How far ahead to book Alaska excursions

[LAVCruiser]

My husband and I will be cruising to Alaska in July on Radiance of the Seas.  Typically when we cruise, I wait until our final payment is due, pay it, and then book our excursions.  Do I need to change up my normal practice for a summertime Alaska cruise?  Will the good excursions sell out early?  Should I go ahead and book them even before the final cruise payment is due?

[Clarea]

Why not book ASAP to ensure you get the excursions and times you want.

[reallyitsmema]

We booked a private excursion for Icy Strait almost a year in advance since we knew it is a small family business and they sell out.  We also reserved a rental car in Juneau in a year out as they sell out too.  Both were fully refundable, so made sense to book.

[blackshirt]

The earlier the better. You can always cancel and rebook if prices drop or cancel if you change your mind.

[ljmandelbaum]

We just booked most of our excursions today for our June trip.  We had to take a later time for  the Mendenhall Glacier Dog Sledding & Helicopter Tour than we originally wanted.  

 

I think we booked 4 excursions today.  One through Royal, 2 through a private site that has free cancellations, One I booked but have to call tomorrow to pay for 1/2.   5 if I count the tour that we are taking from Anchorage to Seward

 

[dodgestang]

If I see an excursion I am interested in....I book it the same day I first get access to cruise planner.....then I can check up on over the coming months and rebook it if/when there is a price change ;).

 

This way I am on the one I want.  For example....we are going to alaska in August...I'm already locked and loaded for helicopter to the gracier and dog sled ride 😉

[TwinMamainMN]

Don't wait! They will fill up and you will be sad and disappointed if you don't get to do the things you want. Book them as soon as you can, whether they are private excursions or through RCCL. We booked our excursions (all private) and Juneau car rental in Sept/Oct. of 2017, and sailed in August 2018. Don't wait! You can't get off the ship in Alaska and find excursion opportunities like you can in the Caribbean.

[LeeW]

Flight excursions, both independent and through the cruise line, tend to fill up.  Train in Skagway can also fill up.  We have certainly seen both of these available on the dock.  Really varies by cruise and number of ships in port.  Book early for best selection!

[spookwife]

and have back ups ready for the day of.   the helicopter tours get canceled for wind/weather often.  

[Graciesmom2]

I recommend booking as soon as you can, you can always cancel later if you change your mind. The excursions fill up quickly. Also, have alternate plans in place, the weather can be dicey. We had some excursions cancelled due to bad weather. Also, check and see how many ships are in port at the same time. We had 5 ships all in port in Juneau. Was a mad house. We rented a car and went off on our own, away from the crowd.  Since there is only one main road in Juneau, you can’t get 

lost. We were also able to park right next to the entrance at Mendenhall Glacier.

We didn’t ride the tram in Juneau due to fog. Plan,plan ahead!