Alaskan Cruise: End of May vs. End of July

[TampaGambler]

We are in the process of planning an Alaskan cruise and have the opportunity to go when our kids get out of school at the end of May or at the end of July... Any recommendation on which time is better?

[DaKahuna]

Weather will be warmer in July.  Also the animals should be more active and the salmon run in full swing.  All things being equal, I would choose July over May for Alaska.  

[reallyitsmema]

We have done Alaska twice in May.  May is cheaper than July and not as crowded.  We saw lots of wildlife on both sailings.  We did miss Dawes Glacier due to the ice field that is common in the beginning of the Alaska season.  We had great weather both times.  This past May it was 80 while we were in Skagway!

[cruisequeen4ever]

I’ve cruised AK both of those times of year. Weather is completely unpredictable, so I wouldn’t base it off that. The end of May is generally better pricing and before many schools get out, resulting in somewhat fewer people, so I’d go then.

[cruiseguy1016]

We have been at the end of May and end of August. There is a lot more snow on the mountain tops in May. IMHO, that makes the scenery more beautiful. We had some highs of 80+ degrees in some places at the end of May and some lows in the 30s in August. That shows how variable the weather can be.

[nasa1974]

We have cruised Alaska twice the end of May. Both times the weather was different. However, we had a great snowball fight on our second time and really enjoyed the one-night Smores were available. 

[Merion_Mom]

July:  

[Spurschick]

May, we have done both and enjoyed the more snow on hillsides and the colder climate. Just made it more scenic for us. But that was our personal preference. 
 

we were deflated that when we did in a summer most of the snow was melted and it was not as pretty in our view. 

[cruiseguy1016]

8 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

July:  

 

Good point. Something to seriously consider.