Best time to cruise Alaska?

[MandAmommy]

Those of you who are more "in the know" regarding Alaska....I am just starting research for 2017. Schedules are no issue for us, so if you could cruise any of the available times to Alaska, when would you pick? The only people I know who have been before went on the last cruise of the season a few years back (with another line) and they wished they had gone earlier in the year due to ice. Looking for your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Those of you who are more "in the know" regarding Alaska....I am just starting research for 2017. Schedules are no issue for us, so if you could cruise any of the available times to Alaska, when would you pick? The only people I know who have been before went on the last cruise of the season a few years back (with another line) and they wished they had gone earlier in the year due to ice. Looking for your thoughts. Thanks!

While I haven't cruise DCL to Alaska, I've been twice. Once on the last cruise of the season (mid September) and once on the second cruise of the season (early June). I'd do either of those again, in a heartbeat, but our next cruise there will probably be in July. Reason? We haven't been there in mid-summer.

There's no "best" time for Alaska, as each month is something different. Best, for me, is being able to be there at all different times. I will also point out, that, for many, doing Alaska means going to Glacier Bay, and DCL doesn't go there.

 

[xlxo]

• May and September is cheaper, but colder and some excursions are not running
• May can mean ice congestion to some glacier viewing sites like Tracy Arm/Sawyer
• 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
• I like late-July for weather compromise and wildlife. It's also priced higher.
• some ports offer season opportunities like fireworks and pride celebrations, but can also mean congestion.
• have you considered bumping your cruise to 2016???? Your bonus Vancouver port has a currency collapse. Huge savings for multi-day stays at this port that is bigger than all the US ports combined.

http://www.alaska.org/advice/best-time-to-visit-alaska => it recommends mid-June to mid-July!
Alaskan mosquitos are Zika free!

 

[jdb in AZ]

The coldest we've been in Alaska was in May, but the week before that cruise they had record-high temps. If you don't like the weather, wait 15 mins and it will change.

The salmon are running mid-July into August, and it's fun to watch them jumping the ladders uphill to the salmon hatchery in Juneau. Since bears love salmon, you'll have a better chance of seeing bears fishing in the streams when the salmon are running. In August you'll see the Alaskan fireweed -- pink wildflowers. When they're blooming, that means "termination dust" (snow that terminates the tourist season) will soon be there.

 

[southerngirl528]

The salmon are running mid-July into August, and it's fun to watch them jumping the ladders uphill to the salmon hatchery in Juneau.

I was going to add this exact thing to xlxo's fine list!

The only other thing I have heard is that the mosquitoes can be bad in the warmer months. I've only cruised the first week of the season which was the end of May and relished the chilly weather since I live where it's miserably hot most of the year.

 

[MandAmommy]

These are some great things for me to think about! Thank you SO much! Keep them coming!

 

[southerngirl528]

I think it would be pretty hard to go wrong on a DCL cruise to Alaska, MandAmommy no matter what dates you choose. The naturalist they have on board is awesome, so be sure to go to his talks when you can. It is a beautiful, beautiful cruise.

 

[tvguy]

Weather is always going to be unpredictable in Alaska. We cruised in June 2002 and hit a heatwave with record highs in every port. We cruised in June 2012 and had sunny, dry and cool weather. So I guess, we have been lucky not to have rain.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

As many others have said, it's really unpredictable to guess the weather from season to season. In 2013 we cruised June 17-24 as it fit our budget and schedule the best and we did not have a drop of rain the entire cruise and was during another "heat wave" and we wished we had brought more T-shirts! This year we picked 8/8-8/15 so we could try something new and the price was the same as the mid June cruises so it didn't cost us any more to switch to August this time around. We are hoping to see more salmon and different wildlife but I agree any time is awesome and I'd go with budget and what time works for you

Heather

 

[Mrs Green]

The coldest we've been in Alaska was in May, but the week before that cruise they had record-high temps. If you don't like the weather, wait 15 mins and it will change.

The salmon are running mid-July into August, and it's fun to watch them jumping the ladders uphill to the salmon hatchery in Juneau. Since bears love salmon, you'll have a better chance of seeing bears fishing in the streams when the salmon are running. In August you'll see the Alaskan fireweed -- pink wildflowers. When they're blooming, that means "termination dust" (snow that terminates the tourist season) will soon be there.

I'm booked for the 8/8 Alaska cruise this summer, but really never heard about the wildflowers! That sounds like something I will really like! Thanks for making my day

As many others have said, it's really unpredictable to guess the weather from season to season. In 2013 we cruised June 17-24 as it fit our budget and schedule the best and we did not have a drop of rain the entire cruise and was during another "heat wave" and we wished we had brought more T-shirts! This year we picked 8/8-8/15 so we could try something new and the price was the same as the mid June cruises so it didn't cost us any more to switch to August this time around. We are hoping to see more salmon and different wildlife but I agree any time is awesome and I'd go with budget and what time works for you

Heather

See you in Alaska! Six months to go!!

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

See you in Alaska! Six months to go!!

Woohoo - see you there

Heather

 

[cruisehopeful]

We went in June before and are going in early June again. That is because of wanting to see more ice/snow. If you really want to see bears, July is the best month. We did see some bears in early June a few years ago on an excursion in Skagway, but the bear port adventures don't run that early in the season.

 

[Aby]

We have gone twice so far in mid-August and are doing so again this coming summer. We had beautiful weather on each cruise, and the salmon were running which was very neat to see. We saw lots of bears on our Neet's Bay Bear Watch in Ketchikan too!

Aby

 

[sharksfinatic17]

We went on the June 22 cruise last summer. We had great weather except for our Juneau day. Luckily whales don't mind water, and we were on a private whale watching trip with lots of indoor space. It was more of a heavy mist than a down poor. I would go at that time of the year again. Cost and school schedules were the two biggest factors in choosing that particular cruise. My parents pay for our vacations, and there are 10 of us....that adds up quickly.