Nice pricing to Alaska this October

[aubreyc1988]

To each their own! Each is beautiful in its own way

[greatestvalue]

If I wasnt already heading to New England to see family and the foliage, I would be taking NCL up on these prices.  Nice way to get away and enjoy some down time.

 

Thanks OP for sharing!

[BermudaBound2014]

21 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

Royal Caribbean wouldn't be on my radar for Alaska since they don't go to Glacier Bay National Park.

 

I would sail that RCL itinerary without hesitation. Sitka is one of my more favorite ports in Alaska as it hasn't yet built up the diamond international stretch like the typical 3 (Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway). Plus, I prefer Skagway to IPS. I've had some of my best calving at Dawes but that is just luck of the draw. Don't get me wrong. GNP is exceptional, but RCL offers a good trade off. 

 

If you think the Observation lounge is nice for viewing, Two70 lounge is perhaps the best venue at sea for that sort of thing. The Ovation was built for cool weather sailing with many features inside like bumper cars, trapeze, etc if that is your thing. Northstar would be amazing in port on a clear day and RipCord is in my top 3 favorite things to do on a cruise ship. I like the Aways' for the waterfront feature but I'm not sure how much that would be used on an Alaska sailing. Of course, Ovation is missing district Brew House and O'Sheehans for DH lol.  Personal preference of course, but I think both the RCL itinerary and ship is superior for an Alaskan Cruise, but in reality you really can't go wrong with either and I'm grateful for the choice. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, aubreyc1988 said:

To each their own! Each is beautiful in its own way

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!!  😎  I see sunny mountain tops, with snow on top at times, every time I walk out my front door.

[mianmike]

11 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

It's not impossible to do both. I had an NCL tour that left at 1pm. We got to Ketchikan for sure by 9am (might have even been 8am) and I totally could have taken the shuttle to go downtown and been back in time for my 1pm excursion. Alas, I was lazy and just slept in. But I had friends who did take the shuttle to Ketchikan and they were back on the boat before we went to our 1pm excursion. 

 

Yes, if the stars align and the buses don't have lines it's possible to tour Ketchikan and do a excursion if you have a short excursion and it's timed to leave early or late.  On our Aug 7th cruise we did not have time to visit Ketchikan and do our excursion.  Very disappointing.  In the past when NCL docked in town unless you had a long excursion we always had time to do both: tour the town and do an excursion.  

 

 

Edited September 15, 2021 by mianmike

[aubreyc1988]

23 minutes ago, mianmike said:

 

Yes, if the stars align and the buses don't have lines it's possible to tour Ketchikan and do a excursion if you have a short excursion and it's timed to leave early or late.  On our Aug 7th cruise we did not have time to visit Ketchikan and do our excursion.  Very disappointing.  In the past when NCL docked in town unless you had a long excursion we always had time to do both: tour the town and do an excursion.  

 

 

you also have to remember yours was the first sailing. I believe much has improved since then with the shuttle situation and imagine that many more improvements will be made before the next Alaska season.  But I don't see NCL leaving Ward Cove any time soon. I think it will be a really neat area when finished and they will work out the transportation kinks. 

Edited September 15, 2021 by aubreyc1988

[Jenjohncourt]

I’ve noticed the prices too. I really wish I could go again!! 

[sfaaa]

5 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

This is one of my many favorite photos taken on a mostly sunny day from our Alaskan cruise.  I like this one because with the Coral Princess in the picture it gives some perspective to the size of the mountain.

 

Quite common in Alaska. It can be sunny and stunningly beautiful. Then the fog would suddenly roll in from out of nowhere and engulfing the whole ship and surrounding scenery.

[mianmike]

2 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

you also have to remember yours was the first sailing. I believe much has improved since then with the shuttle situation and imagine that many more improvements will be made before the next Alaska season.  But I don't see NCL leaving Ward Cove any time soon. I think it will be a really neat area when finished and they will work out the transportation kinks. 

 

I agree NCL has committed to Ward Cove and won't be leaving soon and that is so disappointing.  The only way I see how NCL could mitigate Ward Cove is to allow guests booked on excursions to be picked up by their excursion either at Ward Cove or in Ketchikan and/or at the end of the excursion (time permitting) offer a choice to be dropped off in Ketchikan or Ward Cove.   

[cruisequeen4ever]

Those are great prices! Though I definitely wouldn’t recommend an October cruise to people who haven’t been to AK before, it would be an adventure for those who want an unusual experience, who like rough seas, who just want a relaxing shipboard experience indoors, or who are just really desperate to be onboard a ship. I’d take one if my husband would be willing to go, but his exact reason for not being willing to go is “An AK cruise in October?! No way!” 

[BermudaBound2014]

Last Call~ these are rates without free at sea, but a C-note gets you all four perks. Looks like there are plenty of prime locations still available for balcony cabins. If we weren't committed to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons for the month of October we'd snag this.