Best time of year for Alaska ?

[Beer Belly]

Looking to check that box off the bucket list. Fairest weather preferred 

[jcollin]

I hope it's w/o 8/21.

[julig22]

July and August would be your best chance for fair weather, but no guarantees.  Just returned to Seattle on the Sun.  Weather was cold and somewhat wet most of the trip but there was still snow on the mountains, so beautiful views.  The cruise before us had unseasonably warm weather but no trip to Dawes glacier because of ice.

Expect 6 or more cruise ships in each port during summer, lots of kids on your ship.

So best time depends on what it is you want to see and do.

[www3traveler]

I go as earrly in the season as possible (before Memorial Day).  Not as many people on board--still  lots of ships in the various ports.  Seattle, Washington this morning has three ships disembarking and embarking passengers today.

 

I have an Alaskan cruise booked for the 1st week of May 2024.  Early in the season, the glacier ice is still pure white with a tinge of blue along the edges andhas not begun to recede.

 

Enjoy your cruise

[YVRteacher]

The nicest weather is in May. July is often rainy the farther north you get.

 

May has snow-capped mountains, July and August have whales and waterfalls, September and May have fewer kids.

 

To be honest, Alaska is gorgeous and changeable and you’ll have a wonderful cruise regardless of the month.  Enjoy!

[ColeThornton]

2 hours ago, jcollin said:

I hope it's w/o 8/21.

 

 

What does that mean?   🙂

[ChiefMateJRK]

34 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

To be honest, Alaska is gorgeous and changeable and you’ll have a wonderful cruise regardless of the month.  

^^^this.  I've been on six AK cruises, and had a great time on every single one.  IIRC, two in April, two in May, one in September and one in October.

 

OP asks for "fair weather," which doesn't necessarily mean "warmest weather."  That likely makes it a crap shoot.

[ngrund]

3 hours ago, jcollin said:

I hope it's w/o 8/21.

 

15 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

What does that mean?   🙂

probably week of 8/21 (hoping for the fairest weather)-

 

I went a few years ago around that time-weather was great, only issue was that as it was towards the ed of the season, some shops were running low on inventory

 

[kitkat343]

We sailed at the end of May.  Weather was perfect, and crowds were a bit lower.  Only two downsides to consider:  it is too early for the salmon runs, which is one of the best chances to see bears.  However, we were lucky and saw bears at both Mendenhall and Denali in late May/early June.  Secondly, the roads in Denali open seasonally and you'd want to check their schedule to see if they'll be open when you want to visit (they are doing construction this year so I don't think it matters this year but generally that's an issue to note prior to booking so you can ensure you can get as far into the park as you'd like.  We actually chose a northbound Alaskan cruise in late may because of Denali - the roads in Denali weren't open very far on the date we started our cruise, but by sailing Northbound the extra week we got by cruising first meant we got further into Denali than we would have the previous week if we'd done denali first and then a southbound cruise.

Edited June 2, 2023 by kitkat343

[scooter6139]

The best weather is late June through early September.  July is considered the warmest.

[bluecruisin]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

^^^this.  I've been on six AK cruises, and had a great time on every single one.  IIRC, two in April, two in May, one in September and one in October.

 

OP asks for "fair weather," which doesn't necessarily mean "warmest weather."  That likely makes it a crap shoot.

We will be cruising the 3rd week of September. Any guesstimate on weather at that point? Thanks

Edited June 2, 2023 by bluecruisin

[scooter6139]

It's a crapshoot.  We've been to Alaska 8 times now, mostly in August but once in May.  

 

We had beautiful but cool weather in May, whereas the week before was cold and rainy.  

August cruising has worked wonderfully for us, but we've been lucky.  Per the crew on several cruises, both the week before and the week after were windy and rainy.

 

We live in the Pacific Northwest, so we are used to it.   😉

[ngrund]

1 hour ago, ngrund said:

 

probably week of 8/21 (hoping for the fairest weather)-

 

I went a few years ago around that time-weather was great, only issue was that as it was towards the ed of the season, some shops were running low on inventory

 

and more importantly, ship was also running low on their Alaska Brewing selection

[bluesea777]

We are on the Spirit SB right now, entering the Yakustat Bay to go see the Hubbard Glacier.  
 

The seas have been calm since leaving Seward 2 days ago … but still cold in 40’s, overcast with  some low clouds. 
 

So I’d say, like I said about the seas between East Coast and Bermuda as well as Bermuda itself, it’s crapshoot. 
 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

I was on a B2B the first two weeks of the 2023 season on the Bliss.  First week in Skagway, beautiful weather.  That's when we had just planned to walk around the town.  Second week?  Rainy and cold, but that was great because that is when we took the mini-bus excursion to White Pass on the highway.  Beautiful snowfall for the higher parts of the trip.  Win-win!! 😎

[WestCoastDeb]

5 hours ago, www3traveler said:

 

 

I have an Alaskan cruise booked for the 1st week of May 2024.  Early in the season, the glacier ice is still pure white with a tinge of blue along the edges andhas not begun to recede.

 We went the second week of May this year and the weather was wonderful!

[amygutman]

3 hours ago, bluecruisin said:

We will be cruising the 3rd week of September. Any guesstimate on weather at that point? Thanks

We are cruising Sept 24th ... hoping for the trifecta of whales, clear glacier passage and northern lights. Crossing fingers for you as well!

Warmest, Amy

[vswan]

I've done May, July and 2 in August. Heading again this summer on the Bliss leaving late July into August. All were great. May was colder, but watching the crew (who had never seen snow) play in the snow at higher elevations was a highlight.

 

Just like many places in the continental northern states, weather can vary from week to week, some weeks cooler than others, some with a lot of rain, just can't predict. Haven't had a bad Alaskan cruise yet, it's amazing in all types of weather.

 

The best chance of warm weather would be July and early August, but could have it any week.