Q – We will want to be booking a nice, very nice, Alaska Cruise next summer. We will be joined by four friends and we will want to sail out of Vancouver B.C. or Juneau on a cruise that is somewhere between ten and twelve nights. How do I do my research before taking it to a travel agent?

A – Well, first of all, you don’t need to do your own research. For the commission they will earn, a travel advisor should be willing to get to know you a bit followed by some specific recommendations designed to meet your specific needs. But that said, you may want to start by clicking on the link to www.cruisetruth.com on the bottom of this page. Once on cruise truth (there is no registration required) just go to the cruise database section. There, using a simple drop down menu, you can search for cruises that are ranked among the Top Ten lines by company, date, number of nights, and destination. All of your options will pop up. There are no ads and there is no sales hype. It is a great way to search independently. 

There are no prices. Consumers need to understand that the entire purpose of a travel website is to get you to click and to fall into the waiting arms of a crowded call enter where you will meet someone speaking to you from a small cubicle. They are paid a small commission to get you to book directly because it saves the company a much larger commission built into your quoted fare. No cruise line, or tour operator for that matter, keeps real time availability information on their website. For that, your agent needs to look closely at the real time computer statistics – and they can change by the minute. 

As to pricing – cruises are sold much like hotel rooms. As hotels book up for certain dates, the price of their rooms are raised by complicated algorithms. You would need to work with a qualified advisor or call the cruise line directly to get accurate pricing. Several cruise lines are canceling scheduled sailings in the Orient and Europe and placing additional tonnage in Alaska in anticipation of strong sales next summer. Do try to book your Alaska cruise 14-12 Months in advance. 

Here is a rule of thumb that will help you choose the best overall strategy and time to book:

The “Cruise lines” (3,00-6,000 passenger Floating Walmarts) are not concerned that some of their guests will pay more than others. This is not a major discussion topic in the buffet line. They do last-minute deals, early booking deals, and deals associated with nearly every Holiday you can imagine. 

The inclusive, “TrueLux” top-tier lines cater to a much more sophisticated clientele. They feel they could lose the loyalty of their valued guests if folks who waited until the last minute scored a better price than those who booked early. The norm for the TrueLux Lines (The Top Ten Lines in the World as reported on Cruisetruth.com) is that they raise their pricing every 90-120 days. There may be offers but they always refer to current price levels that can often be significantly higher than the pricing paid by those who booked early.