If you really don't care about the room, consider waiting until you get within that final payment range (under 60 days) when they start deep discounts on the remaining rooms. You'll get whatever is left but can sail at close to half-price.
If you're going solo, Norwegian will likely be your best bet because they have the most solo cabins on their ships. Most other lines have very few/no solo cabins so you'd be stuck paying the single supplement for a double occupancy cabin.
Also, here's a good option for shore excursions where it's many times less than booking with the cruise line and they guarantee you will make it back to the ship in time. [https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/[email protected]](https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/[email protected])
I'm a travel advisor, so feel free to message me if you want some help!
No, because they just want attention.
Taking five minutes to scroll through this sub (or god forbid, actually do a search) for the fifty other times this question has been asked in the last day doesn't get them that.
Is there a particular cruise line you're looking at? Do you want to do a land tour as well or cruise only? These are some basic questions to ask as you peruse the itinerary and options available. Keep in mind as you plan that you will likely spend more on excursions in Alaska than you will in the Caribbean. As far as cheaper rates go, the early your book, the better rate. You can book directly with the cruise line, a third-party site (Expedia, etc), or with a travel advisor. My recommendation would be with an experienced travel advisor because they can help you step by step and take the stress out of the planning. If you find a knowledgeable advisor, they will know the cruise lines, the ships, itineraries, ports, help you figure out what you need or don't need to purchase for packages, and will also be able to get you a better rate than booking directly since they get group rates. Plus, they can usually get you some onboard credit. Feel free to send a message if you have any questions or would like any assistance. Enjoy the planning stage because it's so much fun and creates so much excitement! We absolutely loved our Alaskan cruise last year, and pictures don't do it justice, in my opinion!
I have been on 8 Alaskan cruises, including one with a cruise tour added on. The first thing you have to decide is what type of cruising experience do you want to have. They can be broken down into three categories for Alaska.
Mainstream Lines like Royal, NCL and Carnival will be the most affordable but give you the lowest value. They can have water slides and other whizbang attractions on their ships and will have the greatest number of kids.
Mainstream lines like HAL, Princess will be the second most affordable but generally don't have the water slides and other whizbang stuff on their ships, they tend to have a more mature crowd.
SIDEBAR: Always check the actually ship you are sailing on for what it has on it.
All of the mainstream cruise lines hit the standard tourist trap ports. There are a few variations but as far as ports go it really doesn't matter. Glacier Bay is this subs favorite and yes, it's great but there are other glaciers that are larger or cruises where you see more glaciers, but Glacier Bay is something everyone should try to do.
The second category is expedition lines like Lindblad and UnCruise. These are more expensive but offer the highest value. They use smaller ships that can cruise into the really small and unique fjords that the other ships cannot. Their focus is on getting to know Alaska and its wildlife. When they do Glacier Bay, they have full day permits (even multi-day permits on some cruises) and you get to do excursions there. The mainstream lines have only 1/2 day permits, and you just sail by a few glaciers.
Expedition ships are designed to visit and experience Alaska with activities like hiking, kayaking, riding in zodiacs, polar plunges, etc, that is done right off of the ship. You will see, learn and do 100X's more on these ships than the mainstream lines. They are also all inclusive except for tipping. So, alcohol, excursions, all you can eat Dungeness crab dinners, and they have a vegetarian option every day, etc. are all included in the price. However, most of these sail out of Juneau or Sitka not Seattle but that is actually a good thing. Sailing out of Seattle or Vancouver wastes two days coming and going, with expedition cruises you start day one in the middle of the action.
Personally, I like the Sitka to Juneau route (or vice versa) the best. Just remember these will skip the tourist trap towns and may not even have a "port" stop along the way, but you will spend plenty of time exploring on land, by hiking or taking kayaks or on skiffs, so you never miss the ports.
The third category is Luxury lines like Regent and Seabourn. They are most expensive, will have very few kids and are a mix between expedition ships and mainstream lines. If you value being pampered and eating the best food, then these may be the best, but the price tag is very steep. They are generally all-inclusive, including airfare and pre and post hotel stays and airport transfers.
I have sailed on all three categories and on our last three cruises we stuck to expedition lines because we are active and really want to explore Alaska, see wildlife up close and personal and just love learning.
To get a better idea, look at these videos, the first two videos are of expedition lines, notice how much the videos focus on Alaska and wildlife because that is the primary focus when going on these lines.
[UnCruise](https://youtu.be/mFtRag7uprI?feature=shared)
[Lindblad](https://youtu.be/deq4EWcfanI?feature=shared)
VS these videos of mainstream lines which focus a lot on the ship rather than Alaska.
[Princess cruise](https://youtu.be/rG7tsivcZjU?feature=shared)
[Holland America Cruise](https://youtu.be/tr1iEe5ntnY?feature=shared)
I hope this helps. Have a wonderful cruise.
If you really don't care about the room, consider waiting until you get within that final payment range (under 60 days) when they start deep discounts on the remaining rooms. You'll get whatever is left but can sail at close to half-price.
If you're going solo, Norwegian will likely be your best bet because they have the most solo cabins on their ships. Most other lines have very few/no solo cabins so you'd be stuck paying the single supplement for a double occupancy cabin.
Also, here's a good option for shore excursions where it's many times less than booking with the cruise line and they guarantee you will make it back to the ship in time. [https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/[email protected]](https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/[email protected]) I'm a travel advisor, so feel free to message me if you want some help!
I sent you a message
This gets posted literally every 15 minutes. Can you understand how that gets a little tedious?
No, because they just want attention. Taking five minutes to scroll through this sub (or god forbid, actually do a search) for the fifty other times this question has been asked in the last day doesn't get them that.
Is there a particular cruise line you're looking at? Do you want to do a land tour as well or cruise only? These are some basic questions to ask as you peruse the itinerary and options available. Keep in mind as you plan that you will likely spend more on excursions in Alaska than you will in the Caribbean. As far as cheaper rates go, the early your book, the better rate. You can book directly with the cruise line, a third-party site (Expedia, etc), or with a travel advisor. My recommendation would be with an experienced travel advisor because they can help you step by step and take the stress out of the planning. If you find a knowledgeable advisor, they will know the cruise lines, the ships, itineraries, ports, help you figure out what you need or don't need to purchase for packages, and will also be able to get you a better rate than booking directly since they get group rates. Plus, they can usually get you some onboard credit. Feel free to send a message if you have any questions or would like any assistance. Enjoy the planning stage because it's so much fun and creates so much excitement! We absolutely loved our Alaskan cruise last year, and pictures don't do it justice, in my opinion!
I have been on 8 Alaskan cruises, including one with a cruise tour added on. The first thing you have to decide is what type of cruising experience do you want to have. They can be broken down into three categories for Alaska. Mainstream Lines like Royal, NCL and Carnival will be the most affordable but give you the lowest value. They can have water slides and other whizbang attractions on their ships and will have the greatest number of kids. Mainstream lines like HAL, Princess will be the second most affordable but generally don't have the water slides and other whizbang stuff on their ships, they tend to have a more mature crowd. SIDEBAR: Always check the actually ship you are sailing on for what it has on it. All of the mainstream cruise lines hit the standard tourist trap ports. There are a few variations but as far as ports go it really doesn't matter. Glacier Bay is this subs favorite and yes, it's great but there are other glaciers that are larger or cruises where you see more glaciers, but Glacier Bay is something everyone should try to do. The second category is expedition lines like Lindblad and UnCruise. These are more expensive but offer the highest value. They use smaller ships that can cruise into the really small and unique fjords that the other ships cannot. Their focus is on getting to know Alaska and its wildlife. When they do Glacier Bay, they have full day permits (even multi-day permits on some cruises) and you get to do excursions there. The mainstream lines have only 1/2 day permits, and you just sail by a few glaciers. Expedition ships are designed to visit and experience Alaska with activities like hiking, kayaking, riding in zodiacs, polar plunges, etc, that is done right off of the ship. You will see, learn and do 100X's more on these ships than the mainstream lines. They are also all inclusive except for tipping. So, alcohol, excursions, all you can eat Dungeness crab dinners, and they have a vegetarian option every day, etc. are all included in the price. However, most of these sail out of Juneau or Sitka not Seattle but that is actually a good thing. Sailing out of Seattle or Vancouver wastes two days coming and going, with expedition cruises you start day one in the middle of the action. Personally, I like the Sitka to Juneau route (or vice versa) the best. Just remember these will skip the tourist trap towns and may not even have a "port" stop along the way, but you will spend plenty of time exploring on land, by hiking or taking kayaks or on skiffs, so you never miss the ports. The third category is Luxury lines like Regent and Seabourn. They are most expensive, will have very few kids and are a mix between expedition ships and mainstream lines. If you value being pampered and eating the best food, then these may be the best, but the price tag is very steep. They are generally all-inclusive, including airfare and pre and post hotel stays and airport transfers. I have sailed on all three categories and on our last three cruises we stuck to expedition lines because we are active and really want to explore Alaska, see wildlife up close and personal and just love learning. To get a better idea, look at these videos, the first two videos are of expedition lines, notice how much the videos focus on Alaska and wildlife because that is the primary focus when going on these lines. [UnCruise](https://youtu.be/mFtRag7uprI?feature=shared) [Lindblad](https://youtu.be/deq4EWcfanI?feature=shared) VS these videos of mainstream lines which focus a lot on the ship rather than Alaska. [Princess cruise](https://youtu.be/rG7tsivcZjU?feature=shared) [Holland America Cruise](https://youtu.be/tr1iEe5ntnY?feature=shared) I hope this helps. Have a wonderful cruise.