Low Cost Alaska Cruise Deals: How to Save Big Time

Posted by Jason W. Van Den Waalt

April 28, 2009

by Jason W. Van Den Waalt

Until recently, it was quite easy to find cheap Alaska cruise pricing. Now, such bargains are getting harder and harder to find, with demand for Alaska cruises going through the roof.

Just how can one save a bunch of cash on an Alaska cruise? Is it still remotely possible to vacation in Alaska while adhering to a reasonable budget? The answer is YES! You really can still find great Alaska cruise deals — if you know how to look.

Many people assume that the best way to find discount Alaska cruises is to wait until the last minute. But while this method used to work reasonably well (and still works very well for Caribbean cruises, due to the larger number of ships in that region), it is no longer a very effective strategy for Alaskan cruises.

Alaskan cruises frequently sell out well in advance for the months of July and August. Despite their higher cost, balcony rooms tend to be the first to sell out, especially on Holland America cruises. Therefore, if you have year heart set on taking a cruise in the middle of summer, the way to ensure that you get the lowest fare is to book many months in advance. (Alaska cruises can be booked up to 18 months ahead of their sale date.)

Naturally, if you are more flexible about your sail date and/or your room category, you increase your likelihood of finding some great Alaska cruise deals.

The best months for specials are September and May, the start and conclusion of the cruise season in the Alaskan Inside Passage. The lowest priced Alaska cruise fares of all can be found in the very first week of the month of May, at the very start of the Alaska cruise season, when fares can be half the price of mid-summer fares.

Now you can also save money by instead reserving a cheaper cabin category. Inside rooms can be half to a third the price of some of the higher priced cabins on an Alaskan cruise. Inside rooms have no windows and can be a little smaller than ocean view rooms, but they can be a wonderful bargain, especially since many people spend so little times in their rooms anyway.

However, if you are at all claustrophobic, an inside room might not be for you. Nonetheless, you can still find a great Alaskan cruise deal on an outside room. On many cruise ships, you will find some rooms have views that are obstructed by poles or lifeboats or the like.

These rooms with obstructed views are frequently far less than regular ocean view cabins. In reality, obstructed view rooms can be nearly as cheap as inside rooms, but they have windows that let in the sun.

Sure, you still can locates many, many deals on cruises to Alaska. Remember, no matter what, cruises still are a great deal and they are the cheapest way to see the Great State of Alaska, hands down.

About the Author:

For far more information on traveling to The Inside Passage of Alaska, including the ports of Ketchikan and Skagway, along with listings of land tours and a rating of the best Alaska cruise and Tracy Arm Fjord, stop by the Alaska Cruise Advisor website.

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