Canceled Alaska cruise, not sure when to rebook

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

My long awaited group cruise to Alaska (solo in cabin, but with people) got canceled at the last minute when a close family. member passed away.  Of course, I'm much more upset about the family member than the cruise, but this is a frustrating cancellation for me b/c it's now been planned and canceled 3 times (June 2020, 21, 22).  I thought at first just to reschedule ASAP, completely solo,  b/c I've purchased all the Alaska stuff I need (like many layers of coats) but I'm finding undesirable cabins and most likely the excursions I wanted are gone.   It's also just not a great time to be away from my family.  I would want to stick with Princess b/c of Glacier Bay and I just want to try their line, plus I want the Whittier to Vancouver or opposite, not Seattle or LA.  I'm just so frustrated b/c the Alaska season is so short and DH needs to have a surgery in August so July is all I could do.  Most likely this must be rescheduled to next summer or later, as this all seems like too much.  I had travel insurance and expect to recoup my losses but I used points to buy my flights so I am locked into a credit with United that must be used for only me, all at once, and travel completed by the end of next April---before the Alaska cruise season starts.  Ugh.  I still want to try cruising. I had no plans to book anything after that surgery b/c it will render DH unable to walk for several months.  I would welcome any suggestions.  I started looking at possible cruises for Jan and Feb but honestly that's not great timing.  And I'm finding myself uninterested in the Caribbean and other warm weather cruises after doing all these plans for Alaska.  I'd love Hawaii but those seem to mostly be longer than week and I wanted to try one week. I'd welcome any suggestions for cruises other than Alaska that could be done maybe Jan - Mar 2023.  I might book something and then not buy flights or finalize things until we know that DH is ok (we have other family who live in the house).  Another idea is to just go somewhere in Europe I want to without a cruise.  I just have to use that flight credit.  It is a huge relief that they are not going to test for covid any longer to get. back on a plane to the US.  That was a big reason why I didn't want to travel internationally.  My Alaska cruise embarked today so if I'd made it I would have not had to test to fly home from Vancouver.  Any suggestions of any kind are welcome.  Thank you.

[Ferry_Watcher]

So sorry that you had to cancel your cruise, and all the related hassle that goes along with it (airlines, flight credit, dealing with the travel insurance folks, etc).  And on top of that, the loss of someone in your life.  It's a lot.

 

While a bit outside of your parameters, there is a 9 night Celebrity Solstice cruise May 3, 2023 that starts in Vancouver, BC, but ends in Seattle.  It visits Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau and Victoria.  The port-of-call visits are longer than most, and there is already folks on the 'roll call chat, including a number of folks from the UK.

 

You might give it a look.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Ferry_Watcher

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

That sounds wonderful but with my kids' activities April and May are packed, and 2023 in particular is full of grad activities for my oldest. That's why I was thinking of Jan to Mar, because of the lull between the holidays and spring.  That and DH should be able to walk and drive again. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

25 minutes ago, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

That sounds wonderful but with my kids' activities April and May are packed, and 2023 in particular is full of grad activities for my oldest. That's why I was thinking of Jan to Mar, because of the lull between the holidays and spring.  That and DH should be able to walk and drive again. 

Sorry, I made the assumption that you were an empty nester!  LOL, my bad.  :  )

[SDPadreFan]

Maybe a land vacation to use up the flight credits is all you could do. Lots of amazing places in the world to visit. Or maybe a partial Panama Canal cruise (those are usually 7 days) out of Florida, etc.

 

We've had 3 cruises canceled on us recently. First was a 16 day New York to the Caribbean to Florida (eventual homeport). That was to be on Carnival's new ship Mardi Gras but canceled due to shipyard delays (pre-covid). Then a back to back (B2B) in a Spa Balcony on Carnival Magic (Eastern and Western Caribbean 7 day cruises) canceled due to COVID, then a 15 day Hawaii cruise (replacing the 16 day prior cancellation) on Carnival Miracle in one of her Premium Balcony's. A very unique 230 sqft balcony cabin (only about 6 of them on the ship), also canceled due to COVID. So we lost about 29 days of cruises but have happily replaced them with a 10 day Alaska cruise (leaving in a week) on Carnival Miracle (in a very unique "bowling alley" balcony). Then in November, a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise on Carnival Panorama followed by a 12 day Baltic Sea cruise on Carnival Pride next July. So we've replaced 29 days with 29 days. Lemonade from lemons. Hawaii will have to wait till the fall of 2024 (probably) because I really want to snag one of those special 230 sqft Premium Balcony's on Carnival Miracle and those sell out almost immediately.

 

Hope you are able to travel somewhere fantastic. We stopped cruising/vacations in 2010 due to full time care-giving of my wife's mother. I was her full-time caregiver (actually since 2001) while my wife continued to work. So I was her caregiver for about 18 years until she sadly passed away at 92. The 16 day cruise was to be our first real vacation in many years, until that was canceled and then COVID hit the world.

[mam11]

So sorry about your loss, and about having to cancel. If you are free in July, I bet there's still a great Princess 7 day from Vancouver and I bet there would be a cabin that would work for you. As for excursions, there should be plenty of private ones that you could still get in on. The Alaska section of this board will give you good ideas of vendors to use. 

[RussNJodi]

Understand your pain; we had scheduled for 2020 as a long overdue present to my parents and and as an 8th grade graduation celebration for our daughter (she fell in love with Alaska when researching it for a school project). We are now going in 2023.

 

As an option, I know you said you wanted Princess due to Glacier Bay, but you may want to look at Norwegian Cruise Line and their Jewel itinerary between Vancouver and Seward (vice Whittier). Those itineraries also hit Glacier Bay and their northbound route includes Hubbard Glacier (That one/two punch is why we picked it). Taking a quick look, it does seem like they have decent availability in July. The Jewel also has 2 bedroom family suites that might make it a little easier with kids if you were booking 2 cabins. Hope this helps. 

Edited June 13, 2022 by RussNJodi
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[nini]

On 6/12/2022 at 7:28 AM, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

That sounds wonderful but with my kids' activities April and May are packed, and 2023 in particular is full of grad activities for my oldest. That's why I was thinking of Jan to Mar, because of the lull between the holidays and spring.  That and DH should be able to walk and drive again. 

There are no Alaska cruises January to March. The season begins in May and goes through September.

[Heidi13]

On 6/12/2022 at 8:28 AM, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

That sounds wonderful but with my kids' activities April and May are packed, and 2023 in particular is full of grad activities for my oldest. That's why I was thinking of Jan to Mar, because of the lull between the holidays and spring.  That and DH should be able to walk and drive again. 

 

During this timeframe you would need to consider the Alaska Marine Highway (ferries), as they are the only pax vessels sailing in Jan/Mar. First cruise ship normally arrives in April/May.

[RussNJodi]

One other random idea occurred to me; if you are thinking of Europe as an alternative, and have to work around school vacations, consider a Christmas river cruise. Most vendors now offer them and they hit the major cities and Christmas Markets. I spent several of my childhood years living in Germany (my Dad was in the Army stationed there) and can honestly say, those markets make for incredible Christmas memories. Let me know if you have any questions on what to expect from such a visit. 

[strickerj]

I got the impression OP meant either Alaska this July or somewhere different Jan-Mar, since her credits expire before next year's Alaska season starts. If so, Caribbean or Hawaii would be about all there is. If you aren't locked into Princess, have you considered Norwegian's Pride of America? It's the only U.S.-registered cruise ship, and therefore the only one that does 7-day Hawaii itineraries (i.e., without the transit from the mainland).

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

Yes, I meant something other than Alaska for Jan to Mar. I've also realized that this summer is no longer a time when I can go on a long trip.  It's too bad because I'd love to immediately rebook another Alaska cruise. I'm seriously thinking about booking Alaska again for 2023 but that summer is already looking crowded. Oh dear. A weird thing: Chase card, where I booked with points, says my airline credit must be used by end of Apr, but United says that I have until Dec 2023. Which is right? I know I need to call United but expect to be on hold.....I'm thinking a lot about various land vacations I could take with the flight credit because it would just be easier to plan....

[SightCRR]

How about a summer cruise in South America (Jan-Feb) to see some penguins?

sightcrr

[strickerj]

11 hours ago, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

Yes, I meant something other than Alaska for Jan to Mar. I've also realized that this summer is no longer a time when I can go on a long trip.  It's too bad because I'd love to immediately rebook another Alaska cruise. I'm seriously thinking about booking Alaska again for 2023 but that summer is already looking crowded. Oh dear. A weird thing: Chase card, where I booked with points, says my airline credit must be used by end of Apr, but United says that I have until Dec 2023. Which is right? I know I need to call United but expect to be on hold.....I'm thinking a lot about various land vacations I could take with the flight credit because it would just be easier to plan....

If I'm reading this correctly, you booked United flights through the Chase travel portal, used your Chase points to pay for them, and upon cancelling, got a credit for the cash price of the tickets (that is, not a refund of your points)? If so, then Chase's travel agent has control of the credit, so I'd go with what that says. It's possible that what United says would be the case had you booked through them directly.

[Gardyloo]

Maybe off the wall (a bit) but what about using your air credit to get to England in April, then take the Queen Mary II back across the pond?  (Or vice-versa, obviously.)  No port calls hence no big excursion fees, the ship is very nice and has decent motion-damping apparatus, and there are plenty of fun programs.  When we sailed from NYC to Southampton in April some years back, the on-board offerings included Shakespeare performances by RADA people, lectures on British history, etc.  It was a very enjoyable six days.  

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

strickerj, that is exactly what happened.  I agree with you---I think Chase holds the credit.  I'm going to call them and ask about it.  They usually pick up right away.  Gardyloo, I love your idea!  Unfortunately it looks like the sailings don't line up with my flight credit dates. But, this is something I'd love to do someday.....

[RickDu]

Is United telling you that you have to travel by that date or book by the date? I had a similar issue with Alaska Air in 2020 when covid hit and we had to cancel. I guess they rethought the use or loose it clause, when everyone had to cancel. We were also able to extend the life by joining their mileage shopping plan, and placing the credit there until we were able to rebook the cruise. I don't know if United has a similar program, but it may pay to check. 

 

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

RickDu, it says travel must be completed by that date, in late April.  It was the date when I bought the tickets.  It seems really unfair b/c I bought in April for June, and I would gladly travel in June again, but I'm constrained by the school schedule a lot of the time.  I'm just hoping DH can manage the 3 kids while I'm gone in winter or spring.  It's a time I would never have planned a solo trip with kids still school age.