So how has Alaska been so far this year?

[v3cruiser]

Cruising in a few weeks in Alaska, Seward to Vancouver. Just curious how things are in Alaska right now such as scenery, wildlife, etx. I think they received heavier than normal snowfall this past year. Thanks!

[rockraiders]

Every time I check Juneau port webcam it’s raining. 

[wolfie11]

Cold, rainy, and windy.  Lots of whales, bears, eagles, and moose in Southcentral.

[dmwnc1959]

I quite literally have been watching the Juneau web cam every single day since mid-April when the first ship arrive arrived. 
 

April was absolutely stunning. May most definitely has had days where the rain was absolutely torrential, and more often than not it has been raining. But it also has some really beautiful days. 
 

https://webcams.thesnowcloud.com

https://www.juneauharborwebcam.com

 

And a Facebook link that you can keep tabs on:

 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064705387397&name=xhp_nt__fb__action__open_user

 

Here are a few screenshots that I grabbed: 

 

Edited May 26 by dmwnc1959

[BeasleysMom66]

I just got back Friday from a southbound Seward to Vancouver sailing and we got blissfully LUCKY.  Seward was sunny and beautiful on departure.  Juneau was rainy in the morning but cleared up for the rest of the day.  Skagway was rainy/snowy up the mountain but fine and sunny in town.  Icy Straight Point/Hoonah was sunny and gorgeous with abundant playful whales off the Summit for the day making a tour unnecessary if you were so inclined.  Ketchikan was also sunny and gorgeous for the entire day.  As I said:  we got VERY VERY lucky (except for being able to see a bear(s) in Ketchikan) on the weather and wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

As for wild life I saw:  Moose (5), sea lions including endangered stellar sea lions, harbor seals, otters, puffin, resident orca family in Seward on a whale watch on my own before boarding, and many humpbacks including mamas and their new calfs, bald eagles, and many birds.

Edited May 27 by BeasleysMom66

[Kat915]

15 hours ago, BeasleysMom66 said:

 

As for wild life I saw:  Moose (5), sea lions including endangered stellar sea lions, harbor seals, otters, puffin, resident orca family in Seward on a whale watch on my own before boarding, and many humpbacks including mamas and their new calfs, bald eagles, and many birds.

Where did you see the moose?

 

I am hoping to see puffins in Seward in a couple of weeks!

[BeasleysMom66]

2 hours ago, Kat915 said:

Where did you see the moose?

 

The moose were on the bus ride from Anchorage to Seward.  They like swampy areas.

 

2 hours ago, Kat915 said:

I am hoping to see puffins in Seward in a couple of weeks!

 

We did not see any puffin in Seward.  The only port I saw those in was on the whale watch I did in Icy Straight Point and we were way out in the bay when we found them.  I did see birds in Seward but mostly arctic terns and sea gulls.

Edited May 27 by BeasleysMom66

[Kat915]

1 hour ago, BeasleysMom66 said:

 

The moose were on the bus ride from Anchorage to Seward.  They like swampy areas.

 

 

We did not see any puffin in Seward.  The only port I saw those in was on the whale watch I did in Icy Straight Point and we were way out in the bay when we found them.  I did see birds in Seward but mostly arctic terns and sea gulls.

Interesting.  I have never seen puffins in ISP area. 

 

Glad you were able to see them and the moose.

[no1racefan1]

We did a DIY land tour before our southbound cruise last week. Weather was amazing most of the time! Sunny and high 50s in most places we went. Hubbard Glacier scenic cruise day was very cold and drizzly, and Glacier Bay started out cold but the sun came out right when we got to the glaciers, and it was warm!

 

Juneau and Skagway were both decent weather-wise. Ketchikan unfortunately poured rain all day but it wasn't super cold. Everybody still got out in their rain gear.

 

We saw lots of moose (in Anchorage and on the train to Whittier), two pods of killer whales, mountain goats, dall sheep (wildlife cruise in Seward), humpback whales, harbor seals, steller sea lions, arctic terns, cranes, sea gulls, kittiwakes, lots of sea otters, and a bear in a tree (at Mendenhall visitor center).

 

[dmwnc1959]

Today's weather in Juneau
 

[brlrph]

Just got back from a southbound  Sapphire Princess landtour.  The whole trip was amazing, Denali was totally visible the 4 days we were near   Animals were common as we saw bear,  ,moose, caribou, sheep ,swans ,eagles, otters, humpback whales and even a porcupine.  The weather wasn't too cold  and quite comfortable with layers.  Ketchikan was drizzly and cold but from I hear is normal. 

[sfaaa]

I was on the first Alaska sailing this month. The ship didn't even make it to the glacier. Weather was fine but Captain said there were too many icebergs in the way. Many passengers were disappointed especially those travelling from far away places.

[Kat915]

2 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

I was on the first Alaska sailing this month. The ship didn't even make it to the glacier. Weather was fine but Captain said there were too many icebergs in the way. Many passengers were disappointed especially those travelling from far away places.

What glacier didn't you get close to?

[sfaaa]

Endicott Arm.

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, sfaaa said:

Endicott Arm.

 

Not unusual at this time of the year.  The next time you do AK book a cruise pick one that goes to Glacier Bay.  You can be fairly certain of making it into GB as opposed to the other glaciers visited on AK cruises.

 

DON

[dmwnc1959]

A couple of screen grabs from very late-evening (Juneau time). Daylight also comes very, very early in the morning. 😉

 

 

 

This morning in Juneau at 4:26am local

 

 

 

and from the Norwegian Bliss bridge cam at 4:30am local time on it's way into Juneau

 

Edited May 28 by dmwnc1959

[dmwnc1959]

This site comes as a recommendation from the US National Weather Service Juneau Alaska: "You can either click on the location you want or enter the name of the town that you would like the forecast for."

 

https://www.weather.gov/ajk/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR31S3uhbHfBoXMDhhca-GblE2Dc6sJ3NL8yzC1egctS2qSilW3R_0sJUac_aem_ASrGL2Thi4nle5CE8mHmWK0S0u7KZ1cna_-59go_emqPZTCOU9Y41ybxml3HPto7Ol5pJtSBvb6qs7mj7egkr9M1

 

😁

Edited May 29 by dmwnc1959

[v3cruiser]

Fantastic! Those links for live cams are great!!

[Coral]

 

On 5/28/2024 at 12:05 AM, sfaaa said:

Endicott Arm.

 

On 5/28/2024 at 1:24 AM, donaldsc said:

 

Not unusual at this time of the year.  The next time you do AK book a cruise pick one that goes to Glacier Bay.  You can be fairly certain of making it into GB as opposed to the other glaciers visited on AK cruises.

 

DON

Endicott Arm is more likely than Tracy Arm this time of year.

 

I agree with Don and Glacier Bay. It is rarely missed. All the others are often missed this time of year (and other times of the year).

[Aquahound]

On 5/27/2024 at 8:16 PM, Kat915 said:

What glacier didn't you get close to?

 

On 5/27/2024 at 10:05 PM, sfaaa said:

Endicott Arm.

 

I was on the May 6 Quantum of the Seas cruise.  We didn't get very close to Dawes Glacier, but the May 13 cruise did.  

 

 

[dmwnc1959]

[dopey1200]

On 5/27/2024 at 4:40 PM, BeasleysMom66 said:

 

The moose were on the bus ride from Anchorage to Seward.  They like swampy areas.

 

It's really easy to spot the moose when they're riding the same bus as you! 😂 (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

[sherryf]

On 6/1/2024 at 7:44 AM, dmwnc1959 said:

 

Cool!  We were there that day and it didn't seem that bad, but we were on a kayaking excursion way out of town, and it didn't really rain much there.

[dmwnc1959]

[Italy52]

Just got back from our May 18-June 1 Princess cruise to Alaska.  Weather was on the cooler side: 50s with sprinkles off and on for a couple of days and only one day in Ketchikan where the weather was very wet during our visit.

 

1.  Calving at Hubbard Glacier, Marjorie Glacier and Beloit Glacier was beautiful. 

 

2.  For wildlife we saw Orcas, humpback whales, harbor seals, eagles, sea otters, and a mountain goat.

 

3.  Because we were doing a back-to-back cruise we had two opportunities to see Glacier Bay.  First trip through GB was a little on the overcast side.  However, the following week, the view was spectacular:  lots of blue sky, lots of snow, lots of cascades. 

 

We enjoyed our cruise and are looking forward to returning in August.