Alaska Cruise in Sept. How's the weather?

[DonOtt]

Hey folks, my wife and I are considering an Alaska cruise for her birthday in Sept. Wondering what the seas and weather are like heading to and from Alaska?

 

Are the seas rougher/choppier in September or is it significantly colder?

 

Any information about Alaska cruising, especially to in September, would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks...Don

[LuAnn]

Hey folks, my wife and I are considering an Alaska cruise for her birthday in Sept. Wondering what the seas and weather are like heading to and from Alaska?

 

Are the seas rougher/choppier in September or is it significantly colder?

 

Any information about Alaska cruising, especially to in September, would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks...Don

 

on several cruises during the final weeks of the season and the weather and seas have been fine...but remember it is always the luck of the draw. One of the benefits of sailing near the end of the season is that if you are a shopper many of the stores offer deep discounts on items as most of the "tourist" shops are closed down for the winter. We have also not encountered mosquitoes in this time frame...which can be, I've heard, quite a problem during the summer months! :eek: LuAnn

[Fisherwoman]

We've sailed to Alaska in May, June, July, August and September. It can be nice any one of these months. If you are sailing out of Vancouver you are going the true inside passage between Vancouver Island and the Mainland. If you sail out of Seattle you go on the west side of Vancouver Island which can be rough. Of my 15 trips to Alaska out of Vancouver I've only encountered rough weather once. We were on Holland America going to Sitka. It was a small ship and Sitka isn't in protected water. Check your itinerary and see which itinerary gives you protected water.

 

In any case you will love Alaska anytime of the year!

[Windsailer]

We went in both May and September (last ship of the season) last year. Weather was fine and saw many more whales, orcas etc in September. Second the shopping situation. September prices were amazing.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Weather is always unpredictable but we have enjoyed our Alaska Cruises in June, July and September. As stated a large part of the cruise is in the inside passage and water is usually pretty calm.

[fuinseog]

I have only been on one Alaskan cruise, so I can't offer a comparison for you. We went in September six years ago and had some rain, some mist, and some sun with highs 50-60F, so not bad for Alaska. We were late getting into Victoria due to rough seas as I recall, but we did make it into the port.

 

Why I loved cruising in September/last cruise of the season:

1. The ports were not as crowded as peak time in the summer. We did not have to tender in any of our ports, and I think at most there were two other ships in port with us.

2. The ice in Tracy Arm had broken up over the course of the summer so we got extremely close to the glacier. I did not realize how nice this was until I read so many reviews where the ships turn around due to too much ice.

3. Some of the leaves were beginning to change. We rented a car in Skagway and drove up to White Horse. The scenery was stunning, especially with the yellow leaves.

 

I don't think that there is a bad time to do an Alaskan cruise, but all other things equal, I would book an Alaskan cruise again for September. That being said, we are cruising to Alaska in May because that worked best for our group, and we got a great deal.

[kdkstormy]

We sailed Sept 6 to 13th last year. We had fabulous weather. Only one day with some rain and of course cold by the glacier but otherwise great. We were lucky, you can never predict what Mother Nature will give you.

[cruise kitty]

My parents went last September & I explained to them that they would need to bring/buy a fleece & hooded windbreakers...

 

Their reaction? What's a fleece? (We live in L.A.) :)

 

Turned out to be gorgeous, warm wear your shorts weather, but they were told the previous weeks had been wicked cold, so it seems to be hit & miss, I would think one would need light layers to be added or removed as needed, you could get very lucky with the weather.

 

Seas were fine, Mom did not get seasick, but when taking another cruise from Vancouver to L.A. a month later, she got very seasick.

 

BTW, anyone want to buy a couple of fleece pullovers? :D It's 80 here today.

[TeaBag]

We sailed a 10 day on Millennium in Sept and went to Sitka. It was VERY rough sailing out of Sitka. We are not bothered by rough seas but many were on that cruise.

The rest of the cruise up and back was fine. We did get a little rain in some ports. It was the last cruise of the season so the gift shops were shutting down, many to relocate in the Caribbean, and we got lots of bargains.

[Illyria]

We sailed to Alaska last September, and it rained almost every day. Seas were rough enough the first day that we had to miss the Hubbard Glacier cruising - captain had to pull farther away from the shore for safety. But I deliberately picked September because we did a land portion prior to getting on the ship, and I'd rather deal with rain than mosquitoes :)

[alcpa1]

We have also been lucky enough to have sailed to Alaska several times.

We did a repo from Vancouver to San Diego via Alaska in late September. We had calm seas the entire route and were grateful.

A couple of things you might want to consider because I don't know your dates...

Waterproof outerwear is far better than water resistant. Our day in Juneau was soggy but my DH and I were warm and dry due to our preparations. The other 6 in our group didn't heed the recommendations and spent the afternoon on the ship while we roamed the streets seeking the largest crab legs we could find. We had a great day!!!!

If you want to get a rental car do be aware that as cruise season shuts down so do many of the available options for car rentals. By our sailing date on that cruise there were no rentals available in any of the Alaska ports. We were the last large ship leaving Alaska that year.

Even in September you really don't need a heavy coat. Layering with fleece and outerwear to break the wind, especially in Skagway, along with a hat and gloves is all you need.

The same situation that mirrors car rentals also affects tour operators, although the best ones are locals so the problem isn't as critical.

Have a wonderful cruise and enjoy every sea and land moment on your Alaska adventure.

[julia]

Hey folks, my wife and I are considering an Alaska cruise for her birthday in Sept. Wondering what the seas and weather are like heading to and from Alaska?

 

 

Weather and seas can change pretty quickly, regardless of the time of year, as others have mentioned. For every post here that said they had GREAT weather and calm seas, there may be dozens who had cold, rainy & rough.

Be prepared for all, and you will be a good traveler.... :eek:

[varoo]

Going in September one of the biggest disappointments is knowing that we will miss seeing a lot of the great scenery because of the decreased daylight hours.

[norn iron]

My parents went last September & I explained to them that they would need to bring/buy a fleece & hooded windbreakers...

 

Their reaction? What's a fleece? (We live in L.A.) :)

 

Turned out to be gorgeous, warm wear your shorts weather, but they were told the previous weeks had been wicked cold, so it seems to be hit & miss, I would think one would need light layers to be added or removed as needed, you could get very lucky with the weather.

 

Seas were fine, Mom did not get seasick, but when taking another cruise from Vancouver to L.A. a month later, she got very seasick.

 

BTW, anyone want to buy a couple of fleece pullovers? :D It's 80 here today.

 

This reminds me of our time Alaska, when we had both fleeces and Gore-Tex waterproofs (essential). We were on a tour in Skagway with a group of Aussies who had never heard of fleece, and just wanted to touch the Gore-Tex, because they had heard about it but never had the chance see it before.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We had 1 rainy day and a couple instances of thick fog on excursions, but the weather was fine other than that. I was told by a couple locals in Juneau that May/June tends to be more sunny.

[Shake]

We purposely stay away from booking Alaska to early or to late in the season. Of course prices are better in May or September but the risk of cold and rain is certainly increased as well. On the towns you are ported in check out on any weather site the Historical Averages, which will give you a good idea of what to expect.

 

We are cruising to Alaska again this year for the 4th time in 5 years with all our cruises intentionally scheduled between June 19 thru July 19. We have not encountered rough seas or terribly cold/wet weather in any of our 3 peak season Alaskan cruises.

[az_tchr]

Going in September one of the biggest disappointments is knowing that we will miss seeing a lot of the great scenery because of the decreased daylight hours.

 

Are you serious? In early September you still have well over 15 hours of daylight in Skagway! 13 hours average from sunrise to sunset. cannot imagine that is not enough.

 

Also May and September have less rain and fog than June, July and August in most ports. Weather is the luck of the draw. Worked up in Sitka in May a couple years and had 80 degrees and sunny followed by 2 days of rain. During June and July had many many days of fog, rain or both. Would definitely go in September or May.

 

As for being colder? Suggest you look at weather.com. The monthly differences for May to early September along the AK coast are not significant.

Edited March 13, 2015 by az_tchr

[maggie.1008]

We are planning on our 4th Alaska cruise this summer. All have been on X. We went once on May and twice in late August. Both cruises in August it rained the whole week and it was cold. Those of you that had great weather have been lucky. We will try July this time and hope for good weather.

[varoo]

Are you serious? In early September you still have well over 15 hours of daylight in Skagway! 13 hours average from sunrise to sunset. cannot imagine that is not enough.....

Yes, very serious.

The problem with taking an Alaska cruise in September is that it gets dark early.

The important difference is losing those daylight hours in the evening when the ship is cruising through scenic areas.

 

For example, on September 15 the sunset time in Skagway is 7:19 pm.

Most cruise ships do not leave Skagway and head down the Lynn Canal until after 8 pm.

 

Someone who takes the same cruise in May or June, and takes it again in September would be very aware of the huge difference it makes in how much of the fjord you can actually get to see.

 

The same for the difference in how much of the lower Inside Passage scenery you can see in the same time frame cruising through while it is still light out or cruising through after dark.

 

The same when ships leave Juneau or Ketchikan in the evening.

Going through Snow Pass in daylight, we had wonderful views of humpbacks bubble net feeding there.

In September, we went through in darkness and saw nothing at all.

(I'm not saying that you can't go through in daylight without seeing any whales there, which we have also done, but at least you have a chance and get to enjoy the scenery, which you miss completely when you cruise through the passage in darkness.)

 

 

Still, despite the disadvantages we would consider going again in September if we could pick up one of those great closeout September cruise prices that have been offered in the past.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

It's still pretty light in September. Summer it pretty much never gets pitch dark and September we've barely started gaining. I would lean end of August over September personally although we travel over labor day a lot and weather is usually fine. I'd probably opt May over September personally though.