September Alaska

[realnice46]

We are thinking of mid September southeastern route. What is weather likely to be and will it affect what we are able to see?

[Crew News]

2 minutes ago, realnice46 said:

We are thinking of mid September southeastern route. What is weather likely to be and will it affect what we are able to see?

The probability of rain is much higher.  Bears feeding on the last salmon run will be everywhere despite the rain. On a clear night, the probability of seeing the northern lights will be high.  Prices will be much lower as the Alaska season winds down.

 

 

[CM1984]

We have booked 9/24-10/1 cruise - inside passage.  We did this same itinerary 4 years ago - early Sept and just loved it.

[PNW Traveler]

The weather will likely be cool and rainy.  Also likely is mist, fog, wind, temperatures in the 50's, and gray skies.  It's a great time for viewing wildlife and experiencing fewer tourists.

We enjoy late September Alaska cruising.  A good quality rain jacket (with hood), down sweater, and gore-tex shoes make port days comfortable for walking.  I wear a ball cap with the hood to avoid rainy glasses.  Flightseeing excursions are better in July and August, but bear-watching is great in September.  

[Lalof]

We did the September 10-day Alaska cruise a number of years ago and it rained every day.  We also had 2 really intense storms, so we were not able to get to Hubbard glacier or to return via ocean to Victoria. Alaska is beautiful, but it was depressing to have all that rain and the storms.

[urbanhawk]

My last cruise was over Labor Day several years ago, so early Sept. Layer clothing and an umbrella helped. . It rained in all ports, but not in Ketchican, which receives more rain, than anywhere in S.E. Alaska!. Even with the rain, it wasn't that cold for that time of year. It's a roll of the dice for the weather for that time of year..  Even with the rain, it didn't "" dampen my spirits"😉, and was still a great, beautiful trip!

[Ferry_Watcher]

This past season (2021) there was a severe storm front off the coast that affected two weekend departures.  On the first weekend, passengers were told that 1-2 port-of-calls were going to be cancelled due to weather.  On the Sunday the Majestic Princess overnighted at Pier 91 due to wind/sea conditions off the coast.  The following weekend, the tail end of the weather front had my cruise on Celebrity Millennium requesting, and receiving permission from the Canadians to cruise the inside passage between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland (it was beautiful).  The larger Ovation, also sailing that Friday, was too large to sail the inside passage (according to the Millennium Captain) and had very rough seas sailing on its usual route in open seas on the westside of Vancouver Island.  After that first day, the weather was amazing.

 

I think the moral of the story is with September weather you just don't know.  It could be perfect, or you could have to deal with stormy seas.  It's just luck.

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

This past season (2021) there was a severe storm front off the coast that affected two weekend departures.  On the first weekend, passengers were told that 1-2 port-of-calls were going to be cancelled due to weather.  On the Sunday the Majestic Princess overnighted at Pier 91 due to wind/sea conditions off the coast.  The following weekend, the tail end of the weather front had my cruise on Celebrity Millennium requesting, and receiving permission from the Canadians to cruise the inside passage between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland (it was beautiful).  The larger Ovation, also sailing that Friday, was too large to sail the inside passage (according to the Millennium Captain) and had very rough seas sailing on its usual route in open seas on the westside of Vancouver Island.  After that first day, the weather was amazing.

 

I think the moral of the story is with September weather you just don't know.  It could be perfect, or you could have to deal with stormy seas.  It's just luck.

 

Even entering at Pine Island in Queen Chorlotte Strait, the Ovation would be a challenge to safely navigate a few portions of the route down to Georgia Strait. In Grenville and Princess Royal Channels, it is way too big for Boat Bluff and also Lama Pass, especially if the tide is running.