Alaskan cruise

[nol4am]

Hi, I was wanting to surprise hubby with an Alaskan cruise. Can someone please tell  me when the best time to cruise Alaska. 
 

Thank you!

[HB.Blake]

I just booked Aug 2023 10 day San Francisco for my family and kids

 

I have also done one in mid September but the closer to summer the better.

[staceyglow]

I have been on 2 Alaska cruises, one in late May and one in late August.  I would recommend either of those times.  It also avoids the peak travel season.

 

I have heard that in  the middle of summer the mosquitoes can be really bad, although I believe that might be further inland (my last trip included a land tour).  I saw pictures of people wearing beekeeper's hats because the swarms of mosquitoes were that bad.

[kctwinmommy]

I feel like this is one cruise that you can plan and hope for the best, but you never know what you'll get. We went in July and had very moderate weather. It wasn't cold, but it was chilly on the water, I ended up buying a Carnival jacket for an extra layer. But I get cold more than others. But we had no rain either. We had cloudy days for sure, but they were still decent weather wise. We did have one day that was pretty sunny and nice when we came back from our excursion, so we could enjoy the sunshine.

 

We didn't have any problems with mosquitoes on our cruise.

 

My parents did theirs in May and I know the posted pics of them in their bathing suits sitting on the top deck eating in the middle of the day.

 

There is a reason their season is short though, they try to keep them during the best times for people. Good luck with your decision and hope it's great!

[SDPadreFan]

For the best weather, I would say late June to late July. We just did the 20 June sailing on Carnival Miracle out of San Francisco and our in-port and Tracy Arm days were just perfect. Cruising days less so with wind, overcast, and cooler weather. We packed stuff to layer against the elements. Jeans, t-shirt and light jacket was really all we needed in port. But you have to be prepared because YMMV.

[ABQrobin]

Jusst got back from our 2nd Alaska cruise.

#1 was in mid-June - weather sunny and nice, but less wildlife as salmon had not started run.

#2 was in late Aug-early Sept and weather was rainy every day, or partly cloudy.  More wildlife out, bears eating salmon, etc.  

 

Both are good but different reasons.

[abby1257]

We went May 5-15 of this year.  We lucked out (according to people in Alaska) with the weather we had, SUNNY but just a tad cool....so light jacket or sweater....include both if you go early May....Personally if we do another Alaskan cruise (and we will)...I think I would go in June or July...You will LOVE THIS CRUISE....scenery is spectacular....We had lots of snow on the peaks ....so lots of white peaks in the  background when taking pics....Have fun!  Make sure you stop at one of the bars, or saloons and have yourselves a "DUCK FART". drink......it's a must....We did the 10 day out of San Francisco....and we stayed another night after the cruise...did a San Fran tour, saw the sea lions....and did the Alcatraz tour....loads of fun.

Edited September 11, 2022 by abby1257

[mondello]

We went in early July 2016. One of the excursions was a Salmon Bake; however, didn’t start up until mid-July. Raincoat is a must, great for windbreaker even if it doesn’t rain. Wind can really bring the chill in the narrow fjords.

[kona_wahine]

I went 2x this years May 8, June 29th. Weather was rainy in May, but the snow, WOW. It was so beautiful it was mostly gone come July. You can’t describe the snowy mountains, you have to experience them. But July, the waterfalls, WOW!  Just over and over! Definitely more wildlife in July. Alaska is a very rainy area, and they had LOTS of rain the second part of august this year. I have a friend that had a fishing boat in Valdez and it even snowed up there. Alaska is definitely my favorite all time cruise now, I look forward to going back. 

[CTSandy]

Three cruises to Alaska - two of them the second week in August, one the second week in September.  Nice weather for both in August, temps in the low to mid 60s, overcast a couple of days but only rained st night.  The September cruise rained almost every day and chilly - temps in upper 40s to low 50s.  We enjoyed all of the cruises and found interesting excursions in spite of weather.  This year we rented a car, took the ferry and spent three days in Victoria, BC - had a wonderful visit there and beautiful weather!  Kicking around the idea of going again next year - I think we would try the last week of August or first week of September - a lot of kids on board during August.

[Crew News]

My experience is the first two weeks of May have historically less rain than other months, lower fares for both planes and cruises, still snow on the peaks, lots of new creatures seeing life, many baby humpbacks leaping out of the water, and fewer kids onboard with schools still in session.

[Sigyn]

I can only tell you what I know, and that is September is very chilly. I arrived in Anchorage on Labor Day weekend, Sept 1, for a three-week vacation many years ago, and that day was nice and sunny, but every single day after that was progressively colder and most days were overcast and cloudy. The average temperature was in the 50's and it was breezy and chilly. And that was inland, in towns such as Homer, Anchorage, Mt. Denali and Fairbanks. I did a one-day cruise to see glaciers and it was quite brisk on the water. I would have been much colder on a full-fledged cruise on the water the entire time. I am planning a return visit and opting for July to make sure it is as warm as possible.

[Boo's Mom]

On 9/11/2022 at 2:19 PM, nol4am said:

Hi, I was wanting to surprise hubby with an Alaskan cruise. Can someone please tell  me when the best time to cruise Alaska. 
 

Thank you!

If you want to do some fishing, the later in the Alaska cruise season = better. 

Keep in mind that many fishing charters will assist you in shipping the fish to your home!  A great souvenir. Give your friends/family salmon, instead of a t-shirt! 😅

 

🛳EnJOY!