Best month for Alaska?

Thinking about booking an Alaskan cruise for the summer of 2014. I realize these cruises run between May and September... but which month(s) offer the lower fares? Thanks!!!

I went in early June, before the schools let out, and got a great fare along with fabulous weather. :)

May and September have the lowest fares...

The lowest fares should be in what we call the shoulder seasons-May and September. These cruises are tough to see with kids in school and it being cooler than in the summer. The weather in both months should be about the same but in May you will get much more daylight as the days are still getting longer. In may you will not see much color as flowers have not had time to grow and bloom. In September it will get darker sooner, but there will be tons of flowers to enjoy.

Have fin on your trip.

We have been in May, had the lowest prices and we had great weather. We have also been in September, had great weather in Ketchikan and rain for most of the rest. Also lower prices than midsummer but May was less expensive. Of course weather is totally changeable and not to be counted on. the Alaska we saw was very beautiful. We saw more animals in September. We didnt see more than a whale or two either time.......cruisers seem to see many more whales in the summer.

We went this past sept. It was the last sailing of the season. Good price,great weather the whole time just a little misty at glacier bay. Many of the shops have packed up and gone south also no rental cars in skagway they send them all back south as well towards the end of Sept.

Had a great time at every port,the scenery is amazing,saw lots of wild life.

And it was a little quieter without children onboard running around.Hey i am a gramma and i love kids but i must admit it was nice this time around.

We can't wait to go again this time we will try in May.

Fares are likely lower in those shoulder seasons and the weather may actually be dryer then too.

We traveled to Seattle then to Alaska in late May and the weather was perfect! It was 78 degrees at Mendenhall Glacier!! The only place we wore our gloves and coats was in the Tongas (?) Pass. Had a wonderful time and could actually sit on our balcony with our hot chocolate in the early (3 AM) morning hours when the day was already bright. Not a drop of rain all week.

Enjoy!

I went in early June and had beautiful weather every day. It was chilly and rainy almost every day, Juneau was the exception, it was comfortably chilly and partly cloudy.

Over the years I have sailed to Alaska every month during the cruise season and the period I like the best is mid-July to mid-Aug. While there are no guarantees with weather in Alaska it is a time when temperatures max out, the salmon are running and it is just a great time in Alaska.

I have been to AK the end of May and the first part of September or the shoulder seasons. The best was the end of May actually arriving in AK the first few days of June. The tourists had not yet arrived in mass so everywhere I went (Denali, Anchorage, etc) was not crowded and very pleasant. I had no problem getting a car, etc. September was nice also but they were closing down for the tourist season and many places had already closed.

Thinking about booking an Alaskan cruise for the summer of 2014. I realize these cruises run between May and September... but which month(s) offer the lower fares? Thanks!!!

May and September have the lower fares as they are at the start and end of the season. We've been in May twice and once in September. We did have better weather for the May cruises.

I've been told to go the first week in August because I want/hope to see the whales while they are Bubble Net Feeding. Amazing.

Your subject line asks "best month" but your message asks for "lower fares". The two aren't necessarily the same. Best for what? If all you want is best price, go May or September. If you care about weather (you say you don't) or wildlife viewing, those aren't necessarily best. Do you want to fish? See bears? Going to Denali? You won't see salmon running in May and therefore not likely to see bears. Many things are still not open in early May. Some things may close or not be available by September, such as glacier dog sledding. You need to consider everything you want to do and see, and then decide what month is "best" for you. Don't just go by price.

I've been told to go the first week in August because I want/hope to see the whales while they are Bubble Net Feeding. Amazing.

Good luck, it is a rare event to see.

10+++ years ago, the start of the Alaska cruise season was mid May and end mid Sept. The discounts were signficant for these sailings- I picked up a few $199 rates, when the regular rates for insides were $1000. :)

It was worth it for me, to add another trip. But, now the season has been extended even more. You have to be accepting of a wide range of weather with likely colder and rain, going at the "cheapest" time. Proper attire is the key. Some tours may not be operating. So look at the entire trip planning and do your homework, not only with the cruise selection, but what you wish to see and do once you get there. It isn't a surprise on this board to have a inquiry about a tour that they have a priority for- only to inform them, it is not available in their timeframe. With the booking already made- just about always they don't change. Have the right plans to begin with. :)

As for "best" month. There aren't a lot of posters with multiple trips through the 5 months, so the responses will be, it was "great" because it was their chosen month. :)

Every visit to Alaska is an opportunity for superb touring. The job people have to figure out, is how they wish to fill their time and enjoy themselves.

We sailed in August on both of our Alaska cruises. We had beautiful weather on both cruises, and saw bubble feeding both times on our Juneau whale watching excursions.

Alaska is amazing! Happy sailing!

Good luck, it is a rare event to see.

I hope I'm lucky!

We sailed in August on both of our Alaska cruises. We had beautiful weather on both cruises, and saw bubble feeding both times on our Juneau whale watching excursions.

 

Alaska is amazing! Happy sailing!

How lucky are you! Were you on a ship excursion? I went to the LA Travel Show this year and I talked to two women who worked for a company that gave whale watching tours. They showed us several pictures of bubble feeding. Wow.

september for me.

We went in *very* early May the one cruise we did (it was a last-minute add-on to a work trip). The scenery was fabulous - loved the snowy peaks. Got to go snowshoeing up in the mountains. The weather was comfortable (in Alaska, anyway) and there were no bugs. Then, on the trip back, we hit a massive storm. Now that was a rocky night (no sleeping until it calmed down), and pouring rain in Victoria for the last night of the cruise. Also, as has been pointed out, there wasn't much in the way of wildlife down low, though the sea life was abundant - we walked the deck each night (except for the storm, when they closed down the decks! :eek: ) and loved what we were seeing. As has been pointed out, I'm sure you'll love it whenever you go!

How lucky are you! Were you on a ship excursion? I went to the LA Travel Show this year and I talked to two women who worked for a company that gave whale watching tours. They showed us several pictures of bubble feeding. Wow.

Yes, we were on ship sponsored shore excursions on both cruises. Pricey but well worth it, in my opinion. Here is a link from our first cruise to Juneau.

http://nancysoasis.com/2009Alaska/2009Alaska.html

If you get a chance to go on a cruise that includes Icy Strait Point, there is fantastic whale watching there, too. No bubble feeding but lots of pods of whales in 360 view from the excursion boat when we were there.

http://nancysoasis.com/icyw/icyw.html

Our excursion at this port included bear watching. We saw two bears catching Salmon in a stream! What a rush that was!

http://nancysoasis.com/bears/bears.html

Happy Sailing!

Six of us are cruising in mid July of 2014! Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories! The rain forest looks awesome!:cool:

 

If you get a chance to go on a cruise that includes Icy Strait Point, there is fantastic whale watching there, too. No bubble feeding but lots of pods of whales in 360 view from the excursion boat when we were there.

 

!

This is actually Hoonah. For clarification humpbacks are NOT "pod" whales. They group up randomly in concentrated feeding areas, eat, then eat some more- then move on. The only longer term group you will see is mother and calf. They are, otherwise, a solitary animal.

Hoonah is a delightful town that was (as still is) designated on Royal Caribbean cruise itineraries, both southbound and northbound, as Icy Strait Point.

Below is a link to the National Park Service/Glacier Bay featuring a short video called Humpback Whales. The caption next to the video says "Enjoy the sights and sounds of a pod of humpback whales spouting and surfacing in Icy Strait near Glacier Bay National Park."

http://www.nps.gov/glba/naturescience/humpback-whales-in-glacier-bay.htm

The Alaska Whale Foundation also has some interesting facts about Humpback Whale pods.

http://www.alaskawhalefoundation.org/socialforaging