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After a few more days in the Inside Passage communities of Skagway, Kake, and Petersburg, the sailing culminates in Vancouver. The best time to cruise Alaska is in May or June, at the beginning of the cruise season. Alaska’s cruise season has always been short, peaking quickly at the height of the summer months and then done by early fall.
What is the best time of year to see the northern lights on an Alaska cruise?
While the tourism season in Alaska doesn’t really kick in until June, many small cruise ships start running tours in May. If you’re looking for dry weather and lots of wildlife, then May is a great time to join a cruise as it’s one of the state’s driest months and features spring migrations and lots of newborn wildlife. Both the peak season and shoulder seasons offer high-quality excursions, breathtaking scenery and memorable tourist events and cultural festivals.
What to Do in Alaska: Top Things to Do in September
This means you have more time to stroll the deck of your ship and look out onto Alaska’s stunning landscapes and glaciers. Each month within the April to September stretch offers its own unique advantages and disadvantages. To help you choose which is the best month for you, we’ve created this month-by-month guide to the Alaskan cruise season. The best time to book an Alaskan cruise is the months between April and September. If you think this is a long stretch to be deemed “the best” time to book a cruise in Alaska, you are not wrong, but there is a reason for this.
Cruising Alaska Between Mid-Summer to Early Fall (Late July to Late September)
If your itinerary includes stops in Anchorage, Seward, or Whittier, you might experience rougher seas as you cross the Gulf of Alaska in September. With shoulder heights at 6 foot 9 inches and over 1,400 pounds, these massive animals are as dangerous as impressive, so you’ll want to view them from a distance. Birds also haven’t started their migration, so you can spot both songbirds and seabirds as you cruise along the coast. There is a chance you will see some snow, so a winter coat, gloves, and a hat are a smart addition to your packing list. You also might see fuzzy harbor seal pups and sea lion pups (born in June and July) warming themselves on rocks with their mothers.
By the end of August, the sunrise and sunset times in Alaska are pretty close to “normal” times for most states in the USA. You might feel like you aren’t getting the true Alaskan “Midnight Sun” experience this month. If you cruise to Alaska this month, you can enjoy more shop and restaurant options in port towns but expect things to be slightly more crowded. If you cruise to Alaska in June, you can expect warmer and drier temperatures, fewer children onboard, increased wildlife sightings, and more cruise offerings. May is a practical choice for Alaskan cruisers who are on a limited budget but want to have slightly warmer and drier weather and more chances to see wildlife.
Best times to go on a cruise: Alaska, Caribbean, Mediterranean - USA TODAY
Best times to go on a cruise: Alaska, Caribbean, Mediterranean.
Posted: Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
July and August
Traditionally, July and August have been considered the best time to cruise to Alaska, as these months offer warm sun, long days, and abundant wildlife. However, the shoulder seasons (April–May and September–October) are growing in popularity, thanks to fewer crowds, lower-priced cruises and seasonal attractions like the northern lights. Roughly 1.5 million people visit Alaska on a cruise ship each year, according to the Cruise Line International Association Alaska. July is the ideal month to cruise Alaska, as it offers the most pleasant weather conditions.
What to Pack for An Alaskan Cruise: A Complete Checklist - Travel + Leisure
What to Pack for An Alaskan Cruise: A Complete Checklist.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 21:11:15 GMT [source]
The lush green forests transition into vibrant hues of gold and saffron while the mountaintops become freckled in snowfall. Daylight quietly recedes and the growing twilight perfectly contrasts the luminous green lights of the Aurora Borealis. The enchanting colors invite you to marvel at the miracles of Mother Nature that so often act as the inspiration for treasured postcards. With only 12 hours of sunlight, temperatures range from around 43 degrees to the mid-50s. These new, cooler climates encourage Alaska’s famed wildlife to begin preparing for hibernation.
New to cruising
Be sure to pack high-quality rain gear for excursions along with warm, layered clothing and a hat and gloves. Since I grew up in Alaska, I’m a fan of just about everything in the Land of the Midnight Sun. I also know that your experience can vary widely depending on the month you choose to visit Alaska. Perhaps as interesting as the itinerary is the fact that the vessel, the 528-passenger MS Roald Amundsen, is battery hybrid-powered. In addition to being a model for cruising sustainably, the MS Roald Amundsen features an observation deck, science center, three Nordic-style restaurants, an infinity pool, and hot tubs. In other words, it’s definitely a place you wouldn’t mind spending 19 days.
The vast majority of sailings, particularly those along the Inside Passage (the island-filled coastal waterway in the southeast portion of the state), occur somewhere between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That being said, there are some shoulder-season departures in April, May, September, and October. Generally speaking, the larger the ship, the cheaper the initial price tag. Mega-cruises (with cruise lines such Princess, Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, and Holland America) can go for as little as $100 a night (so roughly $600 per person for a six-night sailing).
Price-conscious travelers will generally find price breaks before Memorial Day or after mid-August, when schools in many parts of the country will be in session. If we were to pick one mega-ship operator to see Alaska on, it would be Norwegian Cruise Line. If your idea of a good time includes loads of onboard amenities (like over-the-top spas, nightly theater productions, go-kart tracks, and a water park), this is the sailing for you. It’s also one of the more family-friendly lines sailing in Alaska, with kids clubs and programming specifically geared at youngsters. Many of the sailings to Alaska center on the state’s major ports of call, like Juneau and Sitka. There’s nothing wrong with those itineraries, but they do tend to focus more on touristy downtowns and less on the great outdoors.
While it may seem counterintuitive that a popular time to travel would mean that cruise fares are lower, the reason is that there are more ships operating at this time. With more options to choose from, you can typically find a good deal if you are booking for the period that stretches between May and June. To help you decide if it’s the right time for your trip, here are some advantages and disadvantages of cruising during the late spring to mid-summer stretch. Plus, as prices are cheaper in the shoulder season, it can be an excellent opportunity to upgrade your stateroom category or splurge on add-ons like excursions, dining packages, or beverage packages. One downside to July is the price of your cruise will be higher than other months of the year.
Fall is also mating season for wildlife, so expect to see some friskiness. Balcony cabins are still available on the season’s inaugural sailing at a discounted fare of $1,029 per person. We sailed roundtrip from Juneau, and while I’ve visited the capital city during the busy summer months, I found the restaurants, bars, and shops much less crowded, reliably filled with locals for the most part. On the water, we rarely passed any other ships or boats, aside from fishermen out for their catches.
These resorts at sea, however, are often not all-inclusive, so be sure to check the fine print before putting your credit card down. Passengers frequently have to pay extra (and usually at a premium) for things like specialty dining, alcoholic beverages, and off-boat activities. It’s also worth factoring in onboard features that cost extra like the spa and gift shop. The best time to cruise to Alaska for salmon fishing is during the summer months, specifically from late June through September. This period aligns with Alaska’s salmon runs, when various species of salmon—king, sockeye, coho, pink, and chum—make their way upstream in large numbers.
Juneau averages 15 days of rain in June, reaching 21 days of rain by October. In Anchorage and the northern part of the state, the rain often turns to “termination dust”—i.e. Both the National Geographic Quest and National Geographic Venture make the sailing. The sister ships were purpose built to sail the North American coast and feature 50 rooms each, all with windows or portholes, private bathrooms, climate controls, and a TV, plus Wi-Fi connection.
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