Metro Vancouverites who want to go on an Alaskan cruise before heading to the Land Down Under can sail on a luxury ship at a bargain.
Cunard will sail out of Canada Place on Monday, Sept. 9 en route to Alaska where it will make stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway before cruising through Glacier Bay National Park.
After cruising past the Hubbard Glacier, the voyage stops in Sitka, Alaska before heading back down the Pacific Coast to Victoria. It also revisits Vancouver before heading down the coast to San Francisco and then to Honolulu, Hawaii.
The voyage will overnight in Honolulu on Sept. 27, allowing guests ample time to enjoy the tropical shores of the Aloha State's biggest city. It will then spend five days at sea and cross the International Date Line before visiting Apia, Samoa.
Guests will also enjoy stops in tropical Fiji on Oct. 8 and 9 before making two in New Caledonia on Oct. 11 and 12. After a few days at sea, the ship will sail into Melbourne, Australia on Oct. 16. It makes a final stop in Sydney on Oct. 18.
| Date | Port | Arrive | Depart |
| Monday, September 9 | Vancouver, B.C., Canada | 5:00 p.m. | |
| Tuesday, September 10 | At Sea | ||
| Wednesday, September 11 | Ketchikan, AK | 8:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, September 12 | Juneau, AK | Noon | 8:00 p.m. |
| Friday, September 13 | Skagway, AK | 7:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, September 14 | Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, AK (Cruising) | ||
| Sunday, September 15 | Hubbard Glacier, AK (Cruising) | ||
| Monday, September 16 | Sitka, AK | 9:00 a.m. | 4:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, September 17 | At Sea | ||
| Wednesday, September 18 | Victoria, B.C., Canada | 1:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, September 19 | Vancouver, B.C., Canada | 7:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Friday, September 20 | At Sea | ||
| Saturday, September 21 | At Sea | ||
| Sunday, September 22 | San Francisco, CA | 6:00 a.m. | 8:00 p.m. |
| Monday, September 23 | At Sea | ||
| Tuesday, September 24 | At Sea | ||
| Wednesday, September 25 | At Sea | ||
| Thursday, September 26 | At Sea | ||
| Friday, September 27 | Honolulu, Oahu, HI | 8:00 a.m. | |
| Saturday, September 28 | Honolulu, Oahu, HI | 11:00 p.m. | |
| Sunday, September 29 | At Sea | ||
| Monday, September 30 | At Sea | ||
| Tuesday, October 1 | At Sea | ||
| Wednesday, October 2 | At Sea | ||
| Thursday, October 3 | Cross International Date Line (Cruising) | ||
| Saturday, October 5 | Apia, Samoa | 8:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, October 6 | At Sea | ||
| Monday, October 7 | At Sea | ||
| Tuesday, October 8 | Lautoka, Fiji | 7:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday, October 9 | Suva, Fiji | 7:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, October 10 | At Sea | ||
| Friday, October 11 | Lifou, New Caledonia | 8:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, October 12 | Noumea, New Caledonia | 9:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, October 13 | At Sea | ||
| Monday, October 14 | At Sea | ||
| Tuesday, October 15 | At Sea | ||
| Wednesday, October 16 | Melbourne, Australia | 8:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, October 17 | At Sea | ||
| Friday, October 18 | Sydney, Australia | 6:30 a.m. |
Cruise from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia with Cunard
The 38-night cruise on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth costs $7,849.32 for an interior stateroom for two people or $3,924.66 per person (see slide three).
The price works out to a jaw-dropping $103.28 per diem, which includes transportation on a beautiful five-star vessel, meals, entertainment, snacks, and lodging. The only thing it doesn’t factor in is alcohol, but you may opt to purchase a drink package that can reduce the cost of your spending.
Customers who book a Grills suite by March 27 may enjoy a complimentary drinks package.
Instead of flying home from Australia the day you sail into Sydney, you may wish to spend a few days enjoying the world-class destination. Hotel prices range from under $100 a night to several thousand, offering everything from "bare bones" accommodation to some of the world's top hotels.
A Philippine Airlines flight departing from Sydney International Airport (SYD) to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Oct.21, a few days after the cruise ends, has one stop in the Philippines and costs just over $824 with third-party supplier Globehunters (see slide four). The least expensive flights for similar trips typically cost between $1,250 and $3,000, according to Google Flights.
Alternatively, a way to shave hundreds off the cost of the return flight home - and enjoy more time in Hawaii - is to book two separate flights. The first is direct from Sydney to Honolulu and the second from Honolulu to Vancouver.
A Jetstar flight departing from Sydney to Honolulu on Oct. 21 costs $330 with third-party supplier Ly.com and a WestJet flight departing from Honolulu to Vancouver on Oct. 24 costs $226 with third-party supplier BYOjet (see slides five and six).
The total cost of two tickets is $556, or $268 less than the other trip.
