Weather difference Alaska July vs Aug late

[xcomet]

HI

is there really a huge difference in the weather between july and last week of august? Also heard princess best line to cruise for alaska? Feedback, have 3 kids one a teenager?

thanks

[emmysmom]

I can't tell you about July - but when we were there last August we had beautiful weather. It was 80 in Juneau, we did have some sprinkles in Ketchikan and some fog. We loved it and got lots of use out of our balcony.

[jrask]

Ignore this "best line" stuff. It may be that you end up going with Princess, but do it based on real considerations.

 

First and foremost, consider the itinerary. What ports are visited (the big differences are Skagway v. Haines v. Sitka and whether the itinerary includes the new Icy Straits port)? Skagway will give you the white pass train and gold rush history. Sitka offers russian history and some wildlife excursions. Icy Strait is a new port that is being reviewed as less commercial and excellent for native culture and whale watching. Make these decisions based on your interests and on what is offered in the other ports you will be seeing ie. you can do whale watching in other locations if that is a big priority, etc.). How much time in ports? Get a feel for each ports and the excursions you might want to do there and you'll see where you want more time ... for us, this meant long port time in Juneau. What kind of glacier viewing do you get? The preference is usually glacier bay over hubbard (and a glacier bay-college fjord combo for 1-way cruises). Embarkation/Disembarkation ports? If you are going roundtrip, the preference is to go out of Vancouver rather than Seattle for more Alaskan sailing time. If going 1-way, you will be choosing between Whittier (Princess) and Seward (HAL, etc.). Seward has great touring options if you take advantage of them. If you are just going to pass through on the way to Denali, than Whittier cuts down on your drive.

 

This requires some research. Ultimately, you'll find that the cruise is about compromises and that you'll have to make the decision on what works best for you.

 

Second, consider other factors such as whether the ship has a naturalist and the quality of the naturalist. You also might consider the number of balconies and their cost if that is of interest (Princess tends to have a lot for a good price). You might consider the quality of the deck viewing area (Island Princess, which I took, has this blue glass that distorts the color of the scenery. Kids clubs might be a relevant factor as well.

 

I would not make the decision based on which lines allegedly have younger v. older passengers. Don't make the decision on whether the cruise line owns its own hotels in Alaska that it uses for cruisetours. First, its much better to tour the interior independently. Second, why would it matter if the company owns the hotel or uses a hotel someone else owns? I personally think the food is good everywhere and don't need to base my decision on the very best food.

[Budget Queen]

No guarantees on weather. I greatly like mid to late August. Great wildlife viewing opportunities. Still decent daylight. I don't agree Princess is the best line. Especially on their round trip Seattles with more outside passage sailing, and their one ways to Whittier. Seward gets my vote. But they include Glacier Bay and College Fjords. So ANY trip will be a compromise- requiring repeat trips. :)

[xcomet]

hi all thanks for the info. i have been researching all these ports and ships for over a week. till midnight every night. youre right ,they all sound good!

party of 5 dont know how often we can repeat the alaska cruise. so need to spend time and $ wisely. Thanks again!