I want to do an Alaskan cruise next summer with my husband and 13 year old daughter. We have taken 3 cruises, all in the Caribbean, two on Carnival and one on Celebrity, all booked thru travel agents. I want to cruise between July 9th and August 10th. My question is how to get the best deal considering I want a cabin to accomodate three with a balcony. Will I get as good a "deal" using a travel agent again or would I be better off dealing with the cruise line directly? What about these travel auction sites? I am leaning towards Princess at this time. I don't want to go on Carnival again. Any info would be appreciated.

I just returned from Alaska on Celebrity's Mercury. We were a party of three men (Father and sons). We werein an ocean view room but had no veranda. The third member of our party (me) slept on a rool away bed. Not very comfortable. In all other respects, the ship was great and the food beyond compare. <BR> <BR>We had great weather in late May and Early June. The locals told me that the weather turns colder and wetter in August.

Paige, I just returned yesterday from the Ocean Princess cruise and 4-day land tour to Denali and Fairbanks. My children ages 16 and 13 really enjoyed this trip! The Ocean Princess really takes care of kids; the teen center was great, and the crew very accommodating to teenagers. We had two outside cabins, which were fine because we spent a lot of time on deck looking at the views. Sometimes the scenery or wildlife watching was better on one side or the other, so having a balcony in a way restricts your views.

<BR>Dear Paige, <BR> <BR>A travel agent that is an Alaskan specialist is extremely valuable to answer all your questions. <BR> <BR>The cruise line or a web site will not do this. <BR> <BR>Do not waste your money. Alaska is a cruise of a lifetime and there is much to see. <BR> <BR>For example.....do not purchase a round trip sailing the inside passage only. It is more reasonable but you will miss much of Alaska. <BR> <BR>Glacier Bay, although beautiful, is highly over-rated. Traveling inland is very intensive and may be stressful or boring to quite a few travelers. <BR> <BR>Traveling to Denali to see wildlife is also over-rated. There is not much wildlife to see and Mt. McKinley is at most times covered in fog. Mountains in Seward are almost as high as McKinley and more impressive. Also the Kenai Fiords catamaran cruise is the best way to see glaciers and the calving plus most all the wildlife in Alaska. <BR> <BR>Too bad you do not care for Carnival. They are the most reasonable, have a new ship in the area next year, and I believe they have the best itinerary. You get to see the Hubbard and the Columbia Glacier. Also Prince William Sound and College Fiord. <BR> <BR>Also a travel agent will tell you not to purchase a helicopter trip in the morning due to fog. <BR> <BR>I am just giving you a brief reason to go with a knowledgeable agent. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR>

Thanks to all who posted. I am leaning towards Mercury/Celebrity or one of the Princess ships and have contacted a travel agent. Some of the articles I've read in travel magazines recently indicate that you don't really get any better pricing over the internet than using the services of a travel agent. I would just hate to spend more than I need to for the same cruise. Paul, I know you are a real Carnival fan, they must treat travel agents really well, but it's just not for me. I've done it (Carnival) twice and am willing to pay a little more for a more elegant experience than Carnival offers. I have also re-thought my time frame and am now leaning more towards early June. Good to know the weather in June can be better than August. <BR> <BR>Anyone with more ideas would be appreciated!

We just returned from Alaska on the Celebrity Galaxy 8/4 to 8/11. It was the inside passage from Vancouver with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Haines and Hubbard Glacier. We had glorious weather, no rain at all! Temps were 65 - 70. We had a veranda and I am really not so sure it was worth the extra money. It was a spectacular trip and highly recommend the White Pass Train ride in Skagway. The Hubbard Glacier was great with lots of "calving". A great trip and we only travel on Celebrity!

We went Alaska this year the first week in July on Princess (Very nice). Weather was great (2000 must be a good year). I have also heard weather is good earlier in June and in May but there is one shore excursion that I would have loved seeing that doesn't begin until July 15 in Ketchikan--watching bears cath salmon. Maybe someone has done this and could recommend whether it's as cool as it sounds.

Hi Paige. I do agree with Paul that you should go from Vancouver to Seward on your cruise. We thought that Glacier Bay was beautiful and saw many humpback whales on the way out, but College Fiord's glaciers were, I thought, more spectacular. <BR> <BR>Our pilot's choice helicopter tour in Juneau was terrific. We were fortunate to have chosen a morning tour as the weather deteriorated later in the day and subsequent tours were grounded. I think this is the luck of the draw, as the weather in Alaska is unpredictable and always changeable. <BR> <BR>We spent the morning in Seward at the end of the cruise and did a Resurrection Bay wildlife cruise on a small boat, which was great. <BR> <BR>The Princess land tour (basically the same as Holland America's) from Seward to Fairbanks was somewhat boring, with many hours of train and bus travel and not much time independent of the tour group. Denali was very, very disappointing; the tour is on an old school bus, it was raining, the bus windows were clouded up, the driver going too fast, and no one on any tour spotted any wildlife that day. Also the scenery is not as dramatic as I had expected. <BR> <BR>If I'm every able to go to Alaska again, I will check into a land tour that goes to the Kenai peninsula and Kodiak Island, and maybe Redoubt Bay. Princess and HAL offer many land tours, but I have always heard so much about Denali that I didn't really consider anything else.

I think I agree with Judi about Fairbanks and Denali. We had awesome weather, a great bus driver and we spotted some pretty good wildlife, BUT, it was a very long trip and of course hardly anyone ever sees Mt.Mckinley, and I felt the train ride from Denali to Anchorage was a little boring-8 hours and lots of the same scenery. The train itsself was very nice and the food good but quite expensive ( we were on a Princess tour). I think with lots research and lots of opinions, you might find a better way to spend time and money. Princess did do an outstanding job for us and it was a wonderful experience.

One effective way, and a pleasant diversion, is to do your own research. Check the web sites for various cruise lines that cruise in Alaska, make a list of pros and cons about the various itineraries. Read the Cruise Reviews and check the Forums. Then, when you have it down to one or two dates and a preferred trip, send an e-mail to 4 or 5 travel agents that do cruises, ask for a quote on their best rates for the trip you want. 2 or 3 will respond and then pick the best rate. I have done well with gari at South Beach Cruises, but, it never hurts to check several agents. One waring I will give you, travel at least one day ahead. There is NOTHING more sressful in the world than having trouble with delayed flights ( not at all uncommon these days) and also being in fear of missing the sailing. Have a great time.

We took a cruisetour with Princess to Alaska and found everything from the land accomodations to the ship accomodations to be great. The land excursions were well organized and we especially enjoyed the flighplane tour over the icefields along with the Salmon Bake. We have traveled quite a bit in our lifetime and found Princess to exceed our expectations.