Alaskan Cruise

In July of 2012, I took my son on an Alaskan cruise.  I paid $784 each for the voyage for me and my son.  Money was tight at the time, so we had inside cabins.  Looking back, I would say if one is going to splurge just once for a balcony or window view room, an Alaskan cruise would be the one time to do that.  There seems to be no end to the beautiful views and being in an inside cabin denies one of many hours of scenic views.  In addition, be sure to bring along a winter coat.  Alaskan cruises only sail in summer, but it can get chilly that far north especially on the water.

I used my Delta American Express companion certificate for the airfare and paid $341 each for the airfare from Detroit to Seattle.

$1,125 a person included all the food we could eat, seven nights of accommodation, and transportation.  That works out to $160 per person per day.  In addition, I did incur additional charges for some excursions we took.

Here is the itinerary of the cruise we took:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoid the temptation to purchase the White Pass Railroad tour from the ship.  Go directly to the ticket booth and buy the tickets. You will save a lot of money this way.  Skagway is a small town and the White Pass Railroad ticket office is next to the museum that is part of the National Parks System.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon arriving in the Glacier Bay Area, a ranger from the national park will board the ship and narrate about the area.  If you’re lucky, you will see a piece of the glacier break off and splash into the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When in Alaska, one will see these neat knives used in the area.  There is a temptation to buy them on the ship, but don’t.  The gift shops in Ketchikan sell them for almost half the price.  Make sure you pack them in your checked luggage when you fly home.

If you want to take an areal tour of the fjords in Ketchikan, again bypass buying the tour on the ship.  Go to the tourist information center in town. (You can’t miss it.  If you do, just ask).  They will find someone who has a seaplane and they will call for them to pick you up.  This is not to be missed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victoria was an uneventful stop for me.  We enjoyed a meal with outdoor service and took it easy.  A lot of people went to the botanical gardens, but I’m just not interested in those.  When you exit the ship, you have to clear customs and immigration.  After that, there will be a booth where you can purchase roundtrip bus transport to town.

~Bella