Alaska cruise. Total cost w/ air

Our expenses included airfare,hotel,transportation between the airport, hotel and port. Also gratuities onboard ( I think it is now about $12.00/day per person), meals when not on the ship, parking car at airport. Excursions...can be a large expense for Alaska. You also need to consider onboard expenses such as alcohol, soda, pay restaurants if you so desire. And don't forget trip insurance!

It can certainly add up fast but Alaska is well worth it. It has been our favorite cruise...have been twice for a total of 25 days and would go again in a heart beat!

Can I ask what your cost was?
Thank you.

Are you looking at a round-trip (Vancouver > Vancouver) or a one-way (Vancouver to Seward/Whittier or v.v.) cruise? There are various 7-day versions of either to/from Vancouver.

Airfare ought to be in the $500-$600 range per person; there are nonstops from JFK to Vancouver on Cathay Pacific and Air Canada, or numerous alternatives via intermediate places. You can also fly to Seattle (usually cheaper) then take the train or a bus to connect to/from Vancouver. If flying to/from Alaska, there are no nonstops but numerous connections through Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle or other points.

The big variable on costs, aside from what grade of cabin you choose, is whether or not you partake of cruiseline-sponsored port excursions. The costs for these can run up very quickly, especially for things like helicopter sightseeing, fishing expeditions etc. However most ports of call offer less expensive (or very low cost) alternatives; it depends on your preferences.

I'd assume you'd want to arrive at least a day before your cruise departs. From both Vancouver and Anchorage, most flights to the east coast depart either too early in the morning to allow convenient connection after disembarking, or else are "red-eye" flights in the evening. You may want to spend an extra day or two (or more) at your final destination; I'd budget $100 - $200 for a decent hotel for those nights, plus fairly typical food and local transportation (taxis etc.) costs. In general if you use NYC standards for these things, you'll be money ahead in BC, Washington or Alaska.

As for packages, once you know how much the components cost, you can make your own judgments. Many people opt for air arrangements made by the cruise lines; be advised these are often cheaper but far less convenient than you could do on your own.

Come back with some more specifics on what you're looking at, and more relevant advice can be provided.

Please remember to factor in cost of port activities, since unlike most warm water destinations, once the ship docks somewhere in Alaska, you must take alternate transportation, often expensive, to see anything. There is nothing in most ports other than t-shirt shops and jewelry stores. So a longer bus ride, train, or further helicopter/plane trip is necessary to see all the interesting things one associates with Alaska. Whether this is done thru cruiseline or booked independently, it is still expensive.

These shore costs can easily add 1/3 - 1/2 again the cost of the actual cruise.

If you are taking a one-way cruise, air sometimes is more since you must book 2 one-way tickets. However, lately for domestic travel to a variety of places, one-way is now often only 1/2 of RT - so shop around. I never book air thru cruiseline since it has not proven to be cheaper and routing and timing is often terrible.

We went 2 years ago - and unfortunately do not keep travel records with total cost of any trip.

Thank you Gardy and gail , that is great info!

Cost depends on your preferences and priorities. We are satisfied with an ocean view cabin but not an inside. ..would love a balcony but willing to give it up in order to have more funds for excursions, don't have to eat in the specialty restaurants or spend much on alcohol, and so forth.

www.cruisecompete.com is a good site to get quotes. You need to know exactly the date and ship.

www.cruisecritic offers a wealth of information. It's a very active board and you will receive tons of information just by reading.

GAil and Gardyloo gave you good information. However, I believe if you are flying in to one port and out of another if you do a northbound or southbound you can purchase a multi- destination(or referred to as muli-city on the websites) and do not need to buy 2 one way tickets.

Good luck and keep us posted!

If you are looking for a big number and not the details, here it is ...

Air $600-$800 per person (flying to Canada is more expensive)
Cruise $100 per per person would be a good deal. Peak season Alaska, count on $125 per person per day.
Hotel in Vancouver (1 night) and transportation $200-$250
Tips on board the ship $10 per person per day
Spending money you will need while on board depending on how much you drink, how often you stop in the casino and spa treatments. count of $6-$8 per drink and $30 - $35 for a half decent bottle of wine.
Shore excursions in Alaska is more expensive. Count on $150 minimum per excursion. The good ones are even more expensive.

Hope it helps.

You need to post, what cruises you are looking at. Is this one way or round trip? It is darn simple to book your own cruise and air, which you may want to compare costs on. Flying into Seattle, can cut costs significantly. From NY you are going to want to fly in a day early anyway. Taking
Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver, is an easy option.

Costs have a big range depending on your cabin. There can be significant discounts for inside cabins.

On factor, if you do not know already. Past the first week of Sept, has the worse weather potential of the cruise season. You need to be well prepared- for colder, wetter weather. It will be dusk by 7pm which impacts on some tours, and scenic sailing.