Both Princess Cruises and Holland America Line have cruised to Alaska since the 1960s. Above: The Golden Princess is moored in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Our family took a 7-Day Alaskan Explorer Cruise aboard Holland America's Eurodam. We overpaid for our cruise (it was a last-minute vacation idea), but that doesn't mean that you have to.
Here are tips on how to get the best deal on an Alaskan cruise.
When to Go
Much of the winter snow is melted by early August, but in May, these streams are raging rivers.
Our family would have saved $1,903 if we had taken an identical cruise aboard the MS Eurodam in May instead of August: That's almost a 30% discount.
September cruises are sometimes discounted even further, but this is the beginning of Alaska's rainy season. From a value-perspective, the month of May might be the best time to cruise to Alaska.
When to Book
Price-wise, when you go on a cruise is more impactful than when you book.
We booked our cruise aboard the Eurodam 10 weeks out. If we booked the same August cruise a year in advance, we would have saved $305, around 5%. That's nothing to sneeze at, but it's a small discount compared to the $1,903 savings if we had cruised in May.
Nevertheless, booking a cruise in advance gives you options.
Because we made our plans late, there were only three cruise ships sailing from Seattle to Alaska during our travel dates. We wish we had more choices.
Where to Depart From
The Celebrity Solstice is one of many Alaska-bound ships that departs from Vancouver, British Columbia.
The majority of Alaskan cruises depart from Vancouver and Seattle. (A passport is recommended on Alaskan cruises, even when departing from a U.S. port.)
Vancouver to Alaska:
Seattle to Alaska:
San Francisco to Alaska:
Where to Book
We used Holland America’s website to decide between the Eurodam (our vantage point) and the Oosterdam (the cruise ship in the distance).
Sometimes, the best place to book a cruise is through the cruise line itself.
By booking directly, passengers can choose the specific deck and cabin they want. This was important to our family: We wanted to minimize seasickness by staying in a mid-ship stateroom on a low deck.
We didn't have this flexibility when we tried to book the same room via Kayak.com. In fact, Kayak redirected us to an unfamiliar website: Cruise.com. The total "discount" price was only $2 (yes, two dollars) cheaper than HollandAmerica.com and we couldn't choose the cabin we wanted. No thanks.
The Cheapest Cruise Website We Found
Costco Travel is an excellent site to comparison shop for a cruise.
Costco offers generous onboard spending credits and it's easy to select the deck and room that you want (using a floor plan of the ship).
An August cruise to Alaska aboard the Eurodam was $382 cheaper on Costco Travel than on HollandAmerica.com. That's a great deal when you consider that a Costco membership only costs $60.
Onboard Credits
An onboard spending credit is like free money that's deducted from whatever a passenger spends aboard a ship. (It's sometimes called a "shipboard credit.")
Cruise lines would prefer if you spent your onboard credit on drinks and spa services, but many times, these credits can be used to offset basic fees.
While comparison shopping for cruises, we spotted onboard credits varying from $50 to $400 depending on the travel website that quoted us.
Why do cruise lines offer discounts this way?
It's a way to get passengers to spend more. Many people believe that this credit must be spent on extras like spa services or drinks. Usually, that's not true.
For example, Holland America subtracted our onboard credit from ship taxes, fees, port expenses and automatic service gratuities. Indeed, it was free money.
Travel Agents
We don't have a travel agent, but if we did, we would have asked for a quote. Many agents can negotiate larger onboard spending credits that what passengers can find on their own.
Discount Cruises
You're likely to get a good deal on an Alaskan cruise if you travel in May and book your cruise a year in advance. We'd request a quote from the cruise line, Costco Travel and at least one other site (or travel agent) to find the best price.
