Just be aware that most of the excursions are very pricey on the Alaska cruises. And it's really a shame to travel that distance if all you can afford to do is look around Diamonds International. The scenery is beautiful just from the ship, but you will see much more if you walk on the glacier, or go whale watching or something. At least pick one really nice excursion, even if you have to do an inside or ocean view.
I'm awed by the price increases I see from when we first went on an Alaskan cruise 18 years ago. We took many excursions back them but I doubt that we would do even 1/4 that many today.
Thanks everyone for your input. I'm thinking now being this close to when I would be taking vacation (the week of June 30th), this may not be the best time to book, since it's already about 4 months out. I'm thinking about putting that off for a year, and maybe doing the booking in the fall, for sailing in summer 2014.
Good point about the excursions. I was looking at those earlier. If and when I book a cruise, I'll let you guys know on this site, in the roll call section of the appropriate line!
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2007 - Majesty of the Seas
2009 - Enchantment of the Seas
2010 - Freedom of the Seas
Yes, I am aware of the prices for excursions in Alaska. I was looking at those earlier on the Princess site. Right now, I'm thinking about a whale watching excursion in Juneau, the White Pass railway in Skagway, and the Duck Tour and maybe something else in Ketchikan. I ended up just booking an inside room. Now the countdown begins!
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2007 - Majesty of the Seas
2009 - Enchantment of the Seas
2010 - Freedom of the Seas
Dave, yes, I have heard as well that the White Pass Railway is a great excursion. That being said, I do have a couple questions, getting back into topic of this thread.
I did pre-reserve (or reserve, I guess) excursions through the Princess website when I logged in. However, they didn't add that cost to my outstanding balance, nor did they charge my credit card just for the excursions. Anyone know how this usually works? The reservations are listed as confirmed when I go and view my excursions page.
Second, I see the ship I'm sailing on (Golden Princess) does have a self serve laundromat. Anyone know what the fee is for this? Is it similar to a commercial laundromat?
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2007 - Majesty of the Seas
2009 - Enchantment of the Seas
2010 - Freedom of the Seas
I can't speak to the excursion charges and when Princess applies the charge, but the laundry is "I think" around $2 per washer and the same for dryers. These are typical coin laundry machines.
It's been a couple years since we were on Princess. If I remember right, they didn't actually post the charge to your account until the time of the excursion. It was a very nice system, because if you wanted to cancel or change, you didn't have to worry about having the charge cancelled on your credit card account. I like it much better than the way RCCL does it--charges immediately. If you cancel, they have to credit your account. Plus, you may be paying interest for several months before the excursion if you don't pay your card in full each month.
Nadine is correct, they don't charge for the excursions until you take them. The washer/dryer was $2/each when I was on the Crown in December. If you do cancel your excursions, you have to do it 24 hours prior.
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