Alaska

Last year we had a family wedding in Seattle and since we were already there- seemed perfect to go on an Alaskan Cruise.

 Perks used- 

*  Delta- 80 K-2 round trip tickets DTW/SEA

*  paid $560 for 1 Delta ticket- used points from Barclay Card to get a travel statement credit - used 56K points and they give you 10 % of you redeemed miles back!

*  paid for Hotel (group rate for wedding at the Arctic Club - Hilton Property-Amazing spot for a wedding!) if using points- other options may be better during the summer- Marriott, Kimpton (now part of IHG)

*  Uber- first time using the service- had a $20 credit. Used them again when we got off the ship. Both times were efficient and cost effective.  Use promo code bton1 and you will get $20 too!


A little bit about our trip-

* Seattle- Traveling with a 5 year old, we enjoyed the Space Needle,  Pike Place Market,  Ride the Ducks.
        - we also used Sittercity for a babysitter the night of the wedding- worked out great! Tip- we always use the babysitters that already have background check. We have had some great babysitters!

*NCL Alaska Cruise -
     - we love no formal nights and the food was pretty good. The service in the dining venues was horrible though.  We complained and they did try to make it better (complimentary wine, best serving staff the following night) but I know this is usually not the case- we may have cruised on a bad week.  
     - we had a great balcony stateroom others in our party had mini suites (difference in the room size). 
   - my son loved the Kids Club- the staff was great (they were from Australia, New Zealand and the UK)
  - shows were typical cruise productions - Great Comedian and Magician.  It was also during the World Cup and NCL did a great job of having the games in on in their larger venues- supplied with snacks and drinks. It was great to watch with a crowd!

 *Alaska - Great Excursions!  For this trip one of our favorites was the Green Jeeps!

                              We even saw a bear on the side of the road- a little frightening!

    - Whale Watching - I recommend a small group- don't use one of the big boats- everyone is fighting for a spot to take a photo. 

 

    - Previously I had done the White Pass Train/Ride - this is great as well if you don't want to drive yourself in the jeep. We choose a small group here as well which doesn't matter so much on the train but it does for the ride. It was great to stand next to the "Welcome to Alaska Sign" with only a handful of people trying to get a picture vs a full size coach. 


    - Misty Fjords Flight in Ketchikan- this was very peaceful and beautiful scenery 

 

   -  Instead of the Flight - I took my son to the Lumberjack show in hindsight, he could have gone on the flight but I had already been and didn't really want to spend the money again- so sent my husband with my family.  Ended up pleasantly surprised by the Lumberjack show- not only for kids- adults enjoyed it as well.  We had just walked up and got tickets off the boat as we were still on the fence but worked out fine. It was drizzling rain on and off but the seats were covered. 

At the end of the trip- it had cost us less miles to fly home a day later.  We spent the day at the Pacific Science Center - excellent spot to spend the day between the exhibits and IMAX shows.  We had an early morning flight so we booked a Fairfield Inn at the airport- they offered a shuttle to the airport and also the light rail which worked out perfectly in both cases.

Where we ate-
    Seattle- Lola, Ivars, Wild Ginger 
   off the cruise- Tracy's King Crab Shack, Bard and Banker (they don't allow children) , Cactus Club

Want to go to Alaska with perks?  You will need to plan!

 Airline miles- lowest mileage availability needs to booked the sooner the better. Most airlines open their availability about 330 days prior. 

Hotel-  Marriott, IHG, Hilton would all be great options in Seattle

Cruise-  The cruise lines have their branded credit cards but they are not really a great value.   I would suggest the American Express pay with points or Barclay Arrival Card.  May not be able to use points towards the entire cruise but it would help bring down the price.

Travel Consultant- we always recommend the use of a Travel Consultant!