Alaska Cruise 2013

[teacher_md]

Sherry -

Thanks for the tip. Do you think that maybe they do the price drops within the 60 days before the cruise so that you can't take advantage of the bargain prices? All I can say is that the 2012 prices look great right now. I am not super picky about WHERE I am on the ship. Everyone says go balcony, but to make this trip happen, including an extensive cruise tour, we may have to do oceanview.

- aj

[Seminolevet]

Just my experience...My husband and I decided in March that we wanted to do an Alaskan cruise this July. Not as "last minute" as booking in May, but still pretty last minute as far as Alaskan cruises go. We had booked the SB Island Princess balcony, and thankfully were able to take advantage of the 2 big Princess price drops within the past couple months. The product of those drops are what the prices are now.

 

I'll admit the planning as kind of consumed my life these past few months, especially because we're doing a DIY land tour for the week prior to the cruise, but I've been able to get all the excursions and B&B's we've wanted. I think if you want to take advantage of the low prices now, you could do it. Just be ready to plan quickly! :) I think with the itinerary you are looking at, it's totally doable. Don't forget about the coupon books for the PWS cruise you are looking at!

 

Happy planning!

[vbmom87]

Thanks again for the advice, everyone!

 

I have another question about pricing on Alaska cruises. When looking at cruises for June/July 2012 the prices are really low and reasonable. Then if I look at cruises for 2013 they seem high (or normal for Alaska - since I am used to booking Caribbean).

 

Would it make sense to wait and book a last minute deal? Or would the price for last minute airfare and (un)availability of rental cars/stuff for the cruise tour really mitigate the savings? Let me know your thoughts on this. Also, I know that Alaska cruise tours tend to involve a LOT of planning and pulling it off last minute would probably be tough.

 

Thanks! -aj

 

In my experience studying Alaska cruises since 2007, there often are price drops. We booked an Alaska cruise for 2008 and 2011. For both cruises we experienced two price drops. Each time we started by booking an inside cabin, but with the price drops we were able to get an OV for less than we originally booked the inside.

 

Booking last minute will likely mean higher car rental and it could mean higher airfares. The cruise, car rental and airfare will be dependent somewhat on supply and demand. If cruise and flights are not filling up as fast as hoped, you will see some price drops. However, no one can tell you with certainty that you will see price drops if you wait for a last minute deal.

 

As already mentioned, you can usually cancel your cruise without penalty up until final payment. If you find that a different cruise line is offering a better deal as it gets closer to final payment date, you could cancel your first cruise and rebook another cruise. (confirm with the agency you book through that you will be able to cancel with no additional fees). For some people this would work. For others, they like to get all their ducks in a row well before they leave.

 

Sherry -

Thanks for the tip. Do you think that maybe they do the price drops within the 60 days before the cruise so that you can't take advantage of the bargain prices? All I can say is that the 2012 prices look great right now. I am not super picky about WHERE I am on the ship. Everyone says go balcony, but to make this trip happen, including an extensive cruise tour, we may have to do ocean view.

- aj

 

Frequently you will see big price drops after final payment is due. In these cases the cruise line wants to fill up the cabins that are left and they will at times drop the prices quite significantly. Sometimes the prices will actually go up after final payment. Again, it all depends on supply and demand and that is hard to predict in this economy. You could wait until after final payment and see if you can find a deal if you want to take that chance. It may work, it may not. You say you don't care where you are on the ship, but how do your fellow travelers feel about this? Although I wouldn't care if I was in an inside or outside cabin, I do care about its location on the ship. My DH and I do not do well in the forward section of the ship in terms of motion sickness. If we booked last minute and had to take a forward cabin, we would not be happy campers. Those who don't have trouble with motion sickness might not mind the forward cabins. A lot of the last minute deals are for guarantee cabins, rather than being able to select a cabin.

 

You could follow several different cruises that are the same week, and if one cruiseline offers a great sale before final payment, you could swap cruises. With the same dates, you could still keep your airfare and car rental. Just a thought.

[poolwife]

Seminolevet:

 

I also have spent endless hours planning a one week DIY land tour before our June 22 southbound cruise on the Millenium. We are totally touring the Kenai Peninsula. We are staying at "The Hutch" in Cooper Landing for 2 nights, then 2 nights at the Halcyon B & B in Homer then 2 nights in Seward then back to Anchorage for one night at the Residence Inn by Marriott sharing a 2 bedroom suite with our traveling friends. Then the next morning we take the 6:45 am train to Seward and the ship sails that evening.

 

What are you doing in your week?