<p>I am also planning an Alaskan cruise for June if my dates are still available on Princess, out of Vancouver. DH has business trip to Vancouver and thought it would be good opportunity. Had not thought about Costco.com… was first going to check with AAA</p>
<p>Checked with AAA, the travel agent H’s class is going with & Costco. Costco was the cheapest–they give you the same price + shipboard credit + cash card of varying amounts. You can talk with a person & ask any questions you may have as well.</p>
<p>Vancouver sounds like a great place to start your trip. If it weren’t for H’s classmates, would want to go to Denali via RR and/or see more of that area. Maybe that will be another trip. Have heard FABULOUS things about Denali & we LOVE the great outdoors (as long as we stay warm).</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip… I did check Costco.com and you are right - it is cheaper than AAA and you get a cash card as well. I do have some questions about the decks and available locations on the ship so I will organize my questions and call them.</p>
<p>We lived in AK for 3 yrs., right outside of Anchorage, almost every family member came once via the cruise. Some started in Vancouver and ended in Anchorage, and some did the opposite.</p>
<p>Now for AK in June. We call it the spitting season. Be prepared that it doesn’t rain in Anchorage, but it does spit. Additionally, although 70 degrees seem cool, AK is not damp, even with the spit, so when you pack, pick clothes where you can peel like an onion because by 4 in the afternoon you will wish you were wearing shorts.</p>
<p>The Denali rail trip is an add on and if you end your trip in Anchorage that is when it starts, if you begin you would arrive prior to the cruise, thus, the classmates won’t be an issue, all it means is you wouldn’t fly home or there with them.</p>
<p>When Anchorage, and because it is June it is important to make dinner reservations if you intend to be there an extra night. You want Simon and Seaforts. Best Prime rib in the world, make sure you request a window table because it looks over the inlet. Also get the dungeness crab artichoke dip. Afterwards go to the Hilton, it has a great roof top bar. The restaurant is noveau food, so it is better to go to Simons and then there for drinks, because remember the sun will not even be near setting at 11 pm.</p>
<p>If you do stay a night and have hotel options, Captain Cook would be my number 1 choice because it is located in the central part of the town. Hilton is still in town, but right on the edge. Either way to walk from Simon’s to the Hilton is maybe 15 -20 minutes and they are on opposite sides.</p>
<p>One thing AK is known for is their micro breweries, make sure you check them out. Many of them offer shipping the beers back home.</p>
<p>If you take an excursion in Anchorage, and not Denali. Look into Williwaw aka Portage Glacier. It is a great place to visit.</p>
<p>Also, as far as cabins, one thing we have learned is you not only want that outside window, for waking up purposes, but more importantly choose the room that is furthest from the elevator. You will hear noise constantly from groups getting on and off the elevator, trampsing by your room. The further away the less traffic.</p>
<p>bullet my dad used to live in Chugiak, Fairbanks and Juneau before that :)</p>
<p>In Anchorage we loved the Snow Goose - brewery, food, live music. One other thing I really enjoyed was the farmers market downtown. It also has live music and of course, veggies and baked goods and crafts and even shirts and hats and things. </p>
<p>We were last there for 3 weeks and visited Denali, Talkeetna, Homer (and everything between Anchorage and Homer, pretty much), Girdwood (rode up the mountain), Portage and the wildlife sanctuary, Hope, Whittier, took a jet boat up a river near Girdwood, Whittier…and still never did all we would have liked to do. Some days we stayed close to home and did local lakes or hiking, some days were for bigger overnights (like Denali). I could go back for another 3 weeks and still have a long to-do list.</p>
<p>Enjoy :)</p>
<p>OK, the good news is that balconies have opened up and are now available! I’m thrilled and now we’re trying to decide if we want to book there.
Anyone with suggestions on where to book? Have heard that there can be better cruise deals than costco.com but not sure. The original agent that is coordinating H’s classmates isn’t giving us any deal or shipboard credit on rooms. Costco at least gives some minimal shipboard credit and/or cash card.</p>
<p>I would absolutely go for the balcony. Some of my favorite memories of cruising with my Mum are the hours spent chatting on the balcony while enjoying the sighs and sounds of the ocean. And on an Alaskan cruise, the sights are just so amazing - sitting there with a cup of hot chocolate - just wonderful. The Alaskan cruise was one of my favorites, I am hoping to talk my husband into one some day.</p>
<p>It’s on our bucket list to do an alaskan cruise but h insists on smaller ships than cruise lines mentioned here. Anybody familiar with ones they’d recommend that aren’t outrageously expensive?? I’m learning lots from all your comments. Thanks so much.</p>
<p>Haven’t read all the posts…but…in my experience…insurance is a good idea and the absolute best option I have ever found is through a Costco Amex card. We have used them for all of our travel insurance. From my investigations, they are cheaper, more encompassing than the policies offered by the cruise lines. We also carry the Amex travel medical policy which goes into effect if you are more than 180 miles from home for less than 45 days. We’ve had to use it once and they were amazing to work with…reimbursement check was in the mail within a few days.</p>
<p>We leave on the 23rd of June on our Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver and thanks to earlier posts by HIMom I booked through Costco.com and did the travel insurance through them as well. I found that Costco.com was essentially the same as booking direct to the cruise line, but through Costco.com we are getting shipboard credit. The people that I dealt with over the phone at Costco were extremely helpful… will see how it all goes!</p>
<p>Am considering buying medjetassist, & joining AARP for the discount when buying that plan. Anyone with experience using that plan? We hope to be traveling more & more after H retires while our health is still good enough. Travel evacuation does sound expensive. We have a friend whose mom fell at a Vegas casino & badly fractured her leg. It cost a lot to get her back to HI, where she had extensive surgery. Don’t know if she had insurance but don’t think she did. </p>
<p>Am pretty comfortable self-insuring for other expenses but would want medical evacuation to be where I want it instead of where insurer decides to send the injured family member.</p>