Our 2024 Alaska Adventure--including planning!

[Arkiepig]

I was not considering the Hubbard Excursion due to the high cost for our August RCI cruise.   But, around Veterans Day it dropped to $297/ person so I grabbed it.   
 

Still inwardly debating if I want to keep the Hubbard Excursion and the Glacier Winds whale watching excursion in Icy Point.     Decisions, Decisions.    
 

[Coral]

18 hours ago, Arkiepig said:

 

Still inwardly debating if I want to keep the Hubbard Excursion and the Glacier Winds whale watching excursion in Icy Point.     Decisions, Decisions.    
 

Do both. They are different.

[Editrix]

On 11/19/2023 at 10:09 AM, no1racefan1 said:

Hey everyone! Haven't had too much to report on lately, but I decided to check excursions this morning and to my surprise, the Hubbard Glacier small boat excursion has gone up in price from $299 to $359pp. That is a huge price increase for those of you planning to take this excursion!  It still shows at least 20 spots available. This is just another reason to book excursions as soon as you know what you want. 

 

Of course this made me curious so I started checking out some other excursions. The lumberjack show has gone up from $39.95 to $43.00. The fishing excursion I booked for DH has gone up from $369.95 to $419.95. Yikes! The interesting thing about that is it still shows 11 spots available, meaning DH is the only person booked.

 

Our other two excursions have not changed in price since we purchased.

 

 

Because of your message, I just checked my four excursions and discovered that the White Pass Railway Luxury Car now costs $70 more than what I paid, an increase from $359.95 to $429.95 per person! Thank you for providing so much helpful and up-to-date information.

[no1racefan1]

Major Marine Tours on sale now!

[no1racefan1]

Wow, only 173 days until we are in Alaska! The days seemed to go by faster when I wasn't logging in to Princess every day 😂

 

Things I still have left to do:

• Book Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Whittier. This particular route is not available to book for next year yet.
• Reserve bike rentals at Pablo's in Anchorage
• Prepay crew appreciation
• Order bottled water for our cabin
• Possibly book a massage in Ketchikan
• Dinner reservations for our nights on land

Anybody finding any good Black Friday travel deals??

[Cruisin Kay D]

Just found your planning thread and have only read so far to page 4 or 5.   I have a few things to throw out to you, but I realize you may have heard about mine, or I may be too late, etc. 

 

We have been to Alaska by cruise ship 7 times (5 1-week cruises plus a 2-week cruise & a 3-week cruise) plus an 18 day trip driving to AK to deliver a new Class-C RV to Great Alaskan Holidays rental RV company in Anchorage. (A wonderful company!)   

Our most recent 1-week cruise was July 2022 when we rented a great SUV at a wonderful price through Turo, which is a car rental program similar to AirBnB or VRBO!   Among my suggestions in visiting Anchorage are (1) drive around Hood Lake near Anchorage Airport to watch the floatplanes take off and land, (2) Alaska Air Museum by the airport, (3) see the movie of the Northern LIghts at a theater in downtown Anchorage, (4) research to see pictures (or maybe a YouTube video) of the Good Friday 1964 Earthquake damage to Anchorage as well as to Valdez & other towns and (5) drive to the Earthquake Park northwest of the Anchorage airport.

En route to Whittier/Seward, consider taking the Portage Glacier boat trip.  Another option is the shorter 26 Glacier tour at Whittier, which is wonderful and easy to fit in after taking the train down to Whittier & before the ship sails late into the evening!!   We took the Alaska RR from Anchorage to Whittier "on our own".   

 

As I said we have been to Anchorage several times and still we have not made it to Denali....the mountain is quite often hidden in clouds &/or fog, and I figured our luck would be that it would not be "out to view" when we got there.  (We have a history of fog, rain & clouds keeping us from seeing important sites:  The Alps at Garmish, View from Windows on the World Restaurant in Twin Towers, Chartres Cathedral spires from train station which was supposed to tell us which direction to walk to get to the church, The Alps at Interlaken!!)

Edited November 26, 2023 by Cruisin Kay D

[Arkiepig]

Thanks for taking the time to advise.  In your experience, is one full day enough for Anchorage?  Current plans are to arrive late evening, spend the next day exploring Anchorage.  The next morning we leave for a quick trip to Denali for a couple of days before heading to Seward for the cruise.

 

We have not booked our flights yet, so I could possible add another day in Anchorage.  Incidentally  I never  saw the Alps in Interlaken either, but I was fortunate enough to see them in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Hoping for a glimpse of Denali, but realize odds are not in my favor.

 

[no1racefan1]

20 hours ago, Cruisin Kay D said:

Just found your planning thread and have only read so far to page 4 or 5.   I have a few things to throw out to you, but I realize you may have heard about mine, or I may be too late, etc. 

 

We have been to Alaska by cruise ship 7 times (5 1-week cruises plus a 2-week cruise & a 3-week cruise) plus an 18 day trip driving to AK to deliver a new Class-C RV to Great Alaskan Holidays rental RV company in Anchorage. (A wonderful company!)   

Our most recent 1-week cruise was July 2022 when we rented a great SUV at a wonderful price through Turo, which is a car rental program similar to AirBnB or VRBO!   Among my suggestions in visiting Anchorage are (1) drive around Hood Lake near Anchorage Airport to watch the floatplanes take off and land, (2) Alaska Air Museum by the airport, (3) see the movie of the Northern LIghts at a theater in downtown Anchorage, (4) research to see pictures (or maybe a YouTube video) of the Good Friday 1964 Earthquake damage to Anchorage as well as to Valdez & other towns and (5) drive to the Earthquake Park northwest of the Anchorage airport.

En route to Whittier/Seward, consider taking the Portage Glacier boat trip.  Another option is the shorter 26 Glacier tour at Whittier, which is wonderful and easy to fit in after taking the train down to Whittier & before the ship sails late into the evening!!   We took the Alaska RR from Anchorage to Whittier "on our own".   

 

As I said we have been to Anchorage several times and still we have not made it to Denali....the mountain is quite often hidden in clouds &/or fog, and I figured our luck would be that it would not be "out to view" when we got there.  (We have a history of fog, rain & clouds keeping us from seeing important sites:  The Alps at Garmish, View from Windows on the World Restaurant in Twin Towers, Chartres Cathedral spires from train station which was supposed to tell us which direction to walk to get to the church, The Alps at Interlaken!!)

Thank you! All great suggestions. I do want to go watch the seaplanes for a little bit if we have time. We're going to rent bikes in Anchorage and ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.

[no1racefan1]

Glacier Discovery Train is finally available to book for 2024! This is the train from Anchorage to Whittier. Crossing that off my list today 😄

[SirTomster]

I love to plan too.  For me, part of the enjoyment is planning the trip.  Then living vicariously through others who do the same.

 

Why?  

 

It extends the enjoyment.  For some, planning an event can enhance the experience.

 

For some, planning is a 4 letter word.  

 

To each their own.

 

For instance, my wife is quite happy with me doing the planning.   Which means I get to do something I enjoy and she does not have to do something she does not enjoy.

 

In this case, by posting about what she is doing, she is also helping others with ideas.   Which hurts nobody.   

[SirTomster]

Another Black Friday deal for a Kenai Fjords cruise out of Seward.

 

Kenai Fjords Tours is having a 40% off sale.

 

From November 27 to December 1, 2023, book your coastal Alaska adventure with code CYBER40 to SAVE 40% on your next Alaska day cruise. It’s a trip (and a deal) you won’t want to miss.  

 

https://www.alaskacollection.com/day-tours/kenai-fjords-tours/#openseason=false

 

And as posted earlier.  Major Marine has 30% off.

 

So some great prices to cruise Kenai Fjords with either company.

 

https://majormarine.com/specials-packages/

[jannieb]

Thank you for posting the Major Maine discount. I almost missed it. 

[Calico Mary]

A blogger mentioned the blue bus to Mendenhall Glacier was discontinued. I'm disappointed. Not sure what other options exist.

 

[no1racefan1]

12 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I need to ask.  With 284 posts and counting for maybe a 2 week cruise and and trip am I the only one to find this post a bit of over planning. 

 

DON

LOL of course it's over planning, I fully admit to this 🤣

 

Truthfully though I love that this thread has turned into a place to bounce ideas off each other and it has made it that much more exciting to look forward to. DH and I have had a rough 3 1/2 years and this trip will be our 'revenge' trip, if you will. It's been such great fun for me to interact with everybody here while planning and I can't wait to share how everything turns out!

[no1racefan1]

7 hours ago, Calico Mary said:

A blogger mentioned the blue bus to Mendenhall Glacier was discontinued. I'm disappointed. Not sure what other options exist.

 

There were issues with not enough permits to visit the glacier or something like that... for this reason, I think the best bet might be to book the ship excursion to go to Mendenhall. I didn't hear of any ship excursions getting cancelled this summer (I could be wrong though).

 

 

[Sail away MK]

Any ideas on when to nab a deal on Alaskan Airfare?  I see they have dropped at bit and am ready to book.  Do you know if it is possible to disembark in Vancouver and make an 11:20 plane?

[no1racefan1]

1 hour ago, Sail away MK said:

Any ideas on when to nab a deal on Alaskan Airfare?  I see they have dropped at bit and am ready to book.  Do you know if it is possible to disembark in Vancouver and make an 11:20 plane?

I always feel like it's better to book earlier than later but then I'm not a frequent flyer or anything like that so other people might feel differently. I see Alaska Airlines has some Cyber Monday deals out there. I booked our flights the day they were available, lol. We're flying Alaska Airlines to Anchorage and United Airlines home from Vancouver.

 

You might also be interested in looking into the Alaska Airlines credit card; you get a $99 companion fare which can save quite a bit, plus free checked bags.

 

Everything I've read says don't book a flight before noon out of Vancouver, but maybe some of the more experienced Alaska cruisers can help answer that.

[no1racefan1]

I just stumbled upon this article while browsing Tripadvisor. It lists possible Black Friday sales on Alaska hotels, tours, etc. I don't know if any of these are still going on (I know Alyeska Resort is because I was checking it out!) but worth taking a look!

 

https://www.valisemag.com/alaska-black-friday-deals/

[SirTomster]

Now I am not sure if this is a deal or not.  I thought the prices were higher but they are cheaper now.

 

For me, the price to fly home from Vancouver is 1K over the price of flying from Seattle.  So I will be taking the QuickShuttle from the Canada Place pier to the Seattle Airport.  

 

Right now the prices seem to be 1/2 off.  I had a price of $130 for the bus but I booked it for $70.98.  I do not see them advertising any sale, but still it was nearly half of what I expected to pay.  That includes 2 bags for each of us.

 

So for those who end up in Vancouver at the end of the cruise, it might be an option to consider.  Or for someone that leaves from Vancouver.  Flying to Seattle and taking the bus to Vancouver to get on the ship. 

 

 I ended up deciding to stay a night in Seattle and not trying to catch a flight that evening since you never know if traffic will delay the bus.   

[no1racefan1]

1 hour ago, SirTomster said:

Now I am not sure if this is a deal or not.  I thought the prices were higher but they are cheaper now.

 

For me, the price to fly home from Vancouver is 1K over the price of flying from Seattle.  So I will be taking the QuickShuttle from the Canada Place pier to the Seattle Airport.  

 

Right now the prices seem to be 1/2 off.  I had a price of $130 for the bus but I booked it for $70.98.  I do not see them advertising any sale, but still it was nearly half of what I expected to pay.  That includes 2 bags for each of us.

 

So for those who end up in Vancouver at the end of the cruise, it might be an option to consider.  Or for someone that leaves from Vancouver.  Flying to Seattle and taking the bus to Vancouver to get on the ship. 

 

 I ended up deciding to stay a night in Seattle and not trying to catch a flight that evening since you never know if traffic will delay the bus.   

Sounds like a great deal! You just inspired me to check our flights, but we used miles and they are the same from Vancouver or Seattle. Switching to Seattle would save about $300 if we had paid for them though!

 

Great heads up for people to consider.

[cwsdks48]

On 5/12/2023 at 1:15 PM, Stowaway LFC said:

Awesome!  Great minds think alike!  Once my Discover Miles card turns a year-old next March and doubles my miles, I'm going to get the Norwegian credit card. They offer a free 20,000 points if you spend 1000 in 90 days that is equal to 200.00.  There are several ways to redeem such as on-board credit, cash off cruise or cabin upgrades but I'm going for the cash off cruise. I plan to use that card to make payments on the cruise itself and excursions etc because all Norwegian purchases are 3pts per 1.00. Airfare and hotels are 2pts per 1.00. Want to redeem those points for cash off before I finish paying off the cruise.  Found a tip on this site to not use the points for on-board credit but instead use the card as your on-board payment method and earn 3pts per 1.00 of whatever you spend on board. 

 

Also going to purchase a cruise first certificate prior to booking for 250. That will give me 500 towards the cruise. I think you can only use one per cruise.

 

If I like sailing on Norwegian they offer purchases of Cruise Next certificates during the cruise. You can buy at a discounted price and use one towards your next cruise. It has to be used within 4 years so that all depends on how I like the cruise line.  I've only sailed on Carnival in the past

 

Hopefully I can offset a bit of that price tag on the London trip!  I like the Norwegian one for the pre cruise stay and the itinerary. It seemed like the best for us.

 

Guess it's too early to get really excited about Alaska just yet!

 

 

Just booked Norwegian August 2025, your pre planning is so helpful! We use Marriott points for hotels; tier benefits on Norwegian give us 10% off shore excursions, together with $50 shore excursion perk, we try to stay within our budget. Thanks a bunch.

[Stowaway LFC]

2 hours ago, cwsdks48 said:

Just booked Norwegian August 2025, your pre planning is so helpful! We use Marriott points for hotels; tier benefits on Norwegian give us 10% off shore excursions, together with $50 shore excursion perk, we try to stay within our budget. Thanks a bunch.

You are very welcome!  We all gotta stick together on this stuff!

[torybruno]

We finally booked our third Alaska cruise!  This time, going with friends!  
Holland America, Nieuw Amsterdam June 23, 2024.  Yeah, baby!

[no1racefan1]

Yesterday I took care of some loose ends! I reserved bikes for our first morning in Anchorage from Pablo's Bike Rentals so we can ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. They have a really generous cancellation policy, which is nice in case we need it.

 

I also prepaid crew appreciation and a case of water. My original plan was to buy another discounted Princess gift card from AARP and then apply this onboard to pay for crew appreciation; however, with all the little changes Princess keeps making, I was worried they might decide to increase prices, so I just went ahead and paid those.

 

I decided to cancel my Lumberjack Show excursion. I just wasn't that excited about it and I kind of felt like I booked it just to have something to do that day while DH goes fishing. I think instead, I'm going to take a 'me' day and book a massage in Ketchikan, walk around, and enjoy some time on the ship with fewer people. 

 

I thought I'd share a budget update since I haven't done so in awhile. The column on the left is budgeted and the column on the right is what I've actually spent. I update the left hand side once I know for sure what the amount is. I'm sharing my budget because going to Alaska can be very expensive, and I want to show that it is possible to do it on a budget (kind of!). This is still more than we spend on most trips and I was hoping to get it under $7K, but I don't think that's realistic unless we cut out some of the things we really want. We have tried to focus the bulk of our spending on tours/experiences. The biggest remaining item we have some control over is meals, so I'm open to any suggestions on how to reduce expenses there!

 

[cwsdks48]

11 hours ago, torybruno said:

We finally booked our third Alaska cruise!  This time, going with friends!  
Holland America, Nieuw Amsterdam June 23, 2024.  Yeah, baby!

2 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

Yesterday I took care of some loose ends! I reserved bikes for our first morning in Anchorage from Pablo's Bike Rentals so we can ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. They have a really generous cancellation policy, which is nice in case we need it.

 

I also prepaid crew appreciation and a case of water. My original plan was to buy another discounted Princess gift card from AARP and then apply this onboard to pay for crew appreciation; however, with all the little changes Princess keeps making, I was worried they might decide to increase prices, so I just went ahead and paid those.

 

I decided to cancel my Lumberjack Show excursion. I just wasn't that excited about it and I kind of felt like I booked it just to have something to do that day while DH goes fishing. I think instead, I'm going to take a 'me' day and book a massage in Ketchikan, walk around, and enjoy some time on the ship with fewer people. 

 

I thought I'd share a budget update since I haven't done so in awhile. The column on the left is budgeted and the column on the right is what I've actually spent. I update the left hand side once I know for sure what the amount is. I'm sharing my budget because going to Alaska can be very expensive, and I want to show that it is possible to do it on a budget (kind of!). This is still more than we spend on most trips and I was hoping to get it under $7K, but I don't think that's realistic unless we cut out some of the things we really want. We have tried to focus the bulk of our spending on tours/experiences. The biggest remaining item we have some control over is meals, so I'm open to any suggestions on how to reduce expenses there!

 

You mentioned buying case of water. We used to do so until folks commented on ship water being fine. Last cruise we each brought a large travel cup and filled it at the buffet. Ship won’t let you fill cup from machine, so we fill a large cup from the buffet and pour into our own cups.