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The wife and I are planning an Alaska cruise for next August with several extended family members. The cruise line/travel agent are pushing us to book airfare now, which sounds nuts to me. They're asking $750 a person (total) for Atlanta-Anchorage outbound, and Vancouver-Atlanta returning. It's actually not a bad fare for right now, but c'mon, there'll be sales to Vancouver and/or Seattle for less than half that price down the line (I fly to Seattle all the time).
For those of you in the area and/or who've done this before, any suggestions? My thinking is to wait it out for a cheap fare to Seattle or Vancouver, and add on a one-way flight from there to Anchorage. Downside? Would it be hard to get that one leg booked during "cruising season"?
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Mrs. Buzz is flight attendant for a major airline and likes to work the cruisers' shuttle to Alaska a few times during the late summer each year. She always has more than a few comments on the disparity of what people paid to fly to get to their cruises, apparently it's a bigger topic of conversation going there, than to most other places she flies. I don't know squat about hands on retail booking, but these guys do a lot of biz in the NW and have lists you can subscibe to to stay on top of fares to regular destinations...
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Seattle - Anchorage flights are not cheap in the summer. But I think $750 is a bit too high and too early. Keep checking Orbitz, etc.
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By waiting, you're also betting that furl prices won't go through the roof.... That said, I think that's a bit steep.
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Nobody flies into Seattle for the heck of it. It is a destination. It is not a hub. Prices are crazy.
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I personally have never found a cheap SEA-ANC one way ( and I have looked often). I'm pretty sure you can get that routing for less than $750, but my guess is buying it as an open jaw is best, not as a RT + One Way. Delta flys ATL-ANC direct in summer. The real question is why the heck are you taking a cruise? The cruise industry ruins Alaska and everywhere the touch.
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Using your criteria, I see it for $671 on Alaska Air and a bit more on other airlines. Or it can be had for $599 if flying from Bellingham instead of Vancouver. Airline tickets are like stock prices, fluctuates by the minute, so no sense buying your tickets now. I live in Alaska part-time. This summer I found a one-way from ANC-LAX with a free stop in Seattle for $300, which was a steal given the high oil prices. Decided to stop in San Fran as well, and it added $100 more. Deals can be found, but it's the luck of the draw.
By the way, this is my first post!! Couldn't find the name "polychrome" in any previous threads here or at dealmac forums, but if anyone knows if it had been previously used, tell me how to change it. The name is in honor of my favorite mountains in Denali National Park. I was a long time follower of dealmac forums, but wondered where all the familiar posters went during the format change, then I found Macresource. Thanks to everyone for all the cool tips and info!
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That is a horrible time to cruise in Alaska. The best weather is usually in June. It will probably be in the 50s and raining most likely. Pack lots of fleece and a really good rain parka.
My drinking buddy is an ex cruise ship captain from Alaska, and after him skippering up there from 1991-2004, I am pretty confident with my prediction.
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Thanks for the tips. "Why a cruise?" comes down to the ages of the participants; ages range from 8 to 70, so comprimises are inevitable. It wasn't my first choice, but there you go.
Appreciate the heads-up on the weather in August. I'll feed that back to the rest of the mob.
