How much time needed to book a honeymoon?

[Prana]

I know that I could plan a honeymoon a week before the wedding, depending on where we went and how we traveled, but...

We are hoping to take a cruise to Alaska, first couple weeks in June this year.... The only reason I have not yet planned anything is because FI is trying to become a police academy, and they tend to spring things on you at the last minute. I know for a fact that if I booked now or had already booked, he would definitely end up in academy when we planned our HM. (And yes, I have thought about booking just to make sure that this happens...

)

What are your thoughts? Do you think I will be able to book a cruise within a month from the proposed HM date? I'm not really hugely concerned, as we could always just plan the trip to Alaska sans cruise.

 

[Prana]

Ooops. FI is not trying to become a police academy. He is trying to become a police officer. (DOH!)

 

[shertz1981]

You can always buy trip insurance -- I would think a PA call would fit under "employment termination/transfer"?

You can get it through your cruise, but if you''re young, it''s much better, IMO, to do it privately (we''re going through Travelex).

I''ve traveled extensively in Alaska, too -- if you have a couple of weeks, think about doing some overland travel! Denali is amazing and Barrow is lots of fun, too.

 

[Prana]

Thanks Shertz!! I never knew about that type of insurance.

I personally, would rather travel to alaska on our own, and do our own thing. FI, however, wants to go on a cruise so that he can have 24/7 access to food lol. (I''m pretty sure that is the only reason.) I would love to just spend a huge chunk of time hiking around Denali, and seeing Alaska that way, and I''m worried that a cruise (while fun in its own right) will not provide us with that opportunity.

 

[sonnyjane]

I second the trip insurance! My husband is in the military, so when I booked our honeymoon, insurance was a must, because they also tend to "spring things on you last minute".

I'll add this, not as advice, but as a little tidbit of information:

We had our honeymoon over Christmas, Dec. 21-28 in Maui. I wanted to book it early, because I am a super planner and wanted to make sure everything was set, so I think I ended up booking in September, because I was afraid waiting much longer, since I'd be traveling during the holidays, would only make the trip more expensive. I booked everything and it ended up being $5,000ish. Well, I about drove myself crazy because two weeks before we were supposed to leave, prices at the hotel dropped dramatically, we're talking by almost $1,000. I seriously wanted to cry, but the important part of the trip, the flight, was already full, so it was just the hotel that was cheaper, and since I'd booked a complete package through Expedia I couldn't cancel/rebook a single part of the trip. I WAS glad that I booked ahead of time, because I'd rather pay more than not have a flight to our honeymoon, but man, that was a tough pill to swallow! I don't know what the point of my rambling is other than to say that yes, SOMETIMES you can get a great deal if you wait until the last minute, but I don't think I'd take that gamble on my honeymoon, so just know you might not get the cheapest price, but you do pay for your peace of mind.

Also, I am SO JEALOUS! The Alaskan cruise is on my bucket list!

 

[katamari]

Since it sounds like you are willing to be flexible, I would wait. If, though, there is only a limited opportunity of what would make you happy, then book with insurance or the opportunity for rescheduling.

 

[Prana]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone! The thing of it is, we are flexible. I don''t care if we get in the car and drive a few states away for a honeymoon, and I''m not opposed to going on a HM at a later date than the wedding either.

Sonny- I''m a super planner as well, and trust me it is KILLING me not to have this booked already! I hope we don''t run into the same trouble with planes!

Katamari- Like I said, I''d be happy doing any number of trips, so if we don''t make it to Alaska right away, I''d be happy with Ireland, or Montana, Scotland, Iceland, any place really, and it is pretty easy to book quickly with most locations.

 

[shertz1981]

You could always book a mini-moon and then go on the big trip later.

Alaska is a totally compromise-able trip ... do a land tour yourself before the cruise! You can drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks (from which you should definitely go to Barrow), to Denali, and then maybe spend a few days on the Kenai peninsula before going to Seward to get on the ship. The ship should let you off in Vancouver or Seattle if you do a one-way ... easy to get home!

 

[Prana]

I did think about doing that Shertz! I have so many options I don''t know what to do!!

 

[shertz1981]

I love Alaska so much, I could talk about it allllllllllllll day.

My family went on an 18-day trip ... and actually, the land part was far superior to the cruise, IMO.

The best things we did:

1) Barrow. It was $$$$$$, but so worth it. I swam in the Arctic Ocean in a bikini and stood at the northernmost point of the USA!

2) Helicopter ride in Denali -- it was a clear day, and the mountain is so pretty.

3) White-water rafting on the Kenai Peninsula. Scary fun, emphasis on scary. And fun.

4) Salmon fishing in Ketchikan. (They''ll fillet, flash freeze, and ship it to you)

As you can see -- this was an outdoorsy trip

 

[Prana]

Thanks Shertz! Everything you mentioned is exactly the stuff that we love doing! FI is an avid fisherman, but we live on the east coast, and fishing is a little different out here. We love white water rafting too! We were actually talking the other day about going again sometime soon.

Did you book your trip through an agent? Or did you just head out to Alaska and play it by ear?

 

[shertz1981]

My parents are not the play-it-by-ear type, so we did a Tauck Tour. However, it''s easy to follow the itinerary and plan your own thing.

This is the trip we took:

Tauck Grand Alaska

This itinerary is much different, though, than it was in 2003 -- there''s no time in Fairbanks, and no option to go to Barrow. I will say that I loved the Husky Homestead -- the dogs were soooooo cute.

I would not take the 8-hr bus trip around Denali -- go hiking or on a helicopter ride.

Also, we went on a half-day wildlife cruise in Seward that was amazing.

In Sitka, we went on the train that goes into the mountains, which was fun.

The Kenai Peninsula has amazing white water rafting!

 

[mynewobsession]

I'd recommend booking directly with the hotels/cruise line, etc in addition to buying travel insurance. Usually they have much more relaxed cancellation policies than booking engines such as Expedia or Travelocity. Depending on the price of your trip, you could get cancellation insurance for as little as $50 per person - not much to pay for peace of mind! Your honeymoon idea sounds fantastic. Good luck and have fun planning!

 

[Prana]

Thank you My New Obsession!