end of June 2019? For ship and private excursions. Looking at a whale and a helicopter tour but not sure how far in advance we need to book.

[1025cruise]

In reality, if you know what you want to do at each port, book it as soon as you can. Alaska tends to be a trip of a lifetime. You don't want to miss out.

[Italy52]

For whale watching, we tend to book with popular independent vendors. So, we usually book a year in advance to ensure we are able to get the excursion we want. Booking a year in advance is not everyone's "cup of tea" it is just the way we do things.

[InternetAgeTraveler]

As soon as you decide is best advice. We specifically wanted Harv & Marv so booked well in advance. We could have waited but we knew we were booked and didn’t have to worry that some large group filled it.

 

We actually had booked all of our planned activities before the end of the year. In at least one case, we ended up being the only ones that did.

 

See trip report for details below.

[JT1962]

I agree with booking as soon as you know what you are interested in. Many of the popular excursions sell out several months in advance. Some of the most popular are small boat whale watching tours and excursions to Tracy Arm, and flights to see bears or glaciers.

 

 

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[mapleleaves]

now is a good time to be reading current trip reports to get information on which vendors will provide the type of experience you want. ie some people prefer a small 6-12 passenger boat for whale watching whereas others prefer a larger stable boat because they are prone to motion sickness.

Book before the end of this summer to ensure you get your preferred vendor and you may even get current rates before prices go up for 2019.

[Ex3535]

I am sailing in August of next year and booked our whale watch about a month ago, and our flightseeing/bear watch about two weeks ago. While talking with Island Wings she mentioned that they often take reservations 18 months ahead of time, so I was glad I called when I did. I also called Coastal Helicopters, but they said they wouldn't start booking for next year until at least September.

[ollienbertsmum]

I booked the tours that were important to us after I had booked the cruise. They were all cancellable (and this had to happen for our whale watch in Vancouver because of the weather). I am happy with my decision. In fact because I worked slowly at my plans, I was paying as I went and so the final bill at the end of the trip has seemed quite small!!

 

One thing I did notice on our cruise last week was just how many vendors there were at the ports in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. Some folk clearly do wait to make their bookings. There is plenty to do if you feel like making last minute plans. If you plan on going up the Mount Roberts tramway I would say to wait until the day so you are sure of the weather.

 

Selecting independents ahead of time means that you can get more personal experiences.