Alaska Cruise Weather by Month Best Weather for an Alaska Cruise

Table Of Content

• Avoid the Cruise Crowds and Travel During Alaska's Shoulder Season
• Luxury Travelers
• Alaska Cruise Highlights By Month
• Alaska Cruise Destinations and Cruisetours
• Alaska Inside Passage Cruises: Calmer Waters and Big-Ticket Destinations
• July and August
• Advantages of Visiting Alaska in August
• Best for solo travelers

A great choice for fans of smaller, more intimate ships, Seabourn’s Odyssey holds 450 passengers and treats them to a personal, all-inclusive luxury experience. With its scenic landscapes, abounding wildlife, and majestic glaciers, Alaska is a beautiful destination any time of year. But if you’re thinking of exploring this vibrant region on an Alaskan cruise, the best time to do so is between May and September.

Avoid the Cruise Crowds and Travel During Alaska's Shoulder Season

Best Time to Visit Alaska in 2023 When Is the Best Time to Go to Alaska? Trusted Since 1922 - Reader's Digest

Best Time to Visit Alaska in 2023 When Is the Best Time to Go to Alaska? Trusted Since 1922.

Posted: Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Cruisers can typically enjoy Alaska in October at lower rates than the Alaska summer cruise season prices. Other adventurous activities, such as hiking trails, open up in the summer months. Hatcher Pass typically opens up in July, depending on the specific Hatcher Pass weather conditions.

Luxury Travelers

The wildlife is doing the same, and you might spot bears with their cubs, moose with their calves and humpback whales returning from their winter home in Hawaii. To help you select the ideal time for your trip, the following guide will introduce you to weather and attraction differences between the months. Then we’ll wrap up by answering some frequently asked questions about Alaskan cruises — the best time to see whales and northern lights, the best time for salmon fishing and similar queries. The cruise season in Alaska is short (just May-September), but what this state lacks in winter tours it makes up for in stunning summer vistas, exciting wildlife and a travelogue of iconic land excursions.

Alaska Cruise Highlights By Month

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.

With smaller ships and fewer passengers, this cruise offers a premium and upscale journey through the wonders of Alaska. On average, more than half the days in the month of August experience rain. 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.

Alaska Inside Passage Cruises: Calmer Waters and Big-Ticket Destinations

Juneau, for example, sees around 18 hours of daylight in June compared to just 12 in September. Additionally, June, July, and August may come with more crowds, but offer several more hours of daylight compared to in the fall. If a cruise with fewer crowds is important to you, it might be a good idea to avoid Alaska cruises in June, July, and August.

With many choices, you can select a cruise that aligns perfectly with your preferences. Starting in 2024, Uncruise Adventures will be offering a winter cruise, where winter sports and northern lights viewings are all part of the package! Running February through March, this is a great option for travelers looking to experience Alaska during the winter months. Longer cruises, like the Holland America Alaska Arctic Solstice Cruise spans 28 days, and will take you from your port to the Arctic Circle. The course begins in Seattle and leads through the Inside Passage, Prince William Sound, and up to Anchorage.

Although the temperatures are the similar from June through August, the rainfall is not. Historically, July has an ideal combination of the two, followed by June and then August. Rainfall is usually lowest in May and climbs steadily until reaching the highest point in September. May is ideal for rain but not for temperatures, which are often quite a bit cooler. Call your travel agent directly or your nearest AAA store to get pro tips, travel guides, and more. Fortunately, you don’t need to sweat too hard about that last one as there’s no bad month to do an Alaska cruise.

On Winter Solstice (December 21 or 22), the state breaks out of its winter hibernation and begins gaining a few minutes of sunlight each day. By the time Summer Solstice occurs (June 20,21, or 22), travelers to Juneau, Alaska, a common port, will experience a day with 19 hours of sunlight. Temperatures are somewhat chilly at most cruise ports with daytime highs in the upper 50s Fahrenheit.

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. The average July temperature in Juneau is 64 degrees, with an average low of 51 degrees.

Carnival has 14-day Alaskan cruises departing from Seattle and Long Beach in late April. Weather, ocean conditions, and limited sunlight make winter cruising to Alaska impossible. Since I grew up in Alaska, I’m a fan of just about everything in the Land of the Midnight Sun. I also know that your experience can vary widely depending on the month you choose to visit Alaska. The last time I was in Alaska — many years ago — I stood on the deck of a cruise ship and watched giant pieces of ice, some seemingly as large as a car, fall off the Hubbard Glacier and into the sea. I stood there for what felt like forever, unable to take my eyes off the crumbling ice and the splash of the water below.

On either end of your sailing, you can tour on your own or book a cruise tour that combines a cruise and a land tour, which usually runs three to seven nights. Alternatively, Gulf of Alaska cruises are typically seven-night, one-way itineraries between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier, the gateway ports for Anchorage and northern destinations in the state. You’ll want to carefully consider Alaska cruise packages and itineraries as the scenery, price and length of time all vary considerably. The best Alaska cruises manage to combine epic nature with local flavor, and the following options all offer that mix with some variation. September offers the best possibility for cruisers to catch the Northern Lights in Alaska. They are generally visible across the state, so any itinerary will likely do, though you'll have the best show in less populated areas like Denali National Park.