judykcbob Posted April 17, 2017 #1 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Thinking of booking our 1st Alaska cruise, is Sept. A good time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitaxi Posted April 17, 2017 #2 Share Posted April 17, 2017 was on an Alaska cruise the first week of September... had excellent weather (only a little rain in one port).. the ports were having great end of year sales... saw the whales, even bears hiking one day in Juneau... would book again that time of year.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbgroadends Posted April 17, 2017 #3 Share Posted April 17, 2017 As with anywhere, weather is going to be a crapshoot. It is generally rainier and cooler, but nothing that a good rain jacket won't protect you from. I did an end of the season repositioning cruise from Alaska to Los Angeles 10 years ago, and while it rained most days it was bearable. The best part was that all of the shops had discounted all of the souvenirs because whatever they don't sell has to be shipped back to the mainland. The crowds are generally better too, since all of the kids are back in school. Ultimately, it depends on what is most important to you. If you want to avoid crowds and don't mind some temperamental weather, September is a great time to go to Alaska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaktreerb Posted April 17, 2017 #4 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Thinking of booking our 1st Alaska cruise, is Sept. A good time? Go online and look at average rain and temperature data for the ports you will be visiting. The weather is always a factor and you may have great weather any time of year....including September. Also check daylight hours for May through September. Factor rain and temperature averages, daylight hours, and prices and then decide if September would work for you. Experiences will vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlxo Posted April 17, 2017 #5 Share Posted April 17, 2017 September is discounted for storm chasers. If you want cheap and dry.... also check out May as a comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old As Dirt Mom Posted April 17, 2017 #6 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Thinking of booking our 1st Alaska cruise, is Sept. A good time? Personal opinion and free advice here, so take it for what it's worth:p - Early September is fine, mid-month or later, no. There's a reason those September cruises are discounted. September has shorter hours of daylight and higher potential for rain, wind, and choppy seas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairn Mom Posted April 17, 2017 #7 Share Posted April 17, 2017 I read that the end of August and early September are good months for bear spotting. We're going the first week in September because on our first trip( which was in July ) we did not see any. The weather is very variable. You need to be wear layers, and be ready for rain every day. Bring a backpack because you are taking off/ putting on gear all day. Alaska is amazing. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judykcbob Posted April 17, 2017 Author #8 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Thank you for all your advise!! Not sure yet what we are doing:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gottagoacruzn Posted April 17, 2017 #9 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Have always cruised Alaska in Sept, you can't go wrong. There's always the end of season sales. As for the weather, its always rainin there, the next time will be goin to Alaska, 1 month from today!!!:) That is if the good Lord is willing an the creeks don't rise!!! I'm sure the weather next month will be cold an wet, but you have to go prepared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imescaping Posted April 17, 2017 #10 Share Posted April 17, 2017 (edited) We went Mid September a few years ago, the weather was cold and rainy, the seas were pretty rough a lot of the time. The Ranger that came aboard to give commentary on the Glacier had to sail with us to Victoria because, after several attempts, they could not get the small boat up to off load him. We had to skip Ketchikan and arrived in Victoria around noon instead of 6pm, I don't know if the skipping of Ketchikan was due to large swells, the amount of time spent trying to get the Ranger on the small boat, a need to get the Ranger back or something else. There was a group of 8 of us, we all had a fabulous time,despite the weather and rough seas. Although, a couple of our friends had a day of queasiness when it was particularly rough. Would we go again in September? It would not be our first choice, but we would definitely go if price and schedule suited us. We have cruised Alaska in May, July and September. September was the only one we had horrible waves and weather. However, the only reliable word on Alaska weather, IMHO, is "unpredictable" Disclaimer: We took a land trip to Ireland in November one year. Days were short, weather was horrible (we had wind, rain, snow, and cold) and it did not slow us down a bit. We detest crowds more than we dislike bad weather. So I guess what I am saying is, it depends on your personal preferences. If you hate cold rainy weather, I would probably not risk it. You may get lucky, maybe not. If you don't mind a little discomfort, go for it and have a great time. Edited April 17, 2017 by imescaping grammar and punctuation improvements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melozone Posted April 18, 2017 #11 Share Posted April 18, 2017 We went mid September a few years ago and had a great time. We only had a little drizzle one day and only for a couple hours. We live in Florida so a little rain doesn't bother us. You'll have a great time no matter when you go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herfnerd Posted April 18, 2017 #12 Share Posted April 18, 2017 We booked our first Alaska cruise for the first week of September understanding what we are getting into - we'll see if we made a good decision in about 4 1/2 months! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbgroadends Posted April 18, 2017 #13 Share Posted April 18, 2017 We went mid September a few years ago and had a great time. We only had a little drizzle one day and only for a couple hours. We live in Florida so a little rain doesn't bother us. You'll have a great time no matter when you go! That's the same as me. I live in Houston, so the drizzle of Alaska is easy to bear as opposed to the torrential downpours we get here. Plus, getting out of the heat of the summer for a couple weeks makes any rain worth bearing. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairn Mom Posted April 18, 2017 #14 Share Posted April 18, 2017 We booked our first Alaska cruise for the first week of September understanding what we are getting into - we'll see if we made a good decision in about 4 1/2 months! Sent from my iPhone using Forums We're on the Emerald Princess round trip Seattle. Which cruise are you taking? Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herfnerd Posted April 18, 2017 #15 Share Posted April 18, 2017 We're on the Emerald Princess round trip Seattle. Which cruise are you taking? Sent from my iPad using Forums We will be on the HAL Eurodam, departing Seattle on 9/2 Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairn Mom Posted April 19, 2017 #16 Share Posted April 19, 2017 We are leaving on 9/3. Fingers crossed that we have good weather and smooth sailing. Alaska is awe inspiring. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg4502 Posted April 19, 2017 #17 Share Posted April 19, 2017 On my last Alaska cruise, I went the last week that the cruise company was making it's Alaska run. We were the only ship in all the ports, except Victoria, there was two others. Weather, expect some rain. We had rain in Juneau as we got off the ship. It cleared up about 15 min later. Some sprinkles in Victoria. All of the gift shop have big end of the year sales. They all have the same stuff, it's just finding who has it the cheapest. The smaller shops you can find some unique stuff. First time I went to Alaska, tender in to Juneau. Was getting off the tender, it was RAINING. I commented to the worker on the dock, "Raining pretty good today", he said " Naw, this is just a sprinkle". I have not been on a cruise yet, where you did not get any rain at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCalicoCat Posted April 19, 2017 #18 Share Posted April 19, 2017 My thoughts - if it wasn't possible they wouldn't offer it. My choice - Even though I go to bed early, I'm not sure that I would want to go on a cruise where I knew that the hours of daylight would be diminished. Reality - if the price was right & I had the time, etc. I would take it if it were my only choice. (or my other choice was no cruise at all.) Luckily vacations at my job are discouraged in September, so I don't shop for those cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairn Mom Posted April 19, 2017 #19 Share Posted April 19, 2017 The sun goes down on or after 7PM the first week in September. It comes up around 6AM. This works fine for us. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herfnerd Posted April 20, 2017 #20 Share Posted April 20, 2017 The sun goes down on or after 7PM the first week in September. It comes up around 6AM. This works fine for us. Sent from my iPad using Forums I checked before we booked last year and saw that the sun sets around 7:45pm when we're in Juneau on 9/4 - we're in port until 10pm that day and wanted to go up the Mt Roberts tram during the evening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassyredhat Posted April 20, 2017 #21 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Our first one was in May. Gold and wet. Our second one was early Sept. and it was great. Our third one is again booked for early Sept. September gets my vote. :D Patti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairn Mom Posted April 21, 2017 #22 Share Posted April 21, 2017 Our first one was in May. Gold and wet. Our second one was early Sept. and it was great. Our third one is again booked for early Sept. September gets my vote. :D Patti Mine too🤞 Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairn Mom Posted September 10, 2017 #23 Share Posted September 10, 2017 (edited) So we just completed our Alaska cruise. It began Labor Day weekend. The weather for the first part of the week was mild and sunny. It was a bit cold for me, but people were in the pool. Skagway was cold( 50s), windy and drizzly, but we were ready for it. Our first sea day was smooth as silk, but our return sea day was a roller coaster. We saw bears, and salmon and harbor seals. We had an amazing morning going through Tracy Arm. You decide...We were happy with September. Sent from my iPad using Forums Edited September 10, 2017 by Cairn Mom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted September 10, 2017 #24 Share Posted September 10, 2017 We had friends who just came home the other day from Alaska and they had great weather too. Of course like other places it's weather. Same time next year it could be sunny, cloudy, windy, no rain or rain everyday. You still have odds for more rain in September but what you actually experience is anyone's guess. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herfnerd Posted September 11, 2017 #25 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Our cruise departed 9/2 and we returned 9/9 - spent a few extra days in Seattle and just flying home now. Rain in Juneau, partly cloudy in Glacier Bay, rain in Sitka and sunny and warm in Ketchikan. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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