When is your favorite time of year to go to Alaska and why?

[RandyinDEN]

Interested in opinions for those that have been on the Alaska cruises, thanks for your help.

[Shmoo here]

Interested in opinions for those that have been on the Alaska cruises, thanks for your help.

 

 

Well, we've been to Alaska twice. Once in late May/early June (first trip of the season), and the other in late September (last trip of the season).

 

I really can't pick a "favorite"

 

Each season in Alaska has it's own specialness.

 

In May/June we saw the Alaska that most people see in their minds when they think "Alaska". Lots of snow and just budding flowers.

 

In September the colors of the trees, and the salmon were fascinating.

 

We plan to give July a try next trip. Even though I know there will be more people than our other trips.

[BumperII]

We like to go mid August to early September. The summer heat where we live is stifling, so it allows us to escape for a while. We have cruised the inside passage several times and are set to visit there again this year. Vancouver, BC is one of our favorite cities to visit, and no trip to Alaska would be complete without adding a few days there. We hook up the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival to our vacation plans. Alaska is such a spectacular state I wouldn't know where to start. The history , the beauty, the scenery and the folklore is addicting.

[mmr923]

You never know I guess. We picked late May (last week) because, statistically it was supposed to be low chance of rain. We had rain every single day. But we loved it anyway! :-) this year we are going 2 weeks later because that was all that worked with busy college kids' summer school/work schedules - hoping for sun, budding flowers and a bear or too but we'll be happy whatever we get.

[IRL_Joanie]

Interested in opinions for those that have been on the Alaska cruises, thanks for your help.

 

Hubby does not like to vacation with lots of kids, therefore we do not go on cruises when school is out, which leaves us early Season (first 2 weeks of the season in May) or as late in the season that we can go (last 2 weeks of the season Late September)

 

The times we like are also the cheapest to go, which makes it even more enticing to hubby:)

 

Having said that, we have gone twice already in early and mid May and the last 2 weeks of September.

 

May was the best times we have ever had for Alaska, snow 1/2 way to 2/3's of the way down the mountains, beautiful sunny skies, warmer in most of the ports than here at home in New Mexico to the point we were in T shirts that we had to buy in both Hubbard's Glacier in May 2008 and Glacier Bay and Tracy Arms Fiord in May 2009. Only place in Alaska that the weather was not that stellar was Sitka, but Sitka is beautiful no matter the weather:)

 

Late September 2011 was hit and miss. The first week we were on board the weather was perfect!! But we missed not seeing much snow on the mountains, just something missing when there is very little snow in sight when you are in Alaska. Skagway was dreary, dreary, dreary both weeks....... The 2nd week we were on the cruise was the last cruise by all HAL ships for the season and it was ROUGH!!! We had 3 typhoons hit us in one week!! And it never stopped raining the entire cruise......... We felt bad for our Canadian neighbors and the people living in the Pacific Nothwest because it was record flooding.......

 

We have learned from trial and error that we will only cruise Alaska the first 2 cruise of the season, which are usually around the 11th and the 2nd week is usually around the 17th of May.

 

Which reminds me that I will be leaving one week from tomorrow to head back to Alaska for 2 straight weeks:D Cannot get enough of that beautiful state!!

 

Joaine

[SilvertoGold]

We've been on Alaska cruises a dozen times and love early May because of all the snow.

The later you go, the less snow and the warmer the temps. For us May is ideal.

[Assateague Island Princes]

The answer to your question - from me anyway:D - is ANYTIME! I've been four times and will be headed back for my fifth in just 29 days (land only trip for 18 days). Have gone the last cruise of the season in September (my first, and it is when I lost my heart to the Great Land), then late May into June twice, and then first two weeks of August. I much prefer late May/early June simply due to the longer hours of daylight - more time to enjoy the spectacular scenery and amazing excursions. On the other hand, my August trip scored me lots of great bear viewing, which is why we picked that particular time frame, and may I say I was NOT disappointed! '

 

Our trip this year on May 30th will consist of a car rental, spending three nights in a rental cabin near Denali, then three nights in a rental cabin near the Matanuska Glacier, then a week in a rental house overlooking Kachemach Bay in beautiful Homer. It will be everthing I've been dreaming of - except not long enough;).

 

Go whenever the time and finances allow, but be sure to GO - I promise you will not be disappointed, no matter what the weather may be (keep in mind that southeast Alaska is a rainforest and rain it does.....often!). Prepare to be wowed by the stunning scenery, amazing wildlife, spectacular glaciers and the serenity that is Alaska - trust me, you'll be back;)!

[B Russo]

We like mid May or the latest early June. Bill

[EagleRocker]

We have been three times - once in the third week of May (2006), again in the second week of September (2007, with the prior week on the land portion of a cruisetour), and again in the first week of May (2010). We are heading out again for the May 11-18 Zuiderdam trip.

 

We were blessed with exceptional weather on all three trips, with just a minor exceptions. In May 2006, it was overcast in Juneau but no rain and pleasant enough temps, plus a bit of snow on the ground when we hiked around after taking the Mt. Roberts Tram up. A bit overcast at the Hubbard Glacier, which made the blue ice coloring so vibrant. Skagway was gloriously sunny and warm; we hiked in t-shirts and jeans and were HOT, including on an afternoon White Pass Railway trip. Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan also were sunny and warm. That trip was a roundtrip out of Seattle and the at sea days were a bit grim; overcast and wet. In September 2007, a Southbound one-way from Seward to Vancouver, the at sea days and the ports were sunny and lovely, except for Skagway, which was rainy and miserable. In May 2010, another Seattle roundtrip, we had beautiful weather the whole trip: sunny or just a bit overcast, not too cold, and although Glacier Bay started out a bit grim, it soon became gloriously sunny (didn't even need a jacket on the bow until very late afternoon, then it got very cold very quickly as sun started to go down) and stayed that way until we left.

 

I think were were very lucky in the weather we had; it just as easily could have been rainy (I have had brilliantly sunny skies on three trips to Ketchikan, a very rainy place, which is crazy lucky and probably means that I should be playing the Lottery). A May trip lets you see more snow all over the place (and it is beautiful). On all three of our trips, there were no mosquitos, and given what I hear about the Alaska mosquitos in Summer months, that is a real advantage. Plus, as Joanie said, the May/September trips are cheaper (sometimes substantially so).

[sppunk]

Honestly, March. But can't cruise then so mid May on a cruise ship.

[NMLady]

Interested in opinions for those that have been on the Alaska cruises, thanks for your help.

 

We went in mid-May and it was sunny with little rain. I'd go again at that time of year.

The views with snow were awesome.

[startwin]

September. Done it many times at that time, and only had bad weather once. Plus.... the kids are back in school, it's the end of the season so great bargains to be had in port and onboard in the shops. There is usually an Indian summer.

[JamesEM]

DW and I did a 10 day cruise out of San Francisco a couple of years ago in September and got a great deal on our cabin, the problem was the weather. It rain every day and was very chilly once we hit AK waters, other that that we had a great trip.

[Crew News]

In May, all of the baby animals are out for the first time, especially the baby whales. We followed a baby humpback doing a dance above the water for nearly half an hour. See the first 20 images on my website:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty/wildlife/humpback-whales/

 

We also followed a group of baby orcas for nearly an hour on a whale-watching tour in Juneau:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty/wildlife/orcas/

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done quite a few Alaskan cruises -- from the begining of the season in May until nearly the end in September.

May -- very chilly, rainy -- won't do that time again. Also have done the end of August through the second week of September -- again chilly and rainy.

We really prefer any time between the end off June through the first week of August. Less chance of rain and several times we had some really hot weather in July.

[Minoushka]

We went early July .it was warmand sunny most days lovely

[Jazmyn49]

We were on the Statendam, the first ship of the season into Glacier Bay, mid-May. The day was brilliant, not a cloud in the sky, warm enough to stay outside for hours. The other ports were a mixed bag of weather, rain in Homer that turned into light snow outside of town contrasted with warm and sunny in Kodiak. Mother Nature can be capricious so you'll have to go with the flow no matter when you cruise. It will still be over the top wonderful!

[portofrome]

I did the Alaska cruise twice. The first was two weeks in May for a repositioning cruise from San Francisco and lots of snows (how I guess Alaska is). My second time was at the end of May early June but very few of snow. So, May is my favorite.

[sapete]

We like to do the first cruise of the year:

 

-Less kids

-Less bugs

-More snow (Living in South Texas we don't get snow, so we like to see it.)

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

We went the first 12 days of June a few years back ('11). We picked that time because I had read there was less of a chance for rain then. The weather was gorgeous the whole time, maybe a little cloudy at times with a slight sprinkle one day, but not hardly any rain at all. However, I have heard it is a crap-shoot because the weeks before we went I heard it rained, and I remember looking it up and it rained after we left, so it is just luck of the draw. I think Alaska is beautiful no matter what the weather does. The day we were in Glacier Bay we got very lucky and there was not a cloud in the sky, just a stunningly gorgeous day, calm sea, mild temps. One of the most beautiful days I have ever seen anywhere. It was magical. Would love to return someday, and hopefully get lucky twice on the weather.

[HatRez]

Last year we took the last cruise of the season on Zuiderdam. It left September 22. The advantages was we had near-perfect weather the entire time... That's always a gamble but I know cruises this time of year are not reporting the same thing. The fall colours were gorgeous. And being as we were the last cruise ship to visit each port for the season, sales were amazing. Also, we had quite the send off in Juneau... a full moon by all of the seasonal workers. It was something not to be missed! haha

[CowPrincess]

My best cruise in Alaska was in September. Have been twice in May (great weather), twice in July (great weather) and once in June (when we obviously had po'd the weather gods and goddesses and had unending pouring rain and temps in the mid-40s).

 

As for "favorite time"? For me, May, because winter vacation has been over and done with for quite a while, and the next winter vacation is a looooooong time in the future. So May is a nice little break when I can manage it :)

[geoherb]

We did a cruise tour last year in early August. We had five nights on land (starting in Fairbanks) and then the seven-night cruise. I think it was the perfect time to go. We saw a lot of animals in Denali. The glaciers were spectacular in Glacier Bay, with lots of calving.

[localady]

We have been in May, September, July and August. Those trips have come with torrential rains, to the upper 80's, and a mix of all weather in-between.

This year we choose Summer Solstice because I love the idea of the long days. The evenings can be so spectacular! :D

[RandyinDEN]

Thanks for the suggestions, I booked the trip this morning for June 2 on the Oosterdam. Hopefully this will be the first of many Alaska adventures. Guess I need to look at booking the 14 day Alaska cruise for 2014 while on board....

 

I wonder what my wife will say when I gently tell her at dinner that we are going on a cruise in 4 weeks for our 1 year Anniversary.

 

I already booked LeCirque and a couple of other nights in the Pinnacle, now I need to book some excursions.

 

Thanks all for your help, this is why I love CC