Thread: Best time to tour/cruise Alaska

I'm not sure how to put this question into a poll format, so I'll just ask the question and hope to get usable answers!

What do you think is the best time to do a tour and cruise in Alaska?

May or September because it's cheaper?

Mid-June or so because there's more daylight?

July or August because the weather might be warmer?

For reference, my first and only tour/cruise to date was during the first two weeks of June. While the weather during the land portion was essentailly perfect most days, the day we did the Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali Park was cold, raw and so overcast that we couldn't even see the mountains in which we were traveling, let alone The Mountain! The cruise portion also featured a raw and cold day in Glacier Bay - it was far more comfortable in the Crow's Nest.

I'm deliberating a tour/cruise in 2012 and would love to hear your thoughts about the best time to go!

Thanks.

SWR

we have cruised all months in Alaska -- hated May -- we had nothing but rain, cold and high winds and seas

end of august and first part of september -- again -- lots of rain and cold temperatures

the best times we like -- from the middle of June through the middle of August

I think it depends on your budget. May isnt dirt cheap for no reason. .. though I might still do it then to save money personally. Sept I always seem to have a caribbean cruise booked already so late august and sept never work out for me... though I would like to go then to Alaska too.

Thanks, guys.

Krazy Kruizers: I suspected that mid-June to mid-August would work best! Still trying to determine exactly when.

flowers: Happily, budget is not a factor here, so I'm inclined to follow Krazy Kruizers!

Question for flowers: why would you book a Caribbean cruise in the most active hurricane months????????????????????????

SWR

We have cruised Alaska about 12 times and some of the best weather has been in early September.
We usually go Labor Day week when the rate drop as kid head back to school.

My older sister and BIL found an Alaska cruise/tour that embarked on May 19, their second anniversary, so they booked that one. That was back in 2003, but I remember they weren't wearing summer clothing in their picturesx. Because of the cold and snow up there, I always thought I will never go to Alaska, but my mom has been saying she wants to sail there since my sister got back from her two-week trip.

We just got back from a May 10th 10 day cruise to Alaska and the weather was wonderful. We started/ended in Seattle and has sunshine both days. Our cruise director said when we were in Hubbard Glacier it was the best weather he's ever seen there in 9 seasons. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. We had a few afternoon showers in Ketchikan and an overcast day while we were cruising the inside passage but again, no complaints. It was fairly cool (upper 50s/low 60s during the day) and we were comfortable in long sleeves and a lightweight jacket.

We have also cruised around Labor Day and had nice weather, but we've never had weather like this May cruise. I don't think you can count on nice or bad weather whichever you decide to do. They each have good things going for them and weather is so unpredictable you can't count on warm or cold/clear or rainy.

The May cruise will have mountains that are still snowy and breathtaking, but the September cruise will start having a fall look, and will be especially pretty if you take a tour to Denali.

Garry