Rare maxandmolly Posted July 11 Author #26 Share Posted July 11 We’re in an interior. Only way we can cruise. I had a junior suite once but didn’t use the balcony at all. I doubt I would even on an Alaska cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kctwinmommy Posted July 11 #27 Share Posted July 11 Oh we used our balcony every night on our Alaska cruise! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pe4all Posted July 11 #28 Share Posted July 11 (edited) 7 hours ago, kctwinmommy said: Oh we used our balcony every night on our Alaska cruise! So did we! Sat on our balcony with hot chocolate and balcony door cracked open, listening to the naturalist when they were on! Or just hung out admiring the scenery. Edited July 11 by pe4all 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHARTWICK Posted July 11 #29 Share Posted July 11 16 hours ago, nwcruiselover said: I agree with all the above posters who say don’t skimp on Alaska. I have been to Alaska 9 times already, so I now opt for simpler outings at the ports, but for those who are doing a once in a lifetime cruise, just save a little longer if need be, to do it right. If it means sailing in an interior cabin to free up funds for excursions, do it. You can always get outside on the open decks for your sightseeing while on the ship. Enjoy Alaska—it’s amazing! Excellent advice! I think we've sailed in an inside cabin on all of our AK cruises, and don't regret it at all. In fact, we've often talked to other cruisers who were in balcony cabins and they would say they hardly used their balcony - they came up on deck instead LOL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moviegal Posted July 11 #30 Share Posted July 11 It's high tourist season in Alaska so pretty much all tours are expensive. We tried to rent a COMPACT car in Skagway last July and Avis was charging $687 for the day!! We were like, "no thanks!" Even if you look at non-excursion local tours, they're almost always just as expensive (or close to it). We tend to look up walking tours and do our own thing, exploring local foodie places, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Saint Greg Posted July 11 #31 Share Posted July 11 (edited) On 7/8/2024 at 7:31 PM, maxandmolly said: I’m currently booked in the NCL Bliss for April ‘25 but will be switching to the Spirit. I’ve started looking at the excursions and they are so expensive! Very few under $100 and none of the cheap ones look appealing. We could easily spend more than the cruise fare in excursions. Why are they so expensive, and which ones are worth it? Is it better to try to go private? You want to do the train in Skagway. In Juneau you can do Mendenhall Glacier pretty cheap by buying a glacier bus ticket off of the ship. It was $50 when I did it. Icy Strait Point is where I did whale watching. The boats leave right from the ship pier. Ketchikan the eagles and totems excursion I did was pretty affordable. The lumberjack thing I think is on the cheaper side and right where the Carnival ships dock. One of the best excursions is Neets Bay Bear Search. That's on the expensive side though. Glacier explorers are expensive but worth it since there's a good chance your ship won't be able to get near the glacier. You can read my stuff at the link below. I'm going back for a third time next month with all new excursions. There's going to be a lot in that one. I like to take advantage of NCL's $50 off excursions. I'm doing three excursions in Skagway alone. I'll have a live on the NCL board with that in a month. https://www.saintgregtravel.com/category/port-of-call/alaska/ Edited July 11 by Saint Greg 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare maxandmolly Posted July 11 Author #32 Share Posted July 11 1 hour ago, Saint Greg said: You want to do the train in Skagway. In Juneau you can do Mendenhall Glacier pretty cheap by buying a glacier bus ticket off of the ship. It was $50 when I did it. Icy Strait Point is where I did whale watching. The boats leave right from the ship pier. Ketchikan the eagles and totems excursion I did was pretty affordable. The lumberjack thing I think is on the cheaper side and right where the Carnival ships dock. One of the best excursions is Neets Bay Bear Search. That's on the expensive side though. Glacier explorers are expensive but worth it since there's a good chance your ship won't be able to get near the glacier. You can read my stuff at the link below. I'm going back for a third time next month with all new excursions. There's going to be a lot in that one. I like to take advantage of NCL's $50 off excursions. I'm doing three excursions in Skagway alone. I'll have a live on the NCL board with that in a month. https://www.saintgregtravel.com/category/port-of-call/alaska/ Thanks St. Greg! I always look forward to your Lives. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdr69 Posted July 12 #33 Share Posted July 12 On 7/10/2024 at 7:21 PM, maxandmolly said: We’re in an interior. Only way we can cruise. I had a junior suite once but didn’t use the balcony at all. I doubt I would even on an Alaska cruise. I thought that way on our Alaska Cruise and opted for an Ocean View cabin. After trying to get a good view up on deck with the other 1500 people who thought that same thing i vowed our next trip to Alaska would be in a Balcony. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikayla73 Posted July 12 #34 Share Posted July 12 (edited) We were on the Spirit for our AK cruise. We had an OV, but spent the majority of our time on deck 3 outside. Far fewer people, closer to the water, and if you get too cool you can just step inside. Edited July 12 by mikayla73 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted July 12 #35 Share Posted July 12 On 7/8/2024 at 8:45 PM, kctwinmommy said: Yep! They're expensive because of where you're going. Nothing is easy or cheap in Alaska. Keep in mind, a lot of the places are more remote, supplies must be brought in, etc... We went into our cruise knowing we would spend more than ever before on excursions for that cruise. But we also knew that there were activities we wanted to do that we'd never do again, sort of once in a lifetime moments. As far as using 3rd party companies, I'm sure people will chime in on that. We did not. Any time we use an outside company, we take various things into consideration. For example, if you miss the ship (because the ship won't wait for you if you're not on a Carnival excursion), how easy is it to get to the next port? On our last cruise in the Mediterranean, the next port was like a 2 hour train ride in many places. But in Alaska, it's a challenge. All of our excursions were quite involved, using various modes of transportation, including a helicopter ride at Mendenhall Glacier, and I'd do that again in a heartbeat! We took small boats, canoes, ferry boats, etc... And all of that costs more than most other places. bingo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted July 12 #36 Share Posted July 12 2 hours ago, kdr69 said: I thought that way on our Alaska Cruise and opted for an Ocean View cabin. After trying to get a good view up on deck with the other 1500 people who thought that same thing i vowed our next trip to Alaska would be in a Balcony. smart guy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyxie Posted July 12 #37 Share Posted July 12 On 7/9/2024 at 5:04 PM, maxandmolly said: I think we will skip the lumberjack show. Not sure about the dog sled. We’re thinking whale watching in Juneau, one of the train excursions in Skagway, the small boat in Tracy Arm, and not sure in Ketchikan. If you want to do the Tracy Arm small boat excursion, book it now. It sells out fast. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare maxandmolly Posted July 12 Author #38 Share Posted July 12 59 minutes ago, Pyxie said: If you want to do the Tracy Arm small boat excursion, book it now. It sells out fast. Trying to get DH to take initiative. It’s a battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kctwinmommy Posted July 12 #39 Share Posted July 12 38 minutes ago, maxandmolly said: Trying to get DH to take initiative. It’s a battle. I wouldn't wait. You can always cancel it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare maxandmolly Posted July 12 Author #40 Share Posted July 12 18 minutes ago, kctwinmommy said: I wouldn't wait. You can always cancel it. We’re going to book today. Waiting for DH to get off work so he can call PVP. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQrobin Posted July 12 #41 Share Posted July 12 2 hours ago, maxandmolly said: We’re going to book today. Waiting for DH to get off work so he can call PVP. Do it yourself online. Carnival website is very easy to navigate. We always book everything ourselves. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare maxandmolly Posted July 12 Author #42 Share Posted July 12 1 minute ago, ABQrobin said: Do it yourself online. Carnival website is very easy to navigate. We always book everything ourselves. He wants to use the PVP. It’s not worth fighting over, so I’ll let him call when he gets off work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kctwinmommy Posted July 12 #43 Share Posted July 12 48 minutes ago, maxandmolly said: He wants to use the PVP. It’s not worth fighting over, so I’ll let him call when he gets off work. OK, although it doesn't have to be done that way. We've used a PVP for our cruise booking, but never for excursions. Not sure why he thinks that's a better way. Hopefully you guys can book it though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare maxandmolly Posted July 12 Author #44 Share Posted July 12 4 minutes ago, kctwinmommy said: OK, although it doesn't have to be done that way. We've used a PVP for our cruise booking, but never for excursions. Not sure why he thinks that's a better way. Hopefully you guys can book it though! We’re just booking the cruise through the PVP. The excursions will be on the website after we book. I think we have an idea of what to do in most ports. Small boat on Tracy Arm, whale watching in Juneau, the train in Skagway. Ketchikan is a question mark at the moment. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudechuck Posted July 12 #45 Share Posted July 12 21 minutes ago, maxandmolly said: We’re just booking the cruise through the PVP. The excursions will be on the website after we book. I think we have an idea of what to do in most ports. Small boat on Tracy Arm, whale watching in Juneau, the train in Skagway. Ketchikan is a question mark at the moment. We did the small boat at Tracy Arm, we rented a Jeep in Juneau, and also took the train in Skagway (round trip - some do one way and return by bus, with a stop do do something else along the way). We booked nothing in Ketchikan - just wandered around Creek Street and hit a few other places. Overall, I have no regrets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Saint Greg Posted July 12 #46 Share Posted July 12 38 minutes ago, maxandmolly said: We’re just booking the cruise through the PVP. The excursions will be on the website after we book. I think we have an idea of what to do in most ports. Small boat on Tracy Arm, whale watching in Juneau, the train in Skagway. Ketchikan is a question mark at the moment. As someone mentioned the Tracy Arm Glacier Explorer can sell out. I went through that a few times because I originally booked on Freedom, was switched to Splendor, then switched to a different week on Splendor. Every time that glacier explorer sold out. But then it would pop back up. Disappear again. Pop back up again. So if it's sold out, keep checking back. It also may be listed under the Seattle day on the website. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kctwinmommy Posted July 12 #47 Share Posted July 12 59 minutes ago, maxandmolly said: We’re just booking the cruise through the PVP. The excursions will be on the website after we book. I think we have an idea of what to do in most ports. Small boat on Tracy Arm, whale watching in Juneau, the train in Skagway. Ketchikan is a question mark at the moment. Gotcha!! I was confused about that. 😉 I can't help in Ketchikan, we didn't do an excursion. But we loved the Glacier Wilderness Safari in Skagway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare maxandmolly Posted July 12 Author #48 Share Posted July 12 We’re booked! June 3, 2025 on the Spirit. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted July 13 #49 Share Posted July 13 13 hours ago, maxandmolly said: We’re booked! June 3, 2025 on the Spirit. Enjoy your cruise! Let us know your thoughts when you return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pe4all Posted July 13 #50 Share Posted July 13 We did the Lumberjack show in Ketchikan, then just wandered the town. Keep an eye on jewelry if you are cruising the end of the season. Got a really great buy on a (multi-colored stone) ring and bracelet. I am not into jewelry - but this was so beautiful dh couldn't resist buying it for me. When we got home we priced it at 3x what we had paid. It was a very relaxing day - it was also 80 degrees, which made it even better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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