Alaska in May?

[Cruisefanatic71]

We are doing a Northbound Alaska trip on Royal Caribbean from May 17-24, 2024. We were wondering on clothing to bring since we figure the weather will still be a bit cold for us since we live in Florida. Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated. 

[karatemom2]

We have gone three times in May and it can be a little colder, especially early in the month. But there were days that were very lovely and temperate as well. Best advice is always to consider packing layers - I usually start with jeans, a thin but warm turtleneck shirt and add one of my Patagonia fleece pullovers or vests with a jacket if the weather is extra cold. As it warms up during the day, I can shed the pullover/jacket as needed. If it is particularly cold, I may add hat and gloves, especially if it's raining, when I might also throw on a rain poncho which I carry in my backpack. I like walking boots with good tread for the ports as we like to hike and they keep my feet comfy, warm and dry. That is pretty much my uniform for the port days and it has worked well for me on all of our Alaska adventures.

[donaldsc]

You are really asking about climate and not weather.  WeatherSpark is the best climate site out there in my opinion.  Very detailed very local climate data.

 

DON

Edited September 25, 2023 by donaldsc

[Coral]

I love May. Snow is on the mountains and it is often jean and sweatshirt weather. Though this year, it was 70's the week I was there. 

[martincath]

I'll second Don's suggestion of Weather Spark - if you compare the data for May in your ports, especially Min temps, to your own local climate in Florida you'll probably find that you have an ideal raincoat already (with LOTS of rain but warm temps, I've yet to meet a Floridian without a thin top shell of some kind) so the only real issue will be whether you have the right footwear and enough middle layers already for your planned activities.

 

The latter is easy enough to acquire in ports - a fleece, sweatshirt, or even long-sleeved T make for both souvenirs and an easy way to add some warmth. On the feet front, if you plan to hike than buy boots ASAP and make sure they are well broken-in! If all you're doing is walking around ports or on bus trips, then any comfy footwear with a bit of grip works (lots of gravel trails, the odd woodchip, and slippy decks sometimes aboard).

 

Proper waterproof coats and boots are a necessity if thru-hiking, but with a cabin to return to you should be fine with water resistant top shell and vaguely sensible footwear. You can dry off nightly, unlike someone who is camping and stuck in the rain 24/7!

 

Cheap dollar store gloves, scarf, and toque/beanie should be ample to keep the edge off when it's windy on deck, a glacier day etc., and if it's unusually cold stick a spare pair of socks over your hands as mittens when not actively using a camera etc. Works very well, and just cutting one fingertip off a $1 glove is a lot better value than spending $20 on a fancy pair of 'touch screen capable' gloves that you might never wear again unless you go skiing...