Alaska in September

[2little time]

Is there any one who has cruised Alaska in September and can give me an idea of the type of weather to expect? I have booked a cruise for September 2011 and would really appreciate the insight. :confused:

[mytime53]

In September you're more likely to encounter rainy, cooler weather. That said, you can encounter any weather anytime. Who would have ever guessed that we could have spent the last 3 days canoeing in warm sunny weather? And that we would have only had 2 frosts by now, neither heavy enough to kill my flowers.

I guess nature is making up for the awful July and August we had this year.

[uppitycats]

We cruised to Alaska in September -- and had a chance to see early colors (even early for us in Wisconsin!), and yes..it did get cold. We got to experience "termination dust"...snow.. on the deck of the ship while observing glaciers.

 

But you're from Green Bay! You're USED to cold! :p We just took our usual winter gear..lots of layers, gloves, scarf, and were fine.

 

Or you could get lucky and have some really nice fall-type weather, sunny days, chilly only at night.

 

Have a great cruise!

[dfields1814]

We just got off the Sea Princess last week from a 10 day cruise to Alaska. It was cold. But I am from Southern California so anything in the 50's is cold for me. We had a little sprinkles in Ketchikan and Juneau, not bad at all. It was in the 50's. I was fine wearing a just a coat. Then in Skagway.............. we took the train to White Pass and had some snow. That was really good for us coming from Southern. California. I heard the people who took the bus to the pass had to be rescued by a train because they could not take the bus back down the pass in the snow. Back in Skagway it was raining so we stayed on the ship. That night we told by the captain that there was a huge storm coming so Traci Arm was cancelled. They took us between BC and Vancouver Island instead. It was pretty good. I saw a radar picture of the storm. It was huge!. We only had one bad night - actually I slept through it. It had gale force winds. But the next morning it was fine - good weather and and calm seas. Because it was the last cruise of the season the stores at the ports were selling everything with great discounts if you are into shopping. I got a $60 rain jacket for $20. All in all we had a great time and would not hesitate to cruise Alaska in September again - after we cruise it in July!!!!

[Putterdude]

We have cruised to Alaska the last two years in September. You should plan on wetter cooler weather however interestingly enough this September it was quite pleasant with just a few rainy days over the 14 day cruise...last year it rain like heck...but that is Alaska.

[2little time]

Yikes! The last thing I wanted to do was drag my down coat with me. Would I be okay with a fleece jacket and layers underneath? Are we doomed to rain and snow for most of the trip south?:confused:

[GoBlueCruiser]

We cruised to Alaska on the Star in September '08. It was the last cruise of the season before she went into drydock. We packed to dress in layers with gloves and hooded jackets. The weather turned out to be great, mostly sunny and in the 60's except for the day of scenic cruising when it was misty and cold.

 

The bottom line is that Alaska weather like everywhere else is unpredictable and it's best to pack to be prepared for anything.

 

Bon Voyage!

 

Mike

[Putterdude]

Yikes! The last thing I wanted to do was drag my down coat with me. Would I be okay with a fleece jacket and layers underneath? Are we doomed to rain and snow for most of the trip south?:confused:

 

You won't have snow but likely rain. You will be fine with what you are planning but bring along a decent quality waterproof jacket.

[Toto2Kansas]

Firends on our roll call just returned from a late season cruise to Alaska in September, They encountered rough seas, and a snow storm on one of their tours. Also they missed some of the scenic cruising opportunities because the rough seas didn't permit the ship to enter some areas. Oh, and they also had quite a bit of rain.

[Druke I]

delete - wrong thread.

[Hoyaheel]

We did the last cruise of the season on Pacific Princess in 2007 (boy did we want to stay onboard and do the trans-Pacific!) We had FABULOUS weather - it was 70s and sunny in Ketchikan. We were prepared for all extremes - layers:rolleyes::p (fleece and goretex - we had no problems) It was a little sleety in Skagway (I say it was rainy, my husband swears it was actually sleet - we agree to disagree;)) but we did not wish we had packed differently....(earlier in our trip, when we were outside Fairbanks, it was actually in the 80s....)

[kruzinRiva]

As has been said, it's REALLY hard to predict -- we had a couple sunny 70's days in September and SNOW in Skagway in May... In general though the weather in Septmber was mostly cool, gray and drizzly. But we packed silk long-johns which we never wore and got LOTS of use out of our gloves and knit caps (Realize that I'm from the desert and need a sweater to go down the egg/cheese aisle in the grocery store:D)

 

I think you'll be fine with layers and a fleece jacket as long as you have a water-proof/-resistant outer layer, gloves and a hat. You might also plan on a baggie or cover for your camera -- esp. for Glacier Bay!

 

Have A great cruise!

 

Becca

[klinesy]

We were on the last Sappire Princess Cruise in September 2007 and had fantastic weather the entire time. We had no rain at all during the trip. The day of scenic cruising in College Fjord was overcast and cold, but layers worked just fine. We went in August this year and it was colder and rainier than it was in September 2007...just like everyone else said, the weather is unpredictable. Just be prepared and have a great time.

[bubbadog]

If you want to get a taste of Alaska,YA Gotta have weather;)

[cruiseron36]

It can vary as much as Wisconsin weather. We did Alaska in earlly September a few years ago and had sunny weather in the 60's. We were almost ready to buy some shorts. The people from lower California were dressed up in parkas and gloves and boots. We had light spring jackets. We had one rain day in Juneau.

[cruiserjanet]

We were on the Coral in September of this year and we had fabulous weather. It was sunny and chilly (like short sleeves in Skagway). May of the ship's crew said it was the best weather they encountered the whole time they were in Alaska this season. Then we got to Vancouver and it was pouring when we pulled in. It cleared up but we had light rain off and on but it was never cold where I needed a heavy jacket. I was fine in jeans, a long-sleeved top and a sweatshirt. But it can be hit and miss. You could have a completely different experience during your cruise next year.

[Suzque49]

We are going to be going to Alaska in Sept, on the 09/10/11 Coral cruise, what one are you going on?

We went to Alaska 09/07. I took a coat, but just wore a sweater layered with a lined windbreaker. That with gloves kept me plenty warm, even on our helicopter flight and walk on the glacier. Never wore the coat

This time I'm just taking the sweater and windbreaker.

Layering should be just fine.

[LoriPhil]

Layer - fleece with a good hooded rain jacket worked perfectly for us. Remember that in September there will be tons of sales at the shops, and you can easily find some great deals on shirts, jackets, etc if you're cold and need additional layers. We did a b2b mid September last year. Rained most of the time but we were prepared with the right clothing and had a great time.

[flamomo]

My adult daughter and I cruised on the Star in mid-September 2009, and had a gorgeous sunny, pleasantly warm day for sailaway from Seattle.

There was light drizzle each port day, and it was cool, but not cold. We were prepared with hooded waterproof jackets, and had sprayed the shoes we planned to wear in port with Camp Dry water repellant so we could be assured of dry feet. We also had lightweight polar fleece type jackets that we could add under our waterproof jackets when it was chilly, such as the 4 hours we spent on our balcony during the scenic cruising of Tracy Arm. We also needed our light polar fleece gloves during that time so our fingers weren't too cold to operate our cameras for the hundreds of pictures we each took.

Other than that ..... we took a mix of long and short sleeve tops, several pairs of jeans for daytime wear, and the same kind of clothes we always take for the dining room and formal nights.

That drizzle never affected our enjoyment of the cruise and the ports, I think because we were prepared for wet weather. We'd cruise Alaska again in September in a heartbeat!

[Hoyaheel]

I realize I'm odd but I rarely wear jeans and especially do not travel with them. They're heavy to pack, and if they get wet, they take longer than other pants to dry. For AK, I had a couple pairs of microfiber pants that worked great. I also brought a pair of goretex overpants ($10 at the LLBEan outlet, how can you turn down goretex at that price???) but the only time I wore them was when I was doing laundry at my brother & SIL's house. Ah well. My husband did wear his goretex pants a couple times. They're items we brought because we already owned them - would not have gone out and bought them. We own a lot of goretex because we use it regularly, it makes sense for us to buy something that will last and do exactly what we want- we both brough goretex hiking shoes (husband's Merrell, mine Asolo, both purchased in the past from Sierra Trading Post) Using a $5 plastic poncho might suit in dire straits but would make me crazy - so I try to "pack prepared".

 

We did get lots of t-shirts & christmas ornaments at the souvenir stores- everything 50% off - great time to travel to AK :D

[MichTraveler]

We just sailed Alaska last month. We usually go in May, so this was our first September. In Ketchikan it was rainy, as usual. The other ports light hooded sweatshirt. For out on deck, layers including hat and gloves. We've never taken a parka, just layers including a hooded sweatshirt. Not many in the pools in Sept, but a few.

[Cruiserkenn]

I've been on 8 Alaska cruises, and I have gone in June, July, August, and September.

 

I have found that you can have cold, rainy weather, anytime of year, especially at sea. You can also have nice warm weather, anytime, but especially in port.

 

It is best to have plenty of layers. I spend lots of time on the open decks, and I usually wear a sweater, sweatshirt, and warmup jacket, plus a knit winter hat (the kind you can pull down over your ears) and cloth gloves (like gardening gloves, but any kind will do).

 

A funny part is that many times, people will tell you it isn't that cold, implying that you shouldn't be wearing those clothes. But... they are always telling you that as they are dashing in the door, to the warm inside! Don't listen to those people. (I had one person tell me that on the elevator... I had just come in from four hours of Tracy Arm viewing... this guy had on a short sleeved shirt and he surely had not been outside all day. Go figure.)

 

Anyway, enjoy Alaska in September! The wildlife viewing is great at that time of year. The ships are not as crowded, either, and, if it matters to you, there are fewer children.

[2little time]

Thanks much guys! I have a much better idea of what I need to take with me. It seems that everyone loved Alaska even in the rain!!!

[Hoyaheel]

The day we were in Glacier Bay, we spent the entire day outside on our balcony. We made a couple quick trips to other decks to get different views, I made a dash to the buffet at one point to get lunch for the cabin, etc - but otherwise, we bundled up, sat outside with our binoculars, cameras, and wine (Princess allows that:D) and saw SO MUCH more wildlife than most of our neighbors or dinner companions. We were surprised by how few people were out on their balconies during the day. Sure, they could have been on an upper deck, but really - you pay for the balcony, so USE IT:rolleyes:

 

(we also had the Ranger on our tv, but didn't always hear what she said - we could tell when she was announcing a wildlife sighting, though, as plenty of "prairie dogs" would pop their heads out of the balconies for 2 minutes:p)