Pros and cons of Alaska June or July Cruise?

[Rambler5678]

Can anyone that has gone in either month please share their pros and cons? Trying to decide which month is best for our family of four visiting from the east coast.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Can anyone that has gone in either month please share their pros and cons? Trying to decide which month is best for our family of four visiting from the east coast.

We cruised Alaska in May, June, and July.

The weather varies from week to week, year to year.

The salmon will be running in July, so there's a greater chance of seeing bears in the stream fishing. You can also see the salmon swimming upstream to spawn. The fish jumping the ladders at the hatchery between Juneau and the Mendenhall Glacier are fascinating.

 

[xlxo]

To clarify...

• are you travelling with children? You can save money by going in June avoiding the holiday crunch.
• are you planning stay a week or so in Vancouver? Vancouver's driest weather comes July 15 to August 15 each year.
• are you planning a lot of Alaska shore excursions and prefer dry weather?

 

[sambycat]

we were on the opening cruise this year (last of May, early June). gorgeous weather! vancouver was beautiful, some drizzly weather in sitka but overall fabulous weather, much nicer than expected (the people in ketchikan went on and on about it!). so i think weather wise it is really hit or miss? we did not see salmon (too early) so if thats a “thing” on your bucket list, i’d look at that. we want to go again and will try a different time just to compare.

 

[icesk8abc]

We cruised Alaska (different cruise line) during the second week of June.

The weather was cool to cold (highs in the 40s on 2 port days in the high 50s the other 2). We are from Texas where the temperatures were already in the high 90s so it was cold to us. We were told this was cooler than usual. We only had rain one day (Juneau).

If you want to see the salmon run, you will have to cruise in July. The salmon run also brings out the other wild life. We didn't see bear or moose. The tour guides told us it was too early. We did get to see tons of bald eagles which was amazing.

The only thing I would add is that no matter when you go, if you can, get a veranda room. It is worth it for the views. It was also nice on the day we sailed the Tracy Arm to stand on our own balcony and then duck back into the room when it got too cold. With the air coming down off the glacier, the wind chill was 31 that day. We also got hot chocolate and pastries in the morning and ordered room service for lunch. We did go up top when we got all the way in to the arm for a 360 view, but as cruising the arm takes all day, it was nice to have our own retreat where we could still enjoy the view.

 

[Rambler5678]

We are two adults with two children ages 12 and 5. They get out of school around memorial day so school is not a factor. We would like to see whales in Juneau and planned to take the train/bus combo in Skagway and the deadliest catch tour in Ketchikan, but still probably would not go until mid June at the earliest. How close would the ship get to the Tracy Fjord Glacier in Mid-June vs July with the seal birthing season occurring? Looks like it would be around $500-600 cheaper to go mid June than July. Any other factors?

 

[icesk8abc]

In mid-June our progress up the Tracy Fjord was limited not by the seals (they were done), but by the glacier that had just calved two days before. I always tell this story because no matter when you go, it is possible that you will not be able to get all the way up the Fjord. We still got a really great view of the glacier, but would have loved to get closer. However, the icebergs from the recent glacier calving were huge and we weren't interested in a Titanic reenactment.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

We went the very first week for August, we were told by a number of people it was the best weather of all the season and we got closer to Tracy Arm than any other cruise. We had great weather and saw so much wildlife sealife and birds Early season has fog but the weather is changeable.

 

[melglnh2o]

We went the last week of June and the weather was fabulous. It briefly rained early morning in Ketchikan. We didn't get to see the salmon but saw a lot of other wildlife. Our whale watching excursion in Juneau was probably the best thing we did and we saw lots of whales! Since we are also from the east coast, we stayed in Vancouver for a week before the cruise to adjust to the time change. I didn't want my daughter waking up at 3am on the ship!

The weather really is hit or miss so you just have to pick what works best for your family and then hope for the best after that. It will be an amazing trip no matter what!