Question by Zoa:Ps T: Anybody knows any cheap deals for Alaska cruising tour? Where do you find them on the net?
I’m wondering if anybody has experienced the Alaska cruises and can give me some pointers here, please? I’m thinking about going in July-August (is that a good time for it?). It’s going to be between 3-7 nights… anybody knows any cheap deals/can direct me to those sites?
thank you very much in advance!
Best answer:
Answer by dmnyco
I also am looking into an Alaskan Cruise. Here is what I have found….
Alaskan Cruises happen from May thru September. July & August are the most expensive times to go. May & September are least expensive, but the weather can be cooler. Most Alaskan tours are a minimum of 7 days. I have been getting all my information from the cruise line websites.
www.royalcaribbean.com
www.princess.com
www.carnival.com
www.hollandamerica.com
Good luck!!!!
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
I have been to Alaska twice and cruised there the last time on a Princess ship that included a land tour after the cruise. You need to just use the cruise line web sites to search for and select a cruise. The Alaska cruise season in mid-May through mid-September only. So that is the window that you will be working with for the major cruise lines that operate from US ports. The fares for Alaska cruises are lowest in May for the first couple cruises by each cruise line, and then again in September for the last couple cruises. The reason is the weather is warmest during the summer months, June to August. But the weather can be almost as pleasant in May and September. We cruised in May and found the weather to be in the 65 to 75 range during the day and slightly cooler at night. At this point you are outside the window of opportunity to get an early booking discount on a cruise. You would need to book about a year or more in advance for that type discount.
Cruises to Alaska are operated by the cruise lines that I have listed below. All of the cruises will be 7 days or more, none shorter. There are several ways to have a cruise to Alaska. You can cruise north from San Francisco, Seattle, or Vancouver Canada or cruise south from Anchorage (Whittier or Seward). Cruises typically cruise the “inside passage” which is a waterway much like a river where you can in most places see land on both sides of the ship. It provides a very smooth ride on that part of the cruise. Cruises typically go to Juneau (the capitol), and Ketchikan, Skagway, and stop at one or more glaciers like Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord. Some cruises do other port stops. So you need to pay attention to which itinerary (port stops) the cruises will have.
Then there are what are called cruise-tours which either start or end in Fairbanks, Alaska going north or south. The cruise tours are done by three cruise lines, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Holland America. They typically afford an opportunity to stay a night or two in/at Denali National Park, Anchorage, Talkeetna, or Fairbanks, Alaska. These three cruise line use the train to transport you from/to the cruise point to/from the park and Fairbanks. The train ride is magnificent and when you do the cruise tour you will have the best opportunity to see wildlife like bears, caribou, moose, fox, wolf, and a few others. These cruise-tours can be from 12 to 15 days or more while normal cruises are 7 days.
Some other things that your should be aware of as you look for an Alaska cruise:
– some cruises are round trip, returning to the port that they started from while others are one way, for example, starting in Alaska and ending in Seattle.
– The best deals on cruises are May and September but cruise lines also give discounts for early bookings and then the prices normally go up. Early booking means a year or more in advance. So at this point you may not really find a “deal” or discount on a cruise unless you look at going in September, 2008, or next year (09).
– The cruise lines do have discounts listed on their home web pages and you may be able to find a date that is discounted, look for the link on the cruise line page that takes you to discounted cruises.
So you have two options, go to a travel agent and have him/her search based on when you want to go, OR go yourself to the cruise line web sites and search yourself. Below are links to the MANY cruise lines you can search.
These are the cruise lines that most people go on:
HOLLAND AMERICA
http://www.hollandamerica.com/
http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruis…
CELEBRITY:
http://www.celebritycruises.com/home .
http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/v…
ROYAL CARIBBEAN:
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/gohome.d…..
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis…
NORWEGIAN:
http://www.ncl.com/
http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruisesearch/c…
PRINCESS:
http://www.princess.com/index.html
http://www.princess.com/pb/searchResults…
CARNIVAL:
http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/
http://www.carnival.com/searchResults.as…
My advice is look for a cruise going in Sept OR a discount OR consider going in 09 but look to book early. Also I recommend Celebrity, Princess, and Royal Caribbean, all cruise lines I have been on and enjoyed.
There are lots of good deals for cruises..but you probably won’t find them on the net. I’d advise you to discuss this with a travel agent…particularly if someone tries to sell you a 3 night Alaskan cruise…( there’s no such thing )…this owing to the distances from the various points of departure…the closest to Alaska being Vancouver…and because cruise ships travel at subsonic speeds. You might try putting a group of people together..I believe its one free ticket for 10 paying fares. Also, inside cabins are cheaper..but can be claustrophobic. My best advice is for you to find a good travel agent…they can save you a lot of money and grief.
Holland America is the only cruise line that offers a 3 or 4 day cruise. The rest are all 7 day cruises. The best rates for a cruisetour are with Princess cruise line. You can sign up at their site & they will email you on all up coming deals. I am leaving in 3 weeks for Alaska, the first of 3 cruises this year. Am going for 6 weeks with Princess. Princess offers better 5 star lodging.
I book most of my cruises through Vacationstogo.com. Or, I find a cruise on there and then call the cruise line directy to see if they can meet or beat the online deal.
I have been to Alaska and want to go back. I recommend doing the land/sea tour. The train from Fairbanks to Denali and then down to Anchorage was great. We saw a lot of wildlife. The cruise itself was great. We went on the Carnival Spirit, a beautiful ship with loads of fun.
It is true the first and last cruises of the season are the cheapest. But, the weather may be colder. We went in August and I was disappointed that it was so warm! It was about 80 for most of the trip. I had left 112 degree weather and wanted it cold. But, 80 was not bad. I’d like to try a colder one next year.
By all means, just do it. You won’t regret it. It ties with Hawaii for my favorite cruise out of nice I’ve been on. TAKE ME WITH YOU. LOL.
http://www.cmtravelagent.com/agentpage.asp?agentN=vdovbush
If you are looking for good deals visit http://www.travelwithmartini.com i book all of my travel through them and it always turns out great. On top of that they are very low price and give good descriptions of what they offer.