In the past, it was simple to book a cheap Alaska cruise. Now, such bargains are getting harder and harder to find, with demand for Alaska cruises going through the roof.

So how can you save money on your cruise? Is it even possible to visit Alaska on a budget any more? The answer is a resounding YES! You can still find great Alaska cruise deals — if you know when and where to look.

Many people assume that the best way to find discount Alaska cruises is to wait until the last minute. But while this method used to work reasonably well (and still works very well for Caribbean cruises, due to the larger number of ships in that region), it is no longer a very effective strategy for Alaskan cruises.

Alaskan ships often sell out far in advance for the months of July and August. Despite their higher cost, balcony rooms tend to be the first to sell out, especially on Holland America cruises. So if you are set on booking a balcony room in either July or August, your best bet is to book well in advance. (Alaska cruises can be booked up to 18 months ahead of their sale date.)

Of course, if you are more flexible about your sail date and/or your room category, you increase your likelihood of finding some great Alaska cruise deals.

The best months for deals are May and September, the beginning and end of the Alaska cruise season. The lowest priced Alaska cruise fares of all can be found in the very first week of the month of May, at the very start of the Alaska cruise season, when fares can be half the price of mid-summer fares.

Of course you can also save by booking a lower priced room category. Inside rooms can be half to a third the cost of some of the more expensive cabins on an Alaskan cruise. Inside rooms have no windows and can be a little smaller than ocean view rooms, but they can be a wonderful bargain, especially since many people spend so little times in their rooms anyway.

Of course, if you have a problem with tight spaces then you might not want to book an inside room. Nonetheless, you can still find a great Alaskan cruise deal on an outside room. On many cruise ships, you will find some rooms have views that are obstructed by poles or lifeboats or the like. These obstructed view cabins are often quite a bit cheaper than regular ocean view rooms. In fact, obstructed view cabins can be as almost as cheap as inside rooms, yet they have windows that admit sunlight and can help ease claustrophobia.

So there are still a number of ways to find discount Alaska cruises. Remember, even with rising prices, cruises still represent an incredible bargain. For less than the price of a nice hotel, they include food, entertainment, transportation, and, in Alaska, glacier viewing too.