Best Month for Alaskan Cruise?

[Belleofthehouse]

We just came back from our first Disney cruise last month and loved it!!

We booked a placeholder, and my husband really wants to go on the Alaskan cruise. What month is the best for enjoying Alaska? Preferable months would be May-August....our youngest DS (14) will go with us, and I do no want him to miss school if possible.

in advance. This board was so helpful in planning our first cruise!! Thank you to everyone who posts info.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We just came back from our first Disney cruise last month and loved it!!

We booked a placeholder, and my husband really wants to go on the Alaskan cruise. What month is the best for enjoying Alaska? Preferable months would be May-August....our youngest DS (14) will go with us, and I do no want him to miss school if possible.

in advance. This board was so helpful in planning our first cruise!! Thank you to everyone who posts info.

Well, May through August is the primary season (into the beginning of September) for Alaska.

June, July & Aug are typically the warmest months. But can be rainy (actually the part of Alaska the cruise ships visit is considered a rain forest). Also considered the "high" season, so more costly.

May is usually driest. But, like September, can be subject to excursions being cancelled due to inclement weather.

 

[jdb in AZ]

We like August because the salmon are swimming upstream to spawn, so you have a better chance of seeing bears fishing in the rivers. Also, the Alaskan Fireweed (bright pink flowers) are in bloom, signaling the end of summer.

May is iffy -- we were there in mid-May one year and about froze our kiesters. Ships often have trouble getting into Tracy's Arm in May because of ice in the water.

 

[Belleofthehouse]

Thank you for the info! I DESPISE cold weather and am willing to endure it for this trip but not to freeze to death! Sounds like August 2018 will be the winner.

 

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

I have wondered this as well. Curious if seeing whales and other wildlife is much different depending on the month.

 

[AngelDisney]

We went in August and it rained every day during the week we cruised. There was not much snow at Tracy Arm. Our dogsledding exercusion in Skagway got cancelled due to the warm temperature. If you want to see bears, August is a good month. July is the most expensive month, but there is more snow at Tracy Arm. Last week of August is comparatively cheaper. I really enjoyed the Alaskan cruise and think it is definitely worth to revisit.

Have fun planning!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The most important thing to remember about Alaskan weather, is, if you don't like it, wait 10 minutes.

It's quite variable, regardless of the month.

 

[bbel]

I always feel the cold, I often wear a jacket on castaway, but never found Alaska freezing (apart from maybe the glacier day), it would often be damp/grey/drizzly, but with a couple of layers i was good, I never wore a massive coat anyway.

I love Alaska, I think its my favourite itinerary, so even if you find it cold, its worth it!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I always feel the cold, I often wear a jacket on castaway, but never found Alaska freezing (apart from maybe the glacier day), it would often be damp/grey/drizzly, but with a couple of layers i was good, I never wore a massive coat anyway.

I love Alaska, I think its my favourite itinerary, so even if you find it cold, its worth it!

Well, this is me in Alaska - I do not do cold well:

 

[Dug720]

I have wondered this as well. Curious if seeing whales and other wildlife is much different depending on the month.

FWIW, I was in AK roughly the same time two years in a row - one year we had whales up the Inside Passage and down the Inside Passage with some even breaching near the ship! The next year we hardly saw any from the ship. So I don't know that whales really stick to a calendar.

 

[bbel]

View attachment 204280

These two pictures were taken a week apart...

 

[bbel]

Sorry... this one haha

 

[xlxo]

Cold vs warm vs wet vs dry vs wildlife vs fireworks

• May and September is cheaper, but colder and some excursions are not running. Some like these months as you can do back 2 back cruise getting to/from Alaska.
• May can mean ice congestion to some glacier viewing sites like Tracy Arm/Sawyer. Ice in some years can go into July! This year.... it was mid-August before ships went to Tracy Arm. The Wonder did ZERO trips to look for Sawyer in 2016.
• May to July is dryer in Alaska, August will see more rain and September will be wettest. If too stormy to dock.... cruise ships will skip the port.
• July to August will be dryer in Cascadia
• May to August will give you more day light
• August and September offer better wildlife opportunities with bears and salmon
• August starts to statistically get wet.... with storms more likely in September.
• I like late-July for weather compromise and wildlife. It's also priced higher.
• some ports offer seasonal opportunities like fireworks and pride celebrations, but can also mean congestion on those popular days.
• http://www.alaska.org/advice/best-time-to-visit-alaska => it recommends mid-June to mid-July!
• BTW... late July has a special 9 day sailing with bonus ports!

 

[sharksfinatic17]

We went June 22, 2015 and had great weather every day but our Juneau day. It was misty that day, but not horribly cold. Tracy Arm day was a layering kind of day, but not freezing.

 

[Pooh2]

We did the May trip to Alaska this year. The weather was near perfect!
On Endicott Glacier day (could not get into Tracy Fjord), the weather was rainy on and off. We were prepared with raincoats and this did not put a damper on our day.
What a beautiful cruise!

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

The most important thing to remember about Alaskan weather, is, if you don't like it, wait 10 minutes.

It's quite variable, regardless of the month.

When we went (mid-June) it was sunny and got quite warm (maybe even hot for some) in Skagway. Tracy Arm day (which ended up being Endicott Arm, due to a large ice floe blocking Tracy Arm) was mostly clear, but it got quite cold on deck and did mist some, and it was cold and rained all day in Juneau and rained on and off in Ketchikan. If we would go again, I would pick late mid to late July. At that time, the salmon should be running, making it much more likely to spot bears. But no matter when you go, layers and rain gear are the order of the day.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

As others have mentioned, it can really vary from month to month and year to year. We've done two Alaska cruises with DCL and our first was in June 2013 and we hit the weather jackpot. It was a warmer than usual timeframe and we did not have a drop of rain the entire vacation and we sailed 6/17-6/24 and we did make it to Tracy Arm. We honestly ran out of t-shirts during the sailing! This past summer, I picked August on purpose to "try something new" and the weather was much cooler both in Vancouver prior to the cruise and during the cruise. We sailed 8/8-8/15. We also had several rainy/foggy days but honestly - we still had a BLAST and the weather didn't dampen our spirits at all. The entire season for 2016 did not make it to Tracy Arm so the months clearly didn't matter, lol.

I'd honestly go with what works best for your family both time wise and price wise. Both of the weeks we picked were cheaper than the peak weeks and I'd go Alaska in a hot minute if I could.

Heather