Cruising Alaska in October

[Paddy1253]

We're a group of 6 from the UK considering a repositioning cruise from Vancouver to Alaska and down to San Diego in early October 2025 with NCL as part of a bigger holiday. The price of the holiday overall is quite a bargain but we're a bit concerned about the Alaskan weather and seas in October having read some negative comments on here and elsewhere. The cruise only spends 5 days in Alaska visiting Sitka, Skagway & Ketchikan before making its way back south to Seattle and beyond. We'd appreciate some honest and open feedback as to whether this is a good idea, even though the price may be incredibly attractive.

Thanks

[CruiserBruce]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Looks like you already have done some reading, and discovered some of the reasons your cruise is inexpensive. Those were honest answers. The weather can be bad. The seas can be rough. Vendors and tours in towns will be shutting down, or already closed for the season.

 

The further south you get, weather and seas should generally improve. But there are no guarantees.

[Ferry_Watcher]

The beauty of Alaska will still be present regardless of the weather.  The shops will have started to close for the season, but usually that isn't a dealbreaker.

 

If your price is great, and you have the time to spare, then I would take the cruise.  Vancouver is a beautiful city, Alaska is stunning, and San Diego is warm and sunny. The cruise sounds wonderful.

Go for it.  ;  )

[karatemom2]

Here is how I would look at it - you will have the privilege of seeing Alaska at a time of year most travelers do not. Crowds will be gone, but the beauty will remain. Yes, the weather could be less than perfect some days, but if you’re prepared to enjoy it no matter what the conditions, you will not be disappointed. It sounds like a wonderful itinerary and great deal, so I would encourage you to take the leap!   

[jean-lynd]

Another positive - you have a better chance to see the northern lights!

[sherryf]

Also, there are probably going to be very few children on board since they'll all be back in school.

 

But personally, I probably wouldn't do it unless it was REALLY cheap. I've been to Alaska many times and wouldn't be devastated if the weather was really bad or if we ended up missing ports because of weather/rough seas.  If this is likely to be your only trip to Alaska, you might end up being disappointed.

[wolfie11]

It is not uncommon for it to rain 10 days in a row in SE in October.

[Paddy1253]

2 hours ago, sherryf said:

Also, there are probably going to be very few children on board since they'll all be back in school.

 

But personally, I probably wouldn't do it unless it was REALLY cheap. I've been to Alaska many times and wouldn't be devastated if the weather was really bad or if we ended up missing ports because of weather/rough seas.  If this is likely to be your only trip to Alaska, you might end up being disappointed.

Thanks for the comment (and to everyone else). Yes, all things considered, it is REALLY cheap, i.e. £3Kpp for the return flights, 12 night cruise incl drinks package, 2 nights in Vancouver, 3 nights in Las Vegas plus other stuff. We appreciate by the time you've done with upgrades, excursions, off-cruise meals etc, it'll be a lot more then £3K but for us in the UK, that's an amazing price. We're used to the naff weather living in the UK and I know where we live in Yorkshire, even with bad weather, it's still a beautiful area to visit.

We'll take your comments on board and give it some thought. 👍

Edited April 27 by Paddy1253
spelling

[martincath]

I'd check whether you can do everything except the 5 day cruise - so you know how much the 'as bad as the timing of an AK cruise gets' part of the package actually costs! As long as you have the right clothes to enjoy your port stops (and packing many layers will be crucial if you're doing Vegas afterward, much toastier down there in Oct than up here) then as long as the price for those days seems good I wouldn't hesitate.

 

Our honeymoon almost 30 years ago, when we were living in Edinburgh, was a three week land tour of western US, even later than your trip (early through end of Nov) and we had some ridiculously variable conditions - literally could not see the Grand Canyon due to a blizzard for example, it was 'barely see your hand in front of your face' stuff, got stuck in Reno an extra day also due to snow, but the coastal SoCal weather was seemed freakishly hot, I recall being in shorts in San Francisco of all places, constantly sweltering! But we packed appropriately for the theoretical mins and maxes across the multiple states and even managed a flyover from Vegas of the Canyon a couple of days later - if pasty Scots could handle that, I'm sure that Yorkshire folk won't have too much trouble (but do bring your own teabags; you can actually find Gold for sale in the US & Canada, but it's ferociously pricier!)

[wolfie11]

16 hours ago, Paddy1253 said:

Thanks for the comment (and to everyone else). Yes, all things considered, it is REALLY cheap, i.e. £3Kpp for the return flights, 12 night cruise incl drinks package, 2 nights in Vancouver, 3 nights in Las Vegas plus other stuff. We appreciate by the time you've done with upgrades, excursions, off-cruise meals etc, it'll be a lot more then £3K but for us in the UK, that's an amazing price. We're used to the naff weather living in the UK and I know where we live in Yorkshire, even with bad weather, it's still a beautiful area to visit.

We'll take your comments on board and give it some thought. 👍

Early October is not a terrible time to visit Alaska.  As mentioned, many shops and shore excursions might not be open.  The odds for bad weather increase quite a bit starting in mid-September, but if you are used to UK weather you should be ok.  Bear in mind though that’s it’s not just the weather on land, it’s the hurricane-force winds and 10 meter seas you have to contend with.

[Northern Aurora]

It appears that our OP is considering booking this October 2025 cruise with their "eyes wide open" as we would say in the US.  Could have wonderful weather but be prepared for miserable conditions.  It will be an experience no matter what, but just remember that there is a reason why these very late season cruises are so cheap.