I just returned from a cruise in Alaska and five things I did have a huge impact on my holiday.
There are a lot to consider when planning a cruise to Alaska. From booking a flight to keeping a coastal tour, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
However, even the smallest decision can make a big difference. Before my recent Alaska Ocean cruise, I only spent a few hours researching ways to improve my experience.
I discovered unexpected flight deals, booked cruise attachments for boarding day and filled my summer itinerary with proper outfits.
Finally, these five seemingly small moves made my parade better.
First, I booked an Air2sea flight to save money
One small thing I did before a cruise in Alaska was to check the flight prices air2sea.
Air2sea is the Royal Caribbean flight booking system that allows passengers to purchase flights on cruise reservations. The procedure is not only convenient, but also provides protection in the case of unforeseen problems such as delays and cancellations, thus preventing passengers from reaching the ship on time.
I usually book flights directly through the airline but decided to check the Air2sea prices to see their comparison. Royal Caribbean often offers Profitable Discounts for Air Tickets with Air2sea– Usually for Alaska and Europe sailing.
To my surprise, I found a top-notch flight to Seattle with only $276 round trip. Strangely, the economy is more expensive!
The deal seemed too good to achieve, but my travel agency confirmed the price and we booked my first-class flight directly through Air2sea.
Since I only spent a few minutes checking flights on Air2sea’s website, I enjoyed a lot of travel days to Seattle.
Of course, you need to read beautiful prints before booking your Air2sea flight. Cancellation and change policies are different from booking directly through airlines, so it may not be the best for those who want extra flexibility.
Even so, it’s worth checking the website for flights before cruising. The savings can be considerable.
Next, I booked a professional restaurant on Ascendant Day to beat the crowd
One of the most used boarding day “hackers” is booking a professional restaurant for lunch.
With thousands of passengers boarding in just a few hours, boarding days are often chaotic. Since the cabins are not ready until late afternoon, the crowds quickly grow in common areas such as Windjammer Buffet, Royal Esplanade and Pool Deck.
Related: 30 Cruise Boarding Day Do and Don’t Do
When I first started cruising, I would head to Windjammer for a quick, casual lunch. However, the crowds of the venue, loud atmosphere and general chaos were far from relaxing. Sometimes, I can’t even find a seat.
I don’t want to start my Alaska cruise with the wrong foot. So instead of having lunch at Windjammer on board, I booked a meal at Jamie’s Italian.
Jamie’s Italian is one of my favorite professional restaurants in the Royal Caribbean. Between the cheesy, pulling garlic knots and spicy penne arabbiata, anything on the menu is hard to go wrong.
This restaurant costs extra costs, but usually you can snap up big deals before a Royal Caribbean cruise Cruise Planner. In the national anthem of the Ocean Parade, I only booked lunch for $18 each (including tips).
The extra cost is totally worth it. This restaurant is quiet and calm – in sharp contrast to the buffet on several decks above. My meal took about an hour and a half and by the time I was finished my cabin was washed and ready to enter.
After a busy travel day, going to Seattle and a busy morning to get on board, I absolutely made the right decision to book a professional restaurant on boarding day.
I also packed clothes for warm weather, with only a few cold items
When most people imagine cruises in Alaska, they imagine cold weather, icy glaciers and snowy mountains. However, before packing your big coat, you need to study the weather averages for a month of sailing.
For June departures, I avoid bringing my coat, gloves and hats. During summer, Juneau temperatures averaged over 60 degrees. It was a stuffy 75 degrees when I visited the port!
Related: Best Months to Cruise Alaska in Royal Caribbean Sea
I packed up some cold items, such as a light jacket and a few pairs of jeans. However, I also packed a T-shirt, shorts and a lightweight long-sleeved shirt.
The weather in Alaska may be unpredictable, but the weather on our midsummer cruise is great. Most of my sweaters are not worn and I regretted wasting the packaging space in the suitcase on these bulky items.
Still, I’m glad I had pre-packaged lightweight clothes so I didn’t feel uncomfortable warmth in the harbor.
I’ve looked at budget-friendly things in every call port
Exploring Alaska’s call ports can be expensive, but they don’t have to be.
My Alaska trip accessed three ports: Juno,,,,, Schieluand Victoria. My brother and I cruised to the final border and we wanted to reduce costs at each port. We both have busy travel schedules this summer, so spending hundreds of dollars on the truck is not in the cards.
However, we don’t want to miss out on the highlights of each port. Instead of booking a tour guide, I found my own way to explore the port.
In Juno, we wanted to visit the Mendenhar Glacier, but found this $79 shuttle to be extremely expensive. A few years ago, I paid $45 to buy the same bus!
As an alternative, we took the local city bus and stopped near the glacier. Price is $2 and it’s hard to beat. Although the bus did not stop directly on the glacier (it was 30 minutes’ walk), the walking trails were beautiful.
For those who don’t want to take the remaining road, there are bicycles to rent at the bus stop.
In Skyway and Victoria, I studied self-guided hikes in the city. My brother and I wandered around each port, trying local coffee shops and restaurants, and we also enjoyed the peaceful walk of the park.
Spending hours researching my trip ports helped me plan exciting days without breaking the bank.
Finally, I learned about the luggage valet, which helped me plan my days of disembarking
At the end of the cruise, I used the Royal Caribbean luggage valet service to make my travel days smoother.
Seattle is one of my favorite cities to visit and I want to explore it with my brothers at the end of our tour. So instead of booking home earlier in the day, we booked our evening flight.
However, as the cruise approached, I began to wonder if I had made a mistake. I headed to Seattle with a large suitcase and dragging the bag around the city (and the airport) seemed like a hassle. I wonder if I should book an earlier flight so I can go directly from the port to the airport with my luggage.
But once I know Luggage customer serviceI don’t have to worry about planning a sightseeing day in Seattle.
Seattle Port offers free luggage transfers from the boat to the airport at the end of the cruise. With this service, I left my suitcase outside the cabin door the night before I got off the boat and I didn’t pick it up until I arrived at home the next night!
The process is very convenient and is free in addition to the airline baggage fee.
Knowing about this service before my cruise helped relieve the stress of traveling through the city with my luggage. You can register in advance on the Seattle Port website hereor wait until you get on board.
