Best Month for Alaska?

[Aussie Teen]

We are looking at a combined Rockies tour and Inside Passage Cruise next year. Is September too late for Alaska? I am not a very good sailor so am am hoping for some advice on when the waters are calmest!

[chipmaster]

I'd post the question to the Alaska boards here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

IMHO June/July are best but also most pricey over later, Sept. Sept weather does tend to start getting colder and more rainy. Not to scare you a few decades ago we sailed last trip in Sept and had some very stormy weather, but its the weather and that likely could happen any month.

 

We are looking at a combined Rockies tour and Inside Passage Cruise next year. Is September too late for Alaska? I am not a very good sailor so am am hoping for some advice on when the waters are calmest!

[Putterdude]

No, early September is not to late for Alaska but your chances of it being wet and cool do increase. September has provided us with some very wet times in Alaska but also some very pleasant times....you just can't predict weather from year to year or even week to week. Frankly my favourite time is mid- July thru mid-August but again this can vary from year to year.

If you are sailing from Vancouver you will sail entirely in the Inside Passage where the waters are very calm. You will have two spots, one at the northern tip of Vancouver Is. and the other at the northern tip of the Queen Charlotte Islands where you can have some rough water but we are speaking of a few hours in each case. Sailing from Seattle is another matter as these itineraries sail in the Pacific and do not enter the Inside Passage until north of Vancouver Is. which means you can be exposed to rough seas for up to a day in either direction. The itineraries out of Vancouver are also much more scenic than those out of Seattle.

[Aussie Teen]

Thanks for your quick responses. No we will definitely not be sailing from Seattle! We will be flying in to San Francisco to watch some baseball games either there or in Seattle first as we are all mad baseball fans. However my daughter studied at Victoria university on exchange and she had an horrendous trip from Seattle to Vancouver Island so she had already warned me to drive or train it!

When does the snow start in Banff and Jasper?

When you say cold what sort of temperatures do you mean because in our home town the coldest it ever gets is about 12 degrees C and that is only once or twice a winter. We would need a whole new wardrobe if it is much colder.

[Cruise staff]

On the Alaskan run, September is definitely not too late. As posters mentioned above, it can get wet and cold. I will say that the temp will hover between 10-15 C. It also depends on the wind when you are in port. Sometimes even with the sun shining, the temperature will be cool. The good thing is, what you have back in Aussie will suffice...plus it really gives you a good reason to get Alaska sweaters and jackets if you find it cold.

 

September is usually almost the tail end of the Alaska season. With that, most stores will have awesome discounts on their merchandise. The best port will be Skagway. As crew, we usually hit the bargain bin and you will be surprised with things neat and cool you can find.

 

As for the waters, inside passage tends to be a lot calmer even the south bound when you hit open waters. Again, it all depends on the mother nature, as we all know, is hard to predict. When I did the Alaskan run, I did not come across heavy seas northbound or southbound. The ship left from Seattle if that makes any difference. Hope this answers your questions.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for your quick responses. No we will definitely not be sailing from Seattle! We will be flying in to San Francisco to watch some baseball games either there or in Seattle first as we are all mad baseball fans. However my daughter studied at Victoria university on exchange and she had an horrendous trip from Seattle to Vancouver Island so she had already warned me to drive or train it!

When does the snow start in Banff and Jasper?

When you say cold what sort of temperatures do you mean because in our home town the coldest it ever gets is about 12 degrees C and that is only once or twice a winter. We would need a whole new wardrobe if it is much colder.

 

You will see highs in the 50's (fahrenheit), and you have better odds for rain. The other item is that it will get dark earlier.

 

With that said, I was just on a sailing to Alaska that visited the ports of call in April. We were the first ship to the various ports of call by three weeks before the season started. Yes, it was cool in some of the ports but we enjoyed it immensely and this was our sixth time to Alaska and we have sailed there other months of the year. In fact, we found the weather to be better than when we visited there in August of last year.

 

Weather is weather and no one can predict what it will be like.

 

Also in September you will find less ships than in the summer season and far fewer kids making the ports a little nicer with less people.

 

So, I would not hesitate to book the cruise.

 

Keith

[GORDONCHICK]

We've gone in May and September. September was wetter, but as long as you prepare with waterproof gear (including shoes), youll be fine. The up side of sailing in September is that everything is on sale. If it's mid-September, even the ships have their Alaska stuff at 75% off. I got a great coat for $22 - normally $160.

 

Take the Cascades train to Vancouver! It's a wonderful way to travel and even better - customs is a breeze at the train station!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have cruised Alaska many times -- even in September. Our weather was crappy. Lots of rain and cold.

Last September the Zuiderdam hit 3 major storms in Spetember in one week. Of course this is unusual -- but weather is unpredictable.

[Katie Lou]

I have cruised to Alaska twice. The first time was in May and the weather was fantastic, sunny and hot. The second time was in August and it rained almost everyday and was very windy and cold in some areas. So the weather is variable. The water was smooth both cruises.

[Putterdude]

When does the snow start in Banff and Jasper?

When you say cold what sort of temperatures do you mean because in our home town the coldest it ever gets is about 12 degrees C and that is only once or twice a winter. We would need a whole new wardrobe if it is much colder.

 

It can start snowing in Banff and Jasper anytime after mid-October.

Temperatures will vary a lot in September but on average I would expect them to be in the 8 to 16* C range.

In the Alaska forum there is a lot of advice re clothing but you will want to bring a waterproof/windproof unlined jacket, a fleece to wear under the jacket, a warm hat, gloves, some tennis shoes or low cut hikers sprayed several times with waterproofing. Some people appreciate wind/rain pants but they not strictly necessary.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

June and July...nice and warm ...

[dchan865]

Early June is nice, you can still see a lot of melting ice berg as you get higher North.

[room010]

I know that anything under 15c is considered "cold" to us thin-blooded Aussies but Alaska in the northern early autumn (Sept) shouldn't be too cold although who can predict the weather :p. Rather than taking bulky cold weather gear think about layers with a polar fleece for extra warmth and a lightweight rain jacket to keep dry and as some wind protection. Thermal undies from any camping shop might be worthwhile too!

[Travelcat2]

We've sailed mid to late May and the weather was good both times. The residents of Alaska are also excited to see the start of tourist season. I suspect they are pretty sick of it by September:)