Budget for excursions?

[Luv 2 viajar]

We are scheduling our first cruise ever and we have decided on Alaska (prob. on Princess) sailing RT from Seattle in May. It will be myself, DH, DD (15 mos. at time of Cruise) along with MIL & FIL. I am trying to put all the pieces together (type of room, excursions, etc.) and I don't know what I should budget for excursions. I know that we will be somewhat limited because we will have our DD with us but does anyone have a recommendation? For those seasoned cruisers out there, do you set an excursion budget for yourselves ahead of time? Ultimately the budget we set aside for excursions will probably affect the class of room that we book. Thanks for any help!

[NancyIL]

Paid excursions in Alaska can range from a $3 roundtrip bus ride to Totem Bight in Ketchikan to $500+ for glacier dog sled flights. For our first Alaska trip last June, the cruise + land trip lasted 18 days, so I economized where I could. I booked the least expensive inside cabin on the Coral Princess, and later upgraded to an obstructed oceanview cabin for less than the cost of the inside cabin when prices dropped. Rather than set a budget for excursions, I looked at what was available and booked what I wanted to do. We did a $219/pp Misty Fjords flight in Ketchikan, $97/pp whale watching and a $12/pp roundtrip shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, and took the $165/pp rail/bus excursion to the Yukon with Chilkoot Charters in Skagway.

[MercedMike]

As the previous poster said, the price depends on what you want to do. Check out our page in the sig below, and you will see several trip reports with lots of excursions, ship's and independent, covered.

 

Helicopters and flightseeing can range from $350 to $500 per person. Wildlife cruises are usually $70 to $100 pp. Trolley or bus trips around town might run $30 to $50. The shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau is $12 pp. So what do you want to do? Budget accordingly.

 

Probably the best bargain in Alaska is to rent a car in Skagway and follow http://www.***** into the Yukon, to Emerald Lake and Caribou Crossing. You can also get a dog cart ride at Caribou Crossing for much less than in the port.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Luv 2 viajar]

Thi is unrelated but since it was brought up here:

Paid excursions in Alaska can range from a $3 roundtrip bus ride to Totem Bight in Ketchikan to $500+ for glacier dog sled flights. For our first Alaska trip last June, the cruise + land trip lasted 18 days, so I economized where I could. I booked the least expensive inside cabin on the Coral Princess, and later upgraded to an obstructed oceanview cabin for less than the cost of the inside cabin when prices dropped.

 

I have read the "when the prices dropped" comment a few times. :confused: We are first time cruisers, can someone explain this to me? If you purchase through a TA would they let us know?

[NancyIL]

Thi is unrelated but since it was brought up here:

 

 

I have read the "when the prices dropped" comment a few times. :confused: We are first time cruisers, can someone explain this to me? If you purchase through a TA would they let us know?

 

I was watching prices on the web site of the travel agency where I booked our cruise, and I saw that prices had gone down. You usually have to do your own homework and watch prices, because most TA's don't have the time to do that for you.

[GMoney]

More than any other destination, you absolutely need to plan and budget for excursions, so it's a great question on your part. For my cruise, I decided to go all out and do exactly what I wanted to do - 1) because I cruised during the shoulder season and got a great crusie fare, and 2) because I just didn't know when I would get back to AK and wanted to make the most of my trip.

 

Do some research on what you want to do in port, set a budget, and make some hard choices. If it were me, I would scrimp and save on the cruise cabin to put more $ toward excursions. It just depends on what's most important to you.

 

Either way, you will love Alaska and have a great time.

[MercedMike]

Thi is unrelated but since it was brought up here:

 

 

I have read the "when the prices dropped" comment a few times. :confused: We are first time cruisers, can someone explain this to me? If you purchase through a TA would they let us know?

 

That should read IF the prices drop. Cruise pricing is very strange. Sometimes prices drop, sometimes they go up. Sometimes you will get a free "upgrade," sometimes not.

 

If you want a particular cabin in a particular location, book early and have the TA mark NO UPGRADE.

 

If you are not particular about location, a very wise idea is to book early on a "guarantee." Your TA will explain this in detail, but basically it means you get AT LEAST the category you booked. If the ship is undersold, they like to drop the prices on the lower category cabins, and in order to open them up, they will bump you up a few categories.

 

The other choice is to wait and watch, and IF prices go down, you can jump in and book when you think they have hit their low. This takes a lot of research on your part.

 

Which is the best strategy? All three have their advocates on this board. Personally we usually book early on a guarantee.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[qiangf2]

I will always put aside a certain budget. With so many options offered in Alaska, the wallet will deflate very fast if not watching carefully. :) Another inexpensive self-guided tour is to rent a car from Rent-a-Wreck in Juneau. It costs about $100 and gives you the freedom to go to many places.

[Budget Queen]

Thi is unrelated but since it was brought up here:

 

 

I have read the "when the prices dropped" comment a few times. :confused: We are first time cruisers, can someone explain this to me? If you purchase through a TA would they let us know?

 

ALWAYS keep track of pricing yourself. Don't rely on a TA. When you see a drop- compare via several cruise discounter sites, immediately contact your booking agent and request the price adjustment. If you truely want savings, be willing to cancel and rebook. This has to be outside of final payment. But be especially agressive in your looking, a couple weeks prior to final payment, this is when all the unbooked space returns and cancelations happen.

[Budget Queen]

 

Helicopters and flightseeing can range from $350 to $500 per person. !

 

 

There are plenty of flightseeing tours in the $200 range.

[Budget Queen]

We are scheduling our first cruise ever and we have decided on Alaska (prob. on Princess) sailing RT from Seattle in May. It will be myself, DH, DD (15 mos. at time of Cruise) along with MIL & FIL. I am trying to put all the pieces together (type of room, excursions, etc.) and I don't know what I should budget for excursions. I know that we will be somewhat limited because we will have our DD with us but does anyone have a recommendation? For those seasoned cruisers out there, do you set an excursion budget for yourselves ahead of time? Ultimately the budget we set aside for excursions will probably affect the class of room that we book. Thanks for any help!

 

Be aware with your Princess selection of round trip Seattle and going in May, is not likely to have any glacier viewing from your ship, in Tracy Arm. So you may also need to consider a glacier type tour, if this is of interest for you to see them???

 

A superior selection would be the NCL Pearl, or one of the HAL ships sailing from Seattle and going to Glacier Bay, if you want to view glaciers.