Is August a bad time for Alaska?

[emeraldcity]

Is there a special reason why the pricing for Alaska cruises is hundreds less in August? I'd rather take my vacation earlier in the summer, but if I can save 600-800 by going in mid-August, I'd certainly have to re-consider ... unless there's a big drawback to being in Alaska in the later part of the summer.

[elleluv]

I would definitely cruise Alaska in mid August for the savings your talking about! The busiest time for tourists here is mid June to the end of July, but I don't think the weather is any more predictable during that time frame than it is for mid August. Go for it! :)

[natesfirewife]

We went in Alaska last August and the weather was in the mid 80's. I was told that if it's been a warm summer the dog sledding tours close early. But I didn't really see a difference from when we sailed there in July or August, we had great weather both times.

 

Misty

[cactuscruiser]

I've been to Alaska in July, August and September. There is nothing wrong with going in mid-August. And the bonus is the crowds are starting to thin down because schools will be back in session by then. You'll have a great time.

[Budget Queen]

My favorite time in Alaska is mid/late August, full salmon runs, great bear tours, decent weather and good daylight. 20 trips.

[superjerryw]

The first time we went to Alaska was in mid-August and the weather was terrible. The local people told us that mid-August is already the beginning of fall weather and a lot of rain is likely. If I were to go again it would be in June or July. I would never go again that late in the season.

[springtxbill]

Lot of schools especially down in this part of the country start by mid August so that thins out the demand a lot.

[crookedhalo]

Haven't been myself (yet), but in speaking with friends who have, apparently mosquitos get very bad after mid-july? Never seen it on boards, but since I'm allergic to them, won't chance it:(

[natesfirewife]

We had more problems with the Mosquitos in July then we did in August. :)

[gerif]

We went in mid-August - weather was a bit cool and drizzly, but never saw a mosquito! Just brought my trusty rain slicker and it was fine.

[springtxbill]

Mosquitos can be terrible at any time especially when you get off water and the wind is calm.

[negc]

The only downside that I can think of is the fact that the days will be getting shorter. You can check the exact information about sunset and sunrise times in different parts of Alaska at the following site:http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html

Weather is variable and all you can go by are averages for rainfall and temperatures. Just like at home the temperatures and amount of precipitation in any given time period can be well above or below the averages. Not something you can control so I wouldn't let that information be a major factor in my decision making.

Go to Alaska! It is remarkable, regardless of when you go.:)

[cruisegirl1]

I recall friends telling me the stores have GREAT sales in August. Weather can be risky most any time.

Alasaka was beautuful. - I think it was my favorite cruise.

Marci

[Onessa]

With the unseasonably warm winters/summers we've been having in NA the last few years, the excursions and the iternaries are more at risk for change starting in August.

 

As someone else mentioned, the dog sledding on glaciers has been shut down by mid to late August the last few years due to issues on the glaciers. Some of the glacier treks and/or glaicier landings excursions may also be cancelled or shortened at this time of year as well. Calving on ocean face glaciers may also pick up and with it the amount of ice flows in the ocean. This may cause a ship to forgo a cruise past a glacier (not too likely) or need to stay further from it (more likely).

 

These changes are subtle and will likely not "ruin" an AK cruise for anyone.

 

Another factor in the price difference is the mid-August school start mentioned earlier. Since school here, by law, cannot start until after Labor Day - the easing in prices due to other regions earlier starts are something that my family regularly takes advantage of :) !

[vacationhappy]

August is the best time to see the animals because the salmon are running - we traveled in August and saw bears right out side the Medenhall Hall glacier visitors center..awesome!

[caviargal]

Is there a special reason why the pricing for Alaska cruises is hundreds less in August? I'd rather take my vacation earlier in the summer, but if I can save 600-800 by going in mid-August, I'd certainly have to re-consider ... unless there's a big drawback to being in Alaska in the later part of the summer.

 

 

Yes, it is the rainy part of the season and not optimum at all for wild life and glacier calving.

 

I have cruised Alaska 5 times. It is an expensive trip, all the way around and the only cruise that was a "bust" was late August. I would never again travel in August or September and strongly recommend mid to June as the optimum.

[SPARKLE10]

Hi:

 

We've taken a lot of cruises (#36 coming up in about 6 weeks) but it wasn't until about three summer ago, I finally talked my husband into a Alaska cruise. In the past, he said he thought it would be too cold and I finally talked him into it and yes, we went in August and it was absolutely wonderful. We actually went the last week in August and there was only one more cruise scheduled after ours, before the season ended. We got some really great deals on things to buy (being the end of the season) and we also got great weather, which is the thing I was worried about the most. We took the Island Princess and did a 5 night pre-tour before we got on the ship. RCI is our favorite cruise line, and we were going to take a RCI ship, but our TA got us a better price with Princess. The only thing that could have been better, was the fact that when we went there three years ago, there were a lot of fires in that area. We flew to Fairbanks and you could smell the smoke as soon as you got off the plane. That had me really worried because I have asthma. The lodge we stayed at in Fairbanks was a Princess lodge and it was beautiful. The only bad part was that we couldn't go outside that much because of the air quality. We moved on after that and we could still smell the smoke but it wasn't that bad. We did the train ride and the whole works. I knew we wouldn't be going back, so we did everything we could while we were there. I took all the tours I wanted to (they were kind of expensive) and we didn't hold back, because I didn't figure I could get my husband to go back again. I would go back anytime, but he says once is enough. One reason I wanted to go is because I really love animals and I wanted to see the bears etc. We took a seaplane to a lodge where the bears were feeding off the salmon in a stream and we walked by the woods (no fence) where they were running loose. We took a helicopter and landed on a glacier. We had a fabulous time. The last of August turned out great for us but the weather in Alaska is different every year. Just remember to wear layers of clothing. We would start out very cold in the morning and by afternoon, I could get in the outdoor pool.

 

Happy Cruising...Sparkle 10

[wcal]

We were in Alaska the first two weeks of Alaska last year and the weather was gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful weather with no rain and plenty of sun. Great for wildlife viewing. We seen Caribou and Grizzlies in Denali and on the cruise portion seen plenty of Salmon and Humpback and Orca whales. Also seen some Moose and we had some great views of Mt McKinley. The weather I know can be unpredictable but for us it was great.

[superjerryw]

We were in Alaska the first two weeks of Alaska last year and the weather was gorgeous.

 

I can't seem to find the month of Alaska in either the Julian or Gregorian calendar....:confused:

[emilygrace]

We just went to Alaska this past September and we had beautiful weather the whole week. Clear sunny skies and temps in the low 70's. The only time I put on a jacket was when we walked out to the closest point to view Mendenhall Glacier (we saw the bears there too!). The cold sort of radiated off the glacier.

 

We have been lucky with weather for every cruise we've been on. We just take our California weather (but not today's) wherever we go.

[LighthouseGirl]

We planned for a bit of rain, (remember, most of the southern coast is a rainforest - Ketchikan gets around 162 inches of rain a year, but rarely any snow, unlike most of non-coastal Alaska:D ), and with that in mind we had a great time. Only one day was too fogged in to see much of Prince William Sound, but the rest were partial light rain / partial sun days. We cruised the end of August / first nine days in September that year, the weather was in the mid 70's and was nice. I agree about the layers, cool in the morning, but in the afternoon, t-shirts were just fine. We had no problems with any insects, although when my DH was previously stationed in Alaska during the summer months, they were a major problem... For us, seeing the animals were totally worth it, although we wouldn't cruise on that particular ship again (it wasn't RCL).

[emeraldcity]

Many thanks to each of you who responded. It looks like the overwhelming majority says to go for it. I've been wanting to do this for a long time ... and it looks like next year should work for me. I'm hoping to book it while I'm on the Explorer next month. I don't think 2007 itineraries are out yet, but I believe I can book a 2006 cruise and switch the booking.

[carbon]

Went the second week in August 2005. Weather hit 90degrees at the glacier. Saw whales and lots of Salmon, too warm for other wild life. No rain for 10 days. Clear sunny skies and the view was awesome, especially up in a seaplane in Misty Fiords National Park.

[sgttami]

I would wait and go on the last cruise of the season...

 

We went in Sept. 05 (last sailing on Serenade) and it was wonderful.

 

Weather was great, no bugs and great sales since we were the last cruise of the season. I think they had two more ships coming in on other lines after we left.

 

The trip was awesome...my favorite cruise to date..there were about a dozen kids, if that. Airfare was lower than in season and just everything was perfect...I'd never go in mid summer mainly because there would be too many kids on board.

[Mabers]

Mosquitoes? You have to be kidding! We went the first week of August in 2005, and while we had a super time, it was way too cold for even the heartiest mosquito to surface! Oh.....and only one sunny day in Alaska and one on our last day cruising south. But.....would we do it again at that time? Absolutely!

 

M.