Did the fog, grey clouds, drizzle, and cold bother you on the Alaska cruise?

[conversationist]

I am told I should go on a cruise of Alaska but have never booked one. The reason: expected bad weather. Yes, I know some people are really lucky and get warm sunshine on their cruise, but that would be an exception.

 

I always think one of the most enjoyable aspects of being on a cruise is sitting outside in the sunshine and enjoying the warm bright skies that are so different than back home. While I know the whole Alaska cruise scene is completely different-- I suspect many people are still shocked by how cold it is outside and get depressed not seeing the sun for the whole 7-10 days.

 

Did the grey cold weather effect your Alaskan cruise?

[welyncruza]

The Alaskan cruise season starts in May and ends the first week in Sept. The sunlight continues to get longer each day until the end of July. About 22 hours of day light then it starts to taper off. I went on a 6 day inland then a 7 day cruise in Aug. Plenty of sunlignht with an average temp of 70. If you want to lay in the sun go to the carribean. If you want an experience of a lifetime go to Alaska but do the whole thing. Princess has their own lodges and quite a program. The only thing I would do different is take the train one day and do the rest of the inland by bus. It is faster and you see as many animals and you don't spend all day getting to the next lodge.That gives you more time to explore the towns. DON'T MISS THE HELICOPTER RIDE OVER DENALI AND THE STERNWHEELER TOUR. My first cruise was 7 day inland waterway. It was good but I had nothing to compare it to. 21 cruises and the 13 day was the best.

Happy cruising

NCL

WINDWARD ALASKA 8/94

 

CARRIBEAN

DREAMWARD2/95

WINDWARD 11/95

SUN 1/2005

 

Carnival

imagination

 

Princess

Grand twice

ocean twice

Dawn

Golden

SAFFIRE Alaska 7/06

SEA

 

RCCL

 

Adventurer

Brilliance

Jewel

navigator

Serenade

Freedom

Grandeur

MARINER SUNDAY 3/4/2007

[Barbee524]

Did the grey cold weather effect your Alaskan cruise?

 

I was one of the lucky ones. We had temps between 70 and 80 and sun all but the days we were in Denali. It actually snowed the day we toured the park and rained the next day when we went golfing.

 

There were people sitting out at the pool on board. I didn't pack a swimsuit since it was supposed to be cold and rainy.

 

That said I would go back to Alaska in a minute and wouldn't care if it was cold or rainy it is a place not to be missed in any weather.

[luvthis]

Go to Alaska to experience Alaska. We cruised to Alaska on Celebrity the 1st week of May. We were told to pack planning for cold, rainy, windy weather. We had beautiful weather. Was it 70 degrees? No, but it was often in the 50's to near 60 and the sun was shining most of the time. No rain, and only a bit of fog on the way back the inside passage to Seattle, and even then it was only spotty. Darned if people didn't lay out on the back deck in their swim suits, letting the ship break the wind. We had people who were peeling by the end of the cruise.

 

We never cruised to Alaska because we had always wanted hot temps, palm trees, and sandy beaches. Finally, we caved in to "experience" Alaska. No one can predict the weather when you go to Alaska. We have friends that went to Alaska last July and experienced rain, fog, and wind the whole cruise. They still were amazed and pleased with their cruise.

 

Go! Pack for the worst, but be ready to be surprised with the best.

 

--Jean

[Toyz711]

1/2 of the inside passage is a rain forest, so they do get more rain. but it is not "always" rain/grey skies. last sept we did get rain/sleet the day we were in juneau, fog in the morning in skagway, heavy rain in ketchikan...but beautiful on sea days and in glacier bay. just the luck of the draw. i felt like a got a true view of life in alaska.

if it was dry/warm and sunny every day...you won't have the snow capped mountains and the beautiful views. snow and rain is what makes the area beautiful. even the humpbacks/sea lions/harbor sea/eagles/bears are there because of the climate.

last sept: temps never dropped below mid 40s during the day, the high was usually mid 50s. it can get colder, especially around the glaciers. if there is wind, then you will have a wind chill from it blowing over the ice. but we aren't talking about minus temps...just colder then 40s?

 

if you want beautiful,vast views...mountains, glacier, cute charming towns...go to alaska. but remember,to really see the area and the wildlife..plan on excursions. very hard to see whales/wildlife from the moving ship.

[newmexicoNita]

We cruised Alaska late May to the first part of June about 8 years ago; actually got snow flurries the first day and yes, the weather did bother us a little. Did it spoil our cruise? of course not, but it certainly wasn't like what we were used to in sailing. NMNita

[LHP]

aaauugghhh~~~double post.

[LHP]

We cruised the week around July 4th in 2005 and I don't remember one drop of rain. We did a week of the interior before we sailed and it was 90 degrees in Fairbanks!

 

Personally, I would not have cared. It is like going to the beach...you know there is going to be sand...and you would actually be disappointed if you went to the beach and there wasn't any sand. I can't stand sand..but I still go the beach expecting it.

 

Go...enjoy Alaska and every drop of liquid sunshine!!!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

It didn't bother us at all! But, we are Oregonians, so rain is not big thing to us. We had lovely weather in every port except Juneau (rainy). It rained when I went on my salmon fishing excursion in Ketchikan, but that was out on the boat and not in town.

 

If we want hot weather and sandy beaches we cruise to the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera. But, the best cruise ever was our Alaska cruise in 2001. Can't wait for a repeat performance this August--it could rain everyday and it'll still be great. Already bought the rain ponchos. :D

 

Cheers!

Jayne

 

:)

[sept10dsm]

We were very lucky on our Alaska cruise. Sunny all 7 days! We found out while cruising that this wasn't the norm. 10% sunshine was what our Captain told us. The sea days were cool. The port days were low 70's and sunny. Like I said not the normal weather for Alaska especially the southern rain forest areas. It will be beautiful no matter what. Have a wonderful cruise. Alaska was my favorite place to cruise. Also, the waters were like glass.

[NAS-KARR]

You get all kinds of weather on an AK cruise. One day was out on the balcony in shorts, bare feet and having a brew. Other days was out there in a parka and watch cap(knit job) sipp'n hot coffee, another day in a cold-drizzle.

When you go to AK YOU SHOULD EXPECT ALL KINDS OF WEATHER, you're NOT headed for St Kitts.

 

CIAO,

[derricj]

We went on the last HAL cruise for the season in 97. Cool, rained some, sunshine some. Do the excursions for the glaciers, wildlife, eagles, seals, whales, sea otters etc. Alaska is a great trip regardless of the weather. Take some raingear and just do it.

[Happy ks]

We cruised Alaska in August of 2005 and, with the exception of the glacier day, it was not really cold at all. We did have a bit of rain in both Ketchikan and Juneau, but that was expected. When we were cruising the inside passage, it was gorgeous. Sitka was sunny and warm, I wore shorts that day.

 

While I would not call it bathing suit weather, our sea days found plenty of people in the pool. Our ship (Infinity) had an enclosed adult therapy pool area and was very pleasant.

 

I don't think any of our group of 11 had a shocking, depressing or miserable day at all the entire week, or the additional days we spent in Vancouver. We all have said it was one of the greatest vacations of our lives (to date :) ).

 

I will add that even though the glacier day was chilly, I would not have missed it for anything. Those of us who have been there and heard the glaciers, smelled the air and watched the glaciers calving will agree it is an awesome sight to see.

 

Everyone does take away something different from their cruise vacation experiences and, for me, I like to try different things when we cruise, not just the sun and the sand.

[Terpnut]

We cruised August 2006 and it was drizzling, cool and dreary for 14 out of 14 days! I was frankly really disappointed we didn't at least get one sunny day. It can eventually wear on you after two weeks of never seeing the sun but your experience is what you make of it and our family still had a great time. Remember even when it is raining, it never really rains hard and it's much more of an on-and-off drizzle.

 

While other posters may tell you that they had sunny and warm weather, it is definitely best to prepare yourself for cool and dreary conditions as that is what it is like MOST of the time in Alaska. While for most Alaska is nicer with the nicer weather, we got to enjoy the "true" Alaskan experience!

[Dixe Lee]

I am told I should go on a cruise of Alaska but have never booked one. The reason: expected bad weather. We went prepared for rain and cold temps, but only had one day of drizzle and that was our first day in port at Sitka. Still, we weren't upset because we were so excited about being in Alaska! Yes, I know some people are really lucky and get warm sunshine on their cruise, but that would be an exception. We had warm sunshine our entire cruise, except for the first day in port. Did not consider that an exception; according to the research we did prior to booking, we got the weather we expected to get.

 

I always think one of the most enjoyable aspects of being on a cruise is sitting outside in the sunshine and enjoying the warm bright skies that are so different than back home. While I know the whole Alaska cruise scene is completely different-- I suspect many people are still shocked by how cold it is outside and get depressed not seeing the sun for the whole 7-10 days. Was not shocked, was not cold and did NOT get depressed! We did not go to Alaska to sit in the sunshine; most people do not go to Alaska to sit in the sunshine, they go to EXPERIENCE Alaska (sunshine is nice, though, don't get me wrong :) ; but a little rain and chilly temps will not discourage most who go to Alaska)

 

Did the grey cold weather effect your Alaskan cruise?

We did not have grey cold weather and we went the last week of May/first week of June. Friends of ours cruised two weeks after us and had great weather, too. Yes, Alaska has its share of dreary, cold, rainy days, but most go prepared and have no plans of getting depressed and are not shocked by what they encounter. Maybe amazed? By the absolute beauty of it all.

[gail811]

We cruised last August (did one week prior on our own as well) and had some rain most every day. We also missed the College Fjords due to bad weather, but it did not take away from my cruise! I enjoyed every minute in spite of the rain! I just bought a light weight rain jacket from Lands End that I used daily and went on all my planned excursions. Do not let the threat of a little rain keep you from Alaska!

[mollyeilis]

I can't imagine letting cold and rain ruin a trip to Alaska.

 

It might drastically change a trip to, say, Aruba, but I'd expect some of it in Alaska. :)

 

This was our first day, in late August.

 

There were definitely people using the outdoor pool (and hot tub) on days like that!

 

The Juneau day, here is the sun shining on the Greenpeace boat out there protesting against cruising (we kind of wanted to take their ship tour, to confuse them...don't get me wrong, I like Greenpeace).

 

 

And this is a few days later, on our way into the glacier area. Please note that it was morning, and we were on the bow, on a moving ship.

 

I got that fab coat from the London Fog outlet (might be defunct now), after searching for a warm coat for MONTHS (even though I'm in WA the stores follow the "normal" seasons for selling seasonal clothes, even REI). Had a removeable down jacket inside.

 

 

 

So as you can see, the weather varies!!! Layers, warm coats with removeable innards (our coats, you could wear the inner part alone, so there were THREE options with the one coat), etc...

[Brneyznfl]

I cruised to Alaska in May last year. We had a variety of weather. The first day at sea it was hot enough that we were sunning on the balcony. Most days except the day we were at the glacier, I only needed a light jacket, if that. It drizzled a few times but we saw the sun more often then not. I rank Alaska as the best cruise destination that I've ever sailed to. It was absolutely breathtaking. Words are inadequate to describe it. When I booked, I didn't really think I would enjoy it as much as caribbean vacation. Boy was I wrong, I'd go back again in a heartbeat!

[bluepowder28]

I went to Alaska last September and every day was different, one day I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, the next I was wearing gloves and a hat! It all depends on how close you are to the glaciers IMO. The closer we got to them, the colder it was. Of course I'm from Canada so I'm pretty much used to cooler temps anyway. But I would definitely go back, it was amazing to see the glaciers calving.. awesome! Just pack as if it was late fall, course it depends on what fall is to you.. someone who lives in CA wouldn't probably pack the same as someone from NY.

[teets]

My husband and I travelled to Alaska on the Infinity 2 summers ago. Prior to that cruise we had only cruised the Caribbean 8 times. I too was concerned about the weather. We learned very quickly that layering your clothes was the thing to do. The temperature in the early morning could be very chilly and by midday it was very warm. We did have a couple days of rainy weather but the trip was fabulous. We saw much wildlife, booked independant excursions, except in Juneau where we flew up the the glacier and actually walked on it. I wouldn't change anything...it was fabulous. The wildlife and scenery are incredible, so the weather didn't even matter to us. Take a waterproof jacket with a hood, a couple of sweatshirts, light gloves and even a hat and you should be good to go!!!! Enjoy!

 

Terry

[kruisecat]

I can understand the OP's concern. We live in FL and frankly they don't call it the sunshine state for nothing :) . Yesterday we had a very unusual day. It was overcast all day, mid-50's and it drizzled all day long. I told DH that I suspected that this is how Alaska might be for us (knowing my luck ;) ) and I'll be honest, because I'm so used to sunshine everyday it might depress me a bit. But I do expect that the unbelievable views and experiences will help me out of any funk that the weather might push me towards.

 

To the OP, I say go for it! If you are mentally and emotionally prepared for the "worst" you will be able to handle anything!

[Coral]

Did the fog, grey clouds, drizzle, and cold bother you on the Alaska cruise?

 

Did the grey cold weather effect your Alaskan cruise?

 

Hi,

 

Yes and no. My first Alaskan cruise was in July and it was very cold, very windy and very wet. When outside, it felt like an ice storm hitting my face. It was that cold. When I looked outside at times, our visability was zilch - everything was gray. It was a huge disappointment and yes this cruise was greatly affected. Though there were small periods that when I could see a little to realize that if I went back when the temperature/weather was not miserable, that I would like it.

 

So I went back 5 more times and had beautiful weather each of those 5 times. Yes, there was times of gray clouds, drizzle, a little bit of cold combined with sunny skies, warm weather and beautiful clouds and these trips were fantastic!

 

I guess the moral of the story is that if I hadn't gone the first time (even though the cruise was not enjoyable) I would not have seen the potential in Alaska that I experienced the next several times. So I am glad I went!