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Alaskan Cruise in May-Weather Expectations


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Hi Folks, this will be our 5th cruise, first Alaskan. I know its off season, it'll will probabaly be cold and likely wet. Have any of you done an Alaskan cruise in mid may? I know the weather can vary so much but what can we reasonably expect for conditions?

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LESS rain than in 'high season' for a start. More snow at the lower elevations (most relevant if you head up into the hills from Skagway - snowbanks beside the road). Layers are still key in May but more for temperature variance than for rain compared to say August. Search for +layers +Alaska on the boards and you'll find many suggested packing lists but basically you need to fit outfits into your luggage that enable you to handle anything from the lowest to the highest temps you'll face statistically in your ports - which is a broad range - and at least 10 degrees lower than that to account for wind chill and glacier cruising days.

 

Leaving your heavy coats at home - these are only good when it is both wet AND cold - and bringing layers enables you to wear just the top (wind/rain) shell if it's wet but warm, add an extra middle warmth layer like a fleece underneath if it's wet and cold, and just wear your base layer (the sort of clothes you might wear on a warm day) if there's no wind or rain.

 

If you don't live somewhere that layering is already something you do and have to actually buy some stuff, get cheap stuff - a fantastically expensive breathable shell is ideal if you need it every year, but if you don't already need one settle for a cheap non-breathable. You don't have to camp out for days - at worst you'll be in weather for a few hours at a time then coming back to a nice warm ship to change & dry your clothes. If you're a hot weather climate person, you will almost certainly want gloves, a scarf, and a hat - cheap acrylic 'wool' versions will roll up small and weight very little - but even on a pretty warm May cruise you'll likely feel them worth the few bucks spent when you're trying to stay out on deck the whole time you're in Glacier Bay for example. I'm also a fan of long underoos - while less easy to change in and out of than rain pants that go on top, on a glacier day or any "it will obviously stay chilly today" occasion they keep you warm even better being right next to your skin and they don't make the annoying crinkly zip-zip-zip if you're moving around.

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LESS rain than in 'high season' for a start. More snow at the lower elevations (most relevant if you head up into the hills from Skagway - snowbanks beside the road). Layers are still key in May but more for temperature variance than for rain compared to say August. Search for +layers +Alaska on the boards and you'll find many suggested packing lists but basically you need to fit outfits into your luggage that enable you to handle anything from the lowest to the highest temps you'll face statistically in your ports - which is a broad range - and at least 10 degrees lower than that to account for wind chill and glacier cruising days.

 

 

 

Leaving your heavy coats at home - these are only good when it is both wet AND cold - and bringing layers enables you to wear just the top (wind/rain) shell if it's wet but warm, add an extra middle warmth layer like a fleece underneath if it's wet and cold, and just wear your base layer (the sort of clothes you might wear on a warm day) if there's no wind or rain.

 

 

 

If you don't live somewhere that layering is already something you do and have to actually buy some stuff, get cheap stuff - a fantastically expensive breathable shell is ideal if you need it every year, but if you don't already need one settle for a cheap non-breathable. You don't have to camp out for days - at worst you'll be in weather for a few hours at a time then coming back to a nice warm ship to change & dry your clothes. If you're a hot weather climate person, you will almost certainly want gloves, a scarf, and a hat - cheap acrylic 'wool' versions will roll up small and weight very little - but even on a pretty warm May cruise you'll likely feel them worth the few bucks spent when you're trying to stay out on deck the whole time you're in Glacier Bay for example. I'm also a fan of long underoos - while less easy to change in and out of than rain pants that go on top, on a glacier day or any "it will obviously stay chilly today" occasion they keep you warm even better being right next to your skin and they don't make the annoying crinkly zip-zip-zip if you're moving around.

 

 

 

Thank you for your detailed response. It was very helpful.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Thanks martin, appreciate it very much.

 

We spend significant time in northern Wisconsin so I'm treating this very much like an Up North Spring/Fall packing list plus nice 'supper club' clothes for dinner. Going to try to do this without any additional purchases. Anticipate taking our rain ponchos that cover to about the knee. It's not like we'll be fishing in a boat all day. Think we'll take the leather hiking boots for warmth/dry. Midweight Lands End jackets for us with layers to beef up all the way down to shorts and tees. Like the long johns idea. One pair apiece for under jeans just in case and they can be rinsed out. Need to keep this under a jillion pounds as we're not driving to the cabin! And if the last few weeks is any indication, we may still need our jackets on this end back and forth to O'Hare!

 

Question about bugs. By Memorial Day in Wisconsin we're well into giant mosquito season. Coastal Alaska? Shipboard vs. excursions?

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Question about bugs. By Memorial Day in Wisconsin we're well into giant mosquito season. Coastal Alaska? Shipboard vs. excursions?

We had some very minor bug issues once in May - but only while walking in a pretty dense piece of woodland. A small bottle of bug spray certainly isn't a bad plan for excursions getting out into nature but I'd be very surprised to have any bugs on the ship - coastal breezes, open air and mosquitoes don't mix well.

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Our Alaska cruise was the very first week of May in 2016. No bugs anywhere that we experienced. Did not need hiking boots even though we did hike up the Chilkoot Trail (athletic shoes were plenty for that). Layers are important, as is a hat and mitts. You'll likely need those in Glacier Bay. I also recommend quick dry pants instead of jeans. If jeans get wet (which is likely), they take forever to dry. The really nice thing about May, besides the snow capped hills and fresh green of the newly budding trees, was the fact that the ports were not jammed with huge ships. We were the only ship in ports that we docked at and that was plenty enough for these small towns.

 

We had definitely over-packed with all the different layers and then some dress up clothes for the ship. If I were to do it again I would bring much less, especially for on board dinners. It was our first cruise, so we didn't know what to expect.

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