Dont have the exact figures but I do know that the pricing with the offers they will have on this cruise will go up about $250 pp on the H and G categories over the same last two sailings in 2005. So add that to the rate for 2005 and you will be close.

There may be a free air offer or a non air credit which may help some as Alaska air can be expensive. None of this is for sure.

It appears that THURSDAY is going to be the magic day. I managed to contact ALMOST everyone about their preference port or starboard when we got back aft on the port side G cabins. If I did not reach them I made a choice to go starboard and had to go with it. Radisson has our list and will make the bookings the minute this hits the system. Here are the cabin numbers.

IF ANYONE CANCELS THEN I WILL BE MOVING ALL THOSE CABINS AROUND. IF WE GET AN H I WILL OFFER THAT TO THE FIRST G ON THE LIST AND IF WE CANCEL A G THEN I CAN MOVE EVERYONE BELOW THEM ON THE LIST TO A MORE MID SHIP CABIN. SO THIS IS BOUND TO CHANGE - HAS SINCE I POSTED THIS ACTUALLY. ONCE THE DUST SETTLES AND EVERYONE IS DEPOSITED I WILL POST THE REAL LIST.

Cabin Assignments G
740 Frank & Kathy
742 Lee
744 Donna and Allen
746 Rip
748 Claudia and Al
750 Masaki
752 David and Wendy
754 Anthony and Paige
741 Lawrence Choi
756 Wes and Ida
743 Ray and Penny
745 Doug and Andrea
758 Elizabeth
760 John and Kathy
747 Peter and Mark
762 Elizabeth (Ana Luisa)
749 Stephen and Laura
751 Jim & Tracey (Olivia)
753 Hale and Andrea (Olivia)
764 John (Olivia)
755 Carol (ChatKat)
747 Timothy, Sandra, Miranda Takagi (Masaki)
Cabin Assignments H
730 Olivia Phillips
731 Joe and Robin (Olivia)
732 Suzanne and Marilyn
733 Suzanne
734 Peter and Ana Luisa
735 Andrea
736 Karen and Mark
737 Tom and Marcie
738 Tony and JoAnna
739 George and Marsha
Suite Assignments
780 Mark and Pam
820 Clyde and Jean
988 Bill and Nancy
8100 Fred and Pat
834 Brad and Leslie

All this assuming no one jumps in there and takes a cabin away from us of course.

Also I dont know what the policies will be on extra group discounts yet. Of course if I can get one I will and will be working on this. The policy will be the policy it will not matter we have already booked.

The deposits we will have to make of course. Right now it appears the deposits will be in the $600 range for a couple. I dont have any idea of single supplement rates yet but to guess a single deposit would be around $400

So if those of you who now know a ball park price and are definite in wanting me to deposit shoot me an email I will appreciate it. If I dont have your credit card please call it into the office. If I am on the phone give it to any of the staff. I am going to do all I can on Thursday to get this done before I leave. We are closed on Friday so what does not happen on Thursday Julie will take over on Monday.

We can add the onboard bookings savings after the main crunch but if I know you have one or you know you have one we can also do that when we deposit.

Do we even have a "ball park" price? I must have missed it.. and did we decide August or September?
Sorry computer had a meltdown last week..

and P.S. do we qualify for EARLY booking savings lol

August 30, 2006 Whittier to Vancouver - South bound.

Cruise only ball park price. Cant even guess at the higher categories. Dont know port taxes.

H - $3000
G - $3150

This is "with" early booking savings of course, but without onboards, society, my discount or if I can get any group discount.

Deposits approximately $600 a couple or $400 a single.

You have my credit card number, and it doesn't expire for a few months.

This is hilarious, I just hope we get the cabins we so desperately want!

Ngaire, again thanks to the B&K team for stellar service for over 60 of us!

Susan and you have all our data, pls just transfer our booking in November/Voyager to Funchal (which was a bookmark from our navigator cruise in dec) and if the deposit we have on account does not cover Alaska, pls charge us the difference..would have sent a private email but it is not available right now.

r/wes

I guess I better study the ships plans and make a decision. Can't believe that I am feeling pressure to hurry and make a decision on a cruise that is a year and a half away and on one that we aren't sure of the pricing is yet!!! :D

Well it will be our 35th anniversary next August, and what a great group to celebrate with.

:lct:

Always remember you can always book later on. You dont have to decide now. It is just to get all the best H and G cabins and particular suites that this RUSH MUSH (I like that I have been saying that to everyone all day) booking is a great thing. We will all be in a row!!! The special pricing with free air or the air credit if it comes through is always capacity controlled, have NO idea how many cabins they need to pull that but we will have an impact on this ship early.

The special pricing with free air/air credit would be my idea of the perfect promotion for MUSH :)

Then we'll all have to figure out the best way to get from Anchorage to Whittier.

Karen, I have never seen "free air" with Alaska! All is possible, however! Pam, first time I went I rented a car at a lesser rate than RSSC's transfer to Seward from Anchorage, since I was flying with miles. Easy and beautiful drive. We came in the night before and paid for a room. Next time, there were more of us (too many for a car), and we would not be able to get there in time to get to Seward on day of departure and I would have to pay for a hotel. Taking Radisson air, we got free rooms (forced overnight) and passage on the bus to Seward. I think Whittier is about the same distance, maybe a bit shorter.

We rented a car and drove from Seward to Anchorage, stopping along the way; it was great. We could do that in reverse, I guess, if Whittier has a drop-off point.

We were under tornado warnings all afternoon, so I haven't even looked at Whittier.

Pam, I was going in the opposite direction my first time, Anchorage to Seward. Made sense since we came in a day early to do the rental car. Next time there were 6 of us and it did not. When you book air with Radisson, you get those transfers. I will see closer to MUSH what works best for us, as I have a lot of family members who are with me. But I think most will be booking pre-cruise trips other than me so it will not matter. We shall see.

I just checked out Whittier. They have about 400 residents, compared to Seward's 3000. If you are driving into/out of Whittier, there is a 2 1/2 mile tunnel that is one lane, used alternately by traffic in each direction. That particular website encouraged the use of the train.

Ngaire,

Please use my Amex on file for deposit.

:app: :app: :app: :app: :app:

Pam, interesting, as when we rented our first time from Hertz to get from Anchorage to Seward there was no drop-off charge, but the per diem was high. Of course, if all the RSSC cruises come and go to there from Anchorage airport, it should be the same. I just hate those buses from the airport to the cruiseport, and prefer to do it on my own when possible. and a day ahead, so as to get on the ship early and take care of jet lag as well

Olivia, it looks like there are about 60 MUSHers. Why don't you all hire a half dozen matching stretch limos for the group and an 18-wheeler to deliver the luggage.

All of you will have various pre-cruise excursions in Alaska. It will be easy, then, to meet the morning of the cruise in Anchorage for the convoy arrival in style.

Marc, you are so funny! If only you were with us, I think this just might have been a possibility!

Just too many possibilities,like you said, who knows who is coming in when?

Marc - that would be fantastic! :D

Masaki

Prices for the 2006 Alaskan cruises are now posted on rssc. For your August 30 cruise, Radisson prices begin at $3496 with Free Air.

Hmm - Just saw the entire 2006 schedule. Here one minute, almost all gone the next.

We are waiting to book this cruise. I am still having to talk Paige into a cold weather cruise. Once the new schedule is posted for good, I think she will be able to make up her mind.

Guess they are still tinkering.

Anthony

I don't see the schedule, is it gone again?

Yes, it seems to be gone again. Really crazy how they are managing the site. I went to Ships and Mariner and Alaska, and saw all the Alaskan cruises for 2006. They did not, however, have other Mariner cruises except those that have already been posted.

Next time it appears, I will print out the screen and post the pic here :)

Dreps: I went and looked after your first post and saw it too - free air and now it is gone - Joanna

The one Joanna saw was August 30 NORTHbound from Vancouver to Whittier. Reversed from what they told Ngaire.

I have the schedule confirmed as SOUTH BOUND on August 30. I think they must be loading everything on their site and testing it and then pulling it immediately. If it said Northbound I am 99% sure it was an error. Unless some drastic change to the schedule happened at the last minute that is unlikely. They need the last cruise to end in Alaska to combine with the crossing to Japan.

HOWEVER - I am pleased that the FREE AIR was there, I was not sure. They are really very serious about not releasing anything until it hits the system.

The non use air credit is bound to be $500, so $3496 minus the $500 would be a begining price point for the cruise of $2996. The same price point for the cruise this year is $2757. An increase of $239 per person. My guesses were pretty close. Deposit per cabin for two people for past passengers would be $569 for new passengers $600. Then all the discounts come off of course, onboards, mine etc. Still dont know the single supplement to quote that accurately.

I will book everyone with the $500 non air credit initially and then if you decide to take their air we will go back in and change it. The air may be a good deal. Flying into Anchorage depending on where you live you may get a forced overnight. It includes all the transfers - from Anchorage to Whittier. Air to Alaska is around $500 or more. Those with FF miles may be better off but the rest of us should consider that free air option.

The cabin numbers are changing with the wind as people decide to wait or change a category etc. So be advised things will change but the cabin numbers and location will only get better as people move off the list.

Any more drops off please do email me today as early as you can because at the end of the day I will give RSSC the final list and each person dropping off moves cabin numbers. If you are even considering it though keep the cabin because it is totally refundable and you have tons of time to ponder whether or not to go. You will have lots of time to book later of course it is just we are getting the best valued or best located suite cabins doing it so early.

Ngarie, you can book us with the air. I priced Alaska last time and the open jaw tickets were hard to get and pricey. Mileage use not worth it for us West Coasters.

Okay Kathy will do.

ngaire, ditto air for ida and i, thx..r/wes

Ngaire, Alan and I will take the air too.