How bad is Alaska Cruise in September?

[Kwami]

On my only other Alaska cruise we had gorgeous blue skies in Skagway!

Sitka was my favourite port and I’m happy I visited there…. But I would have liked better weather.

I only wanted the 25th spirit jersey which I got but there was such an insane rush for them on day 1… and then they put tons more out during the cruise

Well, at least you got the thing that you wanted, though!

 

[Kwami]

I was on the mid May sailing, on average weather is in the high 50s/low 60s. We left Vancouver with 86 degrees.

That's exactly how it was for my August 28th sailing this year! Vancouver set a temperature record on August 27th at about 84 degrees F and then the temperatures in Alaska were around 60.

 

[Starwind]

We've done two September trips. Right after Labor Day in 2019, and just got off the last trip of 2023 on 9/19. First trip was bright, sunny, and warm. This one was cold and rainy. We still had a great trip, just had to dress in waterproof layers and tough it out. It was well worth it.

Seas were rough on a few days, but Capt. Thord did an incredible job finding calmer waters, including an inside inside passage which was a beautiful fjord for about 100 miles south of Prince Rupert. He also got us as close to the Sawyer Glacier as the excursion boats did (some complaints on Facebook from people who paid $300 for the excursions). He also got us into Ketchican and Juneau on days where other ships had to cancel. (Our booking for the Great Alaskan Lumberjack show was cancelled because of the other cruise ships missing the port, but we were able to reschedule).

September cruises are a risk. We took the risk, got some of the worst weather possible, and still had the cruise of a lifetime.

And to add to PrincessShmoo's post, shoreside stores were mostly 40% off.

The closeness to the glacier was definitely amazing

The week we are looking at in Sept 2024, leaves the 9th looks like it will be well above 60% lol, alot rooms already seem sold.

While our ship may have been at less than capacity by % of passengers, the staterooms were sold out. There were VERY few children on board and a lot of adult couples (or other adult groups, e.e.g my sister and myself), which meant many staterooms were not at capacity.

So stateroom availability is not necessarily an indicator of passenger capacity, especially for the end of season Alaska cruises taking place when kids are back in school.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

I think it gets too hard to predict the weather.

It’s better than it used to be.

 

[DCLMP]

There were pins, coffee mugs, ornament, ears, tshirts and sweaters this year. Ta specific there was only an ugly poloshirt and a shirt with the design of the hoodie of last year but then on the front it said dream

That’s good we had nothing specific to our cruise.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

That’s good we had nothing specific to our cruise.

Last tear I did 3 european ones and a TA. They only had epcot crap foe the european ones and then the ta had a hoodie and a few other things i dont recall what cause I didnt care for them haha

 

[vakamalua]

Would anyone who had cruised Alaska in May describe the weather / temperatures that had, the hours of daylight, excursion cancellations, wildlife sightings, etc. I know every trip is different just trying to get an idea...

 

[Karin1984]

Would anyone who had cruised Alaska in May describe the weather / temperatures that had, the hours of daylight, excursion cancellations, wildlife sightings, etc. I know every trip is different just trying to get an idea...

I was on the Mid May sailing, weather was way warmer than normal. So that was great.

Disney will sell wildlife excursions, while the first thing my tourguide on a WIDLIFE & Nature excursion said was "this is not the time of year for wildlife", so that excursion became a lot of nature. And some mountain goats in the far distance, which could be mistaken for golden retrievers if our guide hadn't brought telescopes/binoculars.

My friend went on a two hour hiking excursion, which was shortened because the area was not fully accessible due to some natural disaster issues a year before. It was known the area still wasn't fully accessible, but Disney did charge full price. We got some money back on both our excursions after complaining about being transparent about what Disney sells online and what tour operators can deliver.

We did see some seals, eagles, and very quick sightings of whales and orkas, but with those you had to be lucky to be out at the right time. Again too early in the season.

We had an inside room, so no issues with waking up due to the sun getting up early.

While lucky, if I would do an Alaska cruise again, I would chose a period where chances of wildlife sightings were higher. It is one of the reasons to go to Alaska, so my advice would be to go later if possible.

 

[Pens Fan]

While our 2 Alaska cruises were in July we have taken a land based trip to mainland Alaska in late Aug / Early Sept. It was wonderful. The tundra was changing colors, the wildlife was active and the nights were cool but the days were mostly nice and we even got to see the Northern lights (probably not going to happen on a cruse though - too far south). This is a bit north of where the inside passage ships go, so it should be warmer there. However my advice for anyone traveling to Alaska at any time is to be prepared for any type of weather. It can change in a minute. Just pack layers and have a wonderful cruise.

 

[DCLMP]

The week we are looking at in Sept 2024, leaves the 9th looks like it will be well above 60% lol, alot rooms already seem sold.

I would do what works best for your family. 3k savings would cover flights. Like I said the only thing I didn't like was the shorter days.

 

[DCLMP]

Would anyone who had cruised Alaska in May describe the weather / temperatures that had, the hours of daylight, excursion cancellations, wildlife sightings, etc. I know every trip is different just trying to get an idea...

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/anchorage?month=5&year=2023
This is a pretty good chart to answer your questions. Days seem to be long in May.

 

[gatorlisa]

Would anyone who had cruised Alaska in May describe the weather / temperatures that had, the hours of daylight, excursion cancellations, wildlife sightings, etc. I know every trip is different just trying to get an idea...

I did the May 22 sailing this year. Temps ranged from lows in about the low 40s (which can feel pretty cold when outside on a moving ship) to maybe right around 70. We had at least some rain most days.

Glacier day started out a little foggy and drizzly, but cleared up by late morning. We did the second Glacier Explorer and it was wonderful. We got much closer to the South Sawyer Glacier than the ship did and also went to the North Sawyer Glacier (South is way better). Saw seals (no pups...too early in the season) and mountain goats. We also had an incredible encounter with a pod of orcas in the beautiul green glacial fed waters. We spent easily a half an hour with them. It was chilly but overall pretty pleasant.

Skagway was overcast pretty much all day with some light rain off and on. We did our own thing on this day, renting a car and driving the Yukon Highway into Canada as far as Emerald Lake and back. Didn't see any wildlife, but based on the pictures of others that day, we probably had some near misses with black bears.

Juneau was more of the same. A little foggy early, overcast, intermittent light rain. We did a combo whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier excursion that we booked independently with Juneau Whale Watch. The whale watch was first, early, around 8:30/9. It was very chilly out on the water, but we didn't have rain during the cruise. Saw several different humpback whales, including some lunge feeding. At Mendenhall, we had a bit of light rain while walking out to Nugget Falls, but it didn't last too long. We saw some arctic terns and a porcupine here.

Ketchikan was also a little foggy early, then overcast and drizzly most of the time we were there. We did a scenic cruise to Misty Fjords National Monument, which we booked through Disney, given the length and how close to all aboard it was going to be returning. This was probably our least favorite of the port activites we did and will find something different to do next time.

The final sea day was probably the clearest and warmest. During the day, I was able to be comfortable in short sleeves or a light jacket out on deck.

Southeast Alaska is a wet place. Ketchikan is one of the wettest places in the US. Tongas National Forest encompases most of SE Alaska and is a temperate rainforest. Be prepared for wet conditions and consider it a pleasant surprise if you get clear sunny skies. I highly recommend a waterproof outer layer and waterproof shoes. I'm from Florida originally, live in Georgia now, and consider myself a cold weather wimp. I get chilled to the bone really quickly. I layered up, had waterproof outer layers when needed, and had a great time throughout the cruise and spent a lot of time out on decks.

 

[Kwami]

we even got to see the Northern lights (probably not going to happen on a cruse though - too far south).

It could happen! We just barely saw a glow on our cruise because of all the clouds. However, an excursion guide in Ketchikan showed us same great photos of the lights that he'd taken the night before we arrived. We just missed it!

 

[Pens Fan]

It could happen! We just barely saw a glow on our cruise because of all the clouds. However, an excursion guide in Ketchikan showed us same great photos of the lights that he'd taken the night before we arrived. We just missed it!

That's good to know. Thanks!

 

[geoffrey]

Good/Bad?
Seattle area native here
Sun != good. Rain != bad.

We just got back from a trip to WDW. Sunny everyday. Miserable! 95 with high humidity for a feels-like 105. Really couldn't enjoy anything outdoors. We really wanted 65 and overcast. When it is cold and wet, you can dress for the conditions. Hot and humid? Not much you can do for that.

The weather will be whatever it will be. How you respond is totally up to you. Come prepared with layers and good waterproof outer layer and you can totally enjoy yourself. The grey is like a nice blanket. You can enjoy yourself regardless of the weather if you come prepared with the right clothes and attitude.

Also make sure to pack light weight stuff as well. Often there will be a week in September that is very sunny and warm. Right now in Seattle it is full sun and 64 degrees with no clouds in the sky.

 

[DCLMP]

Good/Bad?
Seattle area native here
Sun != good. Rain != bad.

We just got back from a trip to WDW. Sunny everyday. Miserable! 95 with high humidity for a feels-like 105. Really couldn't enjoy anything outdoors. We really wanted 65 and overcast. When it is cold and wet, you can dress for the conditions. Hot and humid? Not much you can do for that.

The weather will be whatever it will be. How you respond is totally up to you. Come prepared with layers and good waterproof outer layer and you can totally enjoy yourself. The grey is like a nice blanket. You can enjoy yourself regardless of the weather if you come prepared with the right clothes and attitude.

Also make sure to pack light weight stuff as well. Often there will be a week in September that is very sunny and warm. Right now in Seattle it is full sun and 64 degrees with no clouds in the sky.

I have to ask Why did you go WDW in September? You had to have known.

 

[geoffrey]

I have to ask Why did you go WDW in September? You had to have known.

It worked in our larger schedule. Not really our choice. Had to align with a number of other things.
But it was a valuable learning. We will be avoiding this type of weather if we can from now on.

 

[DCLMP]

It worked in our larger schedule. Not really our choice. Had to align with a number of other things.
But it was a valuable learning. We will be avoiding this type of weather if we can from now on.

I've done it because the prices were good. I also like thunderstorms, but if it doesn't rain it's brutal.

 

[wendlle]

I just got back and did the Sep 11-19 cruise. it was great, it rained most days and we had some really wild seas that I have awesome video of. But we had a blast, the rain didn't stop us from doing anything and that was what we could afford.

We saw hundreds of thousands of salmon, bears, eagles, otters etc
We also got so close to the glacier - same distance as the explorer excursion.

 

[jdb in AZ]

A ship captain said that Alaska has only two kinds of cruising weather -- good, and tourists who are poorly dressed for the elements.