ok budgetqueen how did i do

[gbeer424]

First time ever to alaska. taking 2 weeks trying to do it right

 

BUF to SEA wed the 17th of may

2 nights doubletree seattle (priceline $110 all in)

Friday amtrak seattle to vanvouver ($52 total, steal)

arrive Vancouver 1pm to cruise that departs at 5

HAL Statendam booked inside guaranteed outside $1661

Cruise to seward

Kenja Fords boat tour friday the 26th 6 hour tour seward

booked with tour saver-both of us all in $140

Take the train seward to anchorage 6pm. $124 all in

Comfort suites anchorage 3 nights. toursaver buy one get one $130

then they offered me 3rd night of memorial day weekend triple aaa for $87

so i jumped on it. basically means all 3 nights for $210 total

using my toursaver avis coupon. 2 days in anchorage $55 +tax total

Anchorage to Seattle on Memorial day--$166 each early bird special

Seattle one more night at the doubletree all in priceline again $49

Seattle to BUF and home

 

in addition: booked milenimum hotel in buffalo on the 16th of may

room and 14 nights parking $88 all in.

 

entire trip (prior to leaving of course) under $2700 for 2 weeks of what i suspect will be one spectacular trip

 

how did i do???

[katybird]

I'm not BQ but think you are doing very well!

We cruised Alaska last Sept and want to return for a May sailing.

What about your flights? Pricing out of Syr seems higher than last year. Maybe we should go out of Buf?? What airline?

Don't forget the tips on the ship, food when off the ship, tips if you take any cabs.Seems like the incidentals can really add up.

Are you taking any tours at the ports on the cruise?

Enjoy your cruise!

[Budget Queen]

Sounds great!!! You may want to consider some full day trips out of Anchorage, so be prepared for some long days. Consider PWS boat tours, Hatcher Pass, MICA guides, Talkeetna. Plus plenty along the way. Staying that long in Anchorage is limiting, but sounds like your preference.

[gbeer424]

yes i am well aware of all the extras and wont be afraid to spend the money needed for the extras when the time comes. thanks for the ideas on trips from anchorage. there are a lot of reasons i did it this way but i am pleased with the way it came out. i spent a lot of hours pouring over these boards and others getting ideas. i cant thank you all enough and i know you will continue to assist me right up until departure

 

to the other note:

 

yes in upstate buffalo is the way to go. we got a special on american so its only $400 for the 2 of us. same flights out of rochester were over $600 and i can only imagine the cuse is worse

 

consider the following based on when your cruise is:

 

airtran flys to seattle from memorial day to labor day. yeah you have to change planes in atlanta but the price usually makes up for it

 

also jetblue flys to seattle

 

if all else fails southwest out of buffalo will always be the cheapest

southwest also does albany to seattle based on where you live in the cuse area it might be closer for you

 

but always check orbitz and others you never know when a fare sale will appear. united recently had $88 + tax flights to the west coast out of buffalo and they use 777's from chicago to seattle. the fantastic way to fly

 

use the internet to the max

 

if you can tell me when your going i would be happy to check things out for you. thanks again to everyone on these boards

 

i am soooo excited!!

[CM_Mom]

Just an FYI. DD did a trip around America last fall on Amtrak. She found that the trains were NOT on schedule MOST of the time. I'll be talking to her later today and I'll ask about the Seattle to Vancouver leg.

 

I would be uncomfortable with the 1 pm arrival time for a ship that departs at 5:00 myself. Seems like you're cutting it a little close there.

[gbeer424]

i have checked amtrak everyday for the past 2 months. the latest the train ever was 1/2 hour. there really wasnt any choice in the matter. this is the earliest departure from seattle. its actually supposed to get in at 1230 so i say 1 assuming it will be late. if its 5 hours late then something horrific must have happened. my main worry at the moment is the mudslides in the area have for the train to cancel 3 times in the past 2 weeks. but thats out of my control. if the train cancels they transport by bus and thats really the only other option

 

cant get on the boat before 1130 anyway. i suppose we could have gone up a day earlier. i really am not worried about it but love the info

 

one thing about the internet now is all the info is out there

[gbeer424]

i stand correct it actually gets in at 1140 am. if its on time i get to the ship the same time as everyone else and i had a spectaular ride up there

[JohnQ]

Sounds well planned and you certainly are taking advantage of your coupons! With two weeks, I would probably try to squeeze in more Alaska. While Seattle is nice if you have never been there and same for Vanc., you have no time left for interior Alaska. As BQ stated, if you take long day trips from Anc, you may be able to sample a little of it. Your 6hr Kenai Fjords tour will be nice and you probably have time for Eagle River Vistor center, maybe back down Seward hwy a ways to see Potter Marsh or Portage Glacier. Alaska Heritage Center, Eklutna Spirit houses, musk ox farm are possibilities to get out of town. Enjoy.

[gbeer424]

yes the key here is i have never been to any of these cities. not even seattle although i have traveled to every other domestic usa state. so this completes the lower 48 for me and with alaska i will only lack hawaii for my travels

 

thus the main reason i want to see seattle.

 

i know from the boards that i should not have booked 3 days in anchorage but i am pleased with the way the entire trip came out and quite frankly i suspect to be running on low fumes at that point in the trip to do anything else totally adventourous

 

this is the first trip over 1 week i have been able to take in several years and i cant thank my boss enough for helping make it happen.

 

also i am only in my late 40's so i have many chances to return to alaska

 

without this board i would not have been able to put this together like it is so again i say thank you

 

and again i offer to help anyone else, especially those in upstate NY like myself with their trip if they need any help.

 

i will give a full trip report upon my return. thanks