When to cruise Alaska?

[PintSizedMommy]

My family and I are planning to cruise the NCL Pearl on May 30th, of next year. What is the weather like during that time of year? Would it be best to wait till later in June to cruise the Pearl?

[RoofingPrincess]

We cruised the Serenade of the Seas this year (roundtrip from Vancouver, leaving May 30) and had absolutely amazing weather! The day we were in Skagway, I was actually overwarm in a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans - it was at least 80F! On my whale watch in Icy Strait Point, I was very comfortable in a hoodie with a windbreaker pulled over it; in Juneau, I was comfortable in a t-shirt with a long-sleeved denim shirt worn open over it!

Of course, this is not typical weather. And I heard it had been rainy the week before I cruised.

On my trip home, I ran into two guys who had been on a Princess cruise at the same time, so we compared experiences. Both ships had been scheduled to go into Tracy Arm for glacier viewing.

On Serenade, the captain announced the night before that they were monitoring conditions in both Tracy and Endicott, and would take the route where the conditions were better. The next morning, he announced we were going into Endicott -- and we got all the way up to Dawes Glacier, where he did about six 360 turns of the ship so everyone could get their fill of the glorious glacier.

On the Princess ship these guys had been on, they went up Tracy but only got about halfway before conditions were too poor to go on. No glacier for them.

SO - cruises earlier in the season have the possibility of too much ice to do what's scheduled. And you never know what you'll get for weather.

You roll the dice, and you take your chances!

[Budget Queen]

There is NO way to give you any "assurance" on weather, so you are asking a question that can not be answered. You have no more "chance" if you go in June.

 

Sailing Alaska encounters a wide range of weather, and you need to be prepared and accepting of it.

[COJOMAY]

Budget Quuen has the right PC answer. But if you do your homework on the web you will find that generally late May and June are the least rainy periods. We just left May 27th of this year and the weather was warm and sunny the whole time except the first couple of days out. Despite all the concerns about it being very cold on deck at College Fjord, I was on deck the whole time in just jeans and a sweatshirt. But I realize that is not the norm.

[Jeff in Torrance]

After two Alaskan cruises that were both "the first week of the season," I would say as early as possible. We had (mostly") great weather; and, the combination of "low snow" and the trees/water was wonderful. The mosquitos are just waking up; so, haven't quite figured out who do bite.

[Putterdude]

The weather varies so much from year to year. If you had gone in last 2 weeks you probably would have had some great weather but next year it could be cool and rainy. My personal favourite time is mid-July to mid-Aug but even at that there are no guarantees.

[lovesublime]

Budget Quuen has the right PC answer. But if you do your homework on the web you will find that generally late May and June are the least rainy periods. We just left May 27th of this year and the weather was warm and sunny the whole time except the first couple of days out. Despite all the concerns about it being very cold on deck at College Fjord, I was on deck the whole time in just jeans and a sweatshirt. But I realize that is not the norm.

 

 

I agree with this. We've cruised Alaska twice. One time during the last week of May and the other the first week of July. We had the best weather, overall, in May. As BQ states, be prepared for anything and don't let some cold or rain spoil your trip.

[Mugga]

We sailed with Roofingprincess and we have also sailed the end of July.

Both times we have had exceptional weather.

If you are going to sail Alaska you need to be ready for any weather, no matter when you sail. Layers and rain wear. The only time I was cold on either cruise was at the glaciers but we were told repeatedly that the weather was an exception.

[Budget Queen]

After two Alaskan cruises that were both "the first week of the season," I would say as early as possible. We had (mostly") great weather; and, the combination of "low snow" and the trees/water was wonderful. The mosquitos are just waking up; so, haven't quite figured out who do bite.

 

I've sailed on over 20 Alaska cruises and one trip I took in your recommended timeframe had 6 out of 7 days of cold continous rain.