Two weeks from today-Alaska (on Mercury) here we come!

[luvthis]

Hey...I got up this morning and realized it's 2 weeks from today that we board the Mercury for our 1st trip to Alaska! I watched a show last night on the Travel Channel about Alaska and needless to say, I'm getting pretty excited (even though there won't be any palm trees there!). We still haven't pre-booked any tours. We don't know if we should stick with Celebrity tours knowing that they will make sure we won't miss the ship and are approved winners, or if we should venture outside the box and look into independent tours. Celebrity will stop taking on-line pre-tour bookings this week. Does anyone know if the Alaskan tours offered by Celebrity ever sell out before boarding the ship and booking on-board? We're particularly leaning towards the Lumberjack Show & the Railroad Tour. We know Celebrity tours cost more. We booked independent tours when we were in Hawaii 5 years ago on Infinity, but have no experience with Alaskan stuff.

 

Anyway...to all my fellow cruisers on Mercury, May 8...see you at the Cruise Critic party!

 

--Jean & Bob, Racine, Wisconsin

[frchteaze]

Congrats on the countdown! I'm right behind you so I know how excited you must be.

 

As for all of your questions.... There is a lot of info over on the Alaska board that can help you decide. From everything I've read, I decided to go ahead and book all of our excursions on the ship because most everyone seems to agree that the popular excursions sell out fast. I also checked the independent prices and they were at most $4 or $5 difference. Booking the train through the ship also has the convenience of boarding at the dock versus walking into town (5-10 minute walk). That might or might not make a difference to you.

 

I think certain excursions are easier to book once you get in port than others. For example, the train and lumberjack shows are fairly easy to book if they aren't sold out. Since you're going in 2 weeks, my guess is the ports will be less crowded and you will be okay waiting until you get there. Double check the Alaska boards and see what people think over there just to be on the safe side though.

[SheilaNC]

Have a great cruise (luvthis and frchteaze). Be sure to post when you get back. We're on for July 14th and already in a countdown mode. Saw the shows on the Travel Channel yesterday, too, and checked re: the Lumberjack Show online. You can book from the dock or walk just a few blocks to where the show is. We'll probably do that since our extended family can't seem to make up their minds about excursions. We've done this cruise before so we're up to doing whatever our kids and grandkids want to do. You'll love it!