The cheap alternative

My father and I have been researching (well, mostly just me) a prospective trip to Southeast Alaska for some time now. We%26#39;re not cruise-type people and so have been more interested in just staying in two or three towns and going around on the ferry. However, costs add up fast with this way of travel, which is why we went to Costa Rica last summer and don%26#39;t plan to go in the near future.

We%26#39;ve noticed lately that cruise prices have been dropping, and I realized that we could probably go on two one week cruises (one right after the other) for the price of just doing it on our own for half that time. Pretty funny! I mean really, most of them are averaging about seventy dollars a night right now...

Kristian

The cheap alternative

Go for it! I occasionally research Caribbean cruises - I am not really a cruise type person either, but the cost is often far cheaper for a cruise - go figure. Maybe you%26#39;ll get to come back to Alaska after all - and with a bit of luxury! :)

The cheap alternative

If you can find two cruises that visit at least some different ports that is nice. Or perhaps find two cruises that have a night in between so you can spend a night in Seward which would be well worth your while (Whittier less so).

Or for a bit of a splurge, find a cruise that arrives in Seward and departs from Whittier (or vice versa). That way you can see both towns, though it can be expensive getting between the two.

John

I%26#39;ve been to Seward before and loved it. We didn%26#39;t get to stay for too long, just two or three days, but did get to enjoy a cruise to ';the'; glacier (forget its name), see the SeaLife center, and hike up to the Harding Icefield. But I%26#39;d love to go back. I wouldn%26#39;t mind repeating a port; in fact, I would be inclined to do so.

Another plus for cruising is that it%26#39;s the one cheap way to get into Glacier Bay... We probably won%26#39;t go anytime soon, but it%26#39;s fun to think about.

Alaska cruises can now be found at under $50 per day! My wife and I weren%26#39;t ';cruise people'; either, but after being driver/guide for cruisetours for 17 years I figured that we should give it a try back in 2005. We%26#39;ve now been on 5 of them (4 Alaskas and a Caribbean) and we%26#39;re nowhere near finished. I%26#39;ve posted lengthy photojournals of the Alaska cruises at http://www.youralaskacruise.com/reviews/ - maybe that will encourage you to give it a try :)

Murray

I am not a cruise type person either, but the cruise was a great way to see Southeast Alaska. Our ship, the Volendam, happened to take the ';small craft'; route on our NB cruise. What a treat that was. The scenery was magnificent. We, too, did some initial research into the ferry system. It didn%26#39;t take long to realize it was going to be a much costlier way to see Alaska than a cruise. These cruise prices are not likely to continue into the years ahead, so if you are able, you should jump on them now.

Thanks for your thoughts! (And thanks for the pictures, too.) I find a lot of like minded people on this forum; I%26#39;m inclined to spend more time here even though I don%26#39;t have much to contribute anymore as my Alaska trip slips further and further back into the past and with all of these super-helpful experts around.

I%26#39;ve actually taken two cruises before, one to the Med and the other to the Caribbean. The first was on a medium-sized ship, Royal Caribbean%26#39;s Brilliance, and the second was on the Freedom of the Seas super-mega-ship. Both were exciting, but I%26#39;ve found that I%26#39;m much more for quite library time lounge areas with good views out to sea and a variety of interesting lecture opportunities. The smaller boats seem to be -way- more expensive (CruiseWest is nuts), but maybe Holland America or some other company offers something along those lines.

I could dementedly hope that the recession lasts into next year so prices stay down, but I think I%26#39;ll opt out. :) We%26#39;ll see how things go.

Holland America has some of the smaller ships (1200-1400). Princess has a much smaller ship (maybe in the 700 passenger range) that does a 14 day itinerary out of Seattle. Not sure if that itinerary has any deals though.

Hi Kristian

What a great idea to take two separate cruises with a couple days in Seward between the two !!....Since you would have to book a flight back home from or to Seward with a one way cruise, for a little more than what the airfare would cost you could have a whole %26#39;nother week......

Check the iteneraries of all the cruises you are considering and try to get the ones with the longest stays in port, oh and be sure to get one that stops here in Haines !!

Even better is to back to back Seward/Whittier ships. Easy to get between the two, and more likely for varied itineraries.

listings for transfers www.seward.com

%26gt;%26gt;Even better is to back to back Seward/Whittier ships. Easy to get between the two, and more likely for varied itineraries.

Easy but not cheap. Could be worth it though for the varied itineraries and for the chance to take a Prince William Sound cruise on a small boat out of Whittier.

John

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