Shellbelle28 Posted October 14, 2014 #1 Share Posted October 14, 2014 I've got a 7-day Alaska cruise booked for mid-September 2015. Being a northwesterner, I am not worried about gray or rainy weather, but I wondered if there are other things to expect at that time of year that are different than mid-summer? Are there some shore excursions best to avoid at this time of year? Our last Alaska cruise was the beginning of September and though it was rainy for every port day, we had beautiful sunshine at Glacier Bay and were able to go in quite close because the seal calving season was done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted October 15, 2014 #2 Share Posted October 15, 2014 the biggest negative for this timeframe is the lack of daylight and less scenic sailing. The glacier dog sledding may be shut down but most tours are still operating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddingtonbear Posted October 15, 2014 #3 Share Posted October 15, 2014 (edited) The longer chilkoot tours stopped on sept 5 this year. The weather can be a lot wetter. I recently read a trip report that sounded pretty dismal with rain everyday but you can be lucky with the weather. If you are doing a land tour in Central Alaska the longer fjord tours may have finished by mid sept. You will have to research which excursions aren't available. The biggest complaint I've read is people saying the excursion was in the brochure but they weren't told til they were on board that they weren't available that late in the season. Edited October 15, 2014 by paddingtonbear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearInStPete Posted October 16, 2014 #4 Share Posted October 16, 2014 John Hopkins Glacier is only accessible by ship after 9/1, a bonus. Denali "glitter gulch" area shuts down for the season around 9/15. You can be more susceptible to stormy weather later in September. As others mentioned, daylight hours are not extended like July and early August. Black bear viewing may be less as the salmon runs come to their natural end beginning mid September. I was just on a cruise and land tour 8/31-9/14 and we had phenomenal weather with full mountain visibility in Denali. But that is more fortuitous than the dates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearInStPete Posted October 16, 2014 #5 Share Posted October 16, 2014 . John Hopkins Glacier, GBNP 9/5/14 . Denali, from within Denali National Park 9/914. Both are iPhone shots, still sorting 15k of DSLR shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umieesa Posted October 18, 2014 #6 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Thanks for the great info :) Question though, has anyone done these tours with kids? I'm not sure how my then 5 year old will last even on a 6 hour boat ride. It's much different than being able to go back to your room on the ship if they get cranky ;) Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umieesa Posted October 18, 2014 #7 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Oops I had another window open and posted in the wrong thread. :( Mods can you please delete. Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now