Did I make a mistake booking Alaska in May?

[HappilyEverAfter80]

A little bit of background, we have previously cruised with Disney 5x, all Caribbean cruises.
We recently branched out to Royal Caribbean as well, but when we decided to cruise to Alaska I knew we wanted to go with Disney.
I have a dreams unlimited TA who graciously provided me with some quotes the day platinum opened. Just so we were ready to go when Gold bookings opened.
I asked for a few quotes in May and June, I knew I preferred June but it was just a bit too much $ then. I already have to convince hubby to pay more where he’d be perfectly happy paying less with Royal. Anyway. I received my quotes and told my TA to book the May 17th. She was amazing able to book a specific stateroom we wanted and I had my confirmation at 8:30 am yesterday! (Opening day for gold). Later on yesterday, I was talking to someone at work saying how excited I was to book Alaska, how we can’t wait to see all the wildlife etc.
I was quickly advised that if we want to see bears May is a bad time to go.
I panicked and started to look for information online. What I found is mostly conflicting, but the general consensus is that even August would be better than May.
Naturally I looked up some pricing for Aug 23, my preferred room was still available and it was actually slightly less $ than May 17 which was surprising...I emailed my TA late last night asking her opinion and wanting to change to Aug 23.
I understand the TA’s are swamped today, and unfortunately she hasn’t gotten back to me, now all the rooms on my list are sold out for Aug 23 and even Aug 30.
Of course I don’t blame my TA for that, I should have asked for an August quote too (I assumed it would be higher than May though) and I should have done my BEAR research sooner. Because I have a room I don’t want to give up, before I move my reservation to Aug 23 and have to pick a different room - I thought I would ask the Dis veterans here...
What do you think about cruising to Alaska mid-late May v late August? Has anyone seen bears in May? I know nothing is a guarantee in Alaska, not the weather or seeing the wildlife but we obviously want to maximize our chances. Also, any idea why May 17 would be more expensive (not much but it is) than Aug 23rd?
Our kid will still be out of school til September so I feel like we definitely should have picked August...
Before I panic some more, what is everyone else’s take on this?

 

[Lizard78]

I've never been to Alaska, but am booked for June 7, 2021. From what I've read, it's all a trade off. You may still see bears in May & June, but not as many as when the salmon start spawning in July. However, the weather is apparently rainier and warmer in August. Many of the glacier experiences such as dog sledding might not be able to operate. So, if that's important to you, I wouldn't switch. If you desire a greater likelihood of seeing bears over all else, I would switch. As far as your preferred cabin no longer being available, if you decide to switch maybe with the savings you can upgrade? If not, you'll still have a great time no matter which cabin you're staying in!

 

[dclpluto]

A little bit of background, we have previously cruised with Disney 5x, all Caribbean cruises.
We recently branched out to Royal Caribbean as well, but when we decided to cruise to Alaska I knew we wanted to go with Disney.
I have a dreams unlimited TA who graciously provided me with some quotes the day platinum opened. Just so we were ready to go when Gold bookings opened.
I asked for a few quotes in May and June, I knew I preferred June but it was just a bit too much $ then. I already have to convince hubby to pay more where he’d be perfectly happy paying less with Royal. Anyway. I received my quotes and told my TA to book the May 17th. She was amazing able to book a specific stateroom we wanted and I had my confirmation at 8:30 am yesterday! (Opening day for gold). Later on yesterday, I was talking to someone at work saying how excited I was to book Alaska, how we can’t wait to see all the wildlife etc.
I was quickly advised that if we want to see bears May is a bad time to go.
I panicked and started to look for information online. What I found is mostly conflicting, but the general consensus is that even August would be better than May.
Naturally I looked up some pricing for Aug 23, my preferred room was still available and it was actually slightly less $ than May 17 which was surprising...I emailed my TA late last night asking her opinion and wanting to change to Aug 23.
I understand the TA’s are swamped today, and unfortunately she hasn’t gotten back to me, now all the rooms on my list are sold out for Aug 23 and even Aug 30.
Of course I don’t blame my TA for that, I should have asked for an August quote too (I assumed it would be higher than May though) and I should have done my BEAR research sooner. Because I have a room I don’t want to give up, before I move my reservation to Aug 23 and have to pick a different room - I thought I would ask the Dis veterans here...
What do you think about cruising to Alaska mid-late May v late August? Has anyone seen bears in May? I know nothing is a guarantee in Alaska, not the weather or seeing the wildlife but we obviously want to maximize our chances. Also, any idea why May 17 would be more expensive (not much but it is) than Aug 23rd?
Our kid will still be out of school til September so I feel like we definitely should have picked August...
Before I panic some more, what is everyone else’s take on this?

For the weather no mistake. You did what is right for you and your family. I was on dcl very first Alaska cruise may 3 2011 . Weather was good. Remember you are going to southern Alaska in May.
Now for bears I didn’t see any.

 

[jtntx34]

I’d bears are a priority, cruising that early in May is not the best time to go. Wildlife is unpredictable about when and where they show up, BUT bears WILL be looking for that yummy salmon later in the summer when the larger salmon spawnings are happening. So, the odds of seeing them are much greater then.

There is some chance to see bears, but it is just not as predictable, so if it’s your priority, you may want to switch.

However, we went that first week in June, and it was lovely. One thing a friend of mine noticed about my pictures that she did not get to see when she went was the snow on the mountains. In May and in early June, you will still get those beautiful snow-capped peaks.

 

[vegs1]

The best bear viewing coincides with the salmon run. I believe this runs best from mid July to September. We went bear viewing with Island Wings in July and saw four grizzlies. Apparently a few weeks later there were 15.

May is considered shoulder season in Alaska so pricing would be cheaper. There will likely be more snow on the ground in May but rainier conditions as the months go on. That being said, when we went in July, we had a week of 90 degree temperatures.

May may have less crowds, more come July and August. It’s all a trade off. Pick what is important to you. Wildlife is always iffy.

No matter when you go, Alaska is fantastic!

 

[jdb in AZ]

A ship captain said there's no bad cruising weather in Alaska, just tourists who aren't dressed for it. One of our Alaskan cruises was in May and it was chilly at times, but we just dressed in layers. and waited 15 minutes and the weather changed.

 

[Pooh2]

We saw this guy in May and had wonderful weather!

 

[Pooh2]

We saw quite a bit of wildlife in May:

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I've never been to Alaska, but am booked for June 7, 2021. From what I've read, it's all a trade off. You may still see bears in May & June, but not as many as when the salmon start spawning in July. However, the weather is apparently rainier and warmer in August. Many of the glacier experiences such as dog sledding might not be able to operate. So, if that's important to you, I wouldn't switch. If you desire a greater likelihood of seeing bears over all else, I would switch. As far as your preferred cabin no longer being available, if you decide to switch maybe with the savings you can upgrade? If not, you'll still have a great time no matter which cabin you're staying in!

You’ve given me something to think about as glacier dog sledding is high on our priority list too. If I can get over the fear of a helicopter accident... I heard there have been a few incidents in the recent years, but we really want to do this too.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

We saw this guy in May and had wonderful weather!View attachment 477262

Amazing! Thank you for sharing

 

[Pens Fan]

Well, it's Alaska so you could see bears in May. It's just that your chances aren't as good. They probably will not even be offering any bear viewing tours at that time of year. The better ones are timed to the salmon run during mid July and August. That's one of the reasons that July and August are the most expensive time to sail to Alaska. Whether or not you made a mistake, isn't a cut and dry answer, though. Alaska is amazing and there is a lot more to enjoy than just bears. If bears are really that important to you, then, yes, maybe you did make a mistake. But if you just want to sail to Alaska and enjoy everything they have there, then you picked a time and price that works for you and your family. That sounds pretty good to me!

I have to admit that Alaska in May is intriguing to me. We've been twice in July and once late Aug / early Sep (that was a land based only trip). So seeing it in "spring" would be a different experience. I imagine there will be a lot more snow and ice which could make for some beautiful scenery (though could make getting close to the glacier problematic). I have no doubt we'd love it in May, but then we love everything about Alaska. It's one of our favorite places in the world.

 

[AquaDame]

We've sailed in early June and early August and we did not see bears in June, though other cruisers reported seeing bears from the ship as we cruised down the Arm. For our first trip we prioritized snow and were not disappointed - we were able to do the glacier trek, Mendenhall was gorgeous though our scenic flight in Misty Fjords was cancelled due to fog. I'm not sure if the time of year had anything to do with that, but we tried again in August and had a great flight. We were able to see some bears in August from the walkways at Mendenhall and also of course in Denali which we visited after the cruise.

Wildlife does what wildlife wants - they are always there, its just easier to count on catching a glimpse when they are always coming to the rivers to fish.

 

[MomOTwins]

We went in august and saw plenty of bears, so if that is a big deal, you should switch. There are so many rooms on the ship--what is so special about the rooms on your list? Trying to understand what you'd be giving up to switch to a different room.

 

[Mathmagicland]

We saw a bear by the side of road on our May 2015 DCL cruise, while in Skagway on the drive back from the Yukon.

As noted above, the DCL bear excursions are offered in July and August only. You could research third party operators, some of which offer trips to look for bears in May and June. As always, specific animal sightings are never guaranteed.

May was nice because of snowy mountains and waterfalls from snow melt. And the great weather with no rain. We also did a glacier dog sled helicopter adventure which was the highlight of the cruise.

There is so much to see in Alaska, you may have to go back again in a different season! I’m going back this summer, in August, and hoping to see a few more bears then, though expect we will have wetter weather. Never a dull moment in Alaska!!!

Enjoy your Cruise!!!

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Well, it's Alaska so you could see bears in May. It's just that your chances aren't as good. They probably will not even be offering any bear viewing tours at that time of year. The better ones are timed to the salmon run during mid July and August. That's one of the reasons that July and August are the most expensive time to sail to Alaska. Whether or not you made a mistake, isn't a cut and dry answer, though. Alaska is amazing and there is a lot more to enjoy than just bears. If bears are really that important to you, then, yes, maybe you did make a mistake. But if you just want to sail to Alaska and enjoy everything they have there, then you picked a time and price that works for you and your family. That sounds pretty good to me!

I have to admit that Alaska in May is intriguing to me. We been twice in July and once late Aug / early Sep (that was a land based only trip). So seeing it in "spring" would be a different experience. I imagine there will be a lot more snow and ice which could make for some beautiful scenery (though could make getting close to the glacier problematic). I have no doubt we'd love it in May, but then we love everything about Alaska. It's one of our favorite places in the world.

Thank you! What’s interesting though is that the Aug 23 sailing is a bit less $ than May 17...

 

[LulaMae]

We took an NCL cruise to Alaska last May, and we saw bears! The weather was great while we were there, too.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

We went in august and saw plenty of bears, so if that is a big deal, you should switch. There are so many rooms on the ship--what is so special about the rooms on your list? Trying to understand what you'd be giving up to switch to a different room.

We got one of the 7a verandahs where you still have plexiglass on the bottom and
a bit of obstruction on the top. Unlike the more fully enclosed navigators verandah.
From what I understand they are priced like 7a but are essentially cat 6.
There is only a handful of these and first to go. Which seems to be true...
To get cat 5c now it’s like $1500 + more

 

[mae5731]

We did the May 27, 2019 and weather was absolutely perfect. I didn't see bears, but I know fellow passengers did. When I get the chance to go again, I'll pick the same time frame.

 

[fredandkell]

I've never been to Alaska, but am booked for June 7, 2021. From what I've read, it's all a trade off. You may still see bears in May & June, but not as many as when the salmon start spawning in July. However, the weather is apparently rainier and warmer in August. Many of the glacier experiences such as dog sledding might not be able to operate. So, if that's important to you, I wouldn't switch. If you desire a greater likelihood of seeing bears over all else, I would switch. As far as your preferred cabin no longer being available, if you decide to switch maybe with the savings you can upgrade? If not, you'll still have a great time no matter which cabin you're staying in!

I doubt you’re going to see many bears at all on an Alaska cruise. Those are more the land based vacations, specifically those that go to Kodiak Island. We did not see any bears when we cruised Alaska in June. However the cruise was absolutely spectacular otherwise and I would totally go in May.

let me edit my post to say that what I meant was, you probably are not going to see bears off the cruise ship in general. You’re going to have to take some kind of an excursion to go see them.

 

[stsomewhere]

We saw a lot of bears on our August cruise at Menenhall glacier, They were catching salmon in the stream and a few walked with in a few feet of us and the rangers had everyone move back. The rangers told us that the bears were on the way to the stream and not to panic. The bears just walked out of the woods.