Alaska in May

[Iceland]

My friend is going to Alaska on the Norwegian Star for the last week in May. As she is not on internet she has asked me to find out for her what weather she can expect at that time of year? She is flying to Seattle and is cruising the Inside Passage. If anyone can give me any tips regarding the ship or excursions she would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

[retiredAF]

Scroll down to the Alaska forum and you will find tons of info. You will see a search option to research your particular questions and if you don't find what you are looking for, ask away. There are a number of very knowledgable posters over there. This link should work as well.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[LindaKE]

You can probably find better on the Alaska board, but I'll just share our experience. We went mid-May, and it was cold! With the wind that is created by the movement of the ship, it felt MUCH colder than the actual temperature which stayed in the 40s the whole time for us. We are from the south, but most passengers we met were from northern states, and even they were cold.

[tortugas]

We went 2 years ago in early May and it was cold! Coldest on deck when the ship was moving... it was the wind that really got to you. In port we were fine as we were moving about, and there wasn't nearly as much wind. On the plus side, it was snowing the day we were in Glacier Bay, which was one of the most magical experiences I have ever had -- truly amazing!! And we saw tons and tons of whales from the ship. Def. make sure she takes a lightweight wind/breaker/rain coat, and don't forget a hat or earbands... your ears get really nippy, even when the rest of you is ok!!

[garycarla]

We went the end of May and wore shorts on deck most days, except the day we were up close to the Glacier and it was raining.

 

She can easily expect anywhere from 40-70. Again, jump over to the Alaska boards to read more.

[ute_fan]

Another vote for reading the Alaska boards. However, we sailed last year on 5/20 and had beautiful weather more of the trip -- except in Seattle and it rained part of the time we were in Ketchikan. Alaska weather is very unpredictable, so the best advice she can get is to pack so she can layer as needed, with the top layer being waterproof.

[Awsi Dooger]

Late May was cold. Wonderfully cold. My best memories of that cruise were circling the ship alone at night, amidst howling wind and cold, chuckling at the thought I could fall overboard and no one would know.

 

Don't root for wimpy warm. You want it to be frigid on the inside passage. It's truly a remarkable cruise particularly when land is close and visible on both sides. On the coldest days I would make sure I had several ice cream cones from the little stand in the starboard rear of the ship, just to emphasize the cold.

 

On our Glacier Bay morning it was so frigid they were selling so many different types of coffee outside on deck it was a joke. I was struggling to name a country they didn't have a coffee from. I couldn't believe how many pathetic passengers were insisting on coffee instead of ice water, my choice.

 

Let's see, in terms of excursions I took a helicopter atop a glacier in Juneau, but that was expensive. I paid for it via winnings in the little Star casino, something like $225 cost. At the time they had plenty of Vision slot machines in that casino and I was the only one on board who knew what gold mines they were. I made $1141 profit during the cruise, strictly by playing Vision machines like Kool Kat, Wild Cherry Pie, Double Diamond Mine, Slot Bingo, X Factor, Diamond Thief. Those machines debuted in Las Vegas in the late '90s and were so profitable via selective play it caused workers literally to leave high paying jobs to play slot machines full time. It was roughly a $25 per hour job, on average, if you knew what you were doing. The machines pay a bonus at a specific level that can be seen, hence the term Vision machines. You play only when the bonus is close. There's an old book called, "Robbing The One-Armed Bandits," that was written during the height of the era. Eventually the Chinese stormed Las Vegas and other gambling venues and monopolized the machines, sitting next to tourists and waiting until the machines were abandoned in favorable territory. It slowly forced the casinos to get rid of the machines and they are almost non-existent now. When I took the Star in '05 I was literally walking up to machines that guys would have been fighting over in Las Vegas, things like a cherry pie machine with 1 cherry to go and 50 in the basket. At one point I ignored several great plays to watch a movie in the cinema, certain the bonus plays would still be sitting there when I returned 2 hours later. And they were. I wouldn't stay in the casino long but it seemed like every time I walked in there I would be confronted with a half dozen machines in favorable territory. Then when the casino closed you could check which ones were in bonus range, and be first to play them when the casino re-opened. My biggest chore was not to laugh.

 

Sorry for the detour, but anyone who doesn't take advantage of the Vision machines in NCL casinos is a rank fool. Assuming they are still there. They may not be, 3 years later.

 

Otherwise, regarding excursions, after the helicopter trip I made it out to the famous glacier in Juneau. In Ketchikan I mostly took my own tour, walking the piers and the planked old red light district, and took a lift to a scenic restaurant that is part of a hotel. In Skagway the dominant excursion is the train ride. Other than that it's a small old town from the gold rush era and you have plenty of time to visit the small buildings and get a feel for the history. Plenty of options in Victoria, which was the last stop on our cruise. I've been there many times so I primarily sampled the gardens and museums in the scenic area near the water.

 

I'd advise to make sure connections are researched, and made in advance, to and from the airport in Seattle. It was comical how much some of the big companies wanted to charge from the airport to the pier, including the ones tied to NCL.

 

Again, my main advice is don't overlook the casino. You only play those machines when they are in advantage position, then quit immediately. Don't keep spinning like a boob. A diamond mine, for example, is a play with any column at 9, or a minimum combination of 8 in one column and 7 in another, or any total of 16 or higher among the 3 columns. As long as any one of those criteria is present, you play one coin at a time. The other machines it's more complicated to describe the minimum, but it will be relatively obvious in time. Here, I'll give out a couple more: Play the machine X Factor at 5 or higher, and Kool Kat whenever the crown is on the Kat, or the number of hats is huge, let's say totaling 50 or more. On Slot Bingo the red comes up more often that green so you need 37 or higher on red and at least 40 on green. These games are difficult to describe on the internet. But many, many people changed their lives financially, when they were in abundance in casinos. It was like a mini industry, with the casino workers livid and jealous of the advantage players, as they were called. I'm amazed it's never been detailed on shows like 60 Minutes or 20/20, etc.

[newmexicoNita]

Even late May can be very cold. The year we went we actually got a few snow flurries the first day out. When I say a few I mean exactly that. You would have had to be on deck and paying very close attention, but they were there. It depends on the year.

 

Some say they were able to wear shorts, I can't imagine, but every year is different. I think I would be inclined to depend on layered clothes as when on land the weather may be quite a bit warmer.

 

As suggested by others, go to the Alaska board for more information.

 

Hope your friend has an awesome cruise.

 

Nita