Alaska Cruise on a tight Budget

[Cheburashka]

Do the shop cards work at Costco gas station?

Yes. That's what I always used my card for.

 

[HuskyGal]

Yes. That's what I always used my card for.

I could get into this. How much is the executive membership?

 

[Cheburashka]

I could get into this. How much is the executive membership?

$120

 

[CM Dad]

This is genius I wouldn’t have to be on board and can book opening day! I am in Florida now and can go to the new Costco to get my membership. Do you know if I can book through a Costco operator as I go back to the snowy north end of the month.

You can book online at https://www.costcotravel.com/ . I have only used Costco once, so far. I had looked online at the cruise lines own website (this was our first non-DCL cruise), found what we wanted and tried to book online at the Costco Travel web site. The price was higher than booking directly, so I just called the phone number on their site and was able to book at the same rate.

 

[Cheburashka]

FYI THIS IS WHAT WE DID YOU DON'T HAVE TO POST WHY IT WOULD NEVER WORK FOR YOUR FAMILY.

You don't have to preemptively shout in red capital letters at people who have done you no harm, on what is supposed to be a peaceful message board. Yuck.

 

[KMack]

There are currently no TAs on board. The placeholders are done on the Navigator app and it gives you the option of using the same travel agent as used to book the cruise that you are on at that time. Otherwise you have 30 days to transfer it to a travel agent.

We always use Costco to get the 9% cash card after the cruise. I use my Costco Mastercard and get 2% back on top of that. (I am Canadian so we don't have Chase).

 

[Colo17]

Ketchikan - walk through the left end of the shops on Creek Street and take the trail. Goes to a fish hatchery and the local totem pole museum. Great place to visit for about $8. Trail ends just above town. You can also take local buses to Saxman Village and the totem pole park.

 

[Ol Goof]

I have read on other sites that cruisers watch prices, if a cruise line is having a sale or lowered their price, on their cruise, they call TA or Costco and get the lowered price. I realize this isn’t something that happens with DCL, but has anyone done this on other cruise lines?

 

[CampbellzSoup]

What excursions are open for toddlers?

 

[Disney_Alli]

What excursions are open for toddlers?

Our party includes a two year old and we’re booked on the train and bus trip with a stop on the way home at Liarsville - he was free. A whale watching excursion with science stuff - he’s was the same $129ish as his 7 year old brother. And the lumberjack show - he’s free here again.

sorry I’m at work and on my phone and can’t look up all the exact names

HTH

 

[hrhdhd]

I have read on other sites that cruisers watch prices, if a cruise line is having a sale or lowered their price, on their cruise, they call TA or Costco and get the lowered price. I realize this isn’t something that happens with DCL, but has anyone done this on other cruise lines?

Yes, I have. Whether they will change the fare depends on several factors. For example, before final payment, Celebrity will decrease the fare. After, they offer OBC in the amount of the difference.

 

[Doingitagain]

What excursions are open for toddlers?

We are traveling with a 4 year old and one year old and we had no problems finding excursions we liked.

if you go to DCL port adventures page and narrow it to the port(s) you are interested in, it is easy to look at ages and costs. Here is the link for Alaska (you will still need to deselect the ports you are not visiting).
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/alaska/

 

[Mich123]

I was lucky to be on the Magic the day the Alaska cruises were released. I decided to ask about prices, planning on the rebook offer and OBC which was still offered back then. The cast member suggested I book the secret porthole room, which I did and it was great. The view was only a tiny bit obstructed and the room was considered an inside cabin. Definitely a deal!

We did excursions on two of the port days (sled dogs in Skagway and Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching combo in Juneau, both were great!) and found we were just exhausted by the last port day. There were lots of excursions available at the port that day, but we were content to just walk around Ketchikan. I booked the sled dogs on my own and the Glacier/whales through DCL.

 

[babyruth]

I was lucky to be on the Magic the day the Alaska cruises were released. I decided to ask about prices, planning on the rebook offer and OBC which was still offered back then. The cast member suggested I book the secret porthole room, which I did and it was great. The view was only a tiny bit obstructed and the room was considered an inside cabin. Definitely a deal!

We did excursions on two of the port days (sled dogs in Skagway and Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching combo in Juneau, both were great!) and found we were just exhausted by the last port day. There were lots of excursions available at the port that day, but we were content to just walk around Ketchikan. I booked the sled dogs on my own and the Glacier/whales through DCL.

we have a secret porthole room for our upcoming cruise and I am so excited to hear it's great! how did you book sled dogs on your own?

 

[lilsonicfan]

Our way of doing Alaska on the cheap is just not to sail with DCL We are booked for this summer on HAL. The DCL cruise to Alaska sailing in the same month, leaving from Van, and to the same ports (HAL has the benefit of Glacier Bay in addition though) has a price of $12,500 CAD ($9,728 USD) for our family, two inside rooms. HAL's total price is $4,340 CAD ($3,364 USD) for one inside and one obstructed verandah. Pretty insane.

We are, however, going to try to keep all expenses low, so will unlikely be doing helicopter/sled dogging and the like.....we'll see! Love this thread for tips on shore excursions.

 

[babyruth]

Our way of doing Alaska on the cheap is just not to sail with DCL We are booked for this summer on HAL. The DCL cruise to Alaska sailing in the same month, leaving from Van, and to the same ports (HAL has the benefit of Glacier Bay in addition though) has a price of $12,500 CAD ($9,728 USD) for our family, two inside rooms. HAL's total price is $4,340 CAD ($3,364 USD) for one inside and one obstructed verandah. Pretty insane.

We are, however, going to try to keep all expenses low, so will unlikely be doing helicopter/sled dogging and the like.....we'll see! Love this thread for tips on shore excursions.

that IS an insane price difference. we've only done DCL because of my daughters food allergies. I'm too nervous to try anyone else, but I hope to be able to someday. We are only taking my youngest on this cruise because of the pricing. I wish we could take everyone!

 

[KdKyA]

Book a cruise that gets cancelled and use the 50% off coupon for Alaska lol. We had B2B on the Wish sailings that got cancelled so we could apply that coupon LOL.
Seriously though, like others mentioned, look at outside vendors. We booked a private tour with Harv and Marv in Juneau. It’s a 4 hour tour and totaled only $850. I say “only” because to book a private tour with DCL excursions would have been well over $2500.

 

[Mich123]

@babyruth We booked through https://alaskashoreexcursions.com/skagway/mushers-camp-adventure

It was a great excursion and easy to manage on my own. I found them through Trip Advisor.

 

[Intr3pid]

If you are comfortable driving, remember Alaska is still in the US. Pretty much every port has a rental car office nearby, and you can tour around on your own for about $100 plus the gas.

The only tricky excursion to DIY in a rental is the White Pass train. Fortunately, we had enough adult drivers that we split the party into two. One took the train up and drove the car down, and the other did it in reverse. It was great. Plenty of photo stops as we liked - including the Emerald Lake - and we actually drove all the way to Whitehorse (in Yukon) to grab a quick bite before turning around.. Just the $100 rental plus gas plus cost of the train tickets.

If you wanted to save more, you could also just do the drive (and skip the train). The road and the train share a large part of the same path.

Here is a checklist of all major saving ideas if you are sailing with Disney:

1. Book on the opening day with a placeholder.
2. Book through a TA that nets you a good credit or rebate like Costco.
3. Sail in an inside cabin - category 11, for instance - and make use of the top deck for looking out.
4. Use a credit card that gets you either enough points for your flights (Amex is our favorite) or a cash back as a rebate.
5. If you can't book on the opening day, book when you can with the placeholder - or wait till inside the cancellation penalty for discounted rates.

Specifically for Alaska:

6. Sail in May or September, the shoulder season.
7. Do excursions on your own, using a rental car or directly with an operator.
8. You could skip the excursions altogether - except for the one you really want - and do most of your sightseeing from water and in the ports. The most scenic part of this cruise will still be the glacier day and when the ship is sailing through the Inside Passage.
9. Do an adults-only excursion. Leave the kids in the clubs for the day, and venture out on your own. Think of it as your 'me' or 'us' time. No guilty feeling. Once the kids have made their friends in the clubs, it's not about mountains and glaciers anymore.
10. Don't try to do everything. Maybe not with kids, but you will be back. Keep some sightseeing for the return trip whenever that might be.

 

[Ol Goof]

looking for recommendations for hotels downtown Seattle near the cruise terminal, preferably with a free continental breakfast