any tips info about ALASKA cruises?

[slaam]

anyone here went on the alaska cruise before? its a big amount of money for me so would like to get the trip right the first time round..
what are the expenses involved and things to watch out for? (camera and safety wise)

 

[Andy Ang]

You got to ready for surprises. If the weather so forbid the scheduled journey, no refunds will be given.

 

[zoossh]

do a search, someone went there before and posted a thread. not sure if it is a cruise throughout, but think he's got some pics from a ship. think cost abt 5k or more?

 

[ajneo]

One of the popular sites people use in the States is www.travelzoo.com

You can also use well known sites like travelocity and expedia... should have some cruise info too.

 

[Adelfin]

check out the american cruise companies... the more popular ones include Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises who both travel to Alaska.. Their itineraries on the website are usually quite detailed.. I haven't been to Alaska, but I've been on Royal Caribbean to the Caribbean.. the travel style is OTOT... unless u are willing to pay extra for land tours each time the ship docks (This may be different in Alaska, do read up on the websites). Try to find itineraries with more time on land.. some don't spend much time at the docks, which leave you with no time to move around and travel. (Alaska is so big, it'll be a pity if u can only explore the coast) Other than that, there's also the ship size, facilities, age, and programs available.. choose one that interests you, or u'll have a boring time on the ship...

Do your research. There are 2 ways to book, through agents in singapore, or by urself, booking a flight, hotel and the cruise separately. you need a hotel to stay before/after the cruise, unless your flight times are going to coincide very nicely... overall cost when i last looked at the natas fair, it was about 3k+ per pax..

In terms of camera safety.. not much.. just beware of the sea breeze.. it's salty so do wipe down ur camera occasionally.. and the wind can be pretty strong.. so always have the camera attached to your body unless u want to feed the fish..

here's some other popular travel sites to help you out...
http://www.travelocity.com/
http://www.orbitz.com/

 

[mpenza]

Just came back from a cruise with Celebrity Summit.

With early bird discount (if u book before Oct or Nov I think), it could be less than $3k for 7N cruise in the inside passage with interior rooms (i.e. no windows) with flights and hotel accomodation thrown in. The season for the major cruise lines is May to Sep. May will be cheaper but will be colder. July and August are the peak and you could see salmon runs up the creek. In May and June, you could land on the glaciers though (which will be too soft in July August).

The cruiselines have additional landtour packages which you could sign up with. Most involve a trip to the interor with visit to the Denali National Park where you could have the main wildlife sighting. Have shared some pics here:
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=290993&highlight=alaska

 

[nicholas68]

anyone here went on the alaska cruise before? its a big amount of money for me so would like to get the trip right the first time round..
what are the expenses involved and things to watch out for? (camera and safety wise)

They have a office at orchard meridian hotel special on alaska cruise. They every you need...