Alaska Cruise... added more in package

this morning i called AAA to find out about Alaska.

7-nights, Princess Cruise, Balcony room, drinks package, free picture (woo hoo! this is what i want more than anything else), priority boarding

2 adults

June 2019

$5,000.00

no airfare included in quote.

reasonable or not?

ETA: i just got an email with everything spelled out.
package also include
* Up to $100 onboard spending credit
* One specialty restaurant dining for 2 (port days only... not sure what that means)
* Refundable deposit

Message edited 8/29/2018 1:09:26 PM.

Re: Alaska Cruise

That actually sounds very reasonable.
Damn

Re: Alaska Cruise

That's pretty reasonable for Alaska in June.

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

It sounds average. What I'd do is look it up online. See how many rooms in your category are still open. If there are a lot (as I suspect since you're still so far out), then watch the cruise for a few weeks, a month. See if the price goes up/down or offers get better. Also check out other cruise lines, if you're open to them. Get an idea of what the going prices are.

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

What does costco offer? Ok so I just looked for costco, princess, seven days, to Alaska, balcony room, obc, less than 2k per person, so I don't think that you are getting a good deal from aaa.

Message edited 8/29/2018 1:53:26 PM.

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Message edited 8/29/2018 2:04:05 PM.

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Alaska Cruise... added more in package

I don't think Princess is that great of a line from my research. I would compare to other lines. Also don't forget to factor in the auto gratuities. They are typically between $10 And $15 per day per person.

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Alaska Cruise... added more in package

lol i am so sorry if i wasn't clear. i was being a bit sarcastic about the picture. i thought it was funny that the picture is considered a "bonus."

thanks for all the leads. i'll be checking out other lines and costco.

i've been wanting to do this for a while and just decided to pull the trigger on getting a real picture of what i would be getting myself into.

i did a canada cruise out of seatle for my honeymoon through aaa... back in 2006, so it's been a while.

again, thanks for the search ideas. i'll be hitting them all.

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

ehhh..i think u can do better esp b/c the airfare will be seperate and isnt cheap.

use hopper app to track flights (it has saved us a ton when we booked Seattle). it will ask for your dates, to from destinations, etc. and track when prices will go down / up , best time to book.

2nd, cruisecritic.com was very helpful last time we cruised. check them out.

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Nothing popped up on Royal Caribbean, but Celebrity has various Alaska itineraries.

We really enjoyed that cruise, and would definitely do another. The sights are absolutely breathtaking. We saw mountain goats, harbor seals, eagles, salmon, whales. The icebergs and glaciers are gorgeous, the color is unbelievable.

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

I have to be honest, priority boarding is not worth it. You need everyone on the ship and will just be waiting for others. The last three times we cruised the people who did priority boarding literally got on less than 30 minutes before we did. So I don't feel like it gives you that much for more money. Photos, we made an album for $100, and a photo itself was something like $25, so again, not really worth the money. Free drinks is a couple of hundred depending if it is water, soft drinks, beer, mixed, or wine. I would want to know which it was before hand, but that is actual value.

I second using cruise critic. I wold go on line and look for individual reviews of the ship, itinerary, specific rooms, and various lines. While I have not done an Alaska cruise, I have been to Alaska. I have also been to Canada. I would want to go to Victoria Island and the Butchart Gardens. That is a really lovely destination. https://www.butchartgardens.com/

Then I would want more Alaskan Destinations than Canadian destinations. I would even look to see the price difference between leaving from Seattle vs BC Canada. It might be economically better to leave from one destination vs another. Costco can help with this determination.

I would want a trip to Denali. The Anchorage Art museum is very nice. I would also see how much an excursion to mush dogs might be or a whale watch depending upon the season.

As for freebees obc is nice because you can do what you want. I also like getting costco cash back and using their card for what becomes 3% for booking and 2% as an executive member. Every little bit helps.

Edit, cruising is not what it was in 2006. The industry has really cut costs since the mid 2000s. You will likely feel nickel and dimed because things that used to be included or free might not even exist. I would absolutely still go. I think Royal Carribean and Celebrity are still good value for the money. I have not been on Princess, so I cannot comment on the status of their ships.

To answer your question about one specialty dining on port days only.

What that means is there is a regular dining room which would be included in the price you are being quoted, and then for more money you could go to a specialty dining restaurant. On one of the days you are in port (i.e. not at sea) you could then eat at the specialty dining restaurant. Usually, it is French, Steakhouse, Italian, and then a mix between Mexican, or Japanese either sushi or noodles. Frankly, at most places the specialty dining is better, the food is actually prepared as a single dish, and not en mass. So that is a perk, but others usually offer 2 or 3 special dining and don't limit it to just port days. So it is something to keep in mind.

Message edited 8/29/2018 4:27:50 PM.

Alaska Cruise... added more in package

yay!
so much info.

i also realize that my employer offers crazy discounts for all sorts of things, so i'm going to check out that benefit to see what that discount is vs aaa and/or costco... and anything else i might find.

woo hoo! another fun project for me. by the time this is done, i'm going to be an alaskan cruise expert lol

keep the ideas, thoughts, info coming

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Everything you could possibly need to know, want to know, and never knew you needed to know will come from cruisecritic.com. So just sign up there and start searching. All your questions have also probably been answered there at least 30 times.

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

the included drinks package is Princess's current promotion ( 7 days left) SO I don't know I that is a bonus from AAA or not. ( as if you book with AAA & book after the deal ends for the general public, will AAA still offer it.)
Although it is rare for princess to offer both OBC & the drinks package.

Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Im going to be stalking this..Alaskan Cruise is on my bucket list!

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Re: Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Alaska Cruise... added more in package

Lot of good info here!