Monday, April 1, 2024

What is the Best Time To Cruise to Alaska?

best time for alaskan cruise

An Alaska Inside Passage cruise typically lasts seven nights, embarking and returning to Seattle or Vancouver. It's one of the most popular and common itineraries for Alaska cruising. Luxury cruises to Alaska on smaller ships can be a great option for those looking to pair remote wilderness with a bit of pampering.

best time for alaskan cruise

Featured September Cruises to Alaska

It's a trip worth taking the time to plan and doing right — because who knows if or when you'll make it back to the Last Frontier. In general, waiting until the last minute is not the best idea, unless you live in Seattle or Vancouver and don't need to book flights. Most Alaska itineraries include some "scenic cruising," where your ship sails past incredible natural sights.

Alaska Cruise Lines: From Holland America and Royal Caribbean to Small Ships like Silversea

Begin planning your U.S. cruise adventure with American Cruise Lines today. From the coast of Maine, to the mighty Mississippi and Pacific Northwest, our Free Cruise Guide provides detailed information about all of our more than 50 U.S. itinerary options. Choosing the right time for an Alaskan cruise depends on your personal interests and what you hope to experience in America’s Last Frontier. Visitors can also explore the nearby Misty Fjords National Monument, which offers dramatic landscapes of sheer cliffs, waterfalls, and deep fjords that can be explored by boat or floatplane.

Royal Caribbean vs Princess to Alaska: which cruise line is better? - Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean vs Princess to Alaska: which cruise line is better?.

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Alaska Cruise Season

Other than May, September is the best month for an Alaska cruise if you're looking for a deal. The price of an Alaska cruise in August should be cheaper than June or July, especially if you can take a cruise in the latter half of the month. The best months to catch a glimpse of the amazing fauna that call Alaska home are the months of June and July. Royal Caribbean also sails to Alaska in early May and into late September or even October, where you can find some great deals. For those looking for a couples retreat, Viking Cruises cater exclusively to adults.

Cruises

If you’re hunting the northern lights, then include a land trip to Fairbanks, where you can enjoy Denali Park and hopefully catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis. As for land trips, June sees Denali National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park open, both of which offer stunning floatplane and flightseeing adventures. Alaskan railroad trips are also available, giving you access to interior hiking, cozy lodges and remote wildlife viewing. Down south, the waters around the southwestern and southcentral regions of Alaska teem with ships visiting Kodiak Island, the Aleutian Islands, Prince William Sound and Katmai National Park. Conditions can sometimes prevent ships from reaching the glaciers, particularly in Tracy Arm Fjord. Almost all Gulf of Alaska cruises visit to Hubbard Glacier and spend some time scenic cruising in College Fjord.

Temperatures are pleasant — in the 60s and sometimes higher, with wildflowers in bloom and glaciers calving. Anglers will find opportunities to reel in halibut along with king and sockeye salmon and rainbow trout. In addition to humpbacks, you might also spot belugas and seals with their pups as you sail. 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.

The best time to cruise to Alaska if you want to avoid crowds

By the end of August, the sunrise and sunset times in Alaska are pretty close to “normal” times for most states in the USA. You might feel like you aren’t getting the true Alaskan “Midnight Sun” experience this month. July is filled with opportunities to see the stunning wildlife of Alaska while enjoying milder temperatures. Although it is getting darker earlier, solar activity is not at its peak in the summer, so your chances of viewing the Northern Lights in July are slim to none. They begin migrating from Hawaiian waters in the springtime to feed in the nutrient-rich Alaskan waters.

Best Alaska cruise ports

Saturday and Sunday cruise departures tend to be busiest during the summer months, particularly for families with children. In this post, I share a month-by-month guide about the best time of year for an Alaskan cruise. I’ve included tips on the weather, wildlife, daylight, and the general experience you’ll have each month of the Alaska cruise season to determine when to set sail for the 49th state.

best time for alaskan cruise

We’ve broken the seasons down for you, including the highlights of each, as well as the best cruise lines and cruise ships to consider so you can make your bucket list dreams come true. This is but one of the incredible experiences that may be had when visiting Alaska in the “secret season”—springtime. Not only are the flowers and plant life awakening from their wintertime slumber, so is its wildlife. The best time to cruise Alaska isn't obvious—until you're quietly sailing along its calm waters under a cloudless, late-spring sky. It was on one such day that someone on board spotted a whale breaching. Within minutes it seemed everyone on board had gathered at the railings on deck to watch.

It's so far from the rest of the mainland U.S. that it's become a bucket list destination, especially for travelers looking to visit each of the 50 states. Get to Alaska right when the cruise season begins on an Alaska Northbound Glacier Cruise that departs in May from Vancouver, British Columbia. One of the best ways to experience salmon fishing is by booking a shore excursion. Any of the fishing tour companies offer services that package up your catch and ship it back to your home packed in dry ice so you can have a feast, and bragging rights, when you return home. Some of the shore excursions you can experience when going on an Alaska cruise with kids include hiking the Tongass forest, whale-watching tours, kayaking, and learning about Tlingit culture.

Should I cruise on Princess to Alaska? I booked a sailing to see for myself - Cruise Blog

Should I cruise on Princess to Alaska? I booked a sailing to see for myself.

Posted: Thu, 10 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Depending on which itinerary you sail and when you choose to cruise, you can increase your chances of seeing certain species, including humpbacks, orcas, and Minke whales. Don’t forget to throw in a good pair of binoculars when planning your Alaska cruise packing list. The good news is that no matter when you visit, you’ll experience the best way to see Alaska aboard a luxury cruise ship. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about choosing the best time to cruise to Alaska. People often say that a cruise ship sailing in Alaska is sailing through the “Inside Passage.” That refers to the famous coastal route vessels sail from Washington, through British Columbia, to Alaska.

Plus, the stunning scenery and wildlife sightings provide a captivating backdrop that can both entertain and educate kids. It’s a comfortable and convenient way to experience the vast wilderness of Alaska together as a family. The town’s waterfront promenade is lined with shops, galleries, and restaurants, providing a picturesque setting to enjoy local seafood and crafts.

If you have a low tolerance for cold weather, cruising Alaska during the warmest months of July and August is a better choice. June is a smart choice for cruisers who don’t want to travel during peak season but want more opportunities. Just expect cooler weather, fewer wildlife viewing opportunities, and less active ports with some shops that are still shuttered. Orca whales (which are actually members of the dolphin family) are a fairly common site on an Alaskan cruise. “Resident” orcas (who stay near shore and feed on fish) are easy to spot and fun to watch from the cruise ship or on a whale-watching excursion.

Not to mention you’ll have a better chance of seeing humpback whales, king salmon, bears, moose, and bald eagles. However, the shoulder season has become more prevalent in recent years, making great deals harder to find. The temperatures in September are slightly cooler, with highs of 55 and lows around 40 degrees fair height. You can expect hours of daylight in June, providing lots of time to enjoy the Alaskan wilderness and abundant wildlife. The Alaska cruise weather in June is fairly cool, but it has the least amount of rainfall during the Alaska cruise season. You can expect Alaska cruise temperatures in May to have lows of around 40 and highs of around 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

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