Alaska

[manders175]

What is the best month to get the most out of Alaska? Planning a trip for 2020, and i want to be ready when the Alaska dates are released this Spring! Thanks.

 

Thinking about doing the Seward to Vancouver route with a land pre tour. :)

 

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[Clarea]

There's no universal "best" month. Mid July will be most expensive. Early June will have the longest days but most ice.

 

Also, the port of call forum has a wealth of info: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

2020 Alaska sailings will not be released until next December at the earliest, but maybe not until March 2019.

 

2019 Alaska sailings were just released a few weeks ago.

[steveru621]

Denali National Park doesn't fully open until around June 8th.

[HicksRA]

I’d recommend later rather than sooner. We spent the entire summer in Alaska in our motorhome in 2015. The weather gets better and more things seem to happen like salmon running, more wildlife, fireweed blooming, etc after about the first to middle of July.

We did the Seward to Vancouver Cruise in early June this year on the Radiance and the weather was cold and rainy most of the time. It was also foggy a lot of the time blocking most of the scenic views from our JS.

If I ever do it again, it’ll be in late July to early/mid August.

Just my perception. Your results may vary.

[polymedia]

I went twice in May and loved it. The weather was very pleasant, and one day even went to 80 degrees.

[kctwinmommy]

I went twice in May and loved it. The weather was very pleasant, and one day even went to 80 degrees.

 

My parents went at that time too, the first sailing of the season, and had amazing weather. My mom, who loves warm temps, was even in her bathing suit on the top deck one afternoon.

 

Now, we went in July of 2016 and it was nice, but not warm. We didn't have any real rain, which was great. But it was definitely jeans, long sleeve tees and sweatshirts every day. All except for the late afternoon we were in Skagway. It got into maybe the 60's, so our son was in shorts and I was in capri pants.

[cruisinfanatic]

I’d recommend later rather than sooner. We spent the entire summer in Alaska in our motorhome in 2015. The weather gets better and more things seem to happen like salmon running, more wildlife, fireweed blooming, etc after about the first to middle of July.

We did the Seward to Vancouver Cruise in early June this year on the Radiance and the weather was cold and rainy most of the time. It was also foggy a lot of the time blocking most of the scenic views from our JS.

If I ever do it again, it’ll be in late July to early/mid August.

Just my perception. Your results may vary.

It's weather. Can't be predicted!

Just because you had cold and rainy in June this year means nothing. We went last yr June 6th and had awesome weather.

[Pitzel]

We went over Labor Day weekend (late August, early September) and it was great. Prices were lower than mid-Summer rates and most of the ice had melted around Hubbard Glacier, allowing the ship to get about 1/4 mile closer to the glacier than it usually gets earlier in the season. Amazing to be so close!

[HicksRA]

It's weather. Can't be predicted!

Just because you had cold and rainy in June this year means nothing. We went last yr June 6th and had awesome weather.

Thanks. I know all about weather.

That’s why I said your results may vary.

[Tapi]

We did an early June sailing and it was absolutely fantastic. Daytime temperatures hovered in the 60’s most of the week with perfectly clear skies.

 

Interestingly, I checked the weather for the week following our cruise and it showed overcast, rainy, and temperatures in the lower 40’s. So as others have said, weather can be unpredictable, specially 2 years in advance. I’d plan for the dates that best suit your needs and budget and hope for good weather.

 

 

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[srlucado]

Did a late-May / early-June trip. Wonderful weather. No crowds. Lower hotel prices in Anchorage, too. (We flew in a couple of days early to explore around on our own.)

 

Have a look at my photo album:

http://s582.photobucket.com/user/scottrlucado/library/Alaska%202008

[Keith1010]

Like many areas you never know what the weather will be like as weather in Alaska is not necessarily the same year over year or day to day.

 

For example, September is typically a wet month yet this past September was not so wet.

 

Personally I like May. Often it is now so rainy. It is early in the season so less families on board. The people seem to be more enthusiastic since it is early in the season and you see more snow on the mountains.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

This photo is an example of unpredictable weather.

 

We have visited Glacier Bay 10 or more time in every month of the cruise season.

 

One year we visited in April as our ship was sailing close to three weeks prior to the next set of ships. We thought the weather would be bad and it was chilly in ports with even some snow but our view of Glacier Bay was the best we've ever had. But no guarantee it would be like that the next time.

 

 

 

 

Keith

[JBSteelerfan]

This photo is an example of unpredictable weather.

 

We have visited Glacier Bay 10 or more time in every month of the cruise season.

 

One year we visited in April as our ship was sailing close to three weeks prior to the next set of ships. We thought the weather would be bad and it was chilly in ports with even some snow but our view of Glacier Bay was the best we've ever had. But no guarantee it would be like that the next time.

 

 

 

 

 

Keith

 

 

Awesome pictures Keith!! Hope to see something similar this year!

[olemissreb]

We went in Mid-June 2013 for our DIY land portion and the temps were in the 80s! It was unusually warm that year - and no air conditioning at the hotel we stayed at near Denali! We cruised from Seward a week later and it was rainy & foggy when we left - first day of bad weather. We had only 1 other bad day at that was in Skagway - it POURED on our train ride up into the Yukon and on our way back, but the tour up in Canada we had sunshine and cool temps. Such a great trip. I want to go again really soon! So much more to see/do that we didn't get to do the first time.

[birdylady]

We did a closed loop out of Seattle at the end May a few years back. The weather was AMAZING each day. We did the pre-tour and Southbound sailing in June this year and the weather was warmest in Fairbanks and got colder the further South we went. So as others said, no predicting weather. It's less expensive (if you care) the earlier and later sailings of the season. There are few really helpful reviews of cruise-tours you might want to look for. But a couple quick suggestions. 1- Fly up at least a day earlier. Had we not, we would have missed somethings in Fairbanks (Auto museum and I'm not even a car person). 2- Book as EARLY as the itinerary is released and book a port side cabin for Southbound. The balconies were almost all booked within weeks. 3- Plan extra money as most meals are not included in the tour portion. 4- make sure your camera is in good working order before you go. Ours started slowing down and the flash (not that it was really needed) died during the trip. 4- try to stay at least one day in Vancouver.

 

Erika