Cruising to Alaska in May on the Golden Princess

[maggiecharlie]

I am looking at a cruise to Alaska on the Golden Princess departing on May 9th. Is this a good time to sail to Alaska? What is the weather typically like then? Or is there a better time of year to sail there.

[rebeccalouise]

I did Alaska over Mother's Day in 1998 (so roughly the beginning of May). It was lovely. The days varied between wearing a winter coat and walking around in Ketchikan in shorts.

 

I have been to Alaska four times- early May, late May, early June and early July. I have to say that I saw the most whale activity on the late May and early June voyages. The whales were migrating north and you could see them spouting frequently. I did not witness this in early May- so I suspect that they aren't that far North at this time.

 

So if you want to get the full effect of the Alaska experience, I'd probably plan for late May.

 

We had fantastic sunshiny weather on all of our sailings. We had one day of rain that I can recall and that was brief.

[D4]

The weather is usually colder and wetter in May; that's why the prices are cheaper in May & Sept. The best weather (and the higher prices) are in June, July, and August.

 

It's up to each person to decide what is 'best' for them. If I could only afford to take an Alaskan cruise in the shoulder season (May & Sept), then I'd do it because Alaska is awesome! Otherwise I'd book June or July to improve my odds of better weather.

 

Of course, some people cruise in May & Sept and are lucky to get good weather; but there's no way to predict that.

 

Also, because it's colder in May & Sept, your ship may not be able to go as close to the glaciers because of safety issues. Sometimes ships can't even get within sight of the huge glacier walls.

 

Good luck deciding!

[sunsetbeachgal]

We went to Alaska last year in mid-June and had perfect weather. You might want to pose this question over on the Alaska Boards-will get alot of opinions. Also, those boards are quite helpful with questions about tours as the options are mind-blowing!! You will love Alaska!

[rebeccalouise]

The weather is usually colder and wetter in May; that's why the prices are cheaper in May & Sept. The best weather (and the higher prices) are in June, July, and August.

 

It's up to each person to decide what is 'best' for them. If I could only afford to take an Alaskan cruise in the shoulder season (May & Sept), then I'd do it because Alaska is awesome! Otherwise I'd book June or July to improve my odds of better weather.

 

Of course, some people cruise in May & Sept and are lucky to get good weather; but there's no way to predict that.

 

Also, because it's colder in May & Sept, your ship may not be able to go as close to the glaciers because of safety issues. Sometimes ships can't even get within sight of the huge glacier walls.

 

Good luck deciding!

 

We did Glacier Bay in early May and College Fiords in late May- both stunning! I haven't heard of any problems viewing the Glaciers.

[mii]

We did Glacier Bay in early May and College Fiords in late May- both stunning! I haven't heard of any problems viewing the Glaciers.

 

It is because the Golden does the Tracy Arm route and sometimes the ships cannot get really close to the Sawyer glaciers but the Tracy Fjord is still spectacular. Now I have been to Alaska 6 times and as for the weather last year I spent the 2nd and 3rd week in May up there and one week Ketchikan was pouring down rain but the 2nd week(doing a B2B) was 80 degrees. So there is no way possible to predict the weather up there so do what is best for your schedule.

 

Marilyn

[maggiecharlie]

The price for the cruise is almost too good to pass up.

 

Thanks for all your help.

[Colo Cruiser]

Alaska weather is a crap shoot anytime you are on a cruise.

Just enjoy and be prepared with clothing to dress in layers.

[Putterdude]

The weather is Alaska is always variable so you may hit good weather but ordinarily the weather in Alaska does not start to shape up until after mid May at earliest. My favourite time is mid July to mid Aug. However at worst you will see what coastal Alaska looks like for 10 or months a year. You will enjoy the Golden though.

[iggy's mom]

We cruised Alaska two years ago in May. The first two days were cold and rainy. After that, the weather was perfect!