ไม่สามารถเล่นวิดีโอนี้
ขออภัยในความไม่สะดวก
BIG CHANGES COMING TO ALASKA CRUISES - CRUISE NEWS
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- BIG CHANGES COMING TO ALASKA CRUISES - CRUISE NEWS
Big changes are coming to Alaska cruises as the most popular Alaskan port will be limiting cruise passengers starting in 2026. Juneau Alaska will be cutting the amount of cruise passengers allowed in port on any given day forcing some cruise lines to change how they manage their ships and schedues.
My Mailing Address is :
Don's Family Vacations PMB #471 900 Greenbank road Unit 11E Nepean Ontario K2J 4P6 THE UPS STORE
Group Cruises contact information
SUN PRINCESS December 7th 2024 dterris@travelonly.com
SUN PRINCESS March 15th 2025 dterris@travelonly.com
Check out My other channel here and maybe subscribe for some laughs.
Just Don
/ @justdonvlogs
Just got back from an Alaskan cruise and it was pretty rough. Five ships all at once, maybe 20,000 people flooding the city. It was impossible to do much of anything.
The businesses will expand their buildings to accommodate more people. It just takes time
Those people moved up there for peace and quiet, not Walmart on welfare day shenanigans.
🤯 no wonder they want to start limiting ships.
@@thomasallen6980rude
@electrictroy2010 and the streets, the plumbing, the electricity (which is a lot more difficult than adding a plug or two), and let's not forget that if the wilderness turns into a mud pool due to number of visitors people stop comming (making all those investments wasted), people to do the work or the workers in the tourist business cannot afford to live there the tourists have an issue as well.
Don't get me wrong, I am a tourist myself, so I am not judging people going on trips. I do acknowledge though that solving the issue is a LOT more complicated than expanding buildings and hire seasonal workers (which will most likely be from across the southern border).
The increase in price and restrictions on time are ridiculous
Prices are getting out of hand in all aspects of cruising!! Thanks for the info!
NOT seeing it. I do Star Trek cruise (Royal caribbean). . About $2500 with cabin, plane, excursion included. 30 years ago cruising was for the rich, but now it’s more democratic.
Even low-income people are finding a way to go cruising (and that’s why ships are selling out)
The prices at the Hilton have not risen much at all. Always go against the flow. You will NOT find yourself spending a week waiting in line and smelling everyone else's farts. These influencers only make money when people watch their clickbait shows. They have no authority in society. Most of them are just trying to pocket some tax free money and write their personal vacations off to a business expense account. The IRS needs thousands and thousands of auditors ASAP to weed out the people who are doing legit content creation from the perpetucal vacationers. The wage earners pay too much and these "self-wage reporters" don't pay their share but sure do demand alot of services. The car channels are just as bad. There is always an auction in the middle of Spring near Miami that they all seem to have to show up at. Thats not work, that's a vacation.
Wow! $12.00 to $89.00! Sounds like PRICE GOUGING👺
A huge increase ----
To me that tells me they are just barely tolerating cruisers, kind of like a bad tenant, you raise the rent to the point it is not feasible for tenant and he moves out.
I paid around $12 last summer. Wow, prices are getting out of hand.
We haven't been to the glacier since 2008 and we too the local bus at that time. I've forgotten the exact price but I believe it was $4.00 p/p and that was for the complete day.
Sixteen thousand passengers a day, in any port is a tremendous amount of people! I am surprised they have not restricted numbers to far less than that.
Yes the prices are getting out of hand
I hate to see ports restricting the number of ships, but still the ships just keep getting larger and larger, holding so many more people per ship. I can see the towns getting swamped.
The cruise lines have themselves to blame. This situation is happening in many places, not just Alaska. Norway, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Scotland are all starting to say no more.
Yikes! I agree, prices are getting out of hand. I'm all for the business owner making money, but this is crazy.
I truly think that the Mega Ships are ruining the cruise world. There are just too many people on one of those ships for smaller areas to manage. The 89.00 fee was very excessive.
Juneau is the state capital of Alaska. Over half the people i town work for the government or university. Fishing is also a major part of economy, and tourist is only during a few summer months.
If you are a government worker working 9-5, wouldn't you like to be able to go shop at least 1 day per week without the town being overrun by a gazillion tourists from cruise ships? It makes sense to stagger ship arrivals to reduce peak number of tourists in town and peak number of buses needed etc, and can understand that if you are with cruise ship 1, you need to return to your ship before tourists from ship 2 arrive at the same site.
Bring back maller cruise ships and the problem is greatly reduced. Limit the number of meg cruise ships and the problem is reduced. But when a town is overwhelmed during the short summer and this results in residents unable to enjoy their summer, then this is not sustainable.
I was there with you. Way to many people. The cruise industry is just interested in money. They don't care at all about the customers experience, just as long as they get their money.
Exactly, the customers get short changed and the community cannot handle the amount of people.
Let alone the locals. Having family living in a city overflowing with tourists I can empathize with the locals.
Probably a good thing our cruising life is coming to end over the next couple of years. It's becoming too expensive for the average senior citizen.
oh no, don't say that. I hope you'll continue cruising for many years to come. It's a great way to see the world and there are still deals to be had!
We were just there also, and noticed prices for food have really gotten expensive.
Be careful for what you wish for! It was only 3 years ago that they were begging the cruise ships to come back! Now they want ‘some’ to go away! Let’s see how this works out.
Alaska is pricing themselves right out of the market. It's almost $400 for 2 people to have crablegs and drinks in Alaska. $90 per pound so $200 just for the crablegs not counting drinks and tip or appetizers.Thats insane. I won't be going back. $90 for a ride on a school bus.
Keep in mind that crab fishing in general is down due to crab populations being low. The past few years, crabbing seasons have been cancelled to all recovery. This creates a supply/demand issue. Is it a $90/pound issues, probably not.
@jpentzien well when we were there we saw plenty of locals sitting down for crab and there bill was much different then ours just saying.
Much more expensive, and far less fun. Cruises need to take responsibility and consider the passengers.
NOT seeing it. 30 years ago cruising was for wealthy, but now it’s more democratic. Even low-income people are finding a way to go cruising (and ships selling out). I do the annual Star Trek cruise (Royal caribbean).
Only $2500 with cabin, plane, excursion included.
Most of them are up to the tops of their ears in debt. I think it is time to stop cruising until they act a little more contrite. They need us................. We can find a Hilton at any resort beach.
Well you can't blame them for controlling the ships in port for a day. I have been there twice and love ALASKA.
We got back three days ago from our cruise to Alaska. We found it was half the cost to rent a car in Juneau for the day than to purchase a shuttle ticket for four people. It was very easy too
Good info thanks. If someone went in there with inexpensive vans shuttling people around they could make a killing but I am sure they have restrictions on who & how many shuttles get licensed to operate.
I do the same in vegas. Rather then waste a ton of money on taxis, I rent a car 30-40 dollars
.
I know that the "content creators" take a $$$ cut of the tickets their group buys. You are always better off skipping the organized tours. Just know the risks and keep an eye on the time. You should have insurance and that good stuff. They sell insurance so it is hard to know if it is really needed. Millions cruise every year with no adversity. They love to highlight Hector who got drunk and fell down the stairs and had to be medevac'd with a broken skull.
@@thomasallen6980 It’s true that more don’t use the insurance than do but it’s not that expensive & you never know when it might be you falling down that stairs & once it happens it’s too late to get insurance if you don’t have it.
As far as people needing to get it that’s a big YES. Even if it’s something not so major we all know health care costs are expensive.
Just like the old saying…Better Safe Than Sorry.
They're probably reducing your sight seeing time to funnel you back to the shopping in town.
We were in Juneau on a recent cruise and it was not enjoyable at all. There were 4 or 5 ships there and it was a madhouse. Wall to wall people. We were disappointed so we just found a bar and had a beer and just waited for our excursion.
That is such a bummer. We go at the end of August 😮
YES! The prices are definitely getting out of hand!!!
They need to restrict the cruise ships especially those large ones, in fact I would limit cruise ships to be at a max of 2500 on each ship. These cruise ship companies decided without input from any port or if they did they ignored it for the bottom line, to build ginormous ships inundating the small communities to absorb the rush of people. I know they make their income from these tourist but they will do fine without the ginormous amount of people. If I want to go to Alaska and really visit I would stay on land and go fishing. Visiting Alaska is okay on a cruise ship but you are just passing by not really a traveler, and that’s expected it’s a freakin cruise not an expedition.
It’s all down to the cruise lines being greedy, building these massive ships carrying 6000 passengers who then totally flood the areas. So now it’s backfiring on them. When we used to cruise from 2003 to 2013 the newer ships mainly carried 2500 passengers and one was 3500.
Don, please post this. We are presently on the Discovery Princess and because of a medical emergency we will no longer be stopping there. They took a whole day away with no replacement port. They also changed time into Victoria from 7:00 pm to arriving at 9:00 pm. So in essence, this seven day cruise to Alaska consists of Skagway (8-5) and Ketchikan (7-1:00 pm). They have no plans to compensate us for missing Juneau which we would have had the longest stay. This is unacceptable to me as I’ve spent a ton of money to fly and take this cruise. Will consider skipping Princess Cruises as an option going forward.
I hope you took out trip insurance. Many times with it,if you get a letter from customer relations before you leave your cruise you can get reimbursed by insurance.
@@loveistheonlyword We didn’t have the medical emergency, someone else did. Travel insurance doesn’t cover missed ports.😌
@@SharonR1105 there is insurance that does
I feel this, I was on the discovery when it first came to Vancouver
Allianz insurance covers missed ports. Always get insurance.
Yes, I will be taking my first Alaska cruise in one year. Excursions are starting about $300.
Interesting situation. Wow expensive. When your in Alaska you want a bit of time to experience Alaska. Pricing is out of hand eveywhere
I did an Alaskan cruise, and honestly, I wont do it again. Dont get me wrong, I had a great trip, thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and the ports, but I live in British Columbia and I get to see all those various wilderness things every day.
We've visited Alaska 2 times on Cruises. In 2011 we did a 10 Day Cruise / Land Tour on the Sapphire Princess and in 2016 we did a 14 Day Cruise / Land Tour on the Island Princess. There was still lots of ICE to see in those days and we enjoyed every minute of our adventures. Now you have less ICE and more "Money Grab" taking place from tourists from what I hear. This is really amazing ! Thanks for the Memories ! We don't need to return to Alaska again, that's for sure.
I TOTALLY agree with limiting to 2-3 ships max per day(2500 passengers per ship)for environmental and structural limitations!
Over an hour wait to get into Red Dog Saloon, and then can't move. Ridiculous.
That is awful. I was in Juneau on a 2016 cruise and there were no crowds at all.
Yes, I've noticed prices going up on the excursions, so we limited what we are spending. Our 4 hr Mendenhal glacier tour later this month is $110pp, but it does include a tram ticket. I thought it was like $90 or so last year. I've also heard that crab has gone up too. 😢Hopefully it's not too much more than my budget! Thanks Don!
We went on an Alaskan cruise many moons ago (maybe 15 - 20 years ago) with a friends. One of my fondest memories was in Skagway where we just took a walk around the town and came upon an Elks Lodge. My husband is an Elk and we were welcomed into the lodge with open arms. They had an indoor firepit and bowling alley in the back rooms. We made friends there! We loved the Princess cruise land, rail and on the ship through the inside passage.
What a wonderful memory!
Alaska cruises have always had a very high excursion cost to cabin cost ratio. And with 300 days of rain per year, it's hard for me to justify the overall cost. I guess all good things come to an end.
Hey Don thanks for all the amazing job you do for the information you provide for the viewers.
Just an FYI, Bar Harbor does not depend on cruise ships for their business. It has been a very popular destination for New Englanders long before cruise ships started going there.
We spoke to several shop owners when we were in Bar Harbor 7 months ago and they ALL said their businesses will suffer if the Cruise Ship restrictions took hold. So, maybe they can "survive" without the ships, but the people we talked to were certainly concerned with the massive loss or revenue that is to come for them.
Not fair to the smaller ships when a Mega ship arrives
NCL is only doing 5 or six hours in some of these ports. Not a whol lot of time to ride the shuttle in and see town. also reccomend if you are short on time to book an excursion. I am a walker and find my own way to these spots. more of an FYI
With the size of ships getting larger and more passengers the cities have to do something to protect themselves just as Venice has done
The cruise industry is its own worst enemy and should look into the mirror for those responsible
You forgot to mention that Juneau is town of 30,000 residents, but we get over have our population per day. It also costs Juneau residents much more to live here because all of our food and other goods can only get here by plane or boat. There are no roads in or out.
i have to agree with you Don! i booked for next July awhile ago and have been looking at the excursions the prices are ridiculous! most excursions are $250+
That’s outrageous! The hubs and I were going to go there and now I think we will have second thoughts.
The maga-ship will destroy many ports of call. I went to Alaska over 10 years ago and we only had 2500 cruiser on board. But there was still 3 ship in two ports. All the ships have grown is size since then.
This is not just a cruising issue. Several US National Parks have restrictions and time stamps and in some cases shuttle buses. This is all due to demand and they can't enlarge the parks.
Unfortunately, this is most likely the result of cruise ships becoming bigger and bigger. As much as they rely on tourism, these cities can only handle so many people at a time.
Good morning Don. Sad to say but I think cruising has become a hobby of the rich. I live in Vancouver, For me now it's not just a cruise. I have to pay in American Dollars, that extra, Then I have an airfare that will be between 1& $2,000. Then I have 1 or 2 nights at a hotel. That's another $500. Then excurtions, Pop package. Transfers. Now a cruise that is advertised as a $2,000 cruise has jumped to $8000. And I now have to pay a premium because I am now a solo cruiser. As a retired person, how can I afford it now? I think cruising is turning into something for the elite. I might have to start looking for all-inclusive Mexico Holidays. Between cost cutbacks, and the Suposadly crew shortages. Is it really worth $8,000 for a week?
Hmmm; or Cuba which is way cheaper and safer. Or watch out for last minute sales of tours to anywhere around the world. Sometimes they go 50% or more off, so airfare would become affordable.
You are absolutely right. I have a good friend in Victoria, and have been shocked by what she’s had to pay to travel. I am American and used to travel a lot, but now my health forbids it. I’m glad i got to travel when i did. You are so, so right about the solo cruiser problem - paying double for a cabin! No, no, I refuse.
@@lannguyen-pu1db can’t do it from the US 🤬
Cruisers should send a message "we are tired of your prices" by simply staying home and doing a road vacation.
@birbluv9595 NOT seeing what you’re seeing. I do Star Trek cruise every year (Royal caribbean). . It’s $2200 7 days solo room. Airplane is only $200 roundtrip (Spirit). I don’t normally do excursions, because I prefer to hangout in the town, but it’s only $100 if I did.
About 2500 all in
.
Prices for all cruising has gone up so much that I am cruising the cheapest possible and anything expensive I pass over now. And I’m a travel advisor!
I just got from my 27th cruise to Alaska. It's my happy place. We sailed on the Eurodam. I didn't even get off in Juneau this time so I could have a nice quiet time on board.
Limiting the amount of tourists in one location each day may not be a bad idea to limit crowds. I was on Majestic Princess in Alaska a few weeks ago and had a wonderful time. However, the prices are high, lots of people in port at the same time, 3-4 ships following each other the entire week. Is it possible to stagger ships in ports on different days during the week so they are not all in port the same day and allow for longer time slots in port? I’m not a fast walker anymore.
We had 60min in May 2024 ... and it wasnt enough. Speed walking to the fall and back. With 5-10min to take pictures. A travesty
Went to mendelhall glacier last August on the bus tour. I did not have enough time to walk to nugget falls. I’m did get to walk a path and see salmon. The bus driver had told us about that path .
I think that greed has set in and even though I've been to Alaska and possibly will be going back next summer I'll be spending my time in town walking around and then probably just on the boat chilling out because I don't have that kind of money to spend
I love Alaska, try to go every year. I do agree they may want limit the amt of visitors; having multiple large ships in ports is not fun for visitors or locals.
I think you're better off flying to Alaska and doing your own thing. Cruise ships just barely give you a glimpse of Alaska.
Oh dear, we're planning to sail to Alaska in 2026. Hope we'll still be able to see Mendenhall.
I'm going back to Alaska in Sept but guess now I won't be spending much in Juneau....they got too greedy.
Don, i took the helicopter to the glacier in Juneau in 2016. I CANNOT believe they are charging $500 for that now! Why are so many people traveling and cruising now? Aren’t we over the post-pandemic surge? Who can afford all this? Where are these rich people coming from! So much more money, for a far inferior experience.
NOT RICH. 30 years ago cruising was for them, but now it’s more equal. Even low-income people are finding a way to go cruising (and ships selling out).
We did that too. My sister got married on top of the glacier!!
We’re celebrating our 30th anniversary on the NCL Bliss. We even splurged for a Haven suite ( we told ourselves that we’ve worked our ass off for 30 years and wouldn’t mind being pampered just once.)
It’s only our third cruise ever. 30 years ago we did a 4-day Carnaval cruise on the Ecstasy and believe me neither one of us had shit for $$. The only excursion we could afford was snorkeling in Cozumel. Our second was in 2016 on a Princess Cruise during spring break when the ship was loaded with college kids partying their ass off.
We only take one vacation a year and spend about 20% of what this cruise is costing. Now with research and keeping up with news, I tamped down my expectation on how much we’re going to enjoy it. We’re staring down an overcrowded mega ship where our butler service may or may not be good. Kids running around in areas where they’re not supposed to be. Port calls to amazing places that now don’t want us there. And even though we have laid out a whole lotta cash already, being nickel and dimed to death by NCL. We’ll see how it goes.
On my first trip to Alaska, 1999, our 600 passenger ship...which actually look like a ship...was docked next to what looked like a large hotel glued onto a barge....hurt my neck to look up from the dock. It was a megamonster of perhaps 2500 passengers. But we were the only two in port.
Fast forward to 2018 and I was land visiting Skagway...I flew in. Then the ships arrived...a flood of people who wouldn't stay on the sidewalks. Total chaos and an insult to the environment
This is not cruising...it's naval bombardment.
And I write this from Tromso on a 175 passenger cruise ship...safe, sane, ecologically and rationally consensual
There's a chance you and your 174 friends and burning more fuel per person than those on the barge hotel.
@@chrisfoxwell4128Please note, in Norway there are strict regulations about cruising. At the moment there is Havila Castor in port of Tromsø. I think, that @lissajeri1492 speaks about ship Havila Castor, which doesn't use fuel. Here some information about this cruise line and ships:
They use LNG and Battery Power. The Havila Voyages' four coastal cruise ships are equipped with the largest battery packs ever installed on a passenger ship, which means they can drive four hours at a time without emissions. In this way, you can visit sensitive ecosystems such as Geirangerfjord, which belongs to the World Natural Heritage, without having to worry about environmental problems. And all this in silence: The battery packs supplied by Corvus weigh 86 tons and have a capacity of 6.1 megawatt hours. The batteries are charged on shore with clean hydroelectric power and if ships don't use the batteries, they drive on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which - together with the general, efficient hybrid operation - reduces CO2 emissions by around 35 percent. NOx emissions are reduced by 90 percent.
Hope, you find this information useful.
The smaller ship is more efficient. And in reply...your 4999 friends are generating a volume of trash and waste that tax the ports where it has to be off-loaded.
@@chrisfoxwell4128Please note, in Norway there are strict regulations about cruising.
There was ship Havila Castor of Havila Voyages in port of Tromso, which is maybe meant by lissajeri. Here some information about this cruise line:
Ships use liquefied natural gas and battery power. They are equipped with the largest battery packs ever installed on passenger ships. This means, they can sail four hours at a time with no emissions. So, they can visit sensitive eco- systems like Geirangerfjord, which belongs to World Natural Heritage and having not to worry about environmental problems. And all this in silence mode. Batteries are charged on shore with clean hydroelectric power and if ships don't use batteries, they sail with liquefied natural gas.
Hope, this information might be interesting.
"Ju-neau" you make a good point in this video!
Lol
Good to know Don sure appreciate your information. Your coloring looks good today. Have a great day ❤
Don, you look good, which makes me very happy.
We were in Alaska in May of this year. Beautiful but the sight seeing was outrageously expensive so we couldn't afford to do the sights we wanted to. I appreciate protecting the environment but it prevents me from going again and I would love to go again
But the cruise lines keep building more & more ships. Just not enough room in ports per seasons for all these ships & passengers. Staffing & transportation is already a problem. If the cruise lines won’t understand this, then it’s up to the ports to put the breaks on. Something has to give somewhere.
And HUGE ships! I think those ships should be their own destinations and forget about ports of call.
Thank you for the update.
Ooh, memories, I did an Alaskan Cruise in 2019 and it was the trip of a life time.
Yikes! Those prices are ridiculous!
Prices are terrible. 😢
I can’t walk that fast. All the way to nugget falls and back.
I didn't want the stress of trying to get there and making sure I got back to the bus on time.
@@chrisfoxwell4128 I was more afraid of meeting up with a bear on the deserted trail.
I was just there last week. Juneau is limiting it to 4 ships in port now. We had no issues at all in town where we decided to take the tram to the top of the mountain for lunch. No line what so ever when we went, there was a line when we came down.
The 7-day trip I did to Alaska in 2018 was more expensive than a standard 7-day Caribbean cruise. I noticed that the sea day at the beginning and end of the cruise seemed pretty rough due to how fast the ship had to go for the schedule. Our Juneau tour guide explained to me why the larger cruise ships didn't work well for the town due to their boom and bust nature and how long it took to load and unload them. I went to Alaska in April 2024 on a season opening trip where the snow was still deep on the mountain. It became a luxury cruise due to the lack of crowds in the ports. Much of the tourist trade workers come in from other places for the season. I think that the people in a city or town should have the right to determine what their city or town should be like, so if they want to limit daily traffic I think they should be allowed to do so. If you or anyone else disagrees, then you can vote with your dollars to go elsewhere.I think passenger limits would be better for everyone.
We went in 2022 and we thought the excursion prices were high. We figured it was because they had been closed so long and needed to make up that money they lost.. It sounds like they are even higher now. It was $500 per person for the dog sled. That’s $2000 for our family so we didn’t go. I think the helicopter was $700+ per person then and Whale watching was over $1000 for our family. Our “cheap cruise” got really expensive. Regular people can’t afford. $1000 per day for excursions in every port in addition to the cruise itself. I’m thankful we went when we did because it sounds like we may not be able to afford it again.
We payed 90 each from the kiosk tours on the pier. We had two hours. I was happy to do the hike to nugget falls but will not do it again st that cast.
Prince Rupert, BC is opening up..
The prices are definitely getting out of hand.
Thanks Don for the info. My husband and I are booked to go to Alaska cruise next June, by the sounds of it we won’t e doing any excursions sadly. Everything has gotten so out of hand, a lot of it is greed 😢.
Keep up the good work
Maybe we could go back to using smaller ships like the Island Princess. Lovely boat and small enough to dock at Vancouver. Should allow 2000 passenger ships
We will be there in August. Even the walking tours were $49.99. That stopped us from doing any excursion really. So we went with a different walking tour option. For Juneau, we won't see the Mendenhall - just too expensive to get there and back. We might hike down from the top of the Tram, if we take it up (more than likely will for the mountain view). Yes, the price for the Tram is similar to the bus to Mendenhall. We think we will be personally OK with not seeing it since we will see other glaciers. We opted to use the American Volkssport Association map guided walks as our shore excursions.
I was there 2 years ago, to be honest I didn’t find Mendenhall that exciting, it was smaller then expected. As it’s slowly receding and melting. The cost to go up the tram, is highway robbery, was not worth it to me. The best part of the day was whale watching, I was amazed how many we saw, I really loved it.
I believe there is a city bus that will drop you off a mile from the glacier for $2 or $3 per person if you are able to walk the rest of the way. Apparently lots of people do that.
Hmm last year we didnt get off the ship in Juneau or Skagway last year, we only went to Sitka and Ketchikan. So I think if you've done these trips a few times.. you may just enjoy the ship more then the stops unless its a stop you have never been too. But Juneau is very busy when we've been there with lots of ships.
I can see how it could becoming overly crowded, which causes a need to limit. However, price gouging is not a good thing. We can go elsewhere. Been on two Alaskan cruises, maybe that is enough.
I've been to Juneau three times and I love Alaska but I may not even be getting off the ship during a Juneau stop now. I like to hike so depending on the weather I may get off and hike the trail up Mt Roberts, if we will be in port a long time. At least I hope that is still free.
And Don....Remember that the prices are in US dollars.
I’m so glad we went on your latest group cruise to Juneau, in particular.
Read all the comments here so far. I would love to go to Alaska however there's some challenges from what I'm learning. I'll see if things change in a few years. The crowds, the price of excursions, limited time in port and inflation deter me for now.
My Alaskan cruise was my favorite cruise out of the five I have taken so far, it is a sight to see. I would try and get there before there are further limits (I am going to the Norwegian Fjords this summer for the same reason, they are going to limit non electric cruise ships starting in 2026).
My family and I are going to Alaska for the first time next month. I starting to think this maybe a one and done trip due to rising prices.
I went last June for the first time and absolutely loved Alaska. I can't wait to again. Hate to hear about the price hikes, I thought things were pretty affordable compared to other destinations.
We rent a car from Turo whenever we're in Juneau. This way we can spend as much time wherever we'd like.
Apparently the city of Juneau began last year, mid season, to stop issuing vouchers to the buses that go out to Mendenhall National park at the urging of the park services. The big blue bus, hop on hop off, was pulled. A new big blue bus co formed which this year doubled the price and due to the new voucher issuing system limits the time tourist can visit. It was all done to protect the eco system of the park. Most National parks, like Yosemite limit the number of cars entering the park. Reservations are now required in some. In Europe in Italy you need to make a reservation and pay a fee to visit Venice. The world is changing!
Hi Don, sad news for P@O customers, they are "closing" operation in Australia next year in March. Not much reason giving !?
The prices are getting way out of control. My business as a TA is becoming more All Inclusive and less cruises. This is the exact opposite of my past 8 years excluding 2020-2021. I am also seeing more interest in Europe Tours and River Cruises.
A few people could hire an Uber to take them out to the Glacier. As I recall it is about 15 miles. It would be a lot cheaper and you could stay as long as you wish. I wonder what it costs now to go up Mt. Roberts?
We are booked for September 2025, I hope we will be able to enjoy our 1st trip to Alaska. It sounds like the cost of cruising period is getting out of hand. Thanks for the update. You look well too!
Alaska is absolutely my favorite cruise destination, but those prices are OBSCENE! Thanks Don for always giving your honest take on cruising!
It's so so expensive with inflation. America is under attack. Many are not paying attention. Nice to know this information. Thank you jacquelin
IMO the shuttle to the glacier & falls s/b a hop on/hop off.
Last summer i took the city bus for about 5 usd round trip
All shore excursions everywhere are skyrocketing. The amount we are paying for our Australia/NZ cruise is nuts! And we got an OBC of 1800 a couple for booking Antartica 2 years out, and it will only cover about 3 shore excursions if we are lucky
There is no tipping in Australia, so it is included in the cruise fare. Many ports such as Sydney have excellent public transport, which you can use to explore independently.
Changes coming for P and O, they say for Australia, assume it would be for P and O in the UK, too, Carnival are going to take the P and O name away. And one of the P and O ships is going to be sold for scrap.
You made my eyes bug out when you said $300 for whale watching. It's not even that much in Hawaii or Iceland, which are both notoriously very expensive places.
We are going in September on Carnival Luminosa. We have two excursions scheduled. Prices are high. This will be a once in a lifetime trip. Airfare and hotel is also over the top.
Hi Don I wouldn’t go to Alaska if you paid me to go there I don’t want to see snow and everything that reminds me of Canadian winter I don’t know why anybody would!
I'm not suprised by the decision by the ports. But the price gouging for tours needs to stop. Maybe the cruise lines and the tour companies can come to a different agreement. Way to expensive.
Price rises in Alaska seem like a rip-off. I understand why locals want to reduce tourists. I have yet to cruise Alaska and I think by the time I have the money and time it won't be worth it.
Ya, everyone is talking about the price increases but still paying them.