Cruise to Alaska question

[CJJSmith]

I should know this, but I have no idea when the best time of the year is to take an Alaskan cruise. Can someone fill me in? My husband has been DYING to do this and I may book a cruise for sometime in the future and surprise him. :) Thanks!

[lovesublime]

The Alaska cruise season is May to Sept. Cruising during the months of May and Sept are usually less expensive because they are the shoulder months and the weather can be iffy. We cruised the last week of May last year and experienced terrific weather.

[FlyingPhotog]

I should know this, but I have no idea when the best time of the year is to take an Alaskan cruise. Can someone fill me in? My husband has been DYING to do this and I may book a cruise for sometime in the future and surprise him. :) Thanks!

 

We're going in a couple weeks. My hope is to see some snow still on the mountains, but that there won't see so much ice on the water to keep us from getting close to the glacier. Alaska cruises only operate from May to September. The seas are too icy the rest of the year.

[RenieRaider]

I've been twice...

once in July... great weather but could not see calving of glaciers due to fog.

once in September... great weather and awesome glacier calving viewing!

It's ALL GOOD!

Just book it and GO! You will not be disappointed in the Alaskan Expereince!

[mauimary]

We have been to Alaska twice-June and August. We liked June much better as our weather was better and it was light out until nearly midnight. We saw alot more in June than we did in August due to the longer days. :) It also rained for us nearly every day in August-but that can happen either month.

[Cheryl H]

I've read that end of the season trips make for great shopping as some of the shops mark down their merchandise. I think I may try for a first half of September trip. It may be a year or two though.

 

Have fun planning your trip! Planning is half the fun.

[CJJSmith]

OK - now here is dumb question #2... I live in Southern California... where should I sail from? I can't believe I don't know any of this... how long a cruise is the best and from where? THANK YOU all for your replies. I love this board!

[songster2]

OK - now here is dumb question #2... I live in Southern California... where should I sail from? I can't believe I don't know any of this... how long a cruise is the best and from where? THANK YOU all for your replies. I love this board!

 

First, pick the itinerary, then you'll know from where you'll be sailing. We did a RT from Seattle a few years ago, and now I'm planning to book a B2B from Vancouver for next summer because it's a different itin part of the way. We went mid May, just as the bears were coming out of hibernation. Between my son and me, we saw 30 bears. Some people have told me they've not seen one bear in Alaska.

 

Which ever itin you choose, you will love Alaska! Happy choosing :D

[tinkerme1]

For question #2, you'll get lots of different answers!

 

I live in So. Cal too and we decided that Alaska needed lots of time since we hadn't been there before. We booked cruisetour #15 and we are SO glad we did! There is a huge difference between the inside areas of Alaska and the Coast line areas. We did seven days on the land tour and 7 on the cruise. It was just perfect. We did fly into Fairbanks to start the cruisetour.

 

If you just do the cruise, see if you can get on one of the longer 12 or 14 day cruises which offer lots of itinerary variety. Most of those cruises start in Vancouver and return to LA or San Diego. Often, they are called "Ultimate Alaska" cruises.

 

BTW, the "Alaska Port" section of this website has lots of information too! Ask your questions over there as well.

[lovesublime]

First decide if you want to do a roundtrip or one-way. I'll try to explain-you can cruise roundtrip inside passage from either Vancouver or Seattle. The one-ways cruise either north or south bound originating in Vancouver or Anchorage (Whittier) or Seward.

 

We did a roundtrip out of Seattle last year and are doing a one-way south bound this June. We are actually flying to Anchorage and cruising south to Vancouver. One is not better than the other, it's just that a lot of people choose the one way so they can do a land based tour either before or after the cruise. But really, no matter what you choose- you can't lose. As previously stated 'it's all good'. Have fun planning :) I suggest you visit the Alaska forum. You'll learn a LOT over there.

[Cheryl H]

I would love to take a cruise tour, however I'm not sure our budget will allow. Instead I may take the Northbound cruise starting in Vancouver and ending at Seward. I've read that there are lots of things to do in the Seward area, so we may consider taking some extra time after the cruise to see the Kenai Fjord National Park Tour, the Sealife Center, and Exit Glacier. Then we could take the train back to Anchorage eventually to fly home.

 

Happy planning! I agree with the previous poster. You should start reading over on the Alaska board. They have lots of good ideas too.

[wolfcathorse]

the whales are there end of May-Sept. I just got back 5-30 adn we hardly saw any humpbacks. Had to take Capt Larry's whale watching tour in Juneau to see Orcas. The cruises leaving out of Vancouver have the better itineraries

[mamacat3]

We booked our Alaska while on board Mariner and spoke with the loyalty ambassador who has been to Alaska 4 times. We told her it was our first and asked which one should we take and she suggested Vancouver. She also suggested August. Hope this helps. Good luck and happy cruising!!

[GMoney]

the whales are there end of May-Sept. I just got back 5-30 adn we hardly saw any humpbacks. Had to take Capt Larry's whale watching tour in Juneau to see Orcas. The cruises leaving out of Vancouver have the better itineraries

 

I cruised the same week (out of Vancouver) and saw dozens of humpbacks, especially in the ISP area. Just depends on where you go and some luck.

[GMoney]

Alaska is a great experience, whether you cruise, go on land, or both. Please just take the time to do your homework and know what you are getting - or not getting. There are so many options and the cruiselines do not always have your best interest in mind in terms of itineraries and season. For example, some lines are sailing as early as late April, which is way too soon to enjoy Alaska. Same with cruises thru mid May and anything after mid Sept IMO.

 

Alaska is different things to different people. Find what it is to you and go with that. You can drive yourself crazy comparing experiences.

[Coralc]

I would recommend against very early May. It was very cold, there was a lot of snow, no calving on the the glacier...and the wildlife was still sleeping. We still had a fabulous time, just different. We saw a lot of whales off the ship. (Serenade). :D

[billylen]

I also live in So Cal and about to cruise Alaska again in a week. My last cruise was end of June to July 4th. Weather was great, calving at the glacier was fantastic! Like a previous poster stated, the days are very long which is pretty cool because you can stay up and see things at all hours...

 

The next trip is one way (again leaving from Vancouver) but we disembark in Seward.

 

As far as travel from So. Cal I flew into Vancouver a day early and enjoyed the city then hopped aboard the next day (I went alone). Oh, one cool plus, there are limos at the airport in Vancouver that are a real bargain. A cool way to get the trip started in style.

 

I have never traveled in May or August-September, but I am sure those times would be great as well.

 

How cool of you to surprise the hubby!

[stompy]

I should know this, but I have no idea when the best time of the year is to take an Alaskan cruise. Can someone fill me in? My husband has been DYING to do this and I may book a cruise for sometime in the future and surprise him. :) Thanks!

 

We just got back in May from a 2 week cruise. Loved the weather but we didn't get to see ANY wildlife.

 

Sept seems to be pretty late and all the humpies are dying off. Late August seems to be a good time for salmon...

[BobbyK]

I've been really thinking a lot about an Alaskan cruise next year. Here goes my thoughts:

 

1. I can only go in July. However, the May and September cruises are

wonderful. They're much cheaper. The long repositioning cruises are

the best. In September, the sales are great (although the

merchandise is a little picked over).

2. Rhapsody--Single flight to Seattle. opportunity to spend time in

Seattle pre or post cruise (Space Needle, Pikes Place Market, Boeing,

etc), one of the stops is Victoria (I love Victoria), other two Alaskan

stops are Skagway and Juneau

3. Serenade--radiance class ship, very beautiful and great ship, begin

and end in Vancouver, great opportunity to spend time pre or post

cruise in Victoria and/ or Vancouver (Grayline has some interesting

tours), visit Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan in Alaska.

4. Radiance -- radiance class ship, very beautiful and great ship, begin or

end in Vancouver and then begin or end in Steward, great to travel on

if you are planning a land cruise tour part, or you want to spend time

in Anchorage or just more time in that area, visit Skagway, Juneau and

Ketchikan.

I think you can just take into consideration the time of year, costs, what type of airplane arrangements you want to do, ports you will visit, if you want to spend more time there pre or post cruise.

I did the Serenade repositioning cruise the beginning of May. It was wonderful. I'll be booking a July 09 cruise and we're going to do the Rhapsody because of the flight arrangements (we might even do a train to see more of the west coast), spend a few days in Seattle, and the stop in Victoria. I know we're missing out on Ketchikan but it will be okay.

Later. Robin

P.S. I saw your website. It's beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing. By the way, I was on that same Monarch cruise with my mom and sister. The Monarch was really a rocking and a rolling.

[kingsgirl]

The Alaska cruise season is May to Sept. Cruising during the months of May and Sept are usually less expensive because they are the shoulder months and the weather can be iffy. We cruised the last week of May last year and experienced terrific weather.

 

I also went the last week in May too and had great weather. We didn't have any actual rain while in port. Even though it was a hot summer early last year, we didn't get close to Hubbard Glacier at all, so just a warning.

 

If you go in June/July/August you'll definitely have more rain, but also a chance for a warmer day and a better chance to see Hubbard.

 

I would probably suggest Glacier Bay rather than Hubbard (RCI = Hubbard, Glacier Bay = Princess) but you never know what you really like until you go.

 

You can see wildlife anytime that you go - you just have to be willing to watch for it!

I hope you have a good time if you go and a good way to surprise your husband. I gave my mom our Alaskan cruise for her 65th birthday so I understand your desire!!

[Travel to Ports]

I've only been twice (June, August), both roundtrip Vancouver and Seattle. Consider the following:

(1) A first trip must include Glacier Bay. As a national park, cruise lines obtain permits and two other cruise lines have the seniority and more permits. I would strongly urge only selecting a cruise that includes Glacier Bay.

(2) The number of days you have available and your previous experience with Seattle or Vancouver can be taken in to account. Our first cruise was in June out of Vancouver. We went several days in advance, stayed in a hotel overlooking the water and did Vancouver (hop on hop off, etc.) saw Balouga (sp?) whales in Stanley park, etc. Took a ferry to Victoria, stayed a couple of days and did the museum of natural history and the gardens. Last August (2nd week) we did Seattle with son and his wife and stayed at Marriott waterfront in Seattle after (1 block to market and 1 block to aquarium). August was great fishing (still have some salmon in the freezer -- figure the 2 large coho went dressed for about $40/50 a pound!). Saw fish in water everywhere we looked! Whales out of Juneau. Can find a Seattle itinerary that does Skagway (train) instead of Sitka.

(3) If you have 10 days plus and you and your husband like the outdoors, I would say the cruisetour is the top choice. Two companies have this market with their own touring coaches to Denali Park, etc. Hard to say here, but you seriously have to consider Holland America and Princess for these.

(4) At anytime Alaska can be cold (sweaters and jackets necessary). A balcony is nice for viewing, but you may need to bundle-up.

If money is an issue, I'd suggest a 7-night roundtrip from Seattle (airfare less) and go to large discount sites and review all ships available for the month you select. In a fit a poor judgment, had recently considered going with daughter and her too-young children this year (have since regained my sanity) and saw that you could find a very good ship that docks in Seattle across from the Marriott and includes Skagway (train experience -- necessary for both young children and husbands).

Another great thought (coming from a husband) -- husbands like to be involved in making such decisions and even not knowing your husband, would suggest that he be involved in selecting the options.

Best of luck,

David

[AMommyof2]

We were in Alaska the week of July 4th. There was snow on the mountains and we saw lots of great calving at the glacier. Lots of cold rain in Ketchikan, but mostly drizzle or dry in other ports. Temps were in mid 60s the entire week.

 

We flew into Anchorage and took the train to Seward for the southbound tour to Vancouver, BC. The views of the wildlife and glaciers from the train were beautiful.

[CJJSmith]

 

P.S. I saw your website. It's beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing. By the way, I was on that same Monarch cruise with my mom and sister. The Monarch was really a rocking and a rolling.

 

THANK YOU for the thoughts on my website.... and thank you for the thoughts on the Alaska cruise. That Monarch ship really WAS rocking wasn't it... I cringe when I hear someone was ON the ship with us... my 3 boys can be a little loud - lol. :) Maybe we'll see you on the Alaska cruise next year!

 

Thanks to EVERYONE for the help with this. My husband and I are really going to do our homework and this helps so much!