Help, Am I too Late?

[stephaniekleinn]

Hi all! My family has decided we want to do Alaska next year for summer break but I think I may be too late.....should I have started planning long ago? We're diamond members on RCCL so that's my cruise line of choice because of the discounts. Do I go North, do I go South, my husband wants to do the train, can you guys help, I have no idea where to start (I've been reading reviews and I'm just overwhelmed). I wanted an aft balcony but it appears those are gone.....do I wait until 2017? Argh help!

 

Thanks Stephanie

[alaska_planner]

you're not at all too late...

DD booked her first alaska trip in the december before her cruise (so about 8 months)..

and we booked our 2015 trip in january, 2015...

 

we sailed southbound on the radiance...we had a port side midship room which i was really happy with given that a lot of the view southbound is on the port side (and vice versa northbound)..

 

we LOVED alaska and LOVED the cruise on the radiance!! :)

Edited September 6, 2015 by alaska_planner

[alaska_planner]

i just realized i didn't say why we decided to go south, instead of north..

 

for one thing, we preferred the port times on the southbound cruise (more time in each port)..

and we preferred getting to hubbard glacier in the afternoon...

also, we wanted to do our inland alaska portion of the trip before the cruise...

 

however, i'm sure it would also be fine to do it the other way around...

 

by the way, i thought alaska would be once in a lifetime...no way...i can't wait to go again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

next time i'll spend more time in inland alaska before the cruise (denali, fairbanks, seward, etc.)

Edited September 6, 2015 by alaska_planner

[budmeister]

I just booked mine this week, although we stay in inside rooms (cost). I was sueprised to find that excusions are booking now, rather than 3 months before crusing- like the Caribbean.

[mek]

Are you looking at one week in particular or are you totally flexible with dates as long as school is out? I find it hard to believe that all aft balconies are sold out this early, unless you are only looking at one or two dates. I booked my cruise tour for this past June the first week in April - a little less than 12 weeks out - I didn't have any trouble getting a balcony, although it wasn't an aft and I sailed on Princess.

[TMC]

I think hat RCCL is one of the only lines that does not charge a premium for the aft balcony so they go fast. Did you call RCCL? They can check all the dates for you and I am not sure that every available room is shown online.

 

Does DH want the train to Denali and land package? Maybe he would be happy with the White Pass train in Skagway then you could also choose from the round trip cruises.

 

Hope you find one!

 

TMC

[RickinStl]

My wife and I booked a balcony Saturday for the 15th through the 22nd of July 2016. Not a problem at all. It's our first cruise.

[barbeyg]

You may/may not be able to get an aft balcony, but there should be plenty of balconies left for the season. We are sailing Radiance southbound on 5/27/16. We chose southbound to be able to get the long flights behind us first. We are flying in a few days early, touring on our own, and staying overnight in Vancouver before flying home.

 

You can always book a balcony cabin, and watch for an aft to come available, if one isn't now.

Edited September 7, 2015 by barbeyg

[Budget Queen]

Good grief, no, you are not "too late". Unless you have ONLY a specific cabin, and week to cruise, perhaps? If you are more flexible- shouldn't have ANY problem.

 

Only train- is going to be the Alaska RR, which is mainland Alaska- or the White Pass RR- out of Skagway- which is a "must " for any rail fan. :

 

Being you seem to be fixed on RCI - then take a look at EVERY detail of their cruises BEFORE you book anything. It is a BIG mistake to book blind without knowing what you are doing. :)

 

Head to your library and get familiar with Alaska with Alaska travel books, especially port of call books.

 

Are you extending your time for mainland travel? IF so, add that to your research, again, before you book anything. Determine WHAT tours you are going to do in each location and port- this is 50% of your trip.

 

Time is your friend in Alaska, if you are doing a mainland add on, go for as long as you can afford, and avoid considering any short touring- 5 day or less.

[RaiderCruiser]

Take a breath. Relax, breathe, relax....

 

There is plenty of time, but the key is to slooooow down. There is so much to do and there are so many options you need to follow Budget Queens advise and do some research. You can read on here the things other people like to do, but make sure you read about everything that is available to ensure you do the things you and your family like to do.

 

We took our first Alaska cruise this Spring and I was so pleased we did as much research as we did. The trip was fantastic, we spent very little time discussing "what do you want to do" and we felt like we got the most bang for our buck.

 

Slow down and enjoy the whole journey. A journey that doesn't start at Canada Place or Seward, but now as you begin to look at all the options.

 

Breathe, relax, breathe.

[stephaniekleinn]

Thanks to everyone! We did book the cruise but I figure I have time to schedule everything else. I've ordered guidebooks from AAA and have been reading thread upon thread.

 

We ended up booking the Radiance 7/15/2016 Northbound and are in rooms 9256 and 9254 so we have an aft corner and the last cabin on the side right next to it. I know that the balconies don't connect but I think this will still work out great for us and they are huge balconies.

 

My plan so far is to stay the night in Seward after we get off the ship and do one of the Fjords day cruises. Go back to the hotel, get up the next morning and explore the town and catch the evening train to Anchorage. From there.....I'm still researching.....

 

We are going to make it a two week trip so we can get in as much sightseeing as we can.

 

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!

 

Stephanie