Alaska in May

[carrielouhoo]

We're looking at doing an Alaskan itinerary on the Wonder in the next couple years, potentially the first sailing of the season in May. I've seen various commentary on the temperatures, chance for rain, and opportunities to see wildlife at various points throughout the summer sailing season, with different time periods being best for each. What, if any, are the specific downsides of that first sailing?

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts....

• the weather is cooler
• you are more likely to miss Tracy Arm due to ice congestion. Endicott arm is substituted
• embarkation/debarkation may be slower as the cruise terminals are training new staff for the season on the first sailings. Budget extra time for 3 ship days in Vancouver.
• in a couple of years???? expect prices to go up and the glaciers to be smaller. If price is a concern.... do compare HAL and Princess for similar sailing weeks for price comparison. Look for a trip with Glacier Bay for a better glacier experience.

Pro's

• longer days than August and September sailings
• lower prices than the summer
• no Zika-free mosquito's
• you see snow in the mountains....
• less kids on the trip as many are still in school
• May is a statistically dry month compared to August/September in Alaska
  http://usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USAK0225

 

[dclpluto]

We're looking at doing an Alaskan itinerary on the Wonder in the next couple years, potentially the first sailing of the season in May. I've seen various commentary on the temperatures, chance for rain, and opportunities to see wildlife at various points throughout the summer sailing season, with different time periods being best for each. What, if any, are the specific downsides of that first sailing?

I was on DCL first ever Alaska cruise may 3 2011.

Downsides weather will be a little cooler than the summer of course but it's not too bad remember its southern Alaska in may.

Maybe you will see less wildlife. I'm not sure.

Upsides - cost is cheaper

You take the repo cruise before the Alaska cruise to make it a decent length vacation.

 

[anricat]

• you are more likely to miss Tracy Arm due to ice congestion. Endicott arm is substituted

Don't let this bullet point deter you. We went to Endicott Arm this year (in fact, every single cruise in 2016 did) and it was absolutely breathtaking. Those that have been to both say that both are amazing. Most I heard said that the fjord is a little more impressive in Tracy Arm, but the glacier is more impressive in Endicott (and you get a little closer).

 

[carrielouhoo]

Thoughts....

• in a couple of years???? expect prices to go up and the glaciers to be smaller. If price is a concern.... do compare HAL and Princess for similar sailing weeks for price comparison. Look for a trip with Glacier Bay for a better glacier experience.

Thanks, everyone! This is mostly in line with what I was expecting. My kids' school gets out in late May (and returns in early August), and we're at the beach in June/July, so I was thinking late May might be a good option if there weren't too many downsides! xlxo, I'm thinking a couple of years only because my youngest just turned 2 and want to wait a little longer for her sake...just hoping the glaciers don't shrink and prices don't jump too much before 2019!

 

[cruisehopeful]

No downsides unless you want to do a bear viewing excursion. It's a great time to go.

 

[xlxo]

There is one potential downside on the first sailing. In 2017, the first Wonder appearance is on May 22. This is the Victoria Day long weekend.

• Pre-cruise in Vancouver tourist attractions can be super busy.
• Hotels will be premium priced too. Exploring Vancouver Post-cruise will be great.
• border crossings by land will be heavy too if you are coming to/from Seattle

Don't have details on the first 2018 Wonder Alaska sailing date yet....

 

[richkaryn]

We did the 2nd sailing this year (May 30-June6). The weather was amazing-- mid 70s in Vancouver, 55-62ish in port usually. Sunny in both Skagway and Ketchikan, cloudy/drizzly in the morning in Juneau but cleared up by mid afternoon. And the plus to an earlier sailing is you get to see snow on tops of mountains in Vancouver, Skagway, etc. By the time we got back to Vancouver the snow had melted away almost completely. We also saw bears on the bus on way up to Yukon in Skagway, so there's always a chance.

 

[jdb in AZ]

We did the 2nd sailing this year (May 30-June6). The weather was amazing-- mid 70s in Vancouver, 55-62ish in port usually. Sunny in both Skagway and Ketchikan, cloudy/drizzly in the morning in Juneau but cleared up by mid afternoon. And the plus to an earlier sailing is you get to see snow on tops of mountains in Vancouver, Skagway, etc. By the time we got back to Vancouver the snow had melted away almost completely. We also saw bears on the bus on way up to Yukon in Skagway, so there's always a chance.

I would hope they'd keep the bears off the bus!

 

[Rambler5678]

Is the scenery much different from early June to late June? Do you much wildlife in early June? Are all the excursions operating at that time?

 

[phinz]

We went in late May this year on the Crown Princess. The weather was glorious most of the time. Was it cold? At times, yes. Was it rainy? At times, yes. Did we see wildlife? At times, yes. Would I do May again? In a heartbeat.

 

[richkaryn]

I would hope they'd keep the bears off the bus!

LOL!! Guess I could have worded that better......we saw bears "From the bus"

 

[The Hunchback]

We went in mid May. The salmon were not running yet so the bears slept in late. Most exciting 'wildlife" we saw was a huge banana slug. To not see bears was disappointing to us. You may want check with Alaska Fish and Wildlife to see what anticipated salmon run date is. If we go again, we will go later in summer.

Weather was not bad and although crew was in training, they were very efficient and energetic.

 

[mrp4352]

One of my favorite things about the early season cruises is how excited so many of the crew members are. For many, it's their first time to Alaska and we'd find ourselves elbow-to-elbow with cast members who were as excited as we were about seeing a whale tail or a beautiful waterfall! I also found that I preferred Endicott Arm to Tracy Arm (having seen both). We were able to get much closer in and thought the cruise in and out was prettier.

 

[Pooh2]

We went the first sailing this year and the weather was great! It rained the day we went to Endicott but that was our only rainy day. We did wear light coats on deck most days.