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Since Alaska cruises are so dependent on outdoor activities, your best chance for sunny days can be opposite of when the best time for crowds are each season. The Alaska cruise season is quite short, with just six months to choose the best time to cruise Alaska. While gray whales are active in Alaskan waters during the early spring, most species, including belugas, orcas, humpback whales, and blue whales, peak between May and September. This partially explains why this stretch is much busier than other times of year for tourism in Alaska. These months are also incredibly popular times for Alaskan cruises, which is why there is some debate over which period is the best between the two. Given the warmer temperatures of July and August, many people who want to avoid the cold will choose to book during these months.
What’s the Best Time to See Whales on an Alaska Cruise?
Bears will be hunting for the last of the berries and salmon, and caribou, deer and moose will be mating. Keep an eye out for seabirds and songbirds, seals, Steller sea lions and humpback whales. Marine life is so prolific that some small-boat shore excursions guarantee you will see animals. Bears will be fishing; in late August, they will be looking for blueberries, which also become a featured item on restaurant menus. As someone who has cruised Alaska many times, I love cruising in May when the weather is dry and locals are emerging from their winter cocoons, embracing the sunshine.
Alaska Cruise Cost: Amenities and Time of Year Make the Difference
Keep an eye out for my favorite, the ever-adorable puffins, Arctic terns, cormorants, and bald eagles. Another thing to keep in mind when deciding the best month for your Alaskan cruise is wildlife viewing opportunities. While prices in the early season are generally less expensive, your experience during a May cruise will look different from during the high season in July and August. Be sure to pack high-quality rain gear for excursions along with warm, layered clothing and a hat and gloves. The benefits of cruising in April include less expensive pricing, fewer tourists, and less crowded ports.
What are nighttime temperatures like in Alaska during the summer?
I stood there for what felt like forever, unable to take my eyes off the crumbling ice and the splash of the water below. Cruising in September will give you the highest chance of viewing the Aurora Borealis on an Alaskan cruise. You won’t want to miss this indescribable sight, so watch for clear night skies and set an alarm to go on deck (or on your balcony) for potential middle-of-the-night Northern Lights shows. In September, the scale now tips towards later sunrises and earlier sunsets in Alaska.
What to Expect on an Alaskan Cruise in April
Bald eagles hatch and rear young in April and you can see their mottled fledglings from May through June. The most temperate Alaska weather is in July, then June and August when it’s warmer (though again, not near tropical) and drier. When it comes to May vs. September, May is slightly cooler, but gets significantly less rainfall. The landscape and views you’ll experience on an Alaska cruise will be unforgettable, so be sure to pack your binoculars and your best camera to capture the incredible sights to share with friends and family. For photo enthusiasts, an assortment of wide-angle lenses, x-factor lenses, multipurpose lenses, extra batteries, memory cards, and even a tripod can help you capture that perfect shot.
Princess Cruises
The population of Haines remains less than 2,000, according to the United Status Census Bureau, and it isn't yet as touristy as some of the other Alaskan ports, such as nearby Skagway. It's known for great fishing (salmon, halibut and trout) and an eagle preserve — because eagles know where the best fish can be found. Sitka is as much a working fishing town as it is a tourist destination. Sitka's Russian heritage also sets it apart from other Alaskan ports on your cruise itinerary. See St. Michael's Orthodox Cathedral with its onion dome and the Russian Bishop's House. Alaska cruises provide plentiful opportunities to learn about native Alaskan culture.
Featured September Cruises to Alaska
As mentioned, recommending one specific month that will act as the best time to cruise Alaska can be a little bit difficult. Seeing Alaska’s breathtaking wilderness from the comfort of a cruise ship is a true bucket list item for many people. That said, deciding when to embark on your adventure can significantly impact the overall experience. About 30,000 eagles call the Great Land home and they’re more abundant in Alaska than anywhere else in the United States. There’s a good chance you’ll see eagles perched high near the shoreline, in town scavenging garbage dumps, or even feasting off a salmon run.
Thinking About an Alaskan Cruise? Experience Worth the Time & Money? • Instinct Magazine - Instinct Magazine
Thinking About an Alaskan Cruise? Experience Worth the Time & Money? • Instinct Magazine.
Posted: Thu, 16 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Best Time For Avoiding Tourist Crowds In Alaska
Alaskan cruises are most popular in July and August, partly as a result of warmer temperatures both months. July and August are the driest months of the year with an average of less than two inches of rainfall each month. The average high temperature is 67 Fahrenheit in June and 71 in July and August, according to the Meteorological Service of Canada.
They can be incredibly expensive when compared to experiences in the Caribbean or Mexico. Ultimately, there are many different types of Alaskan cruises to suit every taste, from big ships with lots of activities to luxury vessels with high-end amenities to small cruises with only a couple dozen passengers. I was visiting in August, and while much has changed since then, this month remains one of the most popular times to go to Alaska, Colleen McDaniel, the editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic, told Travel + Leisure. Although the weather will likely include more rain, you have a better chance of viewing the Northern Lights, which might outweigh this drawback. Gray whales and Humpback whales begin their migration to warmer waters in October and November, so you still have a chance to see them in Alaskan waters in September. Precipitation increases to 19 days of the month, so pack a raincoat with a hood (you’ll be grateful to have it!).
This may seem like a reason to skip an Alaska cruise in August, but it's still a great time to take in lots of activities around the state. If you are looking for the months with the lowest crowds in Alaska, try for May or September. These are the "shoulder season" months, which is when the season begins and ends, and is when you will find less people vying for a cruise. If you want to avoid the cooler temperatures and potential for rain, you may want to choose the late summer to early fall. With that in mind, recognize that you may have to contend with larger crowds and the dreaded Alaskan mosquito swarms.
The best time to cruise Alaska - The Points Guy
The best time to cruise Alaska.
Posted: Wed, 11 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
These ships often feature complimentary shore excursions, kayaks and bikes for guest use and onboard scientists and naturalists. Most big-ship and luxury cruise lines send at least one cruise ship to Alaska every summer. To minimize joining the masses during high season, consider a shoulder-season sailing (in late April, May or September), or select a ship that embarks midweek.
Few places allow for viewing of the aurora borealis, and the best time see the Northern Lights is in September. If you are willing to trade warmth for less precipitation, then go for May. In fact, the end of May and early June offers some of the best weather in the region throughout the year. While it is impossible to see and do it all over the course of a one week cruise, Alaska has the power to enchant even brief visitors. So while you are stuck at home, this may be the perfect time to start planning a cruise to The Last Frontier. Ketchikan is where folks go to see the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, with athletes wielding axes and saws in traditional lumbering activities.
There's also the bonus that Alaska's large mosquito population has yet to emerge. You may encounter freezing rain or even snow on your April cruise and should expect to tread through mud. Some tourist facilities — including those at national parks — may still be shuttered for the winter. We sailed roundtrip from Juneau, and while I’ve visited the capital city during the busy summer months, I found the restaurants, bars, and shops much less crowded, reliably filled with locals for the most part. On the water, we rarely passed any other ships or boats, aside from fishermen out for their catches.
Sailings departing earlier in the season will less frequently be sharing berth space in port with numerous other ships, meaning that crowds in the ports will be somewhat lighter. You’ll enjoy wildlife viewing, warmer temperatures, and daylight returns to more typical hours. However, the dry season has ended, so rainfall will begin to increase as the month progresses. If you’re hoping to see the Northern Lights on your cruise, the best time to cruise Alaska is the last part of the shoulder season, late September. With days beginning to shorten and the nights getting longer, a September cruise itinerary offers the last possibility of the year. The spring and summer months are when nearly all cruise ships visit each year.
By the end of September, there are less than 12 hours of daylight in Juneau. Not only is it your best shot for warmer weather, but you’re also sure to see a good amount of the wildlife Alaska is famous for. The loss of daylight does mean you could see the Aurora Borealis while cruising to Alaska in late August. The best time to see the Northern Lights is between late August and April, typically peaking in March. If you cruise to Alaska this month, you can enjoy more shop and restaurant options in port towns but expect things to be slightly more crowded.
In fact, it's the gateway to the Klondike and Dawson's mining district in Canada's Yukon territory, where prospectors searched for gold in the late 1890s. The historic district still has a Wild West feel, though that's been a bit commercialized for the modern era. This port can get crowded in summer when several ships can call on the same day. On a cruisetour, you'll sail a one-way Gulf of Alaska cruise, so your cruise starts or ends in Alaska. Depending on the tour itinerary you choose, you might visit Seward and the Kenai Peninsula, Alyeska, Talkeetna, Anchorage and Fairbanks — as well as spend one to three nights in Denali National Park.
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