Just started thinking about Alaska for August, and need some advice

[oAlgo]

Hello from Spain,
I´m just starting to think about doing Alaska in August 2025 or maybe 2026, but I have some doubts.
The first plan would be to do the Rocky Mountaineer, inside passage cruise, and Denali park staying at Holland Americas resort, and not sure if the other destinations in Alaska.
What we most enjoy is the scenery, wildlife, little villages, and maybe some "easy" hiking. Not that much into shopping, or bigger cities though.

- First question, will there be lots of kids on the ship and resorts? I know Holland America doesn´t usually attract a lot of families, but we´ve never booked a cruise during school vacations, except for on adults only ships. We´re not a fan of relaxing on a holiday while kids are running around shouting (or whatever).
- Is August a good month to go for the scenery and/or wildlife? I would prefer to go earlier, as we love seeing the Mountains with more snow. Just got back from a northern light cruise to the north of Norway and we almost cried seeing all the scenery round us. The issue is that for at least another 5 or more years I can´t get time off work from May to July, or September. April and October could be done, with a 2 year notice, but I don´t think they´re good months for Alaska?

- Any advice about the Mountaineer? I´ve seen they have different destinations and routes. Also any advice about the rest of the destinations in Alaska (apart from the cruises ones and Mackinley resort as we´ve decided to stay there for 2 or 3 nights)

- Better first inland and then cruise, or other way around?

TIA!!
 

[lcand1923]

Re the Alaska portion: do the land first then the cruise.  You will have busy days on the land portion and can use the cruise to relax.

 

Re the Rocky Mountaineer: all of the options are good.  I can’t think of one being better than the other.

 

Re August:  since you like scenery and/or wildlife and few children, I would try to schedule your trip towards the end of the month.  My trips have been in May/June/Late August/Early September.  You will want to see the start of the Autumn Colors, if possible.  It sounds like you are planning on one of the longer HAL land/sea journeys, so children should not be a major issue.  (The shorter Alaska trips tend to attract more families.)

 

Of course, these are just my opinions and I’m sure you will get many more.

[Haljo1935]

You likely will have children in Aug. We have found AK to be very popular for families. Post Labor Day there may be less children, but sounds like that may not be an option for you.

We find more snow in May, more rain in Sept. The scenery is amazing regardless. 

Our land cruise May 2022 was a disaster so, we're doing cruise only for now. We did cruise first, land last but would switch that if we did another land cruise to benefit from relaxing sead days as @lcand1923 mentioned.

[tupper10]

I would do the land portion first.  August is fine but I would do early August so the weather will hopefully be a bit warmer. No one can predict the weather for you as it changes day by day, so just decide when is the best time for you to go and hope for the best.  We actually have done the trip but not all at once. The train is wonderful and it is a very scenic ride. I would spend as much time doing the land portion of Alaska as you can after the train ride. 

[Alberta Quilter]

I agree about doing the land portion of the cruise tour first because the land tour days are long and rather exhausting.  You'll be able to recover on the cruise.

 

As for the Rocky Mountaineer, I've done two of the three Canadian routes.  I enjoyed the three day route from Jasper to Vancouver, via Quesnel & Whistler, more than the two day route from Vancouver to Banff, via Kamloops.  I felt the scenery was better (departing from Vancouver is not pretty at all) in the northern route.  The only disappointment to the northern route was the section between Jasper and Prince George; we were in a tunnel of trees for much of the first day.  Of course, it didn't help that it was pouring rain.  It was the end of August.  The rain turned to snow, in Jasper, within a day or two of our departure and made headlines.  The scenery only improved after that first day; the weather did, too!  Whistler was beautiful.  The afternoon train ride from Whistler to North Van was very nice, with local residents coming out of their homes to wave at us as we passed.  That hardly happened on the southern route...

 

On the RM, do expect delays.  We had a one hour delay shortly after leaving Whistler, near Squamish.  But on the other trip, we had a five hour delay before being bused to Kamloops on Day 1, arriving at midnight.  That was not pleasant but totally out of RM's control (delays in both instances were due to issues with other trains on the same tracks).  They actually had to serve us a third meal because of that delay.  Do not book any post train arrangements on the day you disembark the RM because of the chance of delay.

 

Oh, and make sure, if your budget allows, to book Gold Leaf.  This gets you into the dome cars which has better views, an outdoor viewing platform (for better pictures), better (adjustable) seats, and the ability to move to the dining car below for your meals. More meal options, too.

 

As for the cruise and kids, expect kids.  I did my one and only cruise tour in June (around summer solstice).  We saw more kids than I expected but I guess school is out a little earlier, in June, in the US than it is in Canada.  Although I haven't been to Alaska in August, since school is still out, I would expect them.  Even though HAL may not have the image of being family friendly, they seem to be trying to change that image with their kids sail free promos. I would think that Alaska and the Caribbean itineraries would be more inclined to have more children than other itineraries.

 

Hope that helps!

[oAlgo]

Thanks a lot for all of your answers, especially Alberta!!!
Given me a lot to think about, but for sure it´s going to be our next big holiday!!

[oaktreerb]

I’ve taken several Holland America Alaska/Yukon land tours and have seen very few children on the land portion.  Families are more likely to rent a car for the land trip.   There will be children on the ship but they are generally well behaved.  Early August is a good time to travel in Alaska and I definitely suggest doing the land tour first. 

[Alberta Quilter]

If this might be your one and only trip to Alaska and Western Canada, considering you're coming from Spain, then try to book a cruise tour that includes the Yukon.  I particularly liked Dawson City.  My sister lived in Whitehorse for a few years and was sad to leave it, she liked it so much.  I didn't see much of Whitehorse on my tour due to a late arrival and early departure the following day.

[tupper10]

One other suggestion:  For the Banff, Lake Louie & Jasper if you are up for it you can rent an RV in Calgary and do this part of the park at your leisure. You can book the campsites in advance.   It is a great trip and all the campsites have showers with hot water.  We did this and it was wonderful. Then back in Calgary we took the train to Vancouver with the stop over in Kamloops.  The scenery was great and we enjoyed it.  In Vancouver you  can hop on the Holland America land tour and then the cruise southbound back to Vancouver.  

[Alberta Quilter]

2 minutes ago, tupper10 said:

One other suggestion:  For the Banff, Lake Louie & Jasper if you are up for it you can rent an RV in Calgary and do this part of the park at your leisure. You can book the campsites in advance.   It is a great trip and all the campsites have showers with hot water.  We did this and it was wonderful. Then back in Calgary we took the train to Vancouver with the stop over in Kamloops.  The scenery was great and we enjoyed it.  In Vancouver you  can hop on the Holland America land tour and then the cruise southbound back to Vancouver.  

Agree with this, along as you’re comfortable with driving in the mountains.  If you do a tour package with RM, they will take you to all of the sights without you needing to deal with the logistics.  But it will come at an added cost and at their timing.  You will have much more flexibility on your own.  FYI, Parks Canada has just announced higher parking fees at Lake Louise, and Moraine Lake has parking restrictions too.  They want people to use transit instead.
 

If you choose to do this portion on your own, I would suggest earlier in August because of weather.  

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, tupper10 said:

One other suggestion:  For the Banff, Lake Louie & Jasper if you are up for it you can rent an RV in Calgary and do this part of the park at your leisure. You can book the campsites in advance.   It is a great trip and all the campsites have showers with hot water.  We did this and it was wonderful. Then back in Calgary we took the train to Vancouver with the stop over in Kamloops.  The scenery was great and we enjoyed it.  In Vancouver you  can hop on the Holland America land tour and then the cruise southbound back to Vancouver.  

I agree 100%. For some people like me the Rocky Mountaineer is boring and far too confining.  Even if you don’t want to RV a car rental is fairly inexpensive, easy and not that long of a drive .  It is only 600 miles from Vancouver to Calgary.  The roads are good, the scenery is great. Calgary is an international airport and an interesting western city 

[Wasasalad]

I do not recommend the RockyMountaineer train unless you can fall asleep in the lazy boy type seating and sleep all day!

It was like being totally confined and I was in the Gold with a separate dining and bar area. 
I spent most of my days on the little platform between the cars!

All you see are beautiful amazing places that should not be missed. On the train with no stops!

Beautiful trip for a motor home or car travel! 
Yes it is mountainous but big wide open roads. Much bigger roads than the U.S. Rockies. Giant roads compared to New England Mountains!

We were on the train by 5:00am! Left the hotel at 4:00am. Arrived in the evening hotel at 11:30pm to midnight. And repeat!

Missed all of our evening hotel dinners!

If you can’t drive it’s an ok alternative just to see the area. 

[YourWorldWithBill]

We really enjoyed the Rocky Mountaineer; the one thing not to miss is a stop in Lake Louise. It is one of the most (maybe the most) beautiful views in the world; I could have stood for much longer than I did just looking. And I agree with @Alberta Quilterabout booking the gold leaf. We did not, but wish we had, and will definitely go back and do that. It's worth the extra. 

 

Alaska is amazing whenever you're there, and very different from Norway and the fjords. Every month is good for a different reason. There will be kids in August, but maybe less if you can go late in the month. There is a chance you could see the Aurora if you spend two or three nights in Fairbanks. We were there in early September and got lucky.

[Wasasalad]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

I agree 100%. For some people like me the Rocky Mountaineer is boring and far too confining.  Even if you don’t want to RV a car rental is fairly inexpensive, easy and not that long of a drive .  It is only 600 miles from Vancouver to Calgary.  The roads are good, the scenery is great. Calgary is an international airport and an interesting western city 

A car or RV rental is the way to go!

[Blackduck59]

We haven't done the Rocky Mountaineer. We have looked several times and just can't get past the price. Depending on your time frame (and aversion to flying) you could rent a car in Vancouver and do the circle route from Vancouver travelling north east to Jasper then south along the Icefield Parkway to Banff and then head west from there back to Vancouver. It's a beautiful drive and you should be able to do it comfortably in about 9 days.

[rj59]

August starts to get rainy. April and October will be very rainy and cold, so mountain activities will be difficult. All ships in Alaska have kids now during the summer, with huge demand, especially out of Seattle. The best option to avoid kids and crowded ships and get more glacier and port times is to do a north-south cruise. I recommend leaving out of Whittier in Alaska, because it visits the majestic Hubbard Glacier, as well as Glacier Bay. Alternately, I'd recommend Zaandam out of Vancouver, which has a max of 1400 passengers so probably fewer families and smaller crowds and better viewing of wildlife and glaciers. Weather is changeable in Alaska, so it can rain for a week and then be warm and sunny. Personally, I'd just tour on my own in Alaska for several days, and then catch a cruise back to Vancouver from there. 

[Gsel]

Having been to Alaska quite a few times, both land and sea, rj59 has given you great advice. Alaska is unpredictable, especially the weather, and prepare for anything in one day.