Up next in 10
5 Crafty Tricks That Catch Alaska Cruisers Out (Again & Again)
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Jan 28, 2025
While there are many things that catch passengers out once they are are in Alaska on their cruise, I want to highlight some things that trip up many cruisers before they go, including my good friends Graham and Pete - as I explain.... Links mentioned in the video: * Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show https://alaskanlumberjackshow.com * White Pass & Yukon Railway https://wpyr.com * Goldbelt Mount Roberts Tramway https://www.goldbelttram.com * Capital Transit Buses https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/how-to-ride-to-the-mendenhall-glacier-visitor-center-with-capital-transit/ * Onboard Media https://www.portshopping.com * PPI Group https://www.ppigroup.com/selling-at-sea/ * Huffington Post https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cruise-ships-financially_b_1531590 * Alaska Fish & Chips https://www.alaskafishandchips.com For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: ---------------------------------------------------
View Video Transcript
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while there are many things that catch
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passengers out once actually in Alaska I
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want to First highlight something that
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trips up many cruises before they go
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including as I'm going to talk about my
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really good friends Graham and Pete now
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after they'd watched videos about my
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last trip in Alaska they booked a cruise
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on Norwegian Bliss they excitedly told
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me they were going to visit the ports
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that I'd suggested and also built in
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some Scenic sea days cruising glaciers
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also as I had recommended however they
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had fallen into a classic Alaska cruise
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line trap when I looked at the itinerary
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I noticed that while they were calling
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on three key ports Juno Skagway and
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Ketchikan they were in them for at most
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four hours each they arrived so early in
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the morning that their exploring time
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was like two to three hours in reality
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on the way back to Seattle for example
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they also were in Victoria for just
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three hours but from eight o'clock at
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night
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and even worse when they were doing
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Scenic cruising they were not doing them
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in the best Glacier regions now if
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they're chosen a different cruise at the
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same time and the same price like ones
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I've done for example a majestic
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princess or new statendam they would
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have had all day in the ports and seen
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the better and mercy glaciers including
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things like Hubbard Glacier and those in
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Glacier Ali too many cruises and this is
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something you need to watch out for get
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caught out by focusing on the itinerary
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map and they don't closely examine
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enough the actual time spent in each
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Port it's something that constantly
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catches Travelers out and so they don't
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get the maximum Alaska experience
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luckily we had time to sort that issue
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out for them and I got them to change to
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a cruise that would absolutely do all
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the things they need to do next I had to
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make sure they did not get caught out on
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sightseeing itself here I had what may
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seem to be contradictory watch outs and
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advice as you will see first of all I
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pointed out there are many great things
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they could do in Alaska ports that the
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cruise line would sell them as tours but
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many they did not need the cruise line
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to do by relying on the line they would
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lose flexibility and add unnecessary
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cost here's a couple of examples in
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those three most visited ports where I
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want them they could be called out using
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lion tours in ketchup can the Great
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Alaskan lumberjack show is a really fun
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thing to do and the cruise line would
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sell it as an Excursion but all that
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means is they literally walk them across
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to it and seat them in an allocated area
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however they could actually just buy
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tickets online or at the venue for
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significantly less it's about 37 for
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adults and 18 for kids at the time of
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recording it's a short and well signed
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posted walk from where their ship would
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dock in Skagway the line would
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absolutely set excursions on the in my
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view must do White Pass and Yukon
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Railway it's a great experience but
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again they can book tickets on any of
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the departures for much less it's about
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142 dollars for adults about 71 dollars
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for kids the cruise line Tour would
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involve them walking to the train which
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admittedly often departs really close to
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the pier where the ship will dock but
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that's it the publicly booked ones
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usually depart from the station which is
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also really close to where the ships
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dock anyway in Juno instead of a cruise
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line tore up the gold belt Mount Roberts
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Tramway which does give you stunning
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views at 1 800 feet about the city they
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could just book tickets online right
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there it's right on the main pier and
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they could then ride whenever they
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wanted to Cruise Line Excursions to view
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the Menthol Glacier 40 miles from Juno
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are popular but costly and would again
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often limit their time at the glacier
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sometimes to as little as 20 to 40
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minutes so instead I suggested they use
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things like the local Capital transit
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buses it'll cost two dollars each way
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but it isn't our bus ride and a 30
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minute one half mile walk I suggest they
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could also use things like the blue bus
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glaze Express that would cost about 45
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return taking them right to the visitor
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center from the parking outside the
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Tramway I told them they can buy tickets
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from sites like Fire tour or Expedia or
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simply at the booth Dockside I want them
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to not get caught out booking things
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where the cruise line is not really
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adding very much value but to book those
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Alternatives in advance because they
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often will sell out on Port days so
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that's an important watch out however
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for some excursions I told them they
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would get caught out by not booking
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Cruise Line Excursions
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let me talk about that if Grandma Peter
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planning to do some of the more Scenic
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and exotic excursions in Alaska like
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float planes or like I've done
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helicopter excursions up onto glaciers
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for dog sledding or walking then even
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though cost is really important to them
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I know I suggested they could get called
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out making potentially bad choices just
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because of money now these are expensive
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excursions they cost several hundred
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dollars and are though potentially much
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higher risk than any other excursions
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they're going to do the cruise line
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would have done a lot of research
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they've locked up some of the top-notch
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providers based on their years and years
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of experience in Alaska while Excursion
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accidents are very rare in Alaska they
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do happen I mentioned to them that this
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was brought home to me with a really
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tragic accident in 2021 when guests of
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Honda America New Amsterdam booked their
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own float plane Excursion out of
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Ketchikan and where Unfortunately they
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were killed when it crashed so with
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these more expensive and exotic
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excursions I personally use and rely
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much more on the cruise line expertise
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and history but I told them if they
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still preferred not to and wanted to
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book import which they can really easily
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do because there are many booths selling
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Excursion stocks up when they get off
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the ship to do some extra checks before
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they actually confirm and book so for
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example they could simply Google the
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provider check their reviews on
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TripAdvisor or Cruise Critic uh you know
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just use their phone on the port side
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and check it or they could also before
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the trip ask in their Cruise roll call
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on Cruise Critic if anyone has a great
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experience recommendations for providers
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that they felt were really safe and were
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impressed with I do think you need to be
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extra cautious on those ones now next
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knowing they're big souvenir buyers on
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their trips I had to warn them about not
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getting caught out here there are
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several ways I've seen Alaska cruises
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fall into traps that path them with way
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more cash than it should and it all
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starts on board the ship with the
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support of the cruise line itself every
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Alaska cruise I've been on has Port
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shopping advisors on board they run
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talks they provide coupons they give
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maps of the shops to go to now they're
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not employed by the cruise line they're
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not unbiased nor recommending the best
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quality or value stores necessarily in
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fact they work for promotion companies
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like onboard media and PPI group and
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they earn commissions by pushing us
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Cruise passengers to shop in very
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specific Alaska Port stores like Diamond
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International and Effie jewelry stores
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they'll solve color changing clothes and
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so on now these stores also pay Hefty
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fees to the cruise lines to be included
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in these programs that you get given on
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the ship investigation by The Huffington
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Post for example reported stores in
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Alaska
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pay several hundred thousand dollars
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every year to be included I want them
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that in their cabin on embarkation day
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they may find like I did discount
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vouchers free charms to start collecting
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with the promise of more free ones when
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they go and visit those very specific
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stores but they need to remember they're
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designed to get us and get them to visit
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stores which may not be the best value
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and they all have highly skilled
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salesmen really well trained to pressure
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and manipulate us I feel into buying
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jewelry watches Diamond clothes and not
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always at the sharpest and best prices
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so I said if they're going to follow the
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advisor suggestions and want to avoid
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getting caught up at least they should
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double check the prices online to see if
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it's really a good deal before buying
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just check do the quick Google search or
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whatever the next area I see Alaska
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cruises getting caught out shopping in
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Port is focusing on the big souvenir
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shops that are close to the docking area
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now some Reports say they're owned by
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the lines but I absolutely couldn't
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confirm that but they do seem to be
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chains and not owned necessarily by
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local alaskans so what I suggested to
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Graham and Pete they should try and
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really support the community they're
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calling on to look therefore for locally
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owned stores often selling the same or
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very similar items now local stores
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proudly advertise it on their signs or
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Windows and so they're normally pretty
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easy to find though I did warn them it
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may mean heading a block or two back
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from kind of those really clustered as
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they get off the ship they tend to be
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more of the chains this brought me to
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tell them about another way Cruisers get
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caught out when shopping for souvenirs
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and taking back something to remind them
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of their Alaskan trip most of the
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merchandise in the stores are
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mass-produced items they're made abroad
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in places like China and have almost no
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link to Alaska itself I told them as
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according to different ports they would
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see the same item with just the port
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name changed so instead what I suggested
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is when shopping I recommended they look
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for items with this silver hand and the
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made in Alaska logos these are
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controlled to ensure their authentic
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Alaskan Goods when buying I pleaded that
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they don't get caught up in the kind of
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smoke and mirror promotions that the
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stores run so cleverly I you know be
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skeptical of the deep discounts of kind
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of so-called usual selling price which
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is just kind of made up the multi buyers
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like buy three two T-shirts for the
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price of two and other tricks of the
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trader I admit I have been caught out
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buying more mugs t-shirts and Candy than
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I needed thinking it was a good deal it
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really wasn't
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I did stress that to not get caught out
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overall to remember that in Alaska there
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are only a few ports it's a short season
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and so they're all focused on and
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actually being developed to separate us
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from as much money as possible Skagway
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for example has just over 1 000
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permanent residents but it explodes when
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Cruise passengers are there so Grandma
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Pete should be ready for tourist trap
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venues not to say that they're not going
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to have a good time in them but venues
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close to the port in all of the ports
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like the bars and restaurants are
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crowded costly and often actually just
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they're manufactured for the tourist
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trade for example in Juno on the dock
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front there are often long lines for
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places like Tracy's Crab Shack but 10
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minutes walk away in a quieter more
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local part of town like where the float
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planes land and take off I've told them
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you'll find more authentic restaurants
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like Alaska Fish and Chips where I had
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the absolute best fish and chips I've
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had for a long time anyway the Red Dog
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Saloon is really popular it's one of the
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more famous places to go in Juneau
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however the original Red Dog Saloon is
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long gone it was a couple of blocks away
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so while they'll go there they'll find a
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packed as popular as a real Buzz it's
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very much about creating a place for
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passengers like Graham and Pete to have
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a good time and take a big slug of their
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money so just be a little bit cautious
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Graham Pete then threw a bit of a
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curveball they discovered that the
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flights blew most of their budget and
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they wanted to know how they could make
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the most of ports with little to no
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money and to help do that I suggested
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they watch this video where I talk about
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how to explore Alaska ports without
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breaking the bank see you over there
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