Thread: Alaska in September

Hello world,
I have not been here for a while... I did the asia cruise on Diamond princess at the end of 2010
and now my second cruise is almost booked.. Inside passage on HAL Volendam.

leaving sept 5th , verandah suite..

Any advice on clothing requirements ??

On the asia trip I booked a tour at every port of call.... If I did the same cruise again I would book none at all and just take the bus into town..
Is this a good approach on the alaska trip or are there any tours that should not be missed..

My main hobby and part time earner is photography .. any other photographers out there got any advice

thankyou world

Alaska is a photographers dream.

Bring clothes that you can "layer". It can be warm or freezing, you just never know.

Agree on the layering. Maybe Cruise Princess will spot this -- she's a photographer and has gone on several Alaskan cruises. Expect to take lots of photos.

When we went on our Alaskan cruise in 2004, we did two excursions, but the rest of the time just walked around in the port. Not sure which ports you're going to, but Ketchikan's pier is right by the town. I think Juneau was a very short walk, but if you want to see the capital building, it's a bit farther. Skagway is also near the pier, there was a shuttle you can jump on if you want.

We also went to Victoria (we had the RT from Seattle) and took the bus into town.

Alaska is our favorite destination. Such beauty. We have cruised twice in September and now will do our first cruise of Glacier Bay (so excited).

Here's some links that might be helpful:

Juneau Walking Tour

Sitka Walking Tour

Sitka Visitor's Map
This is different than the walking tour mentioned above.

Ketchikan Map

Creek Street In Ketchikan (worth going to)

In September both times we had great weather so a raincoat/wind breaker worked fine in the ports BUT NOT if you plan to stand out on deck for hours cruising thru Misty Fjord, Tracy Arm, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay. Then we were glad we had packed warm socks, sweatshirts, gloves, hats etc.

Here's a great book:

http://www.amazon.com/Alaska-Cruise-...1333584&sr=8-5

Alaska By Cruise Ship written by Ann Vipond (edition 7)

The updated version was just released in January 2012. "The complete guide to taking a cruise or cruise tour to Alaska. Our book covers all aspects of this exciting cruise with 2 giant color pull-out maps showing all cruise routes of both the Inside Passage and Glacier cruises. Learn about the wildlife (includes whale watching map and tips on sighting different kinds of whales) as well as native culture, natural phenomena and all attractions on an Alaskan cruise. Our book also comes with detailed walking-tour maps of each port and hiking locations for the those who like to get about on foot. Over 400 color photos and dozens of maps make Alaska By Cruise Ship your best porthole companion."

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Ocean Cruise Guides; 7 Rev / with GiantMap edition (January 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0980957370
ISBN-13: 978-0980957372
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches

Here books are very well written. I have her Alaska (older version, just ordered the new one) and the one for Hawaii. It's great to know exactly what to expect in the ports and ideas for what to do and see. Maps too. Highly recommend.

Forgot to mention, we did see whales from the ship. When we walked into town in Juneau look up into the trees. LOTS of bald eagles. The views from the top of the Tram area were magnificent. So much to do and see. Can't wait to go back.

Just wondering.... Is this the right sort of area to see the Northern lights

Nope -- your cruise needs to be futhur north -- and you really need to be inland.

Winter months are better as the northern lights need more darkness to be seen. And cruises don't sail in the winter months.

You won't see Northern Lights during the Summer, especially if you go further north in Alaska as the sun sets very late, rises very early and it never really gets dark. We were in Dawson, Yukon the end of August and I was reading a newspaper while sitting on a bench outside without lights at 10:00pm - it was still that bright.

As for what to wear, I agree wholeheartedly with what others have said; plan to dress in layers. We wear convertible pants (those with legs that zip off so you have long pants that can become shorts), then take a long-sleeve shirt, a fleece jacket, and a lightweight rain jacket. If it's chilly, you can wear the fleece. If it's warm and wet, wear the rain jacket, and so on.

In September, it can be slightly chilly in the morning, warm in the afternoon, and chilly in the evening. We were there for 2 weeks the end of August/beginning of September, but we toured all through the Yukon and Alaska, so we did not spend our entire time just in the lower part of the State on a 7-night roundtrip cruise. We lucked out and only had drizzle on two days - just so happened that one day was when we went into Denali and never got to see Mt. McKinley. But we never got rain during our entire trip.

Pete