Who will be booking a 2006 Alaskan Cruise?

[SAYHEYRENEE]

Count me in as one anxiously awaiting 2006 pricing! I owe DH an Alaskan cruise, so we're going to try and cash that in next August. We originally wanted to do the Spirit so we could get the aft wrap-around balcony, but we have an open booking with Princess. $700 to book the Spirit vs. just an extra $100 to book Princess, so Princess won out. Looking to do a Saturday RT from Seattle, so the Diamond it'll be if current schedules hold true.I know nothing about what to do in Alaska, so I will probably live here for the next 16 months!

 

How do you get the $100 open booking? Do you have to do it on the ship itself or can I call and do it? I am going on canrival this year and dont believe you can book between their 2 lines this way.

[cruisingfreak]

How do you get the $100 open booking? Do you have to do it on the ship itself or can I call and do it? I am going on canrival this year and dont believe you can book between their 2 lines this way.

 

 

The only way to get the $100 p/p open booking price, is to book while onboard.

 

 

You are right, can't do this while onboard your Carnival cruise.

 

 

Minette

[aloveforwander]

Open for bookings yet??? :cool:

[tiffnco]

Open for bookings yet??? :cool:

 

Not yet...:mad:

 

I was told by Princess on Friday, that the brochure is set to drop on May 9th. So, they have all the information...they're just not releasing it to us...

 

Soon though! :)

[aloveforwander]

Does this mean- brochure drop to TA's? Available online? Or we can start bookings on 5/9?

 

Hummmmm :confused:

 

Thanks for the update! :p

[aggieastrosfan]

Not yet...:mad:

 

I was told by Princess on Friday, that the brochure is set to drop on May 9th. So, they have all the information...they're just not releasing it to us...

 

Soon though! :)

 

I'm not sure how my TA managed it, but I booked 8/19/06 northbound on the Diamond Friday. Shows up on the Personalizer, so there's something there! :D

[LEtue]

Most of the Princess sailings are now open to book. RT Seattle on the Sun and Dawn aren't though......

 

Call your TA!

[alwalaska]

My TA has a hold on our rooms on the Sapphire in June for Southbound, and the official money is going down tomorrow. BUT, I would really like to see the itinerary before I put the money down. Has anyone seen the ports of call and the times you are at each for 2006? Are they still going to Glacier Bay on these?

 

If you get the right person on the phone, you can book. If you get the pat answer, "they won't be out until mid May" ask them to humor you and actually check the system. That is what my agent did when the girl told her it would be June or July before prices came out.

 

Thanks.

[LEtue]

The one way itineraries are loaded in the agent on-line booking system so Princess can tell you the itineraries. The RT ones aren't available yet but I bet they will be any day. Does your agent have access to the on-line system? I'll check my emails and see if I have what you are looking for....

[Riley13]

We also made reservations on Friday by calling Princess directly. The Diamond and Sapphire now have one ways Whittier/Vancouver. The Coral and her sister are also doing this itinerary.

 

Here is the itinerary we were provided:

 

Leave Whittier 9:30 pm

College Fjord 6 am-9 am

Glacier Bay 10:30 am-8:30 am

Skagway 7 am-8:30 pm

Juneau 6:30 am -4 pm

Ketchikan 10 am-6 pm

At Sea

Arrive Vancouver 7:30 am

[alwalaska]

We also made reservations on Friday by calling Princess directly. The Diamond and Sapphire now have one ways Whittier/Vancouver. The Coral and her sister are also doing this itinerary.

 

Here is the itinerary we were provided:

 

Leave Whittier 9:30 pm

College Fjord 6 am-9 am

Glacier Bay 10:30 am-8:30 am

Skagway 7 am-8:30 pm

Juneau 6:30 am -4 pm

Ketchikan 10 am-6 pm

At Sea

Arrive Vancouver 7:30 am

 

Thanks for the info. That is kind of short for Juneau. Has anyone who has done this know if this will be enough time to take the shuttle out to Mendenhall glacier if we don't wnat to be off the ship right at 6 am. A little breakfast and shower time would be nice. :p

[aggieastrosfan]

Here's the NB itinerary, in case anyone's interested:

 

Depart Vancouver 5:30p

At Sea

Ketchikan 6:30a - 2:00p

Juneau 8:00a - 9:00p

Skagway 7:00a - 8:30p

Glacier Bay 6:00a - 3:00p

College Fjord 5:30p - 8:30p

Arrive Whittier 12:30a

[crusingici]

My husband and I just recetnly decided to begin looking for a 2006 cruise to Alaska for our first cruise -- and thinking it would be easy a year in advance...... After reading this board - and it is VERY helpful -- I am so confused -- perhaps info overload!

 

I think I (he wants me to make the decision of which line and dates) have decided on Princess - considered Princess and HAL after reading this board a while.

 

I do not know if we want a one way or a round trip - we do not plan on taking any days to go inland - so I think I read that some prefer the one way cruise if inland trips are planned and the round trip if just touring the port stops and no add-ons before or after the cruise -- does that sound right????

 

I think I've determined the airfare to be less expensive if in and out the same city so round trip would be less expensive over all???

 

I read that the most important thing is to decide your itinerary and then book the ship for that.

 

SO - first I need to know do we want a one way cruise or RT??? How do you decide that????

 

I know this is so basic - but a newbie has to start somewhere and now that the 2006 listings are apparently being released I feel panicky and feel I need to make a decision in order to get the best cabin! I don't even know anything about what level to book - is it better low or high??

 

I need a cruise 101 class!

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Thanks!:confused:

[alwalaska]

CruisingICI,

 

I have beeen studying the Alaska cruises for about a year now, but I have not yet been. We originally booked on Carnival but have since switched our cruise to Princess. We are going one way Southbound on the Sapphire June of 2006.

 

To me, the ports and the amount of time spent in each port was an important part of the decision. We are doing a land portion on our own before hand, so we were limited to one way. Although I am not sure why, the round trip itineraries seem to spend more time in some of the ports, like Juneau. I know the one way cruises go farther, but the round trip cruises have to go both ways.

 

I pulled up each of the iteneraries we were comparing and put them side by side to see which ones gave us the most features of what we were looking for. Of course, no one cruise has everything we want. Glacier Bay was important to me. Times in ports were important, etc.

 

I do agree, find the itinerary first and the ship second.

 

I have found RT to Seattle to be by far the cheapest for us. To do the one way, we are flying RT to Seattle. We will then book a one way flight to Anchorage (not too bad price wise) and take the one way cruise down after touring Annchorage and Denali. We are then renting a van to go from Vancouver back to Seattle.

 

From what I have read, you will enjoy an Alaska cruise no matter which one you choose.

 

Good luck and I am sure you will also hear from people with real experience and not just book learning.

[msett]

We are excited to have 2 insides on hold for the Sapphire. Plan on going on the southbound June 10th sailing. Is that to early? Or should we be going at a good time? So glad to be able to sail on such a beautiful princess ship. Deffineatly looking forward to this!

 

Matt

[Taters]

We're looking forward to cruising Alaska in September, 2006 on HAL with friends. For us, this is an easy getaway! Can't wait!

 

Taters

[crusingici]

Thanks, Ann, for your quick reponse - I appreciate your thoughts and opinion. I know we will love whatever we do - but with the time and money invested I surely want to make the best decisions possible at this point and not regret something later that could have greatly enhanced our trip.

 

Thanks in advance to any others who post their opinions on 1-way vs round trip - all the posts are helpful!

Sandy

[mrsheldon88]

My husband and I booked a southbound cruisetour on Sapphire for our 20th anniversary. I just couldn't wait. Would love to hear from others traveling with us. (Aug 1 4S)

[aloveforwander]

My husband and I booked a southbound cruisetour on Sapphire for our 20th anniversary. I just couldn't wait. Would love to hear from others traveling with us. (Aug 1 4S)

Congrats! We decided to book the Radiance with Royal Caribbean as now doing Southbound cruise for 2006! We will be doing a land combo!!

[SAYHEYRENEE]

Just booked my Honeymoon on the SUN Princess 9/17/2006!!

 

Finally Princess released the pricing today!

[makeda]

still doing my homework for a cruise next may, i have to set my class schedule before i know exactly when i will be able to go, but in the meantime...i leave on the 28th (next saturday) for a week-long trip up to alaska...couldn't get the cruise worked out so i will fly to anchorage for a couple of days, take a shuttle to fairbanks for a couple of days, take a van trip to the arctic circle and the train back to anchorage to fly home! this way i will see some of the western part of the state and get the inside passage next year!

 

i am soooooo psyched. and will probably cruise the caribbean in november