Best time to go....???

[sweetbees]

I am sure that this has been asked a thousand times but what does everyone think is the best time to go to Alaska weather wise? We are planning a cruise for next year with my in-laws and I want to go in July and my hubby wants to go in September when it is a bit cheaper. I don't want to go when it is mostly rainy just to save some bucks.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Budget Queen]

On average the "best" weather is mid May, into June. Sept is the worse, can be cold, damp, dusk by 7pm, past the first week.

 

What are you looking at??? Round trip/one way??? With a one way, Sept is good as interior Alaska can have very nice weather in Sept, and works out good with a northbound cruise.

 

Every "week" can have positives and negatives. :) Wildlife is seasonal as well, inside passage.

[Jenbo57]

Truthfully, it can be wet and gray no matter when you go; go when it works best for you and keep your fingers crossed! ;) I've known people who've gone multiple times, a different month each time, and had at least same rain and/or cloudy skies each time! My brother went in early August last year and it rained the whole time; we went two weeks later, same ship, same itinerary, and except for some slight drizzle in Juneau, it was beautiful the entire trip! I had been watching the weather forecasts on the internet prior to leaving and it said we'd have rain at every stop, so I was thrilled to have sunshine and clear skies, especially at Hubbard Glacier.

 

We're going back next May. The snow will be lower in the mountains and even though it'll be a cooler trip than the last one, it will be beautiful...weather permitting, of course!

[cjnky]

After I booked our 8/13 cruise, I was convinced I'd messed up since everyone said that was the rainiest time we could go! WRONG!! We had sunshine and great temperatures EVERY DAY! About the only thing I packed that wasn't needed were my umbrella and our ponchos. I am NOT recommending that you go without them - but as has been said on this board MANY times, plan on ANYTHING weather-wise in AK!! If something were to discourage me from going back to AK, it would be that we could NEVER hit such a great weather week again!

[seattle2000]

We like mid-to-end of August, because there is more wildlife, and many of the glacial waterways are open. Rain is a hit-or-miss there, for the most part.

[tweetylori]

For whatever it's worth...my Mom went last year at the end of August, and sent us this year on a 7-night that left August 31st. She had perfect, sunny weather last year, and we had GREAT weather. The Captain said it was the best weather they'd had this season.

[sweetbees]

Thanks for all of the advice. We were planning on doing the inside passage for our first trip to Alaska so maybe we can go ahead and plan on September. Sounds pretty iffy any time of the year so we will just keep our fingers crossed.

[ute_fan]

Just my opinion, but if I was deciding between May and September to save money, I'd recommend May. Not only does the weather tend to be less rainy, but the bigger factor for me is the length of daylight. I don't remember for sure when the sunset was when we sailed in May -- sometime around 9:30 pm, and when I checked for my friends who are sailing this week, it was closer to 6:30. I love sitting out on the deck and watching as much scenery as possible, so for me having it stay light later is a huge advantage.