The Best Time to Cruise Alaska: Months to Choose

Table Of Content

• What Alaska cruise itineraries are available during each month of the cruise season?
• Alaska Cruise in August: Wet, Summer Days When You Cruise Alaska in August
• Sign Up for Special Offers
• Royal Caribbean Blog is your ultimate source for Royal Caribbean coverage.
• You don’t have to book your excursions through Royal Caribbean
• May Alaska Cruises

Visit the Island Artists Gallery, a cooperative of 25 native artists, and meet artists at work. See the most visible symbol of the Tlingit when you tour Potlatch Totem Park in Ketchikan. The totem poles reveal the history of the Tlingit in mythology and art, and you can learn about the art by watching live demonstrations.

What Alaska cruise itineraries are available during each month of the cruise season?

Not only do they feature the most Glacier Bay itineraries, but they’re also the only way to see the Yukon in combination with a cruise. You’ll get to stay at Holland America’s Westmark Hotels and their beautiful McKinley Chalet Resort at the entrance to Denali National Park, enabling you to get closer to wildlife and explore more of Alaska on land. "The best reason to cruise to Alaska is there are things that you can only truly see from the water. It's why it is a bucket list destination for many, many people," said McDaniel. "When you're out on the water, you can do wildlife viewing as well, and it's built into that cruise experience."

Royal Caribbean releases new 2025 Alaska cruises to book - Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean releases new 2025 Alaska cruises to book.

Posted: Wed, 01 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Alaska Cruise in August: Wet, Summer Days When You Cruise Alaska in August

A cruise to Alaska is an unforgettable summer family vacation experience your kids will cherish forever. If you have a flexible travel schedule and don’t have a specific stateroom in mind, consider visiting Alaska during shoulder season. Gray whales are also more commonly spotted earlier in the season, while blue whales are more likely to be seen during July and August cruises. If you’re thinking about taking an Alaska cruise vacation, you’ll be happy to know that America’s Last Frontier is best explored on a cruise. If you’ve never visited before, you’re probably wondering when is the best time to cruise to Alaska. Weather can get fairly warm in June, July, and August, which can make port days more comfortable.

The best Alaska cruise for every type of traveler - The Points Guy

The best Alaska cruise for every type of traveler.

Posted: Mon, 05 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

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For these peak season Alaska cruise routes, it’s advisable to book early so you get the best stateroom. Booking a veranda stateroom ensures that you’ll have your own private space to see glaciers during your cruise. 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.

Culinary experiences

The last thing you want to happen is have your dream excursion sell out, leaving you scrambling to find other plans. Plus, excursions tend to only get more expensive over time, so booking early helps you lock in a lower price. Along the way, you’ll stop in the Alaskan port towns of Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, as well as Victoria, British Columbia. As you sail through Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier, relax on your private veranda and admire the stunning landscapes. Experience the wonders of Endicott Arm Fjord and Dawes Glacier on the gorgeous Celebrity Solstice on a June cruise to Alaska. Celebrity Cruises has roundtrip Alaska cruise itineraries that depart from Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, and one-way cruises (northbound and southbound) to and from Seward, Alaska.

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Popular destinations include Denali National Park (for wildlife viewing) or Talkeetna (best place for Denali views and cool eats). Cruise tour land packages are also available to spots like Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and Canada's Yukon Territory. 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. These ships can also more easily follow aquatic wildlife (within legal limits). Many expedition cruises to Alaska also employ Zodiac rafts and offer kayaks and hiking trips to bring passengers closer to glaciers and creatures.

These are the months when all good things combine to create the optimal Alaskan experience. June is a smart choice for cruisers who don’t want to travel during peak season but want more opportunities. As the month progresses, temperatures rise slightly, and daylight hours increase.

The spring and summer months are when nearly all cruise ships visit each year. Traditionally, July and August have been considered the best time to cruise to Alaska, as these months offer warm sun, long days, and abundant wildlife. However, the shoulder seasons (April–May and September–October) are growing in popularity, thanks to fewer crowds, lower-priced cruises and seasonal attractions like the northern lights. 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. Another time to book is during the “Wave Season” during the first two months of the year, when cruise deals abound for all destinations.

May Alaska Cruises

You can also take advantage of the lower rates offered by the cruise lines during the shoulder season, which can help you save money. Most major cruise lines also offer the opportunity for pre or post-cruise land packages that will take you by bus or train to destinations in Southcentral and Interior Alaska. If you have the time, these cruise packages give you the best of both worlds for exploring Alaska's coastal communities and some of the top sights in Alaska's heartland, including Denali National Park. This month brings cooler weather and more rain but fails to dampen the high spirits on cruise ships. If you’re looking to get away from the summer crowds and enjoy an intimate cruise in remote Alaska, then we recommend booking an ocean view cabin on a smaller ship. Smaller boats have access to quieter coastlines, like the Wrangell Narrows, that larger cruise ships don’t have access to.

You will want to pack a bathing suit and a very warm fleece jacket -- and you'll likely wear both at different times. One-way Gulf of Alaska itineraries are the best option for Alaska touring, as they begin or end in Alaska. Cruises through Alaska's gulf also tend to pass through the Inside Passage, with typical stops including Sitka, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.

You can spot whales on Alaska shore excursions like a safari vessel whale-sighting tour in Stephens Passage, Juneau, to evening whale-quest cocktail cruises where sighting a whale is guaranteed. On an Alaska whale-watching cruise, you’ll have the chance to see some of the state’s eight magnificent species of whales that frequent its icy waters. As luck would have it,  the entire Alaska cruise season is also prime whale-watching season. Additionally, June, July, and August may come with more crowds, but offer several more hours of daylight compared to in the fall. That being said, while the shoulder season in Alaska may lead to cooler temperatures and more rain, packing appropriately will keep you dry and warm when exploring Alaska’s ports. Additionally, May is an ideal time to take advantage of the extended daylight hours and enjoy some outdoor activities.

That said, you are in Alaska at a time for festivals and other special events, and frontier towns really come alive. If your itinerary includes stops in Anchorage, Seward, or Whittier, you might experience rougher seas as you cross the Gulf of Alaska in September. With shoulder heights at 6 foot 9 inches and over 1,400 pounds, these massive animals are as dangerous as impressive, so you’ll want to view them from a distance. Birds also haven’t started their migration, so you can spot both songbirds and seabirds as you cruise along the coast. There is a chance you will see some snow, so a winter coat, gloves, and a hat are a smart addition to your packing list. You also might see fuzzy harbor seal pups and sea lion pups (born in June and July) warming themselves on rocks with their mothers.

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. If you want to see fall foliage ashore, wait until the first week of September.

Those visiting in the shoulder season may wish to book passage on cruise ships which offer a lot of on-board activities. In the event of bad weather, tourists can entertain themselves onboard, and enjoy nightlife, such as clubs and casinos when the sun goes down. The main cruise season in Alaska is May through September, though many cruise lines are adding shoulder season itineraries in April and October. The sunniest months are July and August and the best time for whale watching is May and June. That being said, traveling anytime during cruise season will offer epic views of landscape and wildlife, no matter where you travel. Wildlife tours, for example, popularly sell out of their early morning slots early, as this is an ideal time to see the wildlife before it gets exasperated with the streams of tourist buses and boats.

On top of that, some of Alaska’s most iconic wildlife species tend to be at their most active and visible when the weather cools off towards the end of summer. While this can be incredibly enticing for nature lovers, it can be off-putting for those who do not enjoy the cooler temperatures. If so, you can almost always expect warm temperatures and, aside from a chance of rain, pleasant weather conditions. Watching a ship tour will help make your first few days onboard stress-free, as you will already have a general understanding of what is offered onboard, as well as the location of popular venues. In 2022, for example, I booked the cheapest Alaska cruise I could find on Radiance of the Seas.