PG Cruiser Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 I’m looking to book an Alaska cruise for next year. What has your experience been in terms of flight prices? Which is cheaper? Seattle? Vancouver? Embark Seattle - Disembark Vancouver? Or vice versa? Embark Seward -Disembark Vancouver? Or vice versa? I’ll be coming from Florida (Jacksonville) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 Seattle has been cheaper for me whenever I priced it. Check out of Orlando for pricing to see if the 2 hour drive is worth the price savings. There's also Amtrak between the two to make a roundtrip flight. Seward requires flying to Anchorage and taking the Alaskan Railroad, which is an amazing experience, but Anchorage flights are possibly more than Seattle or Vancouver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 Vancouver will likely always be more expensive than Seattle just due to the fact Canadian airports are expensive for airlines to fly into https://simpleflying.com/the-hidden-reason-why-flying-in-canada-is-expensive/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 Flights to Seattle will almost always be less expensive but... the only way to reach Hubbard Glacier (on Royal) is to sail from Vancouver or Seward. If you are putting the money to do an Alaskan cruise budget more money for excursions and if you can afford it, look into flights to Anchorage/Vancouver. They may a couple hundred higher but Hubbard Glacier is a much more impressive glacier to sail past. Sailing from Seattle is still a great way to see Alaska. I have cruises booked from Seattle. But if you've got the money there are elevated itineraries from the more Northern ports. I also have cruises booked from Vancouver. It's a very easy port to sail from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 FWIW: I just booked a June Alaska northbound cruise with airfare. From Houston (IAH) it came in a $610 per person. That's flying in one day early to Vancouver and staying an extra 2 days in Anchorage. I'm guessing, but based on past experience, I'd expect the round trip airfare in to Seattle to be about $400-$500. The one way cruise fare tends to be cheaper than round trip Seattle, which helps offset the cost difference. On the other hand, getting from Seward to Anchorage ($116pp in adventure class on Alaska Railroad) is going to be more than the cost of getting from the port to Seattle airport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 We’re flying out of Jax next May to Anchorage then flying home from Vancouver. With taxes etc, tickets are $831. I used Air2Sea. Orlando had horrible flight choices. Could not get any flight out of Vancouver to MCO until 9pm which put you back in Orlando around 10am the next morning then drive 2 hours home. We are JAX to DFW to ANC then VAN to DFW to JAX My only major concern is the 45 minute layover in Dallas coming and going but it’s Air2Sea so that’s their problem if we miss the connection. We are flying a day before our land tour starts so if we can’t get there when planned, the official first day is Anchorage anyways so we should be fine, I hope! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 What's a good "earliest flight" time out of Vancouver after a cruise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 1 hour ago, smokeybandit said: What's a good "earliest flight" time out of Vancouver after a cruise? We got 1:00. That’s the earliest I could see on Air2Sea. Everything else was evening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 12 hours ago, twangster said: Flights to Seattle will almost always be less expensive but... the only way to reach Hubbard Glacier (on Royal) is to sail from Vancouver or Seward. If you are putting the money to do an Alaskan cruise budget more money for excursions and if you can afford it, look into flights to Anchorage/Vancouver. They may a couple hundred higher but Hubbard Glacier is a much more impressive glacier to sail past. Sailing from Seattle is still a great way to see Alaska. I have cruises booked from Seattle. But if you've got the money there are elevated itineraries from the more Northern ports. I also have cruises booked from Vancouver. It's a very easy port to sail from. What are the best airlines to book for Seward and/or Vancouver? Do you use aggregators/multiple airlines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 1 hour ago, Jill said: My only major concern is the 45 minute layover in Dallas I try my best not to book flights with very short layover times. I've had friends have their checked baggage delayed. They spent the first two days of our Madrid vacation cycling through the clothes they had in their carry ons. How will delayed baggage be delivered to a cruise ship? WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 @twangster, we already discussed this some years ago but I could not find the thread. What train should I take from Anchorage to Seward? Do you have the link to their website? WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 10 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said: @twangster, we already discussed this some years ago but I could not find the thread. What train should I take from Anchorage to Seward? Do you have the link to their website? Alaska Railroad, Coastal Classic, Gold Star service if you can afford it. https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ Baked Alaska and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 Royal will also offer the train as a transfer. Their train is a charter, the whole train goes to the ship compared to what the Alaska Railroad offers to the public. The Royal charter train departs from the Anchorage airport early afternoon so that fly in morning guests can catch it. The AR train direct leaves early in the morning from the downtown train station in Anchorage so it arrives to the ship much earlier compared to the Royal charter train. Either way there is a luggage drop in Anchorage and that luggage goes by truck straight to the ship so you don't have to mess with luggage in Seward. IRMO12HD and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 45 minutes in Dallas isn't terrible with their tram system the way it is. It'd still be tight though, but airlines won't offer up connections that aren't doable Jill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 5 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: 45 minutes in Dallas isn't terrible with their tram system the way it is. It'd still be tight though, but airlines won't offer up connections that aren't doable I'm more worried about the luggage making it in time for the next flight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted September 15, 2021 Report Share Posted September 15, 2021 4 hours ago, PG Cruiser said: I'm more worried about the luggage making it in time for the next flight. We’re doing a 3 day land tour prior to cruise and arriving the day before the land tour starts. So will have roughly 36 hours leeway for luggage to catch up to us in Anchorage. Leaving JAX is usually on time so I’m not too worried about getting in late to DFW. Now leaving DFW is another story! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2021 Does anyone know where this shot was taken? Which glacier is this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen Posted September 18, 2021 Report Share Posted September 18, 2021 @PG Cruiser I beleive that is Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2021 25 minutes ago, Kathleen said: @PG Cruiser I beleive that is Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Too bad, this was the only view of the Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier that I got. We had to turn back because of the fog. WAAAYTOOO and Kathleen 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruiser58 Posted September 22, 2021 Report Share Posted September 22, 2021 On 9/13/2021 at 11:20 PM, twangster said: Flights to Seattle will almost always be less expensive but... the only way to reach Hubbard Glacier (on Royal) is to sail from Vancouver or Seward. If you are putting the money to do an Alaskan cruise budget more money for excursions and if you can afford it, look into flights to Anchorage/Vancouver. They may a couple hundred higher but Hubbard Glacier is a much more impressive glacier to sail past. Sailing from Seattle is still a great way to see Alaska. I have cruises booked from Seattle. But if you've got the money there are elevated itineraries from the more Northern ports. I also have cruises booked from Vancouver. It's a very easy port to sail from. We are doing a NB from Vancouver to Seward next fall. We will be flying into Vancouver the night before. Any recommendations on hotels / restaurants in Vancouver? It also works out our cruise is ending in Seward Labor Day weekend. We'll definitely be taking the train to Anchorage. Any recommendations in Anchorage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted September 22, 2021 Report Share Posted September 22, 2021 14 minutes ago, Cruiser58 said: We are doing a NB from Vancouver to Seward next fall. We will be flying into Vancouver the night before. Any recommendations on hotels / restaurants in Vancouver? It also works out our cruise is ending in Seward Labor Day weekend. We'll definitely be taking the train to Anchorage. Any recommendations in Anchorage? For Vancouver your choices are much like any port city. A hotel near the airport will be less than a hotel near the port downtown. There is light rail airport train that is inexpensive to reach downtown and the cruise terminal. Downtown, while costing more is more convenient to downtown restaurants, sights and the cruise terminal. Hotel airports are available from most of the major chains. Budget will be a factor. The cruise terminal in Vancouver is called Canada Place. Try a hotel search near the airport and near Canada Place for a comparison. Cruiser58 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruiser58 Posted September 24, 2021 Report Share Posted September 24, 2021 Does anyone know how far ahead air2sea opens up? I've tried to look at flights for both cruises in 2022, but it won't let me access the ship name field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted September 24, 2021 Report Share Posted September 24, 2021 5 hours ago, Cruiser58 said: Does anyone know how far ahead air2sea opens up? I've tried to look at flights for both cruises in 2022, but it won't let me access the ship name field. Air2sea opens 330 days prior to sailing Cruiser58 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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