Princess Alaskan Cruisetour 2015 (questions)

[mommet]

Hi, we are looking into an Alaskan Cruisetour (2015) with Princess. When would be best time to book to get the best price? (now or later) If we go with a travel agent how do we get promo monies (from agency? perhaps from Princess?) If we book and the price goes down, will the agent keep checking and get the new price for us?

And last, any suggestions for the best timeframe to travel (regarding weather, bugs, etc.)

Thanks Mommet

[jdavid]

We are also considering a June or July Alaskan and wondering best timing. We will buy a FCC in August and use this as our deposit. Looking for any tips anyone can give.

Thanks

[caribill]

Hi, we are looking into an Alaskan Cruisetour (2015) with Princess. When would be best time to book to get the best price? (now or later) If we go with a travel agent how do we get promo monies (from agency? perhaps from Princess?) If we book and the price goes down, will the agent keep checking and get the new price for us?

And last, any suggestions for the best timeframe to travel (regarding weather, bugs, etc.)

Thanks Mommet

 

Alaska cruisetours tend to sell well. If they do not, then later is a better price, but only if space is still available.

 

Some TAs will offer OBC, some will not. Sometimes Princess has an OBC offer and if they do, booking with a TA will also get you the Princess OBC.

 

Most TAs will not monitor the pricing. You would have to do that and then request a refare via the TA (or via Princess if you did not use a TA) if the lower pricing was not for new bookings only.

 

However, the price of cruisetours that are selling well will not go down even if cabins without the cruisetour do get reduced pricing.

[Hotdog 52]

We booked ours in September for the following May. We then rebooked on black Friday. We also booked our flight in Sept. and by the time our cruise came up,:) the flight was $1000 more.

[mommet]

Thanks for the information. JDAVID, what is a FCC that you will use as deposit? What month do you think is best? (weather/bugs/price)

Mommet

[caribill]

what is a FCC that you will use as deposit?

 

FCC = Future Cruise Certificate, sometimes called a Future Cruise Deposit.

 

Available only when on board a Princess ship and only in the names of those on the ship, they cost $100 each.

 

This $100 becomes your total deposit when you book a future Princess cruise instead of the normal 20% of cruise cost (does not apply as a deposit to world cruise). Thus, it ends up costing you $0. If you do not use it within two years, the $100 will be refunded to your credit card.

 

In addition, when you do take the cruise the FCC was used for, there will be On Board Credit (free money to spend) ranging from $15 to $150, the amount depending on the length of the cruise and the type of cabin booked. For example, for a balcony cabin on a 7 day cruise, the OBC would be $50.

[DentoAlaska]

We just booked our 2015 cruise/tour to Alaska about 2 weeks ago. We were told by friends that lived in Alaska that July was the best time to go. Unfortunately it is also the most expensive time to go. In case you are unaware of it, there is also a Cruise Critic forum specifically for Alaskan cruises. I have found very useful information on that forum as well.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[ntvsdgrl]

I was on a cruisetour last year with the tour at the end. I went at the end of August through the beginning of September. For me, it rained most of the time and was cold so no bugs. I have booked my next one at the end of July next year with the land tour first. I'm hoping to see Alaska "green" unlike last year that was all fall colors and we're going 1 week after the solstice so we'll experience the 20 hours of daylight. However, I think next year I wil have a bug problem to deal with. :rolleyes:

[paddingtonbear]

May is cold.

June is warming up.

July is warm.

August is likely to be rainy.

 

It seems the bugs like the warmth but it also seems to depend where you are in Alaska. Wonderlake is always very popular with mosquitos, no matter what month you go, apparently.

According to my research. :)