Alaska Cruise in September?

[DCThunder]

Has anyone done an Inside Passage cruise in mid-late September?  If so any thoughts/comments on cruising late in the season up there?

 

Thanks.

[westcoaster]

Pros: 

• less ice so you can get close to the glaciers
• good for bear viewing since the salmon are running

 

Cons:

• shorter days than earlier in the summer
• on average, the weather is rainier in September than in the early summer

[cr8tiv1]

Agree with @westcoaster.  

 

And you may have a chance (2-4 AM) to see the Northern Lights if conditions are just right.

 

A lot less crowded.  

 

Great sales/clearances.

 

But colder, damper, could be drearier.  

[Cruise Raider]

We’ve gone in early Sept many times and it is our preferred time of year to go. 
We went once in mid to late Sept and it was one of the best cruises ever but the weather was crazy cold, windy, rainy (sleet).  The stores were all having sales but post pandemic, they might just be closed down.  

[MileHighAko]

I really enjoyed our last September Alaskan cruise, enough that we're going again this September. While the big ships end in September, some smaller ships continue through October and beyond (would love to do one of those sometime).  Last time we sailed Alaska in September we were lucky to be able to see the northern lights from our balcony on the aft of the ship in the middle of the night. It was awesome.

 

Another pro and con:

Pro: September the kids are back in school so the cruises are not as crowded and on Princess it can be a very relaxing experience.

Con: Some excursion companies are starting to shut down for the season so options might be limited.

 

[Sea Hag]

1 hour ago, DCThunder said:

Has anyone done an Inside Passage cruise in mid-late September?  If so any thoughts/comments on cruising late in the season up there?

 

Thanks.

Everybody else has hit the high points: good prices, less crowded, etc. and the low points: some things might be starting to shut down, shorter days, iffy weather. All I can add is that we've done several Alaska cruises in September, and they were all great. We're scheduled for another one in late September 2023, and I'm expecting to have a great time on that. Maybe rainier, but that's what rain gear is for.

[Purple Gallinule]

Late September was our first cruise after the restart. We had a great time. More time to talk to the locals who really appreciate the cruise folks. Smaller crowds. Yes, the weather can be wet, but we were on the Majestic and simply LOVED the Hollywood Conservatory on sea and glacier days.

Edited July 26, 2022 by Purple Gallinule

[DougH]

Everyone has their own preferences, mine happens to be early season (Mid May-Mid June)  To me the biggest negative about late season cruises is the lack of daylight. Every time you leave port it will be in the dark and IMHO you miss half the scenery. Also a greater chance of bad weather as many have said.  If September works for you go for it, it beats being at home

[Barry ATL]

We have done two "last cruise" of the season trips.  One on Princess and one on Celebrity.  It is a great time.  Our observations:

Pro:

--One of the few times of the year where kids are back in school in most of the world.  3000+ passengers and only 12 children.

--We experienced the cold and it added to the cruise experience.  Sitting on the balcony wrapped in the bedspread watching the glaciers is one of our best memories.

--The ports were not crazy busy.

--SALES in the stores.  The ships were offloading all of the sweat shirts, etc.  We loaded up on some winter wear that was cheaper than buying on land.  If you are on the last cruise of the season, the ship shops must get rid of all of the winter wear by the last day of the cruise as the next cruise will be in warm weather.  

 

Con:

--Had to pack for summer and full on winter.  When the cruise starts in Seattle, we were in shorts and t-shirts.  At the northern most point of the cruise we were in winter coats.

--It is an indoor cruise for the most part.  For the glaciers, many people were on deck in coats for the view.  Hot chocolate was available in many places on deck.

 

These two cruises are our most memorable vacations of our entire life.  You just have to be flexible with the weather.

[Thrak]

Our very first cruise was a 10 day round trip to Alaska out of San Francisco. The cruise was from September 7 - 17th. The first night was very rough weather and the next morning people were bouncing off the walls walking down the corridors. After that things settled down and it was actually "mostly" tee shirt weather. Glacier Bay was cold but the ports were amazingly temperate. One of the locals said he hadn't seen the sun for a couple of weeks and thanked us for bringing the nice weather. 🙂

Edited July 28, 2022 by Thrak

[nini]

We have cruised Alaska twice in September and loved both times. The weather was a bit of everything each time, the usual Alaska variety... Misty rain, cloudy, Sun (even 78 degrees in Ketchikan!)

[rsato]

I know Princess doesn't cruise to Alaska in October, but I would add an observation - the glacier viewing weather is highly variable despite the calendar. We have been on 6 Alaska cruises July - October, and by far the best glacier viewing was during our October cruise. Brilliant sunshine, no wind, very close up views - and we were on the NCL Encore, a mega ship....but it was cold. Juneau and Skagway were great (but chilly), Ketchikan was rainy and we didn't get off the ship. 

[lois1112]

I done Alaska twice in September (both last cruise to Alaska for the year) on one it was HOT (actually 80 in Ketichan       the other time very cold (35)

don't go for the weather

The one good thing about going that late is merchandize is on sale as they don't want to carry stuff over from one season to the next 

[XBGuy]

On 7/25/2022 at 4:18 PM, Sea Hag said:

Everybody else has hit the high points: good prices, less crowded, etc. and the low points: some things might be starting to shut down, shorter days, iffy weather. All I can add is that we've done several Alaska cruises in September, and they were all great. We're scheduled for another one in late September 2023, and I'm expecting to have a great time on that. Maybe rainier, but that's what rain gear is for.

 

September is the best time to cruise in Alaska for all the reasons that various contributors have mentioned above.

 

Whenever we cruise to AK, one of our regular activities is to stock up at the Alaska Fudge Company in either Skagway or Juneau,  We dropped by the Skagway store on one cruise.  We were disappointed that they did not have any mint fudge.  We were the only cruise ship in town, that day, and the last cruise ship of the season was scheduled to arrive in a couple days.  So, all the stores were winnowing down their inventories.  We struggled along with various fudge flavors that they had and continued our terrific cruise.

 

Commenters have also posted about the weather and the possibility of rain.  The biggest rain we have experienced in three September cruises is best described as "drizzle."  It would be best if you prepared for drizzle on port stops.  We don't allow it to affect our enjoyment.  

 

We have encountered fog fairly often on September cruises--mostly, at sea.  If your cabin is close to the ship's foghorn, it will get your attention pretty quickly.  For example I can assure you that if you are sleeping in Cabin A202 (the forwardmost cabin on Deck 12) on the Grand Princess at 2:00 am, and the ship encounters fog, you will be immediately advised,  🤣

 

I have posted this more than once here on Cruise Critic.  The biggest storm we have ever encountered on an Alaska cruise was on a Southbound itinerary while crossing the Gulf of Alaska in early/mid August.  That was quite a roller coaster.  You indicated that you are taking an "Inside Passage" cruise.  That sounds like a roundtrip out of Seattle or Vancouver.  So, I am guessing that you should have no concerns about crossing the Gulf of Alaska.

 

Reconsidering my opening sentence, I'm not sure if I prefer September or April for AK cruises.  I guess more research is required.

 

Have a great cruise.