Cruise lines slash rates on Alaska voyages to fill ships

Always wanted to take a cruise to Alaska? This is the year to do it. Cruise lines are slashing rates to rarely seen levels. Pricing is down "across the board (on) all cruise lines throughout the season," says Matt Cervone, president of Michigan-based Just Cruises & Vacations. "There are pockets of peak departure dates where pricing is not as low, yet (even these departures are) still much less expensive than in previous years."

Cervone adds that while prices for Alaska cruises are significantly lower than in past years, rates for Alaska cruise tours -- packages that include both a cruise and an add-on land tour -- are even better. "Unprecedentedly lower," he says. "You have 50% off (deals), two-for-one (deals) and on occasion additional shipboard credits."