no1racefan1

Oh my goodness!! I was reviewing all of our tour reservations so I could make notes of what to bring, etc. and I realized I made one of our tour reservations for the WRONG DAY!!!! Yikes. I reserved our Matanuska Glacier hike for one day early--we totally would have missed it! I have an email in to the company (MICA Guides) to switch it to the next day. I don't anticipate it being a problem since they are still showing availability, but man...that was scary, lol. I also noticed while doing this that our Resurrection Bay kayak tour has an early bird promo code for $21pp off the price, so I emailed the tour guide (Adventure 60 North) and asked if we could use the promo code since we booked it WAY early. They emailed me back within a couple hours at the reduced price. So easy! It never hurts to ask. All the companies I have booked things with have been awesome to work with so far. Only 61 days to go!!

I am quite certain they could accommodate a request for no pork, just as they accommodate any other dietary request. Make sure to note it in your cruise personalizer. DH has an onion allergy and he's always been able to order whatever dish he wants, they just ask him for his order in advance so they can specially prepare it.

If you are looking far in advance, it may only list times as a placeholder. For example, for our cruise in May 2024, all shore excursions were listed half hour after docking time in every port. It wasn't until about 6 months out that the times started changing and a few of them also added additional times to choose from. I believe this is because the tour companies they are using for the excursions don't always have their schedules finalized that far in advance.

Eee, how exciting!! We'll be getting on Sapphire the day you get off 🙂 Sounds like you've made an impressive start considering you've only had a few weeks to plan! I can't wait to hear how your trip goes!

I agree, I decided it wasn't worth it even if we got it for $20pp. I'm going to keep an eye on the upgrade offers to see if anything changes. We are 66 days out from our trip and I already have major vacation short-timer syndrome. I can't stop thinking about it!! It has been so long since we've been on a real trip!

We went to the Hyatt Ziva for the day in Puerto Vallarta. Loved it so much we're planning to take a land trip there one day. It was booked through the ship (Carnival).

75 days to go!!! Things are getting real now 🙂 I've decided not to bid on any upgrades for the moment. The only one that appeals budget-wise is the obstructed OV and after looking at pictures, I'm not sold on that being something we need to spend money on. I'm going to keep an eye on upgrade offers as we get closer to see if they change at all. Things we're focusing on at 75 days out: Contacted our pet sitter to make sure she has availability Watching Alaska Airlines to see if fares go down for our Anchorage leg Making sure we don't need any clothes/gear. We're outdoorsy people from WY, where the weather patterns are pretty similar to AK, so I don't anticipate needing to make too many special purchases because we already own what we need. That being said, I'm trying to lose weight and may buy one or two items for the trip that I'll then wear regularly. DH bought a pair of hiking boots because he needs them for a 10-day hike he's planning to do in August, and he decided to get them before Alaska so he could wear them in. Booking a massage in Ketchikan. I like the idea of supporting a local business instead of booking a way more expensive service on the ship. Completing check-in online. I ran into a hiccup with this--I tried to enter our independently booked flights and it keeps telling me that flight number doesn't exist. Uhm....it does. So, I may just say oh well. I'm not too worked up about being 'green lane' vs. 'blue lane'. I'm confident that as long as we have a reservation and proper ID, we'll be allowed to board 😄 Bike race training. Okay, this isn't exactly trip-related, except it kind of is. We signed up to do a 20-mile gravel ride the weekend after we return from our trip. We did it last year and that was the first time I've ever rode 20 miles. I had to train for it and it was hard. This year, I want to try to beat my time. Since we'll be in AK the last two weeks of training before the race, I have to schedule in some good training workouts during our trip. I'm looking forward to seeing the Alaska reviews start coming in a few weeks!! Will be great to hear how 2024 kicks off. That's all for now!

I posted this in my Alaska thread but wanted to share it here too. I've never been through the upgrade process. Today is exactly 85 days out from our cruise. I haven't received any email notification about upgrades but I logged in and checked and they were available. Just sharing here for more data points 🙂 Upgrade choices offered to me are: Standard Balcony, starting bid $620pp. Balconies are currently selling for $901pp more than Interiors, so a decent bargain, but still too rich for me. Premium Oceanview, starting bid $330pp. Current selling price is $396pp more than an Interior. I guess this is a deal if you really want a Premium OV, but I'm not interested. Oceanview, starting bid $275pp. Current selling price is $351pp more than an Interior. A better deal, but still more than what I'm willing/able to spend. If this was the balcony price, I might go for it 😄 Obstructed Oceanview, starting bid $20pp. There are no obstructed OVs currently available for sale, so I don't know the selling price. However, I'm gonna guess it's at least $200 more than an Interior, so this is a really great deal if you can get it for the minimum bid amount. Now the question is whether I should go for it..... I need to do some more research into where the obstructed OV cabins are on Sapphire Princess. Anybody have any insight to share?

Today is the 85 days until cruise mark!! You know what that means? Upgrade bidding time! I logged on this morning and it said upgrades weren't available, but when I logged on this evening they are up and running! (I haven't received any emails as of yet). So here's the upgrade situation, obviously this varies by cruise but I know there are still a lot of questions about upgrades, and I've never gone through the process, so I figured I'd share as we go! Upgrade choices offered to me are: Standard Balcony, starting bid $620pp. Balconies are currently selling for $901pp more than Interiors, so a decent bargain, but still too rich for me. Premium Oceanview, starting bid $330pp. Current selling price is $396pp more than an Interior. I guess this is a deal if you really want a Premium OV, but I'm not interested. Oceanview, starting bid $275pp. Current selling price is $351pp more than an Interior. A better deal, but still more than what I'm willing/able to spend. If this was the balcony price, I might go for it 😄 Obstructed Oceanview, starting bid $20pp. There are no obstructed OVs currently available for sale, so I don't know the selling price. However, I'm gonna guess it's at least $200 more than an Interior, so this is a really great deal if you can get it for the minimum bid amount. Now the question is whether I should go for it..... I need to do some more research into where the obstructed OV cabins are on Sapphire Princess. Anybody have any insight to share?

A couple of things--the cruise fare dropped from when I originally booked it, and I was able to use the Princess chat to have an agent reduce my booking to the lower price. I gave up some OBC but it still shaved off several hundred dollars. Additionally, I purchased some Princess gift cards from AARP at a discount. They used to be 10% discount and are currently 8%... so that helped bring the cost down a bit. Are you looking for hotels in Anchorage or elsewhere? I booked at Hyatt using points, so I don't know if I'm much help. I think it was over $300/night if paying in cash. I'm sure you'll be able to put it all together and there are so many people here that could answer any questions you have! Also, you can head over to TripAdvisor and post on their Alaska forum. I found it tremendously helpful to get feedback while putting our itinerary together.

We're arriving in Anchorage the 13th and doing a DIY land tour by rental car before our cruise on the 18th. Is that when you cruise also? We decided not to try to fit in Denali when we're there, so the gravel road became a non-issue.

Only 89 days until we touch down in Alaska!! I'm so excited and so anxious that I'm forgetting some important detail, LOL. I had a dream that I forgot to bring our passports... Where's everybody at in your planning? What should I be thinking about at this stage? I'm hoping to get some upgrade bid opportunities to try for an OV or balcony, but we're happy with an Interior if we don't get it. Balconies are listed for $1,000pp more so yeah, that's not happening without some upgrade magic! Everything else is holding steady! I still check flights regularly but haven't had any change. I downloaded the new Princess app but haven't done anything with it. I've done everything through the website so far. I think I need to work on getting in shape for all the activities I have booked, LOL!!

Okay, thank you! I won't worry about it then. I must just be searching weird. Yes, they are still correct in my flight booking. If I was to cancel and then rebook each leg separately to get a better price, since I can't seem to book them together any more, can I still check my bags through to my final destination? Edit: never mind, I figured it out. I originally booked using miles. They must not be available to book using miles any more. I can see the flight if I uncheck the miles box. Sorry I forgot that detail when I made the original post.

I'm not very flying-savvy, and wondering if somebody could offer some insight. I booked flights for our cruise way back when flights first opened up (because I'm a weirdo like that). I have this United flight booked home: When I do a mock booking, this flight option is not listed. It's been like this for several months. It only lists flights with two connections, nothing with just the one connection in Denver. The seat map appears that almost all economy is booked, along with a few first class and economy +, so it's not as if its an empty flight. I'm wondering if this is an indication that it might get rescheduled? I don't really want to have two connections but if we end up having to, I'd like to know so I can cancel and rebook them myself because they are slightly cheaper than when I booked. I know nobody has a crystal ball so its probably just wishful thinking to try to preemptively prepare, but if you've read my other posts you'll know I'm a serious over-planner!

Happy to! I have a much nicer itinerary saved on my laptop but that's currently at the computer hospital being repaired, which I guess is a great lesson in learning to use cloud storage... I'm like the oldest 41 year old ever. Anyways, this is what we're planning: Day 1--fly in to Anchorage, pick up rental car, staying at Hyatt Place Day 2--Rent bikes from Pablo's Bike Rentals and ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail; in the afternoon, drive to Glacier View. Staying at an airbnb cabin in/near Glacier View. Day 3--Matanuska Glacier guided hike with MICA Guides in the morning; then drive down to Seward. Staying at Resurrection Lodge on the Bay. Day 4--Orca Quest cruise with Major Marine Tours; stay second night at Res. Lodge Day 5--Guided kayak tour w/ Adventure 60 North in the morning; then drive back to Anchorage, stopping to see sights along the way. Drop off rental car at airport. Stay at Hyatt House. Day 6--Uber/taxi to train station; take Alaska Railroad train to Whittier; board ship Day 7--Hubbard Glacier, we did not book the excursion Day 8--Glacier Bay Day 9--Skagway; Chilkoot Trail Hike & Float Adventure. Might rent bikes in the afternoon but we'll play it by ear. Day 10--Juneau; Bike & Brew Glacier View Day 11--Ketchikan; Alaska Fishing & Wilderness Dining for DH. I think I might book a massage in town. Day 12--Sea Day Day 13--Arrive in Vancouver & fly home

I saw that mentioned here on CC, but I haven't seen it anywhere when I sign on to Princess. Oh well, from what I've read the earlier prices are still the same or cheaper than the 'sale'. I think they raised prices on excursions and then put them on sale to the original price, lol.

They were available to book when the cruise opened up (so Feb 2023 I think?) although they added more throughout those first several months. And of course, pricing, scheduling, and availability has fluctuated.

We are only 122 days away from touching down in Alaska!! Can't believe we started at 400+ days. DH called today to reserve our dog sitter. It's a big expense but she'll come to our house 3x per day to feed, walk, play with, and (if necessary) clean up after our dog. Our dog gets to stay in her home, where she's comfortable, and we can check on her with our Ring cam. So the expense is worth it! Haven't looked at shore excursions for awhile so decided to check just so I could share information with you all! First of all, is it just me or has there been a minor redesign on the website? This looks different: Check out the excursion we have booked in Skagway. We booked for the morning time slot at $164.95 when it was the only time slot available. Then they raised the price a month or two ago. Now they've opened up a second time at the lower price. If anybody reading this had booked the earlier one at $199.95, I'd consider switching!

Great deal! Our flight leaves at 5:15am but at least it's from our hometown 😴

I found who I think is the tour operator for this particular excursion, and they have great reviews on TripAdvisor, even in May. I'm waiting to hear from DH though--I sent him the excursion and the reviews and told him to decide if he still wants to try it. I don't really know what he's looking to get out of it, LOL.

I love Alaska Airlines. They were our airline of choice when we had to drive two hours to get to an airport. Now, United is serving our local airport, so we use them. But I'd choose Alaska if I had a chance 🙂 We're flying United to Denver and then switching to Alaska Airlines to Anchorage next spring. Their west coast flight times/options are so much better, and we've always had excellent service from them. Also they have their $99 companion fare if you get their credit card, although I'm pretty sure it can't be used in first class.

Yeah, I don't know if its unusual or not, but many excursions have gone up by $20-$50! Maybe they had them listed at last year's prices until they confirmed with the vendors for 2024? I'm not sure, I'm just glad we booked early. Ex. the Ketchikan fishing excursion I booked for DH at $369.95 is now listed at $419.95.

As soon as you know what you want. On our 2024 Alaska cruise, several excursions are already sold out and most of them have gone up in price since we booked.

Honestly the time to reserve it was last summer.

Not an issue in theory, but some shore excursion times end up getting changed. Last summer there was a lady who had to cancel and rebook excursions three times because they kept getting changed and overlapping each other. Just something to be aware of. I'd have a plan B just in case you have to cancel one of them.