Need help from you pros to Alaska

[Suzcruz57]

We’ve chosen the konigsdam inside passage in September, this year with  the platinum insurance thru  the cruise line. Im wondering if we should book our hotel, air and transfers thru Holland and have peace of mind all will be covered under the insurance. Or try to wing it at possibly a lower fee? Help please. P.s. the flights home are 12+hours.

[Boatdrill]

It depends on how much $$$  peace of mind worth to you.

[DaveOKC]

2 minutes ago, Suzcruz57 said:

We’ve chosen the konigsdam inside passage in September, this year with  the platinum insurance thru  the cruise line. Im wondering if we should book our hotel, air and transfers thru Holland and have peace of mind all will be covered under the insurance. Or try to wing it at possibly a lower fee? Help please. P.s. the flights home are 12+hours.

I almost always book my hotel and flights myself, especially if they are in the US (or Canada).  For one thing, the airlines are constantly changing flight times and I feel it is easier to deal with them directly when this happens (I usually end up with better flights than what I am assigned by the airline).  Also, I am pretty certain the costs are less for hotels and flights in most cases.  One more thing - I watch my hotel pricing and very often rebook them to save money - harder to do if you book through the cruiseline.

[DaveOKC]

1 minute ago, DaveOKC said:

I almost always book my hotel and flights myself, especially if they are in the US (or Canada).  For one thing, the airlines are constantly changing flight times and I feel it is easier to deal with them directly when this happens (I usually end up with better flights than what I am assigned by the airline).  Also, I am pretty certain the costs are less for hotels and flights in most cases.  One more thing - I watch my hotel pricing and very often rebook them to save money - harder to do if you book through the cruiseline.  

One more thing - I usually fly on Southwest (I doubt the cruiseline offers this) or American, which I have Gold status on, so I get free bags and better service most times.

 

[Roz]

HAL's hotels are VERY expensive,  at least by my standards.  If this is your first time cruising, or Vancouver is unfamiliar territory for you and you feel you need a little hand holding, then by all means book everything through HAL.

 

For my September cruise to Alaska,  I'm flying Southwest to Seattle and staying in a hotel near the airport that I booked with points. The next day I'm going back to Seatac and taking the HAL transfer bus to Canada Place in Vancouver.  After the cruise I'm doing the same thing in reverse.  I'm saving over $1,000 by not flying directly to Vancouver and staying there overnight.  

[Vict0riann]

4 minutes ago, Roz said:

HAL's hotels are VERY expensive,  at least by my standards.  If this is your first time cruising, or Vancouver is unfamiliar territory for you and you feel you need a little hand holding, then by all means book everything through HAL.

 

For my September cruise to Alaska,  I'm flying Southwest to Seattle and staying in a hotel near the airport that I booked with points. The next day I'm going back to Seatac and taking the HAL transfer bus to Canada Place in Vancouver.  After the cruise I'm doing the same thing in reverse.  I'm saving over $1,000 by not flying directly to Vancouver and staying there overnight.  

 

That sounds like a really good idea.  We often fly to Seattle from Victoria to find better flights across to Florida.  Flying through Canada is a hassle.

[iaae22]

We did Alaska in 2019 and flight though Canada was absolutely the worth experience ever we had with the air travel. We are taking another cruise to Alaska this summer and decided on Seattle round trip just to insure we have a better air experience.

[bennybear]

4 hours ago, Suzcruz57 said:

We’ve chosen the konigsdam inside passage in September, this year with  the platinum insurance thru  the cruise line. Im wondering if we should book our hotel, air and transfers thru Holland and have peace of mind all will be covered under the insurance. Or try to wing it at possibly a lower fee? Help please. P.s. the flights home are 12+hours.

Depending on dates there are some nonstop flights from Calgary and possibly Vancouver to FLL and Orlando.   Should cut the time in half. 

[bennybear]

2 hours ago, iaae22 said:

We did Alaska in 2019 and flight though Canada was absolutely the worth experience ever we had with the air travel. We are taking another cruise to Alaska this summer and decided on Seattle round trip just to insure we have a better air experience.

Curious as to details? 

[Florida_gal_50]

I've been booking air through Hal since the pandemic and a bit before.  If I have to cancel it's easy because I just deal with them.  The platinum insurance covers it without raising the premium.  I know this with 100% certainty.  I generally book business class flights or westjet premium (which are ridiculous in price).  I don't want a credit dealing with an airline.  I book my own hotel. 

[iaae22]

17 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Curious as to details? 

 

 We had a connection in Toronto and had to go through customs there. We did pick a flights with plenty of time for connection but local agents were so rude, slow and aggressive about the line that we almost missed our connection. We have been in line for 3 hr. We were not the only ones as they end up delaying our second flight as half of the plane was missing for the departure. When we ask if we can skip ahead the line people were OK with it but the agent in the room start screaming that she is going to send us back to the end of the line if we move.

[Crew News]

For truly hassle free to Alaska, book a flight to Vancouver to arrive the day before your cruise in late afternoon to avoid the rush hour in the airport.  Book on your own, or through HAL (more expensive), the Pan Pacific Hotel that is an elevator ride down to the ship.  The hotel will take care of getting your luggage to the ship on Embarkation Day.  Taxi fare to/from the airport to hotel is around $35.  The HAL bus is $29 p/p and departs the airport when it is full and the same for post-cruise.

 

On your next cruise, you can be more creative and search for savings.

[bennybear]

5 minutes ago, iaae22 said:

 

 We had a connection in Toronto and had to go through customs there. We did pick a flights with plenty of time for connection but local agents were so rude, slow and aggressive about the line that we almost missed our connection. We have been in line for 3 hr. We were not the only ones as they end up delaying our second flight as half of the plane was missing for the departure. When we ask if we can skip ahead the line people were OK with it but the agent in the room start screaming that she is going to send us back to the end of the line if we move.

Yikes! Sorry to hear that, we avoid YYZ as much as possible.  Flights out of YYC or YVR are usually better

[Mary229]

@Roz  is that shuttle available for all sailings from Vancouver?   How much does it cost.   I am looking to escape the summer heat and considering Alaska again - on the cheap😉.  Thank you 

[YourWorldWithBill]

7 hours ago, Suzcruz57 said:

We’ve chosen the konigsdam inside passage in September, this year with  the platinum insurance thru  the cruise line. Im wondering if we should book our hotel, air and transfers thru Holland and have peace of mind all will be covered under the insurance. Or try to wing it at possibly a lower fee? Help please. P.s. the flights home are 12+hours.

I promise that I don't get anything from AmEx, but I tell people that with the platinum card I get travel insurance for everything booked with the card. Actually, I pay $64 extra for each trip for extra medical coverage. Cancelation up to a certain amount is covered at no extra cost. The cost of the card is justified by not having to buy separate insurance. The only thing not included is "cancel for any reason," but any reason I would use is covered.

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, Crew News said:

For truly hassle free to Alaska, book a flight to Vancouver to arrive the day before your cruise in late afternoon to avoid the rush hour in the airport.  Book on your own, or through HAL (more expensive), the Pan Pacific Hotel that is an elevator ride down to the ship.  The hotel will take care of getting your luggage to the ship on Embarkation Day.  Taxi fare to/from the airport to hotel is around $35.  The HAL bus is $29 p/p and departs the airport when it is full and the same for post-cruise.

 

On your next cruise, you can be more creative and search for savings.

 

That's what I do. The Pan Pacific is a splurge (there are less expensive hotels not too far away from the port), but I love having my luggage taken from my hotel room direct to the ship. 

[Roz]

10 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

@Roz  is that shuttle available for all sailings from Vancouver?   How much does it cost.   I am looking to escape the summer heat and considering Alaska again - on the cheap😉.  Thank you 

 

@Mary229, I believe it is.  The cost is $89 each way.  

[tvlgoddess]

3 hours ago, bennybear said:

Depending on dates there are some nonstop flights from Calgary and possibly Vancouver to FLL and Orlando.   Should cut the time in half. 

Which airline?  I would love a direct flight to FLL out Calgary and vice versa

[Kc52]

Hotels - With respect to hotels, lots of hotels available in downtown Vancouver that are very close to the cruise port. The hotels nearest the port are generally more expensive.

Transit - If you fly into Vancouver airport, there is LRT (light rail transit) also know as the Sky Train for $9.00 dollars from the airport to the downtown - just need to know which station to disembark at in the downtown - closest to your hotel or the cruise port (Waterfront station). The LRT trains leave every 10 minutes (about a 26 minute ride). I think a two zone fare is required. This compares to a $25-$30 (plus tip if you wish) taxi fare which is dependent upon traffic.

Air - I agree that booking through HAL or an airline may not be best - depends upon how comfortable you are with the process - refundable and cancellable options may help. Would strongly recommend arriving at least one day before the cruise, to ensure that you have time to adjust to the time change, and don't miss your cruise ship departure. Lots to do by foot or bus around Vancouver. Depending on what connections you make for your flight, there are lots of flights daily from Toronto, Calgary or Seattle to Vancouver airport. Hope this helps. 

[bennybear]

3 hours ago, tvlgoddess said:

Which airline?  I would love a direct flight to FLL out Calgary and vice versa

West jet

[MeggMegg]

I have a flight through Toronto to vancouver. Would you go to Seattle then and take the transfer shuttle? Westjet goes direct to Vancouver. How is it as an airline?

[bennybear]

5 minutes ago, MeggMegg said:

I have a flight through Toronto to vancouver. Would you go to Seattle then and take the transfer shuttle? Westjet goes direct to Vancouver. How is it as an airline?

If you’re cruising out of Vancouver there’s no need to go through Seattle.  
West jet is fine, newer planes.  They’re one of the two big Canadian carriers.

[tvlgoddess]

2 hours ago, bennybear said:

West jet

What time of year does Westjet fly direct from YYC to FLL?  I always have to connect thru YYZ

[bennybear]

39 minutes ago, tvlgoddess said:

What time of year does Westjet fly direct from YYC to FLL?  I always have to connect thru YYZ

I think most of the winter, you’d need to check your dates.  I don’t think it’s everyday 

 

[tvlgoddess]

Thank you. Good to know.  Guess I only look at dates the day before the ship sails and the day the ship docks and I never luck in to the direct flights.