Alaska

Planning on an alaska Cruise for our 50th anniversary in 2019. What is the best time of year to go, want to get the most out of the trip but also on a budget, can't wait for everyone's advise:p

Congratulations on your milestone wedding anniversary.

Let me suggest that you post this on the Alaska Ports Of Call Board.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=55

With that said there is really no best time. Weather in Alaska can vary day to day, week to week, month over month and year over year.

If on a budget cruising May or September would have the lower prices then in the peak season. Challenge with September is that it can be rainy and the days are getting shorter. I like May as there are less families there and we've had good success with that month but as I said no one can guarantee what the weather will be like but if it was me that is a good month to sail. We've even done April when it is cooler (we were the first ship of the season) but while it was cooler we enjoyed it as we were the only ship in port and there was more snow to see on the mountains and the hills.

Keith

Summer (June to August) is the best time for cruises to Alaska, however, we have cruised it in late September and the weather was good.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Congratulations on your upcoming 50th anniversary.

We have cruise Alaska many times. We like the times between the 3rd week of June through the 1st week of August. It is warmer during that time. But weather is unpredictable.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and congrats on getting to your 50th anniversary.

If given a choice on itinerary, can I suggest you make sure Glacier Bay is in there.

If you're on a budget I recommend Carnival, they're the cheapest but still a great experience. They sail to Alaska from April to Sept, just do a search on their site for Alaska as a destination and it will sort the results my price, cheapest first.

We usually find good pricing on our May cruises, including Alaska.

Some posters will tell you you must have a balcony. We believed that when we did our Alaska cruise, and we would not do it again. The scenery was so spectacular as we sailed that we spent all day, every day, up on the top deck. In the ten days we were aboard, we only used the balcony once, for an hour or two.

Since your choice of cabin will make the biggest difference in what you spend, I definitely recommend foregoing a balcony for an inside or oceanview cabin.

OP mentions budget , May or Sept will be less $ than June- Aug .

Longer daylight in May than Sept .

See more of Alaska with a 1 way n/b or s/b cruise.

2 of the cruise lines with the most Alaska ships and experience , Princess And Holland America , also allow TA's to discount their best rates .

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OP mentions budget , May or Sept will be less $ than June- Aug .

Longer daylight in May than Sept .

See more of Alaska with a 1 way n/b or s/b cruise.

2 of the cruise lines with the most Alaska ships and experience , Princess And Holland America , also allow TA's to discount their best rates .

 

 

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They generally also get into Glacier Bay.

Thank you

They generally also get into Glacier Bay.

Thanks:)

lilguy: Since I have just booked cabins for my family (2018) I will let you on to my secret: partially obscured oceanview staterooms on the Lower Promenade deck (deck 3) on the Holland America Volendam, Amsterdam, or Zaandam (or Rotterdam should they bring her to Alaska). Go on the 7-day Roundtrip out of Vancouver. The Volendam was the ship of this class that did/is doing this route 2016-2017-2018 (with the Zaandam doing one September run in 2017); the schedule isn't out for 2019.

The ship/cabin: this class of ship has OV cabins on the "Promenade" or boardwalk that circles the ship AKA the largest balcony there is! The deck is called, oddly, "Lower Promenade; the Promenade and Upper Promenade decks do NOT have the boardwalk! The partly-obscured cabins save you money but give you daylight (OTOH, if you are a light sleeper you might want an inside cabin on the same deck! the days are LONG from May to mid-August) and most of them have enough view to decide the weather and whether a quick dash to the promenade is called for (to see the scenery or maybe sealife).

The route: ALL of the Inside Passage, most particularly the straight between Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Juneau for glaciers and whale-watching (it is possible to take tours that do both and GUARANTEE whale sighting); Skagway for the railroad (between RR up to the pass and back, and RR up/bus back, we liked the latter better having done both); GLACIER BAY (nuff said); and Ketchikan for totempole/native history and a chance to shop in your last port before return. There are other things to do in Ketchikan namely fishing/crabbing, depending on the timing of your cruise, but I speak for what we have done.

Finally, timing. Too early and you increase the risk of not getting into Glacier Bay because of too much floating ice. Both of our trips (7-day NB to Seward and 7-day RT Vancouver) were over the summer solstice in mid-late June, because the length of day is just crazy! (My DB and SIL did actually prefer their inside cabin, though the drapes are pretty close to black-out curtains.) Our next trip is going to be mid-August however, for warmer weather and to be in Ketchikan during the mid-July to mid-September salmon run, the better to watch the sealions fish from Creek Street! Late in the season tends (I hear) to more rain -- southern "panhandle" Alaska is after all part of the NW temperate rainforest. And shorter daylight with 12hr day/12hr night at the equinox just like everywhere.

Finally, Holland America because they know how to make you feel special, and you and your spouse SHOULD feel special! Congrats on the anniversary!

I agree with PP, you want glacier Bay and an inside cabin can be OK.

I don't know if 2019 info is out. Consider Island Princess and Coral Princess (sister ships). 70% of the cabins have balconies, relatively few inside cabins. A lot of the pax are viewing from their balcony. Common deck viewing ares aren't as crowded as other ships. The ship is narrower then other ships.

To put in my two cents, we've had excellent luck with weather in May and September when prices are lowest. That won't always be true, but it's worked out for us several times.

Cruised Alaska labor day weekend last September on the Island Princess. It was the next to the last cruise of the season. Had a great time. Temperature was cool, needed a jacket, but not cold except when viewing the glaciers. Had a little rain, but not bad. Price of the cruise was good. Wouldn't hesitate to go again in september.

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Just got back from 2nd Alaska cruise. Only our 40th anniversary but the countdown to 50 is started. ;)

Thoughts...

1. Yes, HAL and Princess have more access to Glacier Bay but Hubbard Glacier was also spectacular.

2. Agree - balcony NOT an absolute must. For 2nd time we used it very little. Oceanview would have been as good.

3. R/T out of Seattle that goes "outside" Vancouver Is. was very rough both ways and due to need for speed Captain did not use stabilizers. Not same experience at all as "inside passage".

4. We liked the very long daylight in June. By Sept. it is 4 hours less. Early May would be cheaper and almost as light and if kids onboard are an issue a lot less kids before school lets out

5. There are lots of inexpensive excursions and ways to save money and still see a lot - check out the Alaska board

6. If willing to do a lot of research and planning DON'T do a land tour portion for any one-way cruise. You can get a LOT more bang for the buck renting a car in Anchorage and doing it yourself rather than be herded like cattle. But plan, plan and micro-plan.

7. Alaska is about the scenery and the cruising so many in that area don't have a lot of entertainment or headline act entertainment or production shows

8. We liked the one-way going north not south because the scenery just got better and more spectacular all the way. Going south we were afraid it would be a "let down"

9. Hope you like salmon ;)

i would Iike to thank you all for your imput:)