Alaska on a shoe string?

[cruisinbuzz]

Long story short...Booked a cruise w/o insurance (huge mistake, I know); husband was in an accident on 4/9...been out of work since.

We are going on the cruise as it is paid for. We just don't have a lot of money for excursions. This is our first cruise, and first time in Alaska.

We will be in Juneau, Skagway, And Ketchikan.

[Lois R]

Hi,:) you can do things on your own and there are some reasonably

priced excursions.

Example, in Ketchikan, you can walk around Creek Street

and/or do the Duck Tour. It is really reasonable in price~

I think its in the 30.00 per person range.

I have done it and its alot of fun:D.

 

Juneau, you could walk into town on your own. The Tram

up to Mt Roberts is quite reasonable in price. I think its

about 25.00 each.

 

Skagway...I did a fun tour through the cruiseline

called "Ghosts and Goodtime Girls" Historical walking tour.

It was 40.00 per person. It was really fun:)

 

I know many folks do the very expensive tours but please don't

feel like you are the only ones with a budget;)

I sailed to Alaska back in May 2006 and was on a limited

one as well....I still had a fabulous cruise:D

[PennyAgain]

Yes, you can do Alaska on a budget. I do!

 

I send best wishes to your husband for a complete recovery and return to work.

 

First things first: know what extras your ship charges for and avoid them!

 

Second: if you can do so, walk when in port or take a local bus or a cheap shuttle.

 

Third: don't buy the Mt. Roberts tram tickets until you are in Juneau and can access the situation (weather) for yourself. There is no savings buying these tickets on the ship.

 

Fourth: be honest with Alaskans. Don't be afraid to tell someone what your situation is. I swear that Alaskans understand the word BROKE. If you need to buy food when on shore, ask an Alaska where a reasonably priced place is. They will understand! Also be open about asking for the price of things.

 

Fifth: don't buy any new, special clothes for Alaska.

 

Sixth: have a ball. You deserve it!

[98Charlie]

Long story short...Booked a cruise w/o insurance (huge mistake, I know); husband was in an accident on 4/9...been out of work since.

We are going on the cruise as it is paid for. We just don't have a lot of money for excursions. This is our first cruise, and first time in Alaska.

We will be in Juneau, Skagway, And Ketchikan.

 

First off, hope your husband is recupperating and good wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

DH & I took our first Alaska cruise on the Star in Sept./06. We didn't buy any clothing extra for the trip but packed clothing we had that we knew we could layer - shirts, sweaters, jackets and poncho style rain wear.

 

Since it was our first trip to Alaska we didn't schedule any excursions. We just wanted to get to the great state up north and expeirence the landscape and people there. We walked through the cities, talked to the people there, took tons of photos and had a great time.

 

Only money we spent in port was in the shops for items we wanted to bring home as souvenirs.

 

While all of the excursions look great and booking a cruise to Alaska may seem like a trip of a lifetime and you have to see everything you can while you are there --- remember, life's not over with just one trip or cruise.

 

You still have time to book another cruise and experience more in the future while you experience what you can now as you can afford the trip.

 

Have a great time on your cruise and don't worry about how much you could spend on the cruise. Just enjoy the quality time you have together on an adventure you will remember forever.

 

Dianne

[Chat Noir]

Without taking ANY excursions, I'd be happy just cruising Alaska and taking in the beautiful scenery.

 

Right now there are some good cruise bargains (afraid to really check into the airfare!) that tempt me to seriously consider going again.

 

However, we already have 3 vacations planned this year, and wouldn't want to spend much for excursions, either.

 

My thoughts... Utilizing my camera to its fullest potential. Without somewhere to be and something to do always planned, I'd have the time to just slow down, and really look at my surroundings. With that kind of time, some fabulous photo-ops would almost certainly present themselves.

 

My recommendation, if you like photography at all and have a good digital camera, stock up on memory cards and turn Alaska into a 'photo safari' this trip. Fairly cheap, fun and easy, and you'll come away with some fabulous photographic memories!

 

As mentioned, there are some cheap, but fun tours. Dolly's House in Ketchikan ($5 or so), the National Park tour of Skagway (free), Red Onion tour ($5 last I knew) in Skagway, Mendenhall shuttle in Juneau ($15 or so) are all inexpensive tours we've enjoyed in the past.

[vbmom87]

Here is a thread from last year with some ideas. Prices my be higher this year.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=590527

[NancyIL]

I'm spending less on excursions this year than last. We're doing the Duck Tour in Ketchikan ($38), renting a car in Haines ($80 plus gas divided by 3 people), taking a 3-hour tour of Juneau and the Shrine of St. Therese ($37), and a 4-hour wildlife cruise with Capy. Davey in Sitka ($155 - my splurge). Surprisingly, this year's cruise costs less than last year's - even with the fuel supplement I had to pay when changing to a lower-priced cabin in May.

[chewap]

In Juneau, you can take the bus tour to Mendehal Glacier (purchase at the dock for $10) The nature trails on the west side, I have always seen bears eating salmon. Also you can take the city bus $1.25, but a mile walk into Mendenhal Glacier.

[NancyIL]

In Juneau, you can take the bus tour to Mendehal Glacier (purchase at the dock for $10) The nature trails on the west side, I have always seen bears eating salmon. Also you can take the city bus $1.25, but a mile walk into Mendenhal Glacier.

 

What bus tour is $10? The shuttles that go there without a tour cost $14 roundtrip.

[loves2cruz]

I don't know what kind of cabin you have, but perhaps if you have a balcony or oceanview you can downgrade. Many cruise lines allow you to downgrade (Princess) even after final payment and credit your credit card back. Perhaps this is an option so that there will be more money from the savings for excursions.

[cruisinbuzz]

Thank you everyone. I feel much better now. We are now looking foward to seeing what kind of adventures this cruise brings us.

I'm really lucky I still have a husband to cruise with.

[jojamidwood]

I haven't taken my cruise to Alaska yet but if if you are going to Ketchikan, you can take the city bus to Totem Bight and walk around yourself--look at their website

As far as clothing--I live in So Cal also but spent many years in Buffalo New York and Portland Ore as a student and know the value of warm dry clothing.

I will be traveling w/ my 8 yr old first week of Sept and found all of her warm dry clothing at several Goodwills, and Salvation Army stores--including cashmere sweaters in the women's dept that you can wash and shrink. No need to spend a fortune on clothing, a little "hunting and pecking" goes a very long way. People here in SoCal buy the stuff, wear it a few times and then donate it

Good luck and I hope your husband recovers soon

[salty dingo]

A few things I would do:

 

Don't waste money on food. Plan your time off the ship so you can eat all meals there.

 

Take public transportation where possible - Juneau has buses.

 

Don't book any excursions through the ship. If you do, you will pay more than you have to.

 

Have fun, and good luck!

[kenish]

Our first time to AK too. Ketchikan has some reasonably priced activities (Saxman, Lumberjack show, Raptor Center/Hatchery) that you can do on your own. Skagway has all the gold rush history, and there is the state, city, and mining museums in downtown Juneau as well as the hatchery and brewery on the way to Mendenhall. All those areas seem pretty walkable if your husband does not have mobility problems.

 

Since you live in So Cal too, check Big 5, Sportmart, Kohl's, Mervyn's, etc. They have all been clearing out their spring stuff although it's starting to disappear. At Big 5 I bought my son a waterproof windbreaker about 3 weeks ago, $50 marked down to $20. I went to buy one for myself last week and there were only a few left. (After last week's unbelievable weather, they must have realized they cleared out their winter stuff a little too soon!!)

[Budget Queen]

I strongly suggest you get to your library, and take out Alaska tour books, especially Frommer's Alaska and Fodor's Alaska. In them, they have very detailed walking tours of each port. These are excellent ways to enjoy your time and get plenty out the very different cities. It is way better to have this knowledge ahead even though walking tour maps are available at the port visitor centers.

 

My budget ideas for each port. Skagway, Park Service Visitor center, get there early, and sign up for a free walking tour, then see their movie and small museum. There usually is a ranger talk in the morning, schedule the walking tour around this.

 

Juneau- Mendenhall shuttle bus, pick up at the dock next to the tram. $14 round trip pp. OR if you have a long port day, you can take the city bus, but have a 1+ level mile walk, bonus of this, is you can add the free Brewery, low cost hatchery, even though you pay each time for the bus, still a bargain day.

 

Ketchikan- City Bus, blue line, to Totem Bight. Print out the guide sheet and take it with you. Pick up near the dock, across from the Eagle Totem, just outside the tunnel.