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Favorite Alaska money saving tips!


Mountaineer0313
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We all love Alaska, and we can all admit that Alaska is not a cheap place to travel to. Hubby and I went last year, and I didn't spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out how to save money, as I thought it would be a one and done experience. Well, that idea went out the window the minute we disembarked in Seward and I burst into tears.

So, we are now booked again for August 2020. I opened an Alaska Air credit card and now have the free companion fair for our flights (hoping the flights and times work out so that we can actually use it), but what are all of your favorite money saving tips? This can be anything...flights, hotels, excursions, favorite credit cards that provide the best points or statement credits, etc. If you travel a lot, or even not a lot, and found great ways to save money, let us know!

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We've done a few cruises in the Caribbean. First time Alaska cruisers. We booked last June in the RCI NextCruise office but made some changes to it after we got home and had some time to cool off and think. First thing we did was began using the RCI BOA credit card for everything plus slowly pay the cruise balance. Also got the Alaska Mileage card and began watching flights. Booked companion flying up. DW found a super deal on 1st class flying back and used miles on one of those tickets. did not really save a bundle on that but it was the same $$$ as the main cabin price at that time. We had not planned to save money just as you. But like you were thinking one time deal. We'll see about that! In Fact DW thinks I've crowded too many excursions into the trip. Three air tours, 3 whale watch, a glacier tour (full day) and several ATV, jeep, van and train tours. DW wants time to walk the towns. But I say "with 6-9 thousand other folks!!" Seriously? I bought everything for this cruise from memory cards, extra batteries, a GoPro (& software to use it), to extra thick socks, sweaters, fleece, and a slew of little things I would never use at home. And I, like you, have not made any real record of the $$$$ spent on the trip.

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We traveled with another couple to Alaska last year and agreed that excursions were the place we wanted to put our money.  We shared a wonderful cabin near Denali that we found on homeaway.  This allowed us to have breakfast in the cabin and pack lunches for the day (and enjoy adult beverages in the evening without paying a premium).  We ate at many wonderful local places (our husbands like brewpubs) instead of fancy, expensive restaurants.

 

We reserved our rental car on the earliest date possible and got a great rate.  We booked oceanview cabins on the cruise instead of a balcony - no regrets at all. We used points for hotels wherever possible and booked reasonably priced hotels when we couldn't (we stayed at the YWCA in Vancouver, which suited our needs and was a fraction of the price of most hotels there; I did insist on a private bathroom though).

 

In Juneau we rented a car for the day and explored Mendenhall Glacier, Eagle Beach and the Shrine of St. Therese on our own - very inexpensive day.  We didn't eat meals in ports, since we had meals all "paid for" on the cruise ship.  We did have snacks in port if we wanted to sample local foods/drinks.

 

Our splurges were helicopter/dog sledding on a glacier in Seward, the puffin encounter at the SeaLife Center in Seward and a floatplane trip to Anan Bear Observatory in Ketchikan.  And they were indeed highlights of our trip!

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Reserve your rental car early. Really early.

At Denali National Park, use the shuttles, not a "tour" for getting into the park: http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

Also at Denali, use that rental car to stay in Healy.

Buy a cooler and stock up on snacks and food in Anchorage.

Going north from Anchorage, top off the fuel tank at the Sunshine Tesoro at the Talkeetna Road Junction. Do NOT get fuel at the Tesoro in Glitter Gulch at Denali. Go north to Healy or south to Cantwell.

Going south from Anchorage, top off the fuel tank at the Tesoro at Girdwood. And enjoy the busiest gas station in Alaska.

Coupon books can save you some $$$: https://northernlightscoupons.com/

 

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6 minutes ago, AKStafford said:

Reserve your rental car early. Really early.

At Denali National Park, use the shuttles, not a "tour" for getting into the park: http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

Also at Denali, use that rental car to stay in Healy.

Buy a cooler and stock up on snacks and food in Anchorage.

Going north from Anchorage, top off the fuel tank at the Sunshine Tesoro at the Talkeetna Road Junction. Do NOT get fuel at the Tesoro in Glitter Gulch at Denali. Go north to Healy or south to Cantwell.

Going south from Anchorage, top off the fuel tank at the Tesoro at Girdwood. And enjoy the busiest gas station in Alaska.

Coupon books can save you some $$$: https://northernlightscoupons.com/

 

 

We stayed at the Alyeska for 2 nights post cruise, and got gas at this gas station, plus snacks one night for the hotel room and breakfast at the bakery the morning we left. I remember walking out of the convenience store and being met with the view across the road and and even though we'd been in alaska for over a week by then, I was literally just awestruck all over again.

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We haven't been yet (going in August 2019), and I haven't been great about cost saving initiatives, but have done some things so that we could afford more excursions:

-Look into the Alaska Toursaver book...the cost to buy the book will more than make up for the savings for us. 

-We are renting AirBNB's in Seward, Healy, and Fairbanks. All were cheaper than hotel rooms (for 4 people; for a couple the price may not be , and all have kitchens that will allow us to cook our own meals. 

-We are doing a one way rental car from Anchorage to Fairbanks (taking the train from Seward to Anchorage). That saved us a substantial amount of money over renting from the 1 place in Seward. The Toursaver book also had a coupon. 

-We used hotel points for 1 night in Anchorage. 

-We booked our cruise early, and then I monitored for price drops before final payment. I ended up upgrading our room a few times and saving $700 in the process from when we first booked. 

-We used airline miles for our flights. 

-For our Helicopter Glacier Landing Tour in Juneau, I booked it on Trip Advisor on Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. The tour was already cheaper compared to the cruise line, and there was an additional 10% off for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.  I think Major Marine usually does a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale too. 

-For the shore excursions that we did book through the cruise line (due to time constraints/not finding a similar private tour), I watched for sales (through Celebrity) and cancelled and rebooked to take advantage of lower prices. 

 

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I'll add something we had forgotten to look at even though we use them all the time. Just not on this upcoming Alaska trip. Check out VRBO for rental housing for DIY land tours. Also renting a jeep in Skagway to drive into the Yukon is a way for 4 to save.

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My dad and I are boarding the Royal Princess for our first Alaskan cruise tomorrow. However, it will be my 5th cruise and his 3rd cruise. A few things we did to save money:

-Booked the cruise for May instead of June or July. The cruise fare was quite bit cheaper in May.

-Booked an obstructed balcony. 

-Booked our flights through EZAIR. Oddly, enough it was cheaper and has late arrival protection.

 

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Do your own thing in at least some ports, instead of taking excursions.  I'm a budget cruiser, and Alaska's well set up for DIY.  The hiking is fantastic and free (or inexpensive, if you take a bus to a more isolated trailhead).  There are quite a few free or cheap historic and cultural sights too.

 

Check out my post on some of my favorite DIY shore activities:

 

https://cruisingalaskaonabudget.wordpress.com/2017/06/14/10-inexpensive-things-to-do-in-alaskan-ports/

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Watch for specials. Sometimes your cruise line will offer slower-selling excursions at a discount, which can save good money.

 

For example: We're going in August and, as we're both fans of the show, have been looking at the Crab Fishing excursion in Ketchican. The price booking direct is $199pp and the cruise line had it on sale for $169. I was checking prices for other things and hadn't got around to booking, when one day, it was $151.20 each, and that's through the ship! That saved almost $100 for the two of us - enough to have a sailaway cocktail!!!

 

Seriously though, it pays to keep an eye on your cruise planner for offers. There were many being offered at a 20% discount for our cruise and some discounts may be less. Again, whale watching in ISP is $199pp and I missed it being sold at $184. We're doing something direct, which is 'only' $168, so again, a $31pp savings.

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