Before I book this Alaskan Cruise...

[mbarker10]

16 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

My pleasure! Sometimes you need a more negative outlook to have a more open visual of what you’re looking for.

 

My advice- check out Princess or Holland America. They have the largest presence in Alaska with the most experience in the area. They secure more permits than the competitors for some glacier viewing experiences and have the connections to bring local experts onboard to really elevate and immerse you into Alaska.

 

This is one of the few itineraries where cost shouldn’t be a factor and it’s better to reserve exactly what you’re looking for.

Good to know. I'd looked at the NCL Alaskan itineraries, so I'll look at Princess and Holland as well!

[jsglow]

I'm going to comment on this.  Yes, a one way on Princess that includes the land portion is a significantly better cruise.  We're actually doing it in August.  But sometimes you gotta strike while the iron is hot.  I've strongly encouraged my son to jump on these May deals as he lives about 10 minutes from the port in Seattle.  Are they the best Alaska cruises? Heck no.  But they are the best Alaska cruises for the price that I've ever seen.  So why the heck not?  I sincerely hope he and his girlfriend take advantage and go for a nice week's vacation on a very good and unique cruise they might otherwise not be able to afford or ever do.

[heidiatmn1]

21 hours ago, mbarker10 said:

Prices are super low right now, and me and the husband can go for under $1000. 

Start: Seattle Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord Juneau Ketchikan Victoria End: Seattle , on the Spirit, 6 day. Plane tickets are gonna eat us alive but I figure we won't see prices like this again.

Anything particular I need to know about this cruise? Anything that makes you go ehhh I wouldn't do that? Or special circumstances?

We did the same/thought the same last year when cruising first started back up-thought it was a once in a lifetime deal at those rates tho so didn't pass it up. I was skeptical as I prefer my vacation $ to be spent to go warm places in the Winter-however was so great we book again this year with these great rates once again! 

[Pyxie]

12 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

I wouldn’t book it. So many negative factors to consider when comparing against other options.

 

Shorter cruise, only two Alaskan ports, visits Tracy Arm instead of Glacier Bay, only one scenic cruising day and also RT Seattle… a better option would be one way with Whittier or Seward to combine time in Alaska. Also, the fact that it’s on Carnival instead of one of the cruise lines with more Alaskan experience.

 

The Carnival option is the exact opposite of what I would want in an Alaskan cruise. Aren’t they also a random midweek departure on Carnival or did they finally move away from that?

 

But for $100 per person in a balcony with $200 OBC? It kind of negates those things.. I can book a more ideal sailing later, but I'm certainly not losing anything with the price I'm paying.

[xDisconnections]

6 minutes ago, Pyxie said:

 

But for $100 per person in a balcony with $200 OBC? It kind of negates those things.. I can book a more ideal sailing later, but I'm certainly not losing anything with the price I'm paying.

I’ve turned down several free Carnival offers. Why waste valuable time for an inexpensive trip knowing I wouldn’t enjoy it? You get what you pay for.

 

My expectations must be different than yours.

Edited April 9, 2022 by xDisconnections

[kona_wahine]

Why take a free cruise if you are just going to complain the whole time? LOL Guess that’s a GREAT point!

[Pyxie]

18 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

I’ve turned down several free Carnival offers. Why waste valuable time for an inexpensive trip knowing I wouldn’t enjoy it? You get what you pay for.

 

My expectations must be different than yours.

 

I mean.. I'll enjoy it but ok. 😉

[arctickitty]

22 hours ago, mbarker10 said:

Makes me nervous with prices so cheap is all. Just wasn't sure if there was some odd scenario that was making prices cheap besides trying to fill up the boat. Thanks!

They moved extra ship(s) to Alaska since the US and Alaska are open for cruising business more so than many South Pacific destinations.

[cruizergal70]

1 hour ago, xDisconnections said:

I’ve turned down several free Carnival offers. Why waste valuable time for an inexpensive trip knowing I wouldn’t enjoy it? You get what you pay for.

 

My expectations must be different than yours.

Yeah, but don't you avoid Carnival at all costs? 

[Illbcruzn4life]

7 hours ago, mbarker10 said:

 

 

This is definitely helpful. I have read repeatedly that glacier bay is not to be missed, so it may be in our best interest to wait until we can get a better itinerary. As much as I want to go, I know this will probably be a one and done (the Alaskan itinerary) so it may be more worthwhile to wait for an itinerary that will be amazing. Thanks for the advice. We’re not cruising in 2023 but we may push this to 2024 and get a truly exceptional itinerary. 

 

better yet cruise on a different cruise line ike Princess, or HAL as they go to Glacier Bay a lot more than CCL. Carnival used to do Glacier Bay the first cruise of the season and the last cruise of the season. Not sure how often they go now.

 

We did Diamond Princess from Vancouver to Anchorage. It was like you said, a one and done for us but it was fantastic.

[CanWeGoYet?]

9 hours ago, jsglow said:

I'm going to comment on this.  Yes, a one way on Princess that includes the land portion is a significantly better cruise.  We're actually doing it in August.  But sometimes you gotta strike while the iron is hot.  I've strongly encouraged my son to jump on these May deals as he lives about 10 minutes from the port in Seattle.  Are they the best Alaska cruises? Heck no.  But they are the best Alaska cruises for the price that I've ever seen.  So why the heck not?  I sincerely hope he and his girlfriend take advantage and go for a nice week's vacation on a very good and unique cruise they might otherwise not be able to afford or ever do.

Absolutely.  A Carnival cruise round trip Seattle is going to be a completely different product than a one way Princess or HAL Alaska cruise.   Like faulting a car for not having the same features as one that costs 4x as much.   

[Salem615]

We spent a week in Seattle last year and never felt unsafe. We had a wonderful time.

 

As far as the cruise...I was about to jump on the deal but then I just read an article that this year Alaska is set to have a record breaking year with cruises. Some ports are going to be seeing 6 or 7 ships docked at the same time! I am definitely waiting a few years and looking at Celebrity or Princess when we do go. 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Salem615

[JMKreno]

We are tempted to book one of the Alaska sailings. Sure, they don't go to Glacier, but it's a nice change from the Mexican Riviera/Caribbean. I can get a 10-day from San Francisco for $2500 for 4 in an extended balcony and no flights would be involved and since we would drive our Tesla to the bay, my transport costs would be minimal! SO tempted. Alaska wasn't high on our list but for those prices....if we like it that much we can always book the better itineraries in the future. 

[JT1962]

Definitely book the trip. I booked on Splendor for May 2 at a great solo rate. It’s not as good an itinerary & port times as my 2 previous Alaska sailings (one-way on Princess & Royal Caribbean), but it is still a cruise & still Alaska. I would be happy taking the ferry through Alaska, just for the scenery. Being on a cruise ship with meals included is even better.
 

Tracy Arm Fjord is definitely worth seeing and I recommend the small boat excursion there. 

[csm5986142]

On 4/11/2022 at 8:01 AM, JMKreno said:

We are tempted to book one of the Alaska sailings. Sure, they don't go to Glacier, but it's a nice change from the Mexican Riviera/Caribbean. I can get a 10-day from San Francisco for $2500 for 4 in an extended balcony and no flights would be involved and since we would drive our Tesla to the bay, my transport costs would be minimal! SO tempted. Alaska wasn't high on our list but for those prices....if we like it that much we can always book the better itineraries in the future. 

 

I totally agree - We've done the Alaska itenerary a few times, and although we prefer Carnival, we had to go with another line in order to get Glacier Bay (it is a must see).  I would definitely book this one, and if you like it, do another with Glacier Bay included in the future (but this is the one port we can drive to, so that probably influences my decision).

[SDPadreFan]

We booked the Alaska 10 night out of San Francisco for Jun 20. Reasoning vs. a Seattle departure. We live in San Diego and can drive to San Francisco the day before departure. Spend the night in a hotel (stay/park/cruise) near the airport for about $300 and Uber to the ship in the morning. That's a whole lot less than airfare for two (> $1000) San Diego to Seattle plus we get a couple more days (sea days) on the ship. The cruise was cheap and we even scored a bowling alley balcony on the Miracle (cabin 7258). Used funds from a covid canceled 7 night Spa Balcony on Magic. Even after paying for the 10 night cruise - we still had $433 left from the canceled cruise plus the $600 bonus OBC. So $1033 OBC payed for our excursions in Juneau and Skagway plus our daily gratuities. Happy camper here. Our first Alaska cruise but planning on doing Princess or HAL Alaska cruise sometime in the future. Then we can do a B2B (Vancouver to Anchorage to Vancouver or similar itinerary) if we want. If airfare remains high, I can even see driving to Vancouver - just add a 3rd week and make it a road trip/B2B cruise.