Help!! Planning our 30th Anniversary cruise for June 2018 and feeling overwhelmed!!!

[abba1102]

We have always wanted to go on a cruise to Alaska and are finally in the planning stages for next June but I have no idea on which one to choose. Can you help us?

 

Here are some of our wants and questions.

 

1. We definitely want to see Glacier Bay so are looking for a ship that goes there. So we have been looking at Princess Cruise out of Whittier to Vancouver. Is this a good one? Do any other ships go to Glacier Bay? And of them round trip or not?

 

2. Is it better to do Southbound or Northbound trip versus Round Trip? We are a little worried about the airfare to Alaska - they don't have pricing out yet.

 

3. We have gone back and forth between a room with a balcony versus a mini-suite. Is the mini-suite really worth the price difference?

 

4. How soon should we book? I'm assuming NOW??

 

5. Is it better to go through a travel agent or not?

 

6. Would you recommend Princess Cruises?

 

Thanks so much for your help!!

[Mitch2016]

Just from our experience with our Anniversary Trip this past June, we chose NCL. It does go to Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. We did a one way out of Vancouver to Seward. After the cruise, we spent 5 days doing our own thing afterward. We booked our cruise as soon as we could February 2016. We booked airfare in August last year and got really good prices out of Des Moines to Vancouver with return to Des Moines from Anchorage. It was $1090 total for the both of us with excellent connections and arrival times.

 

We chose to not do a balcony but use that money for excursions when in port and after the cruise. Honestly, we were out and about all day, and never back in our cabin except to change clothes, or drop of packages during the day. We spent a lot of time up on deck, either outside or sitting in the Sports Bar watching the scenery go by.

 

I have a review going that I'm almost done with on the forum....."Our Alaskan Adventure June 5-12" if your want to check it out.....

 

We used a travel agent to book the cruise....but won't again. We booked our own air fare and have reserved our next cruise ourselves, and skipping the middle man.

[Budget Queen]

I suggest you find out more about Alaska. Only you can determine what route is YOUR best choice. Are you touring mainland Alaska? Investing enough time to do so? Know what you want to see and do there? Those are significant questions to answer first, before getting into any bookings.

 

Have you researched EACH inside passage Alaska port? There are only 6, Know what activities you'd select? Have enough time? Going right time frame for the tour?

I find it backwards to choose a cruise itinerary- then figure out what you are going to do there. Especially so with mainland touring. IF adding- make- certain you plan carefully. Common mistakes involve- time and distances. Many times are underestimated.

 

Eliminating all cruises that don't go to Glacier Bay cuts down the list. You'll be looking at HAL, Princess, NCL.

 

You can see what airfare is now for next June, no way to predict what your rate is going to be, but a place to start.

 

Do not rush into a booking without knowing all the details. Make sure you go further with your plans and make sure the touring fits in the schedule.

 

With the choice, route, price and ports all have equal merits. Don't short change yourself. Keep reworking your plans several times and fine tuning.

[62lizzardyele]

Booked on NCL Pearl in May 2018 from Seattle. Going to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway & Victoria, BC. Bucket list trip & will probably never be back so have been doing extensive research. Alot of people say balconies are nice but pricey & the best (chilly) 360 views are from decks!! Balconies are protected but do limit the view. This is a great tool for all cruise help & planning. Trip advisor as well. Good luck!!

 

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[InternetAgeTraveler]

We have always wanted to go on a cruise to Alaska and are finally in the planning stages for next June but I have no idea on which one to choose. Can you help us?

 

We are also planning our 30th anniversary cruise in June 2018. We have done round trips before and doing a one way Northbound this time.

Here are some of our wants and questions.

 

1. We definitely want to see Glacier Bay so are looking for a ship that goes there. So we have been looking at Princess Cruise out of Whittier to Vancouver. Is this a good one? Do any other ships go to Glacier Bay? And of them round trip or not?

Yes other ships do. Go to one of the cruise sites that support search and they normally allow you to specify a month and places to visit which will allow Glacier bay to be selected. NCL, Princess, Holland, Crystal have one or more that do GB in June 2018. There are round trip, south and northbound options.

 

2. Is it better to do Southbound or Northbound trip versus Round Trip?

All good options, the key is if you want to do a land tour before or after. The round trip only reach the lower end of Alaska (still worth the trip but you get to see a bit more of the state). Many Southbound cruises do Hubbard Glacier or while going north, they may do College fjord, NCL is one exception that does Hubbard on both north and south routes. These weren't on your list so it always come back to what you want. There are a lot of videos posted on the web now showing whole segments (not like being there but can help fill in gaps)

We are a little worried about the airfare to Alaska - they don't have pricing out yet.

It is available now for the month through most airline sites but some independents have not listed yet. We booked out going flights because they were some good deals but have not booked the returns from Alaska because they seem to be higher than going rates so we expect they will get better and most flights have only a few seats shown as booked. Something to watch. As for cost, Vancouver and Anchorage do seem to run more than Seattle.

 

4. How soon should we book? I'm assuming NOW??

 

We have and many others as well. Obviously better selection but this is the first time we booked this far in advance and had good deals and good cabins on both previous cruises. If you are mostly committed, than there aren't many reasons to wait as you can still take advantage of any details that may come along.

 

5. Is it better to go through a travel agent or not

That's another personal preference but I like using a travel agent over dealing with the cruise lines that tend to push a bit more what they want you to buy. But all of lines have web pages that will give you availability and prices so you can get quite a bit of info by yourself.