Rainy day activities?

[Kirasha]

An umbrella on a whale watch?! :eek:

 

You'd block everyone's view... and possibly put someone's eye out!

 

THIS. Also, consider the fact that you'll be using binoculars with one hand, and if you're on a small ship, maybe you need the other hand to hold onto the railing as the boat is moving. Far better to prep your rain gear to work well without an umbrella, everybody else will thank you.

[EliseinAustin]

Well, the OP didn't say "rain storm" they just said "rain". Usually in Alaska, that just means a misty drizzle, sometimes full rain, but not usually a "storm", at least not in the summer cruising season. If it was that bad, I guess some excursions would cancel. The weather can change quite a bit over the course of the day, too. You might leave for an excursion while it's just overcast, but it might start raining when you are out. Or it might be raining when you leave, but clear up a little later. That's why it's important to be prepared with proper rain gear and just go do what you want to do. A little rain won't kill you! :D

 

Rain - Hmmm - Well, looks like it's going to be raining when I'm on my Cruise Next week. In Central Texas, we would not go out in the rain. People completely halt their activities... After seeing the weather report, I felt like we were goign to have to cancel our tours... after reading this, that doesn't seem like that's the case...

 

1. Type of rain - does 60% mean it rains all day? Or just 1 downpour. Lightning & Thunder?

2. Hiking - If we have RockClimbing, Ziplining, Hiking planed - would those type of events get cancelled...

 

I know you all laugh, but when it finally rains at work - everyone runs to the window to see it. oooh... ahhh... but it's usually over in 45 min...

[rachelfran]

I won't be happy if it rains everyday all day ... Obviously we'll make the best of it and push on with our activities and dress appropriately but I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't bother me... That said, I chose Alaska as our destination and not the Caribbean so ...

 

 

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[bearbait]

I won't be happy if it rains everyday all day ... Obviously we'll make the best of it and push on with our activities and dress appropriately but I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't bother me... That said, I chose Alaska as our destination and not the Caribbean so ...

 

 

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You do know that southeast Alaska is a temperate rainforest, don't you? I never let the rain bother me during the 7 years I lived there and I worked outside everyday. The beauty of the place far exceeds anything you'll find in the lower 48 or the Caribbean.

 

Bring a raincoat and enjoy it.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Best advice there, bearbait. Come prepared and a little rain (or a lot:o!) just won't matter. As my 102 year old grandmother says "Suck it up, Buttercup!" :D

[EliseinAustin]

Wondering what type of tours usually get cancelled due to rain?

 

Do people hike in rain?

Helicopter?

Whale watch?

[AKman2495]

Ah rain! We are right now smoking salmon in the rain.....True, we are not sitting out there enjoying the sun, but we press on nonetheless.

 

The only tours that get cancelled in rain might-and I stress might be flight seeing- and that depends on cloud conditions and winds more than rain.

 

Put your rain gear on and go out and do stuff.......

[firstalaskatrip]

Completely agree with the above suggestions - get yourself some good raingear (raincoat, rainpants) and be sure to enjoy the activities you were planning to do rain or shine. I was pretty concerned before going about whether or not we should book our kayaking trip in Ketchikan with Southeast Sea Kayaks at Orca's cove. I wasn't sure that I would enjoy a four hour kayak trip in the rain (and it seemed like rain was almost a guarantee in ketchikan), but we also didn't want to miss out on a neat trip. We brought rain pants and raincoats and walked around town and up the creek when we got to ketchikan. Since we were properly suited up, the rain was not troublesome at all. For the actual kayak trip, they suggested we switch to their raingear so we didn't get salt water on our own. With their gear, we were completely fine and only started to get a tiny bit chilly at the end of the four hours despite it raining the whole time - they then got us on the bigger boat for smoked salmon and hot chocolate. With the wrong gear, I'm sure the trip would have been miserable, but with the right weatherproof gear, the rain was no big deal. The sites in Alaska are beautiful - if you have the opportunity to go multiple times, maybe it's worth it to plan around the rain, but for a first or only trip - it's well worth braving the rain.

[roblox84]

I won't be happy if it rains everyday all day ... Obviously we'll make the best of it and push on with our activities and dress appropriately but I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't bother me... That said, I chose Alaska as our destination and not the Caribbean so ...

 

 

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I wouldn't be happy either, but we just got back last week and people told me to be prepared because it will be raining the whole time and it only rained twice for like 2 hours. Rain in Alaska doesn't last all day, if it rains it will rain in the early morning for a while and then the sun will come out so I wouldn't be too worried about it. This time of year is very nice in Alaska, the temp is higher 70's and the only time you'll need a jacket is if the wind picks up especially if you're at a glacier.

[AKman2495]

Rain in Alaska doesn't last all day, if it rains it will rain in the early morning for a while and then the sun will come out so I wouldn't be too worried about it.

 

Ummmmm...you wanna bet? It can and does rain all day-sometimes for days at a stretch. YOu managed to come up when the weather was nice. I can assure you that it can be much wetter that what you experienced....

[roblox84]

Rain in Alaska doesn't last all day, if it rains it will rain in the early morning for a while and then the sun will come out so I wouldn't be too worried about it.

 

Ummmmm...you wanna bet? It can and does rain all day-sometimes for days at a stretch. YOu managed to come up when the weather was nice. I can assure you that it can be much wetter that what you experienced....

 

Just as with any other vacation you may always end up with a very rainy week no matter where in the world you are. In Ohio now it's been raining for over a week straight so summer isn't much different here in terms of rain.

 

I was just reading forums and was scared into believing that weather was always cold and rainy in Alaska so I packed layers upon layers of clothes then we got into Seward and one of the residents said that we just missed 90 plus degree weather. So you can imagine our surprise when we heard this after reading every day how crappy the weather is in Alaska. I bet those people have never been in Ireland, then they would know what rainy means, lol.

[sept10dsm]

While we were on an AK cruise a few years ago, every day was sunny! Near the end of the cruise the Captain told us how very lucky we were. He said generally rain! Ten percent sun on average he said. So, being in a temperate rainforest for most stops, rain will be there that's for sure.

[bearbait]

Wondering what type of tours usually get cancelled due to rain?

 

Do people hike in rain?

Helicopter?

Whale watch?

 

 

No tours will be cancelled because of rain. Not one. People do all of the above when it's raining. When you're at home do you put on a raincoat to take a shower? A wetsuit when you get in the bathtub? Wear the appropriate clothing if it's raining and enjoy. When you get back to your ship dry off, warm up and cherish the memories. Remember when many of these people go back to the lower 48 they'll be baking like cookies in the oven on the 4th of July.

[roblox84]

While we were on an AK cruise a few years ago, every day was sunny! Near the end of the cruise the Captain told us how very lucky we were. He said generally rain! Ten percent sun on average he said. So, being in a temperate rainforest for most stops, rain will be there that's for sure.

 

Lol, same here. The weather forecast for Alaska is no good so you can't really plan ahead. They told us 100% chance of rain in Ketchikan and we had zero rain, they said 10% chance in Skagway and it rained hard for about two hours, then 60% chance in Juneau and still didn't rain. The cruise director told us he always checked 3-4 websites to compare weather and not once was one right :p

[Coral]

Lol, same here. The weather forecast for Alaska is no good so you can't really plan ahead. They told us 100% chance of rain in Ketchikan and we had zero rain, they said 10% chance in Skagway and it rained hard for about two hours, then 60% chance in Juneau and still didn't rain. The cruise director told us he always checked 3-4 websites to compare weather and not once was one right :p

 

There is a long story involved but noaa.gov is probably the most accurate. They actually have people in Alaska!

[sonnyjane]

I live near Seattle so I'm used to the rain. The only time I use an umbrella is at work ( don't want to mess up my hair !) Umbrellas are a nuisance to carry, especially when you're walking along sidewalks and dealing with crowds of people.

I prefer to wear a baseball cap or a hat; depends on how hard it's raining. Then both my hands are free.

I also keep a poncho in my daypack ... the length keeps me dry down to the knee and protects my daypack (camera, binoculars, etc). Not good in the wind though.

 

 

When I moved from Florida to Washington I thought I'd get a lot of mileage out of my umbrella. I got made fun of and had it blown inside out on the very first day. All the locals informed me that umbrellas were passe. From then on, a hood became my best friend lol.

[AKman2495]

I was just reading forums and was scared into believing that weather was always cold and rainy in Alaska

 

 

Well, the lesson there is don't believe everything you read...;)

 

 

so I packed layers upon layers of clothes then we got into Seward and one of the residents said that we just missed 90 plus degree weather. So you can imagine our surprise when we heard this after reading every day how crappy the weather is in Alaska. I bet those people have never been in Ireland, then they would know what rainy means, lol.

 

You got lucky. Remember that. June was an exception month in Alaska-far from the norm.

 

As for "crappy" weather..."crappy" is in the eye of the beholder.

 

I just wanted to make sure some other readers would not be misled by your optimistic post....

[EliseinAustin]

Just returned from my trip...

In Juneau it was raining. I had a helicopter tour that was NOT cancelled. someone had a float plan tour that WAS... so, I guess it just depends upon the operator...

 

I had a great time rain or shine !