Question about Alaska Cruises

[ciniminis]

Is it generally just cold temperature, or cold temperature AND windy? The avg temp doesn't look too bad and we usually love being out on the balcony (for the warm-weather cruises we've been on), but not sure if we'd be miserable with chilly winds in Alaska?

 

[jdb in AZ]

Is it generally just cold temperature, or cold temperature AND windy? The avg temp doesn't look too bad and we usually love being out on the balcony (for the warm-weather cruises we've been on), but not sure if we'd be miserable with chilly winds in Alaska?

Five out of six of our Alaskan cruises have been rather balmy. The 6th cruise the wind and rain were pelting my face as we returned to the ship in one of the ports. If you don't like Alaska's weather, just wait 15 mins and it will change. Overall, our Alaskan cruises haven't been any windier than our other cruises where we encountered stormy weather. Like the time we couldn't dock at Castaway Cay due to the winds whipping the waves around.

 

[bumbershoot]

I see no need to have a balcony. But then our alaska cruise was on a ship literally built for Alaska (royal’s radiance of the seas), so limiting ourselves to what we could see from one room’s balcony would have been foolish.

But I’d rather be out on deck seeing a huge view instead of being cooped up to my room and its balcony, no matter what ship for Alaska.

 

[Rambler5678]

Has anyone done Alaska in a deck one stateroom ocean view?

 

[Minnie & Daisy]

Is it generally just cold temperature, or cold temperature AND windy? The avg temp doesn't look too bad and we usually love being out on the balcony (for the warm-weather cruises we've been on), but not sure if we'd be miserable with chilly winds in Alaska?

The winds would be worse if you were outside on an open deck. There are walls on either side of the verandah that provide some protection. Also, on glacier viewing day, the captain does turn the ship around so that both sides can see things equally. The day(s) inside the glacier are the coldest days out on deck, for obvious reasons.

 

[phinz]

We had an aft suite on our Princess cruise last year and used it a lot. Keep in mind that the sun is up for about 21 hours, give or take, so you have a lot of time to spend outside if you want.

We also used the Promenade deck for glacier viewing. Less crowds, still a full vista.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

Wife and I along with two other couples cruised Alaska last year, we had staterooms with verandas and we all used them often. We cruised over the Fourth of July week and I'm sure which month you cruise makes a difference.
And of course I am sure it makes a difference where you are from. We live in Minnesota and it is 21 F with a wind chill of 9 F right now
During a Panama Canal cruise a woman that sat at our dinner table each night said she loved her heated seats when we got to talking about cars. I had to ask her how cold it had to get in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA to turn on the heat. 70 F, true story!

Before you leave for your cruise; Google the weather for each of your stops and find out what the predicted temperatures will be for those dates and if they're predicting rain. And pack accordingly, this is what we do. You're going to love Alaska!!!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I had to ask her how cold it had to get in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA to turn on the heat. 70 F, true story!

Hey, I live in Southern CA and I have a down jacket that I wear to the football games (and, yes, I bought it to cruise to Alaska). Some of us just don't do well in "cold". Whatever that "cold" is.

 

[JonKPest]

We sailed DCL Alaska September 2013 Deck 5 aft with a Navigator Veranda.I just loved the extra shelter of the Navigator Veranda for Alaska. Was well worth the extra cost to me. I spent so much time out there with all my cameras taking in the sites. Now my wife — not so much, but I sure did.



Here a links to a time lapse videos I made of the great view we had from our veranda.

 

[cyclenut]

Our first Disney cruise was Alaska and we had a verandah. it was the best thing we ever did. We were with a group and had three staterooms. Two connecting rooms were inside on deck 2. Those folks were out on deck a lot to see the views. We joined them on deck sometimes but my wife and I spent a lot of time watching from the verandah. It was amazing. There are two destinations where having a verandah is really beneficial. Alaska and Panama Canal. I realize for many, being on the ship is enough of a financial burden, but if there is a way to afford the upgrade to a verandah, I highly recommend it.

 

[Shanti]

We sailed DCL Alaska September 2013 Deck 5 aft with a Navigator Veranda.I just loved the extra shelter of the Navigator Veranda for Alaska. Was well worth the extra cost to me.

I'm sure it was worth it for you and I'm glad you had a great experience. However, have you actually checked the current prices for DCL Alaska cruise verandahs? They are way, way higher than what you paid in 2013. That's why many of us with upcoming cruises won't even consider a verandah stateroom for this DCL itinerary.

 

[ickeymouseDisney 5]

Starting to plan an Alaska cruise for my parents and myself in summer of 2019. Of course the sailings aren't available yet but had a question about staterooms. Do people actually use the balconies on these cruises due to the temperatures? We usually do balcony staterooms but was unsure about this as we have only done Caribbean or Bahamas cruises before. Just wondering so we don't overpay for a room that we don't use all of the features. I'm thinking just getting an Oceanview room would suffice but unsure.....

We had two rooms both with balcony’s
Definite definite worth it!
Many days we sat even with blankets on!
Best trip ever!

 

[xlxo]

have you thought about which month/week? Cold vs warm vs wet vs dry vs wildlife vs fireworks vs price

• 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! In 2016.... it was mid-August before ships went to Tracy Arm.
• May has cherry blossoms in some ports
• May to July is statistically 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 get statistically wet.... with storms more likely in September to fill the Ketchikan rain gauge
• I like late-July for weather compromise and wildlife. It's also priced higher. Check out the climate chart on this page... http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/juneau/alaska/united-states/usak0116
• some ports offer seasonal opportunities like fireworks and pride celebrations, but can also mean congestion on those popular days.
• pay attention to the sailing.... most are 7 days, but there's a 9 day and a 5 day sailing too. 9 day is premium priced and the 5 day is too short.