Alaska & Yukon Tours

12/10/2024

Seems we're getting some attention on social media about a post regarding a cruise line we are no longer selling. And sailing!

As agents, its our jobs to advocate for you and HELP when things go wrong - or prevent them from going wrong. If we lose those avenues of help, then what good are we?

The cruise line in question, Norwegian Cruise Line continues to disappoint as they've now blamed US, the travel agent, for an error with their own system.

We're presently on the Encore. We've had a heck of a time with issues on the boat, and it hasn't been smooth sailing. One of our guests thought about getting the Thermal Spa and had it in her "cart" in the app, but did not purchase it. On the 2nd day of her sailing, she noticed a charge of $598 on her account - and listed as "Payment of Passage". We logged into NCL's SeaWeb (reservation system) and saw that prepaid gratuities and the spa was added to her booking, but not paid for. What's interesting is, as agents, we always check bookings 2 days out for any payments due, reservations on the ship, etc. Her reservation was clearly at zero. We've spent 4 days trying to get this resolved for her, only to have guest services blame us, the travel agent, for doing it.

Low and behold, we find out there's a real problem with the NEW NCL App - it has been adding items to people's carts without their knowledge, including changing the prices of shore excursions. NCL is aware of this, just not fleet-wide.

We're now on Day 8 and we had to reach out to the highest levels to get this fixed, and the ship is also digging in their heels claiming they did NOT blame us for the error (the guest said it was claimed more than once this was on the travel agent that added it).

Our advice for *all* travelers: Keep an eye on your bill. If you add something to your cart (on any cruise line), make sure you delete it! And don't always believe that we, as agents, are at fault. Its an easy copout for someone behind a desk to spread the blame.

12/06/2024

Good morning from Lisbon!

Still plenty of time to escape the Alaska cold and go on an adventure!

Chillie is manning our phones, call him at 907 531 9140, Nate is reachable [email protected]!

12/02/2024

Getting to the Pacific Northwest is easier thanks to added flights by both Air Canada AND WestJet!

Whether you are taking a cruise out of Seattle or Vancouver, be sure to check fares and flights to both cities, as there are plenty of shuttles, Amtrak, and even official cruise transfers between the two cities. Airfares to Seattle might be twice the amount of Vancouver.

We always check fares to both markets for our guests and talk about the ease of using YVR!

This summer's YVR nonstops to the US (Hawai'i excluded) will be the most markets ever.

12/01/2024

Hey Alaskans, don't let this snow ☃️🎄❄️ get ya down!

We have plenty of great deals on cruises 🛳🚢 in the Caribbean & Mexico 🏖🏝 right now! MSC, Celebrity, and even Virgin on sale!!

Flights are making it in and out of Juneau, and we've still got some cheap mileage seats to Florida!! A cruise CAN be a possibility!

Call us at 907 531 9140 or email [email protected]

11/28/2024

We are thankful for ontime flights, aisle seats, and fares that don't break the bank!

11/27/2024

e BAGTAGS are back on sale! But, they aren't just FOR Alaska Airlines. If you fly to Europe or overseas, Icelandair, Swiss, Lufthansa, Qatar, and KLM also use these tags!

The tags offered by Alaska are meant for *suitcases* - so if you are like me and travel with a backpack (or duffle), you may want to buy the other type of tag.

the E BagTags are linked via your cell phone & airline app to the bag tag, which is attached to your suitcase and is handled like any other bag tag.

To learn more about the Alaska Airlines tags: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/baggage/checked-bags/electronic-bag-tag

To view the entire e BAG TAG line: https://bagtag.com/shop/ *please note, sales may be limited due to inventory*

11/21/2024

Hey friends - our Black Friday deals / webpage is going to be a HAIR late - I've spent the last 24 hours trying to get back to Alaska from Florida. Flying standby is a wonderful perk when planes aren't weight restricted, it seems!

But to start things off, we have 50% off our Belizean favorite - Muy Ono Resorts! This includes Hopkins Bay Resort, Sweet Songs, and Thatch Cay. Drop us a note via email ([email protected]) or call us 907-531-9140 for details, or we'll post to our website later tomorrow.

11/20/2024

Escape the snow! We've got some *amazing* deals on 5 day, 4 night Bahama cruises - as low as $199 per person!!

Experience Nassau & Ocean Cay on MSC Divina, including some itineraries with overnights on Ocean Cay. No need to think about snow, slush, rain, and wind when you are sitting on the beach in the Bahamas. We even have special rates for passes in Nassau at BREEZES ALL-INCLUSIVE RESORT!

Sailing dates with this rate:
Dec 2, 9, 16 Jan 6, 13

Port Canaveral/Orlando cruises start at $209 pp: Available Dec 1, 15, Jan 12, 26

Learn more about MSC at our website www.bookayt.net

Email us at [email protected] or call 907 531 9140!

11/19/2024

Its not everyday we air grievances publicly, but Norwegian Cruise Line deserves this call out.

We are no longer going to be selling or offering NCL cruises to our guests.

Unfortunately they are very bad at customer recovery when they do not offer the product/cabins/sailings as promised to our clients. And even when they *do* promise compensation or make up for any shortcomings, that is not delivered.

Their sales staff, called BDMs, constantly tell us to reach out and call reservations - whereas when there's an issue with Holland America, Princess, MSC, Celebrity, we get right thru to someone and resolution - and without having to get feisty. NCL never seems to have a record of anything. And we deal with the same res staff direct-bookers get (unless you get your own cruise consultant).

NCL has also done Alaska wrong by offering off-season cruises (April, October) - which was never done before; when it seems the weather doesn't always allow the ships to dock, which results in a 'sea day'. Lets also not discuss that about 70% of our shore excusions are not operating in April & October. Skagway, for example, has only 2 restaurants open in the offseason, with seatings for *maybe* 250 people. Bliss & Encore come into Alaska's waters with up to 4,500 guests. Imagine being one of those guests, who actually GETS into Skagway, and find out there's no where to eat, all the tours that are running are full, you can't go dog sledding, can't go fishing, no Taku Lodge, no Sentinel Island tour, no helicopter flights in Southeast Alaska in April & October.

All of this is part of the Alaska experience, and with NCL's attitude of bringing up even LARGER ships next year (Sun is replaced with the Joy, an extra 1,800 guests per ship) - just seems they are wanting guests to be stuck on board so they can extract their goal of $90/day from each of them.

If you want to book NCL, best of luck - it won't be thru us.

11/18/2024

Alaska Airlines savings alert:
If anyone is in Southern California, Costco has $500 Alaska Airlines gift cards available for $449!

These come in packs of 5 $100 gift cards, which can then be deposited into "My Wallet" and used at their full value!

To see if these are available at your Costco, you'll want to hunt for item # 1888636.

These are even better when paired with the Alaska Airlines discount in the Alaska TourSaver book! Alaska Travelgram

11/15/2024

Just came across some very interesting visitor stats to the US - compiled by SKIFT.

Glad to see Japan getting back up there after Covid, and a very weak yen -> USD (which has destroyed Hawai'i tourism).

11/08/2024

We've still got plenty of awesome rates for Alaska cruises in 2025 AND 2026! Some of our deals are too good to put online, so drop us a note and we'll get to work on getting you up here to see our whales, eagles, and glaciers!

https://form.jotform.com/241016586875161

11/05/2024

Leaving one of the US's most popular cruise ports for CruiseWorld, one of the largest cruise trade shows in the US!

🏝🏖⛰️🏞🛳🛳

11/04/2024

2026 Cruise news:

- Virgin Voyages will be going on sale to the public on November 16th. We are NOT very enthusiastic about their pricing - its very high. We've sold Cunard balcony cabins for less than what VV will be charging. The sailings are also not consistent from Seattle and are a varied 6 to 12 night offering.

- MSC is coming to Alaska in 2026 with the MSC Poesia, which is a good sized ship with plenty of amenities, but we are *FLOORED* by their pricing (see below)

- Royal Caribbean is bringing up ANOTHER SHIP to Alaska - its going to be quite crowded.

And being an ALASKA BASED TRAVEL AGENCY, we love our partnership with MSC Cruises - and was able to get savings up to $200 per cabin on their 2026 Alaska sailings!

- Special rates on all MSC Alaska 2026 sailings
- BALCONY cabins as low as $ 1191 PER PERSON!
- $199 per person deposit locks in your spot
- $25 onboard credit per cabin
- 8 day, 7 night roundtrip sailings from Seattle, starting May 11, 2026

learn more at: https://bookayt.net/msc-alaska/

As an Alaska based agency, we spend money in our local communities and give back, including we make a donation to United Way of Southeast Alaska for each and EVERY cruise booking we make for you!

Now offering MSC Alaska 2026 sailings We have EXCLUSIVE pricing & perks for Alaska 2026 sailings! Alaska Travel Desk is …

10/28/2024

🌟 Discover the Beauty of Alaska with MSC Cruises! 🌟

🚢 Exciting News! On May 11, 2026, MSC Poesia will set sail from our brand-new homeport in Seattle, being our fifth U.S. homeport marking a major milestone for MSC Cruises. We’re thrilled to bring our unique blend of European elegance and American comfort to the West Coast! 🌎✨

🌲 Why Alaska? Our guests have spoken, and we listened! Experience the breathtaking beauty of Alaska’s pristine landscapes and majestic wildlife. This is your chance to check off those bucket-list destinations! 🐋🏔️

🗓️ Sailing Dates: May - September 2026 📍 Destinations: Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Tracy Arm, Juneau (Alaska), and Victoria (British Columbia, Canada)

🌊 Special Itineraries: MSC Poesia will also one of a kind offer exclusive voyages through the iconic Panama Canal, repositioning seasonally between Miami and Seattle. Don’t miss out on these unique adventures at the beginning and end of the season! 🌅

Join us for an unforgettable journey! 🌟

10/24/2024

That's it for our Alaska cruise ship season - thanks for giving the Jewel some *decent* weather, although we're told they got snow while in Glacier Bay, with Norwegian staff out playing on the decks in it! I guess many had never experienced snow before.

Thank you to all of our clients who used us for their Alaska cruises this year (and next), and now its time to send all of our Alaskan workers on VACATION! We're thinkin Belize, Florida, or an MSC cruise or two!!

10/23/2024

10/23/2024

Ivory Bar along sunset beach