Strategy to get best pricing on Alaska One Way?

[mkkao924]

We are pretty much set our eyes on one way Alaska cruising for June 2020. We don't need to be fixed on specific schedule, and it's more cost / ship amenity focused.

 

That being said, I noticed that this type of cruise almost never sell out and usually have a last minute deal coming out year after year.

 

We will have 2 to 3 rooms, they don't need to be connected or anything. It's nice to be close, but even that not a requirement.

 

In this case, what would be the best pricing strategy? Should we book with refundable deposit and rebook when price drop, or something else?

[DaveOKC]

Usually southbound AK cruises are less expensive (by one-way I assumed thats what you meant).

[CruiserBruce]

If the fare drops prior to final payment, it is not hard to get the fare re-priced. Very common.

 

After final payment you can only hope they will offer upgrades, OBC or something else, BUT they are not required to.

 

Or, if you, and the others in your party are totally footloose, you can wait to book after final payment.

[Lido deck main]

Have a look now at the top 10 sailings deals for Holland right now.

 

There is Vancouver to Seward one way  $449.00 in May

Also you can return from Seattle 7 days $549.00 also in May

We live in Vancouver, the deals for Alaska are in May, if you can, wait until April to book for these I have seen as low as $419.00 in Canadian dollars, and weather up in Alaska is a hit or miss anyways, you can have great weather early on like May and then rainy June.  I have noticed that the September Alaska cruises don't get as low as the May cruises.  Pick two or three May cruises and have a backup, so if one fills up you can go on another.  Just my observations.

[RocketMan275]

Or, find a TA that discounts.

[mkkao924]

We will be using a TA for sure. However, even by utilizing the TA still will not resolve the losing deposit.

 

We live in California, so we need to arrange the airline / hotel. I think my strategy is to find one itinerary, book it, and just stick with the schedule. Rebook the same itinerary if the saving is substantial. Just wondering how other people has been doing this in the past.

 

We can't do May and August / September due to kid's school schedule, but anytime in June/July should work for us.

 

And yes, we are looking for either northbound or southbound between Vancouver and Seward.

[bEwAbG]

Everyone loses the deposit if it's inside the final payment window.  If you booked today, you could change to another sailing or secure any price drops for another week or so with no loss of deposit for cruises leaving in mid-June.  After that final payment is due & paid, there is a sliding scale of how much you lose depending on the date you cancel.  Changing to a different ship & date would be handled as a cancellation for each room, so you'd have to do the math to see if it was worthwhile.  Anything else they offer to do would be at their discretion.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/pre-post-travel-cruise/cancellation-policy.html

 

Also note that high season in Alaska is mid-June to mid-August, so the prices will be higher.

[VennDiagram]

3 hours ago, mkkao924 said:

We are pretty much set our eyes on one way Alaska cruising for June 2020. We don't need to be fixed on specific schedule, and it's more cost / ship amenity focused. 

 

That being said, I noticed that this type of cruise almost never sell out and usually have a last minute deal coming out year after year.

 

We will have 2 to 3 rooms, they don't need to be connected or anything. It's nice to be close, but even that not a requirement.

 

In this case, what would be the best pricing strategy? Should we book with refundable deposit and rebook when price drop, or something else?

 

If you  are not able to book last-minute (when there are often significant price drops)  then yes, book with a refundable deposit and watch the prices. 

 

Don't expect your TA to watch prices, it is up to you to watch for price drops.  Once final payment date has passed, you will be subject to cancellation penalties if you cancel and rebook. 

 

[DaveOKC]

12 hours ago, VennDiagram said:

 

If you  are not able to book last-minute (when there are often significant price drops)  then yes, book with a refundable deposit and watch the prices. 

 

Don't expect your TA to watch prices, it is up to you to watch for price drops.  Once final payment date has passed, you will be subject to cancellation penalties if you cancel and rebook. 

 

 

Good points.  I usually book 6-12 months out, when I see a "good" fare that I can live with.  Then I recheck pricing every week or two (especially right after a promotion starts and whenever one ends - thats when most of the price changes seem to happen).  Of course, I take into account any perks I have on the original booking vs the new pricing (I do a "net" pricing comparison).

 

Yes, this takes a few minutes everytime, but I have saved hundreds doing this on almost every cruise.  Sometimes the difference might only be $50 (usually more) but even for $50 I call my PCC and have them adjust it - no problem.

 

 A plus for this approach is that by booking early I get a better choice of cabins.  Whenever I reprice/rebook I am generally able to keep the same cabin.  If you wait until the last minute to book, often your cabin choices are limited.  To me this is a big deal, as I have found a few cabins that I really prefer over others in the same category.

 

Edited March 22, 2019 by DaveOKC