SirTomster

Now I am not sure if this is a deal or not. I thought the prices were higher but they are cheaper now. For me, the price to fly home from Vancouver is 1K over the price of flying from Seattle. So I will be taking the QuickShuttle from the Canada Place pier to the Seattle Airport. Right now the prices seem to be 1/2 off. I had a price of $130 for the bus but I booked it for $70.98. I do not see them advertising any sale, but still it was nearly half of what I expected to pay. That includes 2 bags for each of us. So for those who end up in Vancouver at the end of the cruise, it might be an option to consider. Or for someone that leaves from Vancouver. Flying to Seattle and taking the bus to Vancouver to get on the ship. I ended up deciding to stay a night in Seattle and not trying to catch a flight that evening since you never know if traffic will delay the bus.

All 3 hit Glacier Bay. Check All 3 are one-way cruises. Check HAL in June Princess in September. Not sure on NCL if the links are the exact cruises you want. June is high season, September is shoulder and weather can be iffy. My first (and only) was in September and had a blast. Even on the 2nd night when it was stormy and 3/4 the passengers missed dinner because they were in their cabins puking. My wife and I were in the Crows Nest having a blast. Missed dinner because we would not leave the Crows Nest (HAL Westerdam) HAL and Princess are the Longest cruise lines to Alaska. Not sure if you care about that. I have heard boarding in Vancouver can be a pain on days when there are multiple ships. So the NCL one worries me. -1 The NCL one ends up in Seward and you could stay there and do Kenai Fjords the next day. That is a plus in my mind. +1 So it is close. HAL Noordam 1924 people. Grand Princess 2600. For me, less is better. you might choose the opposite. A quick view of the two ships.. not sure if one or the other has more entertainment. HAL skews to the older crowds but I do not think Princess is far behind. NCL? Not a clue. Plus it is Alaska, in Summer. There will be kids. Look at the port times and see what works for you. I like the HAL times more than the Princess. They are close but HAL seems slightly longer and slightly later. For me, when I was choosing, I chose southbound. I chose to fly into Anchorage 2 days before the cruise and drive to Seward to do a Kenai Fjords cruise. Then drive back to Anchorage and take the train or bus to Whittier then board the ship. Then cruise and fly home. Have some fun in Alaska, have an awesome cruise then go home. That was my thought on Southbound. FYI, I am on the HAL cruise you selected. So take everything I say with a grain of salt. With you being in your 30's, I would lean more towards Princess. But nearly 700 more people is a thing. I could have done the HAL Nieuw Amsterdam which is slightly bigger than the Noordam. But decided to go with the older and slightly smaller Noordam. All in all, I think you have 3 great itineraries. I lean towards HAL or Princess due to the experience they have in Alaska, and then you are comparing some pretty small differences. But one of those small differences might be very important to you. Enjoy your cruise!

I have opted for the Chilkoot Charters Lake Bennett one. Most train time, but also the furthest into the Yukon and get to see Emerald Lake. I like to do photography, so the photos I have seen of Emerald lake look cool. Another bonus is that it is $50 pp cheaper than the equivalent on Holland America. Second Bonus is Chilkoot has smaller busses than the motorcoaches the cruise lines use. Now, if you are in Skagway on June 19th, I recommend another option

So is anyone aware if someone has missed their cruise because of a delay on the 26 Glacier Cruise? You get back 1.5 hours (or so) before the ship leaves. Which just seems too close to me.

Another Black Friday deal for a Kenai Fjords cruise out of Seward. Kenai Fjords Tours is having a 40% off sale. From November 27 to December 1, 2023, book your coastal Alaska adventure with code CYBER40 to SAVE 40% on your next Alaska day cruise. It’s a trip (and a deal) you won’t want to miss. https://www.alaskacollection.com/day-tours/kenai-fjords-tours/#openseason=false And as posted earlier. Major Marine has 30% off. So some great prices to cruise Kenai Fjords with either company. https://majormarine.com/specials-packages/

I love to plan too. For me, part of the enjoyment is planning the trip. Then living vicariously through others who do the same. Why? It extends the enjoyment. For some, planning an event can enhance the experience. For some, planning is a 4 letter word. To each their own. For instance, my wife is quite happy with me doing the planning. Which means I get to do something I enjoy and she does not have to do something she does not enjoy. In this case, by posting about what she is doing, she is also helping others with ideas. Which hurts nobody.

Curious what happened. I am booked for the Noordam southbound in June 2024.

I am doing a southbound trip out of Whittier. But we will be flying to Anchorage 2 days before the cruise and traveling to Seward for two nights. We will be taking a one-day cruise to the Kenai Fjords. I recommend you look into it. My research shows that it is very popular and can be the trip's highlight. I am not sure when the ship arrives and if you could take the Kenai Fjords cruise the same day or not. But something to consider.

Hehe, all these posts about Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales are making me regret booking my trip for next year. But too late, I jumped on booking my time to be safe. I will just have to avoid their site when the sales happen.

I am in the same boat. I can only hope it does not happen to me next year. I even waited for the price to increase a little because the first price I had was stupid low. My rate is still very low, but closer to reasonable. Though today it is a LOT higher for June. So maybe my great price will still be too low. I booked directly with them to avoid any third party issues.

Go to the cruise line's website and find the excursions they have for Alaska. They will always have the popular options. Now you do not have to go through the cruise line, but you can get ideas. For instance. Whale Watching in Juneau is big. But there are many local companies that will charge less or have less people on the boat. So seeing all the whale watching options on the cruise line shows it is very popular and now you can research. Many stick with the cruise line due to the security of them promising to not leave the port until the tour returns. But you generally pay more. But you can get ideas after seeing what the cruise lines offer in those ports. This will also allow you to see approximate prices and see what is in your budget. Juneau has a helicopter ride to a glacier and dog sledding. Sounds awesome. But it is pricy. If you see that price and go, next! I understand. I did the same thing. It is still sounds like a cool thing, but I will survive without it.

I am looking at Quick Shuttle https://quickcoach.com/ The price was about $50 per person but there would be some baggage fees. I will be picked up at the Cruise Port in Vancouver and dropped off at the Seatac airport. They do the reverse too. Currently, for me to fly from Vancouver to Salt Lake is about $700 more than Seattle to Salt Lake. So paying $130 (ish) for a bus to Seattle sounds like a deal. Granted my Sunday will be getting off the ship, hopping on a bus for a 4 to 5 hour drive to Seattle, then flying home from Seattle. But with that price difference, I am leaning towards that. If the price was closer, I would fly from Vancouver, but right now a bus ride looks a lot better to my wallet.

Look into Glacier Bay. We have only done one cruise and that was to Alaska and I LOVE Glacier Bay. I would not consider a cruise without it. Both Princess and Holland America have the longest history in Alaska and that can be a plus. If you have the time/money, I would look into a one-way cruise so you can start/stop in Alaska and do some touring before the cruise. These start/end in Vancouver and either Whittier or Seward in Alaska. Check out this thread of ideas to do in Alaska either at the beginning or end. Ports to research: Ketchikan Juneau Skagway Sitka Icy Strait Point The first three are the most common with sometimes one of the last two being a replacement. There might be others on some lines but I think I got the most common ports. So you can research locations and activities and see what sounds like the most fun. Then find a cruise that makes that port and also has enough time since some ships do not stay in the port the same amount of time. Some are shorter than others. This can help you decide what itinerary you want to do. To give you an idea, here is my itinerary for June 2024. Check the above thread for other great examples. Holland America Nordam Southbound 7/14 Fly to Anchorage 7/14 Rent a car and drive to Seward. Visiting various sights on the way including the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center 7/15 8.5 hour Cruise in the Kenai Fjords with Major Marine 7/16 Drive back to Anchorage to drop off the car 7/16 Bus to Whitter to board the ship 7/17 Hubbard Glacier 7/18 Glacier Bay 7/19 Skagway, doing a train/bus ride up the Yukon 7/20 Juneau, doing a whale watching excursion. 7/21 Ketchikan, doing a walkabout unless I change my mind and do the Rain Forest hike. 7/22 Sea day 7/23 Arrive in Vancouver, take a bus down to seattle and fly home. By adding a short land tour before the cruise, my costs are going up by around $2,000. So it can be cheaper if I cut out that Kenai Fjords part but heck no! The one-way options also seem to have more time in ports than a round trip. But the one-way will cost more than a round trip from Seattle or Vancouver. Including flights. In case you do not know it. Alaska is expensive. You might be able to do two Caribbean cruises for the price of one Alaskan one. So be aware of that. My personal view is that Alaska is a cruise for people who want to see nature. Either the landscapes or the wildlife. Thus, if you are more into hitting a beach and chilling, then Alaska might not be the option for you.

Thanks. I checked for my June cruise and Harv and Marv have opened up 2024. So I booked my date.

I would check out this thread by @no1racefan1 They plan on doing some Denali plus you can see their plans and get some ideas. Plus others have added their plans.

Oh, I should also qualify, that finances are the reason I am skipping this one. If that was not an issue, I would book in a heartbeat. I would have already purchased my $500 & $100 Holland American gift card through AARP for $400 & $90 and used those. My budget is already screaming at me at how much I am spending already. Therefore, I had to skip this.

$299 pp on Holland America for my Cruise in June 2024. If I was not doing the Kenai Fjords cruise at about the same price, I might consider it. But that one is 8.5 hours (Northwestern Fjord) so much more bang for the buck.

I just noticed an excursion I am planning on that was $300 is now $315 through the cruise line. So they can also increase the rates. Or maybe decrease (but I doubt that happens). But for the excursion above, I am going local so saving $65. However I cannot book until I get our passports back since it will cross over the Canadian border. White Pass Train/Bus Excursion

I would look at the ports you would not visit, if you skipped the 2nd half of the 14 day cruise. Then research what you can do in Alaska by visiting locations before or after the trip. Note, I expect that the per-day rate would be higher for a land trip than it would be for a cruise. So you might be able to do a 10/11 day Land/Cruise vs 14 day cruise for the same amount. My numbers are just guesses, it depends on your plans. Then decide what is best for you. Do price out the differences. I just did a quick check. The money I am spending on my 2 days in Alaska before my southbound cruise next June would be about the same if I did a 14 day cruise. That is insane. So you could see more Alaska by doing a land portion, but it might be a lot more.

I thought of that, but sightseeing while driving is not my favorite experience. I miss too many things focusing on not dying. Being able to look around with someone else driving is a huge plus to me. I also want to have the train experience. This is why I wanted the train/bus combo. I get the train experience but also the bus is able to stop at scenic spots. I remember a trip a few years ago to Glacier National Park. My wife and I did the Red Bus tours and the driver knew the area and where to stop for the best sights. It was a great ride. We drove the same route ourselves on the trip and I just got to see more when I wasn't focusing on the drive and could look around.

Cool. I have pretty much talked myself into doing the Lake Bennett route. But likely through Chilkoot Charters. $50 less per person and their bus transportation are mini buses and not a huge bus. Both pluses in my mind. But good to know about the HAL dining car. Hey, maybe I can get HAL to price-match it. 🙂 It is the same tour that I could see. I have not compared every stop though.

My wife and I have a cruise booked for a Southern trip on the HAL ms Noordm for June of next year. When we are in Skagway, we are there from 7 AM to 9 PM. or 14 hours. So plenty of time for a long excursion. I have been researching all the options and I want to do the train but also want to do the bus as well. Since I am into photography and want to make stops to take pictures. I have been reviewing Chilkoot Charters and their options. At the moment, I am looking at their two longest ones. The 8-hour Bennett Scenic Journey and the 7.5-hour Yukon Rail and Bus Excursion. Therefore, I am asking if anyone else has done these and their thoughts. I am leaning towards the Bennett option as you are on the Train longer from Skagway to Bennett instead of just to Frasier with the other. But you miss the Caribou Crossing Trading Post which from what I have seen is a 100% tourist trap. So not a big loss there. Most of the info I have found just talks about these in general and I am not sure if I have seen a post that mentions the train to Bennett. Also, any other options that are cool? I like the idea of Chilkoot's smaller buses and being able to stop more than a big motorcoach. Though no bathroom could be an issue with my gut. Also, looking at the Bus up and Train down option since the Bus will be in the morning and since I like to do photography, hope to see some animals.

Oh yeah. Went there in 2012 but a RT from Seattle. But we were lucky enough to have selected a cruise that included Glacier Bay because we had no clue. Our next one in 2024 will be a Southern Cruise that allows us to hit Seward and Kenai Fjords before the cruise starts.

I think it depends on what you want to do. Personally, one of my hobbies is Landscape Photography. So I am going to bring my toys! 150-500mm Lens - Going to be awesome on the ship 28-105mm Lens - Great when on tours I am debating the 15-30 - I am leaning towards leaving it at home since I am not sure it is worth the extra 15mm. So that is for the DSLR. I know I will want to have some video too. But do I want a GoPro or DJI Osmo? They could be cool though they do not have any zoom. When I am sitting next to a glacier in Glacier Bay, I want to record calving. But those will be very wide and doubt they will see much. So, maybe I will just use my phone on video and not spend the money on another device. Or even my DSLR even though its video capabilities are not the best. Pentax K-1. Decisions, decisions. But I would say that you need to decide what you plan on shooting. Then go from there. I am a photography nut so this is a big deal to me. For others, a simple camera might be all they need. Or just their phone. Not my cup of tea, but I bet more people are good with a phone than a photo nut like me.

One hack I use is to go to the cruise website and look for their shore excursions. Not through your booking, but on the website in general. Check the port in question and see what the cruise line offers. Since the cruise lines would only offer options that are popular, then you can find the most popular options. Here is HAL's https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/shore-excursions.html You can then research options or tour companies that offer their service directly and not through the cruise line. Next google the port and excursions to see what pulls up. They might have something that sounds interesting that the Cruise lines do not mention/offer. Once you have an idea of what you can do in a port, research what you want to do. There are pros and cons to booking through the cruise line. Pro: The ship will not leave without you. Con: Normally higher than obtaining directly. This is where you get into the realm of deciding what you are comfortable with. Do you want the guarantee of the ship not leaving and paying more, or maybe doing it yourself? That is your call. Another item is that on many of the Cruise Ship excursions, the group sizes are larger than some you can book directly. An example is Juneau. I want to do Whale Watching. I have multiple options with HAL. But most at a not horrible price start at 20 people and go up from there. But then I look outside of HAL and I find a tour company (Harv & Marv) where I will be on a small boat with a max of 6 passengers. I think I want the 6 person option. $175pp Where the cheapest equivalent with HAL is a $189.95pp option that does not mention max capacity. Only that it is a Catamaran. So I am going to guess 60+ people. That 20-person option is over $220. There are so many options with Alaska, that I recommend you take your time to review. I am still researching my options for my June 2024 Cruise. I have an idea of what I want to do at each port, but there are still so many variations to go through. For example: For Skagway, you mention the White Pass Rail. Something I am also doing. But there are so many variations. 1) Train up to Fraser and back. 2) Train up to Fraser, bus back 3) Train up to Fraser, bus up to Yukon Sign, Bus back 4) Train up to Fraser, bus up to Emerald Lake, Bus Back. 5) Train up to Bennet, bus to Emerald Lake, Bus back These are just a few of the options I have found. Initially, I was doing #1. But now, I think it is either 4 or 5. More than #1 but I think it is worth it for me since I like to take photos. So I know I likely made your research even harder, but I think it is a good idea to research your options and what works for you. You mention flightseeing. Something out of my price range. So it is not even on my radar. Which could be something you can do and want to do and I would have never mentioned it. So it is best for you to research all the options and go from there.