Insider Tips and Secrets: How to get the Best Discounted Alaska Cruise Prices
There are many ways to get a great Alaska cruise discount package that I will cover here.
Some of the best deals have traditionally been the last minute discounted Alaska cruise prices.
Over the years, I have been able to find some fantastic deals this way, booking the entire trip, including cruise and airfare, right up to two weeks before departure.
There are several drawbacks to this method:
The best (outside) cabins tend to sell out early.
Plane tickets tend to be much higher at the last minute, especially split fares from cruises between Anchorage and Vancouver.
The recent upsurge in popularity of Alaska cruises has made it increasingly difficult to find the deals.
Another method of obtaining Alaska cruise discount prices is to check online prices early in the season and locate a good deal on a cruise which sails and returns out of the same port, either Seattle of Vancouver.
By doing so, you also assure yourself of getting a far better deal on your airfare.
Splitting your airfare and flying into Anchorage and out of Vancouver or vice versa can add hundreds of dollars onto the cost of airfare.
The best cruises available the sail and return out of the same city are:
Holland America's Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruises, which sail out of Vancouver and return to the same port, visiting both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord.
Princess's Seattle Inside Passage Cruise, which visits Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria, and Tracy Arm Fjord.
Royal Caribbean's Seattle to Tracy Arm Fjord, which visits Juneau, Skagway, and Tracy Arm Fjord.
All three of these are fine cruises, and if you look for them early enough (usually by January is good to check, though with the upswing in popularity, it is wise to check in the fall), you can get save a good deal of money on your Alaska cruise airfare package.
To save even more money, check out your shore excursions online before you go and make reservations directly with the companies running them.
By cutting out the middle man, you can save up to 25% for the very same tour. But book early, because the best ones sell out.
