Best Cabin and Date for Alaska Cruise

[Cruisecrazy~]

OK.. We have settled on a destination and a ship ...RCCL Explorer of the Seas but I was wondering what would be the best area of the ship to stay on for an Inside Passage and also when the best date to cruise would be. I have a cruise booked for the last week of May in an Aft Junior Balcony on Deck 7 but I can always change it. Money is not a concern.

[Cruisecrazy~]

P.S We will be doing Inside Passage.

[xlxo]

With regards to the month.....

• May and September is cheaper, but colder and some excursions are not running. Some like these months as you can do back 2 back cruise getting to/from Alaska.
  
• May can mean ice congestion to some glacier viewing sites like Tracy Arm/Sawyer. Ice in some years can go into July! In 2016.... it was mid-August before ships went to Tracy Arm.
  
• May has cherry blossoms in some ports
  
• May to July is dryer in Alaska, August will see more rain and September will be wettest. If too stormy to dock.... cruise ships will skip the port.
  
• July to August will be dryer in Cascadia
  
• May to August will give you more day light
  August and September offer better wildlife opportunities with bears and salmon
  August starts to get statistically wet.... with storms more likely in September to fill the Ketchikan rain gauge
  
• I like late-July for weather compromise and wildlife. It's also priced higher. Check out the climate chart on this page... http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/juneau/alaska/united-states/usak0116
  
• some ports offer seasonal opportunities like fireworks and pride celebrations, but can also mean congestion on those popular days.
  
• http://www.alaska.org/advice/best-time-to-visit-alaska => it recommends mid-June to mid-July!
  

BTW.... there are TWO inside passages. In addition to the Alaskan Inside passage... you will be missing the Southern Canadian segment with a Seattle departure.

[cruiseguy1016]

If money is no object, you should rent the Viking Crown Lounge for the week :D. We just got off a southbound cruise on Radiance last week. When it came to viewing scenery, we spent very little time on our balcony. The view on one side of the ship is completely different than the view from the other side. The place to be is on the upper decks so you can walk from side to side. I'd get up in the morning, take a peek from my balcony then go up to deck 11 or 12. Many people ask what is the best side of the ship for an Alaskan cruise. I now know that best side to be on is the OUT side.