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early may- alaska


vjland58
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getting ready to book a balcony for may 5 2018 on Princess for inside passage. Know the price is good cause early in season, anyone had bad experience because of the colder weather expected for that time of year? did it deter in any way? don't want to "freeze" out on the deck looking at beautiful sites.

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getting ready to book a balcony for may 5 2018 on Princess for inside passage. Know the price is good cause early in season, anyone had bad experience because of the colder weather expected for that time of year? did it deter in any way? don't want to "freeze" out on the deck looking at beautiful sites.

 

We did early May.

 

We were in Juneau for Mother's Day and it was a free day for all museums etc. I don't remember the temperature, but we did hike Perseverence trail, so it couldn't have been too bad!

 

I do remember that the day we went to Skagway was gorgeous, and up in the White Pass, we took off our jackets.

 

The BEST thing was that we rented a car in Skagway, drove through the White Pass to the Yukon. Who ever thought we would one day go there! The lakes were just starting to thaw out and on the highway (in both directions) we encountered bears cross the highway to go to the lake. That was the most exciting event of the entire trip!

 

It was probably cold on the ship . Dress warm and you will enjoy!

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We did it in early May 2 years ago, also for the price. It was not freezing cold. Probably like the cold Fall weather. What we did experience were rain/showers in ports so our hooded jacket and rain ponchos were useful.

 

 

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I have been to Alaska in early May many times and it remains my favorite time to visit (unless you want to visit Denali that opens in June) for the chilly mornings, lots of baby animals experiencing life, lack of rain, best prices for cruises, still snow on many peaks, and warm afternoons.

 

Juneau in May:

 

p5191887_0.jpg

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We have loved all of our May cruises, and were it not for a grandchild's May graduation next year, we would be going in May again. We love seeing Alaska with all the snow on her mountains. Yes, it's cold, so dress in layers, including hats and gloves.

 

May is known for being one of the driest months, and that is what we have found.

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We went in mid-May this year and loved it. Temperatures were mid-40s to mid-60s. Only had rain on one day.

 

The good thing about a balcony is you can step back inside to warm up if you get cold or just sit inside and look out.

 

 

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We will be on the Zaandam in May next year. We did a land/cruise tour in June several years ago and the weather was perfect. I had hoped May wouldn't be much different. Will pack layers.

 

Definitely pack layers :) We've had overall really pleasant weather in May with multiple trips, with the odd "OMG why did I do this in May?" moments :D

 

 

Last May we had the coldest, wettest, LEAST pleasant day, our first sea day out of Vancouver. I was wearing a LOT of clothes to be outdoors, including wool socks and a down vest... and more! Next day in Juneau? Sunshine, shirt sleeves, people sunbathing and swimming at the outdoor pool.

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My preference is always mid May and later. I've had, pretty foul weather on my very early May trips, one trip was 6 out of 7 days of rain. Do be very well prepared in your attire. Will make all the difference.

 

I always cruise in May, but next season, won't be until the very end as I'm in Europe and on the Horizon for 24 days on a ta. Tough choices indeed.

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You might look in the beginning of the trip reports for some from May.

 

I'm going to be there mid-May through the end of May. Really looking forward to seeing a different season than we saw in August. It's to celebrate retirement - boarding the ship May 4 in Japan, getting to Seward May 17 and then 14 days in Alaska.

 

I'm really looking forward to it and feel its the kind of cruise I need to unwind from over 40 years of working.

 

A little bit nervous too because:

  1. My longest cruise so far was 8 days and this will be 27
  2. My most sea days per cruise has been 1 plus 2 days scenic cruising and this will be 9 plus 4 days scenic cruising
  3. It's Windstar's first Alaska cruise in years so not sure how some things will work like what activities they will have in Metlakatla or whether there will be some kayak and zodiac time on the scenic cruising days. I hope there will be.

The timing of the trip works out just right for my retirement and I've been wanting to do a trans-ocean trip.

 

 

One thing I'm not worrying at all about is Alaska in May.

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  • 2 weeks later...
getting ready to book a balcony for may 5 2018 on Princess for inside passage. Know the price is good cause early in season, anyone had bad experience because of the colder weather expected for that time of year? did it deter in any way? don't want to "freeze" out on the deck looking at beautiful sites.

 

Check the WeatherSpark WEB site.

 

DON

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