Best way to visit Alaska on a budget

[Lumidapri]

We are planning a trip to Alaska for 2023; Currently there is a plan to take a cruise that starts in Vancouver or Seattle and ends in Anchorage (or vice versa). After that we'll see if we can find some vrbo lodging and take a tour flight over Denali, since the park only allows for the first 43 miles or so instead of 90( and we want to see the Denali peak as close as possible).

So far we found that Princess cruises offer that option for a decent price for July 2023 (4 per cabin where 3 & 4 only pay port fees).

First question we have is: Is Grand Princess or Saphire Princess cruise a safe bet?

Second question is would you recommend a different cruise line instead of Princess for Alaska? We like the option to start or end in Anchorage, so that we can visit Denali. I already checked Viking Cruises, but they have prohibitive costs.

And last question: Besides seeing the glaciers and the Denali, is there another natural attraction that we should not miss (or must include in our trip)?

Thank you 

 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Lumidapri

[Cbtours]

21 minutes ago, Lumidapri said:

We are planning a trip to Alaska for 2023; Currently there is a plan to take a cruise that starts in Vancouver or Seattle and ends in Anchorage (or vice versa). After that we'll see if we can find some vrbo lodging and take a tour flight over Denali, since the park only allows for the first 43 miles or so instead of 90( and we want to see the Denali peak as close as possible).

So far we found that Princess cruises offer that option for a decent price for July 2023 (4 per cabin where 3 & 4 only pay port fees).

First question we have is: Is Grand Princess or Saphire Princess cruise a safe bet?

Second question is would you recommend a different cruise line instead of Princess for Alaska? We like the option to start or end in Anchorage, so that we can visit Denali. I already checked Viking Cruises, but they have prohibitive costs.

And last question: Besides seeing the glaciers and the Denali, is there another natural attraction that we should not miss (or must include in our trip)?

Thank you 

 

Following with interest as we planning our bucket list trip for June 2023 and have started all the research.

 

I have read it’s better to start at anchorage end instead of Vancouver as much more complicated with both USA and Canada to clear, but I have know idea about that yet. (We are coming from Australia). 

looking forward to reading this topic.

[CruiserBruce]

OK, first rule. Any one way cruise must start or end in Vancouver. You can't do a one way Alaska cruise out of Seattle. So you are looking at Vancouver-Seward or Whittier, or vice versa.

[harryfat1]

4 hours ago, Lumidapri said:

We are planning a trip to Alaska for 2023; Currently there is a plan to take a cruise that starts in Vancouver or Seattle and ends in Anchorage (or vice versa). After that we'll see if we can find some vrbo lodging and take a tour flight over Denali, since the park only allows for the first 43 miles or so instead of 90( and we want to see the Denali peak as close as possible).

So far we found that Princess cruises offer that option for a decent price for July 2023 (4 per cabin where 3 & 4 only pay port fees).

First question we have is: Is Grand Princess or Saphire Princess cruise a safe bet?

Second question is would you recommend a different cruise line instead of Princess for Alaska? We like the option to start or end in Anchorage, so that we can visit Denali. I already checked Viking Cruises, but they have prohibitive costs.

And last question: Besides seeing the glaciers and the Denali, is there another natural attraction that we should not miss (or must include in our trip)?

Thank you 

 

First of all, welcome to Cruise Critic as I see this is your very first post.

 

Here is the 2023 Alaska port schedule.  If you are interested in one way sailings that starts/end in Whittier/Seward, take a look to see a list of ships.

 

https://claalaska.com/?page_id=1250

 

Princess/HAL/NCL have the largest number of ships that does the one way sailing.  The more popular route nowadays are the roundtrip Seattle but they don't go where you want to go.

 

Not sure what you meant by Grand/Sapphire Princess being "safe bet"?

 

Hard to recommend any cruise line/ship as I don't know your preferences.  You would need to go to each cruise line's boards to read some reviews to see if what the cruise ship has to offer fits what you like to do. There are tons of YouTube videos out there on every cruise ship going to Alaska so you can get a feel of the ship.

 

Many folks on these Alaska boards will recommend an itinerary that covers at least 2 of the 3 big name glacier places (Hubbard/Glacier Bay/College Fjord) that you might see, depending if you sail north or southward.

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, Lumidapri said:

We are planning a trip to Alaska for 2023; Currently there is a plan to take a cruise that starts in Vancouver or Seattle and ends in Anchorage (or vice versa). After that we'll see if we can find some vrbo lodging and take a tour flight over Denali, since the park only allows for the first 43 miles or so instead of 90( and we want to see the Denali peak as close as possible).

So far we found that Princess cruises offer that option for a decent price for July 2023 (4 per cabin where 3 & 4 only pay port fees).

First question we have is: Is Grand Princess or Saphire Princess cruise a safe bet?

Second question is would you recommend a different cruise line instead of Princess for Alaska? We like the option to start or end in Anchorage, so that we can visit Denali. I already checked Viking Cruises, but they have prohibitive costs.

And last question: Besides seeing the glaciers and the Denali, is there another natural attraction that we should not miss (or must include in our trip)?

Thank you 

 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

A couple of points to consider:

 - If taking a 1-way cruise, regardless if N'bd or S'bd, it must start/end in Vancouver. US Cabotage Laws do not permit foreign flag ships carrying pax between 2 US ports.

 - N'bd or S'bd has a number of factors to consider. One of the most scenic areas is the sheltered waters between Vancouver Island and the Mainland. N'bd this area is transited at night, while S'bd it is during the last day. Also check the itinerary, as Princess used to visit Prince William Sound/College Glacier N'bd, but not S'bd. College fjord is spectacular.

- While we will never sail with Princess again, between them and HAL, they are probably the best mainstream cruise lines in Alaska.

 - Grand v's Sapphire - both are the same class of ship, actually the best class of ship Princess have ever built. Grand was the first of the class. Sapphire was 1 of the 2 ships built in Japan, which are significantly better built than the Italian ships. If the itinerary is equal, I would opt for Sapphire.

 

With respect to Viking, who are now our preferred cruise line, after both working for and cruising with Princess for 40 yrs. The Viking cruises are 10-days, as compared to Princess 7-days. Viking also include much more than Princess and have a significantly higher standard of onboard service.

 

Our 2020 Viking World Cruise was almost double the cost of our 2015 Princess World Cruise, but at the end, the total daily cost was virtually identical. The will not apply to everyone, as it depends on how many extra cost items you use on Princess. Viking also include a shore-ex in every port.

[Coral]

I think Princess does a good job in Alaska. I would choose the Sapphire over the Grand but would sail either ship.

 

I really like the book Alaska by Cruise ship by Anne Vipond. I would spend some time reading about Alaska. 

[tetleytea]

I'm a bit confused, since the OP title "visit Alaska on a budget" doesn't jibe with "take a tour flight over Denali".    When I flew Denali from Talkeetna and landed on Ruth Glacier, I used a Toursaver coupon, which singlehandedly paid for the whole book.  But gas wasn't $4 a gallon at the time, either.

 

[GTJ]

On 8/22/2022 at 8:53 PM, harryfat1 said:

Princess/HAL/NCL have the largest number of ships that does the one way sailing.

Actually, Royal Caribbean International (including its corporate subsidiary Celebrity Cruises) and Silversea Cruises, each of which provides weekly service, have twice as many sailings as NCL, which operates only every other week.

 

On 8/22/2022 at 10:06 PM, Heidi13 said:

With respect to Viking, who are now our preferred cruise line, after both working for and cruising with Princess for 40 yrs. The Viking cruises are 10-days, as compared to Princess 7-days. Viking also include much more than Princess and have a significantly higher standard of onboard service.

While I can speak only from reputation and not first-hand experience, I would second the recommendation for Viking Ocean Cruises as a carrier providing mainstream cruises, operating independently from all the others. Part of that independence includes the 20-night cycle (10 nights in each direction) compared to the 14-night cycle of all the other lines. It gives a more thorough experience, of course, but it does not depart and arrive at its terminus ports consistently on the same day of the week (perhaps Viking might consider a 21-night cycle?!). It is, however, a more expensive mainstream cruise line, so it might not be consistent if a budget is truly of importance.

 

1 hour ago, tetleytea said:

I'm a bit confused, since the OP title "visit Alaska on a budget" doesn't jibe with "take a tour flight over Denali".

I have similar confusion as well. I first thought that the interest would be for regular line service provided by bus companies in Alaska as a means to economize (compared to the more expensive rail services), so travel by airplane struck me as an unusual plan. For the cruise vessel itself, I would ordinarily expect that NCL would be less expensive than either Princess Cruises or Holland America Line (both are effectively the same as corporate subsidiaries of Carnival Corp. and plc and promote many joint projects), though with the ever-changing deals among the several competitors it would not surprise me that Princess/HAL could come in to be least expensive.

[PACD_JG]

1 hour ago, tetleytea said:

I'm a bit confused, since the OP title "visit Alaska on a budget" doesn't jibe with "take a tour flight over Denali".    When I flew Denali from Talkeetna and landed on Ruth Glacier, I used a Toursaver coupon, which singlehandedly paid for the whole book.  But gas wasn't $4 a gallon at the time, either.

 

Not to mention considering Viking!  I guess an unlimited budget is still a budget...

[Lumidapri]

On 8/26/2022 at 12:10 PM, tetleytea said:

I'm a bit confused, since the OP title "visit Alaska on a budget" doesn't jibe with "take a tour flight over Denali".    When I flew Denali from Talkeetna and landed on Ruth Glacier, I used a Toursaver coupon, which singlehandedly paid for the whole book.  But gas wasn't $4 a gallon at the time, either.

 

I can see how that can be confusing. It is our understanding that the biggest land attraction in Alaska is the Denali/Mt McKinley (besides the glaciers). If the road is damaged and we can only travel by bus to mile(or km) 43 instead of 8x, it means we would see the mountain/peak from tens of miles. The bus tour costs $128 or so. So we would pay that, plus spend a lot of time in the bus and won't even be guaranteed to see the mountain, never-mind up-close. If we book a flight over the mountain, we can cancel the same day if weather is bad( and reschedule for next day, until weather is good), we get to see it up close, and get to land on the glacier. And we still have time left in the day. Yes, it is 3 times the cost, but at least we get to actually see what we came to see. And if we still want to see the park, we can then use our rental and travel to mile/km 12.

Edited August 29, 2022 by Lumidapri

[Lumidapri]

On 8/26/2022 at 2:01 PM, PACD_JG said:

Not to mention considering Viking!  I guess an unlimited budget is still a budget...

Checking Viking's prices doesn't mean "considering". We checked everyone's prices; looking for the best deal overall. We've never been on a cruise, don't know anything about cruises and cruise lines. So yeah, we checked Viking's prices too.... and said "no, thank you" once we saw the cost.

[Heidi13]

On 8/26/2022 at 2:01 PM, PACD_JG said:

Not to mention considering Viking!  I guess an unlimited budget is still a budget...

 

When considering Viking, the budget process is significantly simpler than a mainstream cruise line.

 

Having completed both Viking and mainstream cruises, although the base fare with Viking is considerably more expensive, by the end of the day, the total cost per day was virtually identical. I note, this will not work for everyone, as if you cruise mainstream, but spend minimal on board, you do not balance out the cost.

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Lumidapri said:

Checking Viking's prices doesn't mean "considering". We checked everyone's prices; looking for the best deal overall. We've never been on a cruise, don't know anything about cruises and cruise lines. So yeah, we checked Viking's prices too.... and said "no, thank you" once we saw the cost.

 

Since you are new to cruising, may i suggest that comparing base prices does not provide a reasonable expectation of the total cruise cost. When comparing cruise lines, it is critical to compare all the additional costs, both fixed and optional:

 

Some points to research, include:

 - Port fees & taxes included?

 - Are transfers to/from the port included, if not, what cost

 - Gratuities included ?

 - Internet included, if not, what cost

 - Drinks included, if not what costs and do they tack on 18% gratuity

 - Laundry - do they include self service machines, are they complimentary and do they provide the soap liquid. If not, what cost.

 - Do they provide bottles of water, if not, what cost

 - Do they provide filtered still/sparkling water, if not, what cost

 - Do they provide any included shore-ex

 - Comparison of shore-ex costs

 - Are alternative restaurants included, if not, what cost

 - Cost of photographs

 - Is room service 24/7 and included, if not, what cost

 - Do they provide extensive TV programs and films on the cabin TV,  is it included, if not what cost

 

The luxury/premium cruise lines include, most if not all of the above, so if you plan to use most of those the bases fare difference is quickly eroded.

 

[nini]

** We will be boarding the Grand Princess in about two weeks. This is a 12 night itinerary and we booked it because we will be visiting 2 new glaciers and 3 new ports that we have not seen before. The Grand and Sapphire are older ships, however, and may depart from Vancouver, BC. We have departed from both ports.

** This will be our 5th Alaska cruise.

**Viking is not the only cruise line that offers more than a 7 night Alaska itinerary. Viking also does not permit guests under age 18 (you mentioned there may be 3 or 4 in your party)

** As you have mentioned "budget" in your title, a flight over Denali is not what I would consider budget friendly.

** We have very much enjoyed the guest commentators on the Princess ships as we enter and enjoy a fjord or glacier.

**VRBO in Alaska is not necessarily for the "budget minded", however, you may have already done that research.

** It appears that Denali is really important to you. May I suggest a separate/ additional trip to Alaska where you stay in a vacation rental as a home base and explore Denali and so many other beautiful places? Anchorage is a good home base.

[pdmlynek]

I agree with @tetleytea: your headline does not match the text of your query.  On one hand you are asking to visit Alaska on a budget, and on the other hand you want to spend money on flights over Denali.  🙂 

 

Look, if you are on a budget, then don't bother going all the way to Denali.  There are plenty of beautiful things to see between Seward (or Whittier) and Anchorage.  I'd recommend exploring the  Kenai Peninsula. This peninsula is, with a size of West Virginia or Ireland, is gorgeous.  Many lakes, mountains, glaciers to explore and enjoy.  Try to experience the bore tide (not unique to Turnagain Arm, but is rare and noteworthy).

 

Obviously, using VRBO if you are on a budget is silly.  Do what we did after our cruise: camp.  Bring your sleeping bags, tents, and other camping gear with you and enjoy the beautiful Alaskan outdoors.  

[tetleytea]

On 8/28/2022 at 8:13 PM, Lumidapri said:

I can see how that can be confusing. It is our understanding that the biggest land attraction in Alaska is the Denali/Mt McKinley (besides the glaciers). If the road is damaged and we can only travel by bus to mile(or km) 43 instead of 8x, it means we would see the mountain/peak from tens of miles. The bus tour costs $128 or so. So we would pay that, plus spend a lot of time in the bus and won't even be guaranteed to see the mountain, never-mind up-close. If we book a flight over the mountain, we can cancel the same day if weather is bad( and reschedule for next day, until weather is good), we get to see it up close, and get to land on the glacier. And we still have time left in the day. Yes, it is 3 times the cost, but at least we get to actually see what we came to see. And if we still want to see the park, we can then use our rental and travel to mile/km 12.

The bus trips are usually all-day, whereas the flight is over in 90 minutes.   While the flight is good, you still have the rest of the day to plan (and pay) for.  Fortunately, you can:. the flights are not really from out of Denali--they are out of Talkeetna.  Talkeetna has its own small set of stuff to do.  Museums, rafting, $20 individual pizzas.... 

[Lumidapri]

On 8/28/2022 at 9:03 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

Since you are new to cruising, may i suggest that comparing base prices does not provide a reasonable expectation of the total cruise cost. When comparing cruise lines, it is critical to compare all the additional costs, both fixed and optional:

 

Some points to research, include:

 - Port fees & taxes included?

 - Are transfers to/from the port included, if not, what cost

 - Gratuities included ?

 - Internet included, if not, what cost

 - Drinks included, if not what costs and do they tack on 18% gratuity

 - Laundry - do they include self service machines, are they complimentary and do they provide the soap liquid. If not, what cost.

 - Do they provide bottles of water, if not, what cost

 - Do they provide filtered still/sparkling water, if not, what cost

 - Do they provide any included shore-ex

 - Comparison of shore-ex costs

 - Are alternative restaurants included, if not, what cost

 - Cost of photographs

 - Is room service 24/7 and included, if not, what cost

 - Do they provide extensive TV programs and films on the cabin TV,  is it included, if not what cost

 

The luxury/premium cruise lines include, most if not all of the above, so if you plan to use most of those the bases fare difference is quickly eroded.

 

Of course you may suggest it; I'm doing my best efforts to consider those.

[Lumidapri]

So far we find the Princess Cruises Majestic prices to be the best overall even when including the Premier Pass; since they offer the 3 and 4th free plus port fees. The only shore-ex that is tempting to us is the Skagway Railroad. Once we arrive in Whittier we are planning to rent a car from Anchorage and VRBO a cabin around Palmer/Wasila for a few days. We will then visit Denali, Seward, maybe consider the 26 glacier from Whittier. Not sure if Kenai peninsula has anything that is a must. And this is a secondary goal of this post: since it is our first time in Alaska, we are trying to see everything that is a "must". So far my understanding is that people visit Alaska for the glaciers and to see McKinley/Denali. I read in a forum that even if you take a cruise that does College Fjords, it is still highly recommended to do the 26 glacier tour; can someone confirm it? Also, can we get some other recommendations as to what to see/do while in Alaska? We are looking for a "must do" list, not possibilities, if that makes any sense. Thank you 

[Lumidapri]

14 hours ago, pdmlynek said:

I agree with @tetleytea: your headline does not match the text of your query.  On one hand you are asking to visit Alaska on a budget, and on the other hand you want to spend money on flights over Denali.  🙂 

 

Look, if you are on a budget, then don't bother going all the way to Denali.  There are plenty of beautiful things to see between Seward (or Whittier) and Anchorage.  I'd recommend exploring the  Kenai Peninsula. This peninsula is, with a size of West Virginia or Ireland, is gorgeous.  Many lakes, mountains, glaciers to explore and enjoy.  Try to experience the bore tide (not unique to Turnagain Arm, but is rare and noteworthy).

 

Obviously, using VRBO if you are on a budget is silly.  Do what we did after our cruise: camp.  Bring your sleeping bags, tents, and other camping gear with you and enjoy the beautiful Alaskan outdoors.  

 

On 8/29/2022 at 11:26 AM, nini said:

** We will be boarding the Grand Princess in about two weeks. This is a 12 night itinerary and we booked it because we will be visiting 2 new glaciers and 3 new ports that we have not seen before. The Grand and Sapphire are older ships, however, and may depart from Vancouver, BC. We have departed from both ports.

** This will be our 5th Alaska cruise.

**Viking is not the only cruise line that offers more than a 7 night Alaska itinerary. Viking also does not permit guests under age 18 (you mentioned there may be 3 or 4 in your party)

** As you have mentioned "budget" in your title, a flight over Denali is not what I would consider budget friendly.

** We have very much enjoyed the guest commentators on the Princess ships as we enter and enjoy a fjord or glacier.

**VRBO in Alaska is not necessarily for the "budget minded", however, you may have already done that research.

** It appears that Denali is really important to you. May I suggest a separate/ additional trip to Alaska where you stay in a vacation rental as a home base and explore Denali and so many other beautiful places? Anchorage is a good home base.

 

On 8/28/2022 at 8:49 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

When considering Viking, the budget process is significantly simpler than a mainstream cruise line.

 

Having completed both Viking and mainstream cruises, although the base fare with Viking is considerably more expensive, by the end of the day, the total cost per day was virtually identical. I note, this will not work for everyone, as if you cruise mainstream, but spend minimal on board, you do not balance out the cost.

 

On 8/26/2022 at 1:57 PM, GTJ said:

Actually, Royal Caribbean International (including its corporate subsidiary Celebrity Cruises) and Silversea Cruises, each of which provides weekly service, have twice as many sailings as NCL, which operates only every other week.

 

While I can speak only from reputation and not first-hand experience, I would second the recommendation for Viking Ocean Cruises as a carrier providing mainstream cruises, operating independently from all the others. Part of that independence includes the 20-night cycle (10 nights in each direction) compared to the 14-night cycle of all the other lines. It gives a more thorough experience, of course, but it does not depart and arrive at its terminus ports consistently on the same day of the week (perhaps Viking might consider a 21-night cycle?!). It is, however, a more expensive mainstream cruise line, so it might not be consistent if a budget is truly of importance.

 

I have similar confusion as well. I first thought that the interest would be for regular line service provided by bus companies in Alaska as a means to economize (compared to the more expensive rail services), so travel by airplane struck me as an unusual plan. For the cruise vessel itself, I would ordinarily expect that NCL would be less expensive than either Princess Cruises or Holland America Line (both are effectively the same as corporate subsidiaries of Carnival Corp. and plc and promote many joint projects), though with the ever-changing deals among the several competitors it would not surprise me that Princess/HAL could come in to be least expensive.

English is not my first language, maybe budget is not the best term used here; maybe I meant we cannot afford a luxury cruise; we are cruising 4 in a cabin. I think we got an excellent deal with paying less than $4500 for all 4, it will include Princess Premier for first two passengers; and it is not an inside cabin.

I'm not sure what is the best way to see McKinley up close, but traveling in Denali park only to mile 43 does not seem the right way to me. I heard that only a small number of people get to see the peak due to the ever-changing weather. We will enjoy driving ourselves to mile 12 and visit the park, but I think the only viable option to actually see the peak is to fly there from Talkeetna. They are saying that you can refuse to fly if the weather is not optimal, so there is no risk of loosing the money.

[GTJ]

1 hour ago, Lumidapri said:

English is not my first language, maybe budget is not the best term used here

The word you might have been searching for is "value." That is, getting as much bang for the buck as you can, not necessarily seeking the lowest price for a holiday.

[GTJ]

On 8/29/2022 at 12:03 AM, Heidi13 said:

Since you are new to cruising, may i suggest that comparing base prices does not provide a reasonable expectation of the total cruise cost. When comparing cruise lines, it is critical to compare all the additional costs, both fixed and optional:

An excellent list of factors to consider, so that one might be able to compare apples with apples, and not with oranges. What i would say about Viking--and with several other "luxury" brands as well--is that the service is inclusive, so that if one is ordinarily inclined to add in all the extras for which the other lines charge separately, then Viking may provide good value. On the other hand, if one does not typically add in many extras (e.g., use of independent shore excursions, no internet, no drinks), then Viking may not be a good value because it effectively requires the purchase of additional services not desired (notwithstanding their benefits and good presentation). For us, the invoice at the end of a cruise typically includes mandatory gratuities (an oxymoron!) and nothing else, so it is unlikely we would find much value with Viking . . . but for others the inclusiveness and quality of services provided makes it a great value.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

For us, the invoice at the end of a cruise typically includes mandatory gratuities (an oxymoron!) and nothing else, so it is unlikely we would find much value with Viking . . . 

Regardless what line you sail, I would factor in the recommended cost of gratuities as part of the cost of cruising. They are often spread out amongst staff that work hard that you may not encounter on a daily basis (they work behind the scenes to support those you see every day).

[harryfat1]

8 hours ago, Coral said:

Regardless what line you sail, I would factor in the recommended cost of gratuities as part of the cost of cruising. They are often spread out amongst staff that work hard that you may not encounter on a daily basis (they work behind the scenes to support those you see every day).

 

I believe on post #19, OP said they are on the Princess Premier Package which is pretty inclusive with drinks/Wi-Fi/staff tips/specialty dining/photo package so that's pretty much "out the door" price for OP as they can walk off the ship with zero balance.  Unless they do ship based excursion but that defeats the purpose of visiting Alaska on a budget.

 

Think the focus now is pre or post cruise as the cruise part seems pretty much settled.

[donaldsc]

13 hours ago, Lumidapri said:

 

 

 

English is not my first language, maybe budget is not the best term used here; maybe I meant we cannot afford a luxury cruise; we are cruising 4 in a cabin. I think we got an excellent deal with paying less than $4500 for all 4, it will include Princess Premier for first two passengers; and it is not an inside cabin.

I'm not sure what is the best way to see McKinley up close, but traveling in Denali park only to mile 43 does not seem the right way to me. I heard that only a small number of people get to see the peak due to the ever-changing weather. We will enjoy driving ourselves to mile 12 and visit the park, but I think the only viable option to actually see the peak is to fly there from Talkeetna. They are saying that you can refuse to fly if the weather is not optimal, so there is no risk of loosing the money.

 

You don't actually have to go into Denali to see Mt Denali (BTW - the name for the mountain is now Mt Denali and not Mt McKinley).  There are good viewpoints on the Parks Highway.  Check them out on the WEB.

 

DON

[Coral]

8 hours ago, harryfat1 said:

 

I believe on post #19, OP said they are on the Princess Premier Package which is pretty inclusive with drinks/Wi-Fi/staff tips/specialty dining/photo package so that's pretty much "out the door" price for OP as they can walk off the ship with zero balance.  Unless they do ship based excursion but that defeats the purpose of visiting Alaska on a budget.

 

Think the focus now is pre or post cruise as the cruise part seems pretty much settled.

You are right - I thought they were referring to Viking.