Alaska cruise advice

Okay experts. Please advise on best time of year, which port to fly in to, and which passage to start in? Thank you in advance.

Pam

Okay experts. Please advise on best time of year, which port to fly in to, and which passage to start in? Thank you in advance.

 

Pam

I would start with an Alaskan Land tour first . Then cruise to Vancouver.

If time or budget don't allow. Take a seven day return from Vancouver or Seattle.

I'm afraid all your questions are too subjective to answer 'expertly' Gertie.

Different times have different pros and cons - what's most important TO YOU? Bears? Dry weather? Snow? Glacier access? Minimal crowds?

The best advice possible is - do your own research. You know you, none of us do - who's traveling with you, what's your budget, what do you all love/hate, how much vacation time do you have, how adventurous is everyone, how mobile, does anyone have a DUI/other not-a-crime-in-the-US-but-it-is-in-Canada on their record, does everyone have passports? Every one of these questions will impact what's best for you!

The only remotely objective advice is that Vancouver craps all over Seattle for starting/ending your cruise. It's the only way you can do a one-way if you want to spend time in Alaskan interior pre- or post-cruise, and if you're comparing Return Trips you have prettier scenery and more protected waters for first & last days. On the downside - you'll all need passports, you can't be criminals (by Canadian standards), and it's almost certainly going to be more expensive than a Seattle RT.

Even locking down Vancouver as your cruise start doesn't mean you've also got to fly there though - Seattle is easily reached from Vancouver & vice versa, and sometimes flights are enough cheaper (or non-stop) to SEA that makes the travel time & cost worthwhile (ballpark 4+ hours and $50pp, with pros and cons again to the various options of bus, train, rental car).

TL;DR - go borrow library books, read trip reports here, see which things sound like what YOU want to do, and triple-check everyone you're traveling with has appropriate documentation to allow the options you're considering.

Okay experts. Please advise on best time of year, which port to fly in to, and which passage to start in? Thank you in advance.

• we often say ensure Glacier Bay is in your cruise itinerary for a first visit.
  
• if Vancouver is a embarkation/debarkation port.... ensure you have extra days for the available activities.
  

With regards to which month....

• May and September is cheaper, but colder and some excursions are not running. Some like these months as you can do back 2 back cruise getting to/from Alaska.
  
• May can mean ice congestion to some glacier viewing sites like Tracy Arm/Sawyer. Ice in some years can go into July! In 2016.... it was mid-August before ships went to Tracy Arm.
  
• May to July is dryer in Alaska, August will see more rain and September will be wettest. If too stormy to dock.... cruise ships will skip the port.
  
• July to August will be dryer in Cascadia
  
• May to August will give you more day light
  
• August and September offer better wildlife opportunities with bears and salmon
  
• August starts to get statistically wet.... with storms more likely in September to fill the Ketchikan rain gauge
  
• I like late-July for weather compromise and wildlife. It's also priced higher. Check out the climate chart on this page... http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/juneau/alaska/united-states/usak0116
  
• some ports offer seasonal opportunities like fireworks and pride celebrations, but can also mean congestion on those popular days.
  
• http://www.alaska.org/advice/best-time-to-visit-alaska => it recommends mid-June to mid-July!
  
• http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2667
  

Thank you all for your posts. I assure you martincath that we both have had passports for 30 years and they are well-used. I am just starting to research, which I do lots of. I was just looking for some starting points such as all that were given, so thanks all, and I will now begin to further my research.

And thank you so much, XLXO. Those are exactly the things I needed to start with.

May. Vancouver.

Vancouver or Whittier around mid June.

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