better to go in May or Sept?

[amonkeybutt]

planning on taking my Mom on an Alaskan cruise next year, the prices are a bit lower in May and September. wondering what would be a better time to go between the two, and why?

 

thanks in advance.

[diane.in.ny]

I went in May and the weather was great.

 

But there is really no way to tell. Either month could be great or lousy.

[CowPrincess]

Longer daylight in May, which I really enjoyed. Tour guides and shop staff are not burned out yet :) in May. Fully stocked shops (if shopping is important) in May.

 

Have been twice in May, and had better-than-expected weather both times. Have been in July twice and had great weather. Have been once in September and OMG we had MARVELOUS weather. Went in June and it rained 24/7 for the entire cruise, and was the one of the coldest experiences of my life. The weather is TOTALLY a crapshoot, so I won't give you any advice on which month re: weather.

 

I really like the longer daylight hours in May. That said, this September, the Northern Lights could be seen on one night of our cruise. Around 2 a.m...... I have to trust what I was told, as I was not awake to see them. But Northern Lights are a crapshoot too.

[Budget Queen]

A LOT more daylight in May. I don't recommend past the first week of Sept. overall. That is the time of the worse potential weather of the season, dusk also by 7pm.

 

May has, on average far better weather, from Mid May.

[Beach4me]

Went this past and had absolutely fabulous weather (2nd & 3rd weeks of the month). I was definitely pleasantly surprised as if you go in Sept, you should be prepared for rain every day. (We bought some rain shoes for the trip - I'm convinced that's what kept it from raining in any of the ports on our voyage. ;) )

 

Have also done Alaska in July and had some of the most miserable weather I've had on any vacation.

 

fwiw - my next Alaska trip will be in May...just because I've not been there in Spring.

[frugaltravel]

planning on taking my Mom on an Alaskan cruise next year, the prices are a bit lower in May and September. wondering what would be a better time to go between the two, and why?

 

thanks in advance.

 

When in May and when in September and are you also including a land tour? If going to Denali, I would NOT get to Denali before May 20. If your choices are early May or September including Denali, I would go in September and hope the weather holds up.

[Jeff in Torrance]

We've been on two cruises in May, having good weather both times. As previously said, more daylight than in September. Plus, smaller crowds, less burnout from the service folks, lots of snow in the higher elevations (maybe down to sea level or close to it).

[appgirl]

We went in May of this year and the weather was high 60's, low 70's. as someone said there is more snow. I would recommend May also.

[Deon.Newmankgyxc]

I suggest May too. More daylight and better weather

[Budget Queen]

We've been on two cruises in May, having good weather both times. As previously said, more daylight than in September. Plus, smaller crowds, less burnout from the service folks, lots of snow in the higher elevations (maybe down to sea level or close to it).

 

The only time you see any difference in "crowds" is the first week of May and third week of Sept. Just about every cruiseline schedule is going between those times.

[Cruisin Rick]

If you're going to be cruising into Tracy Arm during your cruise, you won't get very far in during may. You'll get much closer to Sawyer Glacier in Sept.

[Budget Queen]

If you're going to be cruising into Tracy Arm during your cruise, you won't get very far in during may. You'll get much closer to Sawyer Glacier in Sept.

 

Unless, you have a Juneau am port call, and afternoon Tracy Arm Transit. Ships want to be out of Tracy Arm IN DAYLIGHT. So, later Sept. don't usually make the full transits on these itineraries either.

 

In May, you can get "stuck" with an Endicott Arm, last minute detour. Having sailed all the Alaska cruise glacier areas, this one is down the "pole" for me. It is nice, just not as good as Tracy Arm, in my experience, of multiple times in there.

[bigtoeswim'n]

We went Sept 5, 2009. Brrrr and those heavy hanging clouds gave the place a surreal look. Had a GREAT time though. Did the Tracy Arm and was spectacular. Brings lots of layer clothes. We have to cruise fall time of year due to Hubbie's work schedule. We both agreed that we wouldn't want to be in Alaska the following week due to too cold, but we live and love Alamaba and are scorched by the summer sun. That said, though, we were born and raise in western Pennsylvania, so we know what cold is and how to dress for it. We soooo prefer the south, though, due to warmer climes and other factors.

 

On our last Oct 2010 New England cruise (fab also), we met some couples in the hot tub talking away about Alaska. The guy there said this TA recommended May bc a lot of the animals are coming out of hibernation, so chances of seeing more wild life is better. He did just that and said they saw lots of wild life. So this total stranger in the hot tub recommends May.

 

Guess you have to keep reading and decide for yourself. Hope this helps.

[InternetAgeTraveler]

We did the end of May this last year and I highly recommend it. Of course, every cruise will be different and both months will be great experiences.

 

But to me, the hours of daylight and the snow that was there made a big difference even compared to our previous trip which was mid August. There was just a lot more to see.

 

My signature has a lot of information, including our review of our the trip on the Pearl this year, pictures from both cruises, and a set of time lapse videos I captured this year of over 150 cruises.

[gertz]

Very late May to very early Sept. But weather is a crap shoot anytime. Trouble with too early May is water falls being frozen.

[trophy_23]

Based purely on my 3 Alaska cruises I would pick May. We went in Sept once and it rained most of the trip, we still had a great time. Have gone twice in May now and both times weather was great!

[tjcox9]

We've done both fairly recently and wouldn't hesitate to do either time again. Weather was generally good both times, however, it can be uncertain at any time during the season. We were walking out near the waterfall at Mendenhall Glacier in September, and I was down to a t-shirt and jeans. There were actually people sunbathing near the glacier.

 

The major difference we noted was the abundance of white, snow-capped peaks in May as opposed to little snow left in September.

 

We went whale watching at Icy Strait Point both times. The whales were much more active in September. In May, many had just arrived back and were not "refreshed" yet from the long journey. It was interesting to see the difference in behavior.

 

That said, we are going back next year (2011) in September.