Best month/s for Alaska cruise?

[grannyminnie]

Hello,
I'm a Disney "vet" but a cruise novice (only 2 short Disney cruises to the Bahamas under my belt) and am very curious about the Disney Alaska cruises. My biggest concern/question is the best time to travel there. I know the prices are higher for the summer but if it is better to go then, I might put price second.
I also have read that the weather can be very "iffy" in Alaska, so I'm prepared to accept that. I'm currently looking at May or Sept. so as to get the best "deal" (is there such an animal where Disney is concerned?!).
TIA for any help I can get.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

So we went in August, because my kids were still in school in May and back to school by September. July was too expensive for us and got a great price in August for a deluxe family OV room (large porthole, deck 7, forward). We had rainy weather and sunny weather throughout the week. They say that is the true "Alaskan experience." We truly had the best time.

 

[Jess_S]

I have done both May and September. Weather is definitely a wild card. We had high 70s in May and 60s in September. Not much rain either trip.

If there is specific wildlife you would like to see, checking which month has better opportunities to see it might be a good deciding factor.

 

[grannyminnie]

Can you elaborate on that wildlife comment? I definitely am interested in that (eagles, whales). Are the itineraries helpful there?

 

[FSU Girl]

I went in late May and the weather was pretty cold. I was in a sweater the whole trip. It only rained when we were in Juneau. I saw a whale and a seal while sailing and a bald eagle while walking around, but no bears or anything. This was over ten years ago so I'm not sure if much has changed since then.

 

[KashasMom]

We've gone in late April/early May (was a repositioning cruise - first of the season), the second week of August, and this year the last week in August (none on DCL). We had good weather on the first two cruises but this year's was rainy - and weather bad enough that we couldn't get to see the glaciers. This was disappointing since overall they seemed to have had a nice summer weather-wise. It really is hit or miss for the most part but if I had a choice between May and September, I'd probably go with May. September is rainy season.

 

[Jess_S]

Can you elaborate on that wildlife comment? I definitely am interested in that (eagles, whales). Are the itineraries helpful there?

If whales and eagles are your primary interest, then I think either date will work. I checked and whales migrate back to Alaska in April and stay through September. Eagles were everywhere both times that I went. I do not believe that they migrate.

Both bears and salmon are best seen later in the season.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We have done both May and September Alaska cruises. Just got off the Sept 3-10 cruise last month.
Late May was very unpredictable for weather. We always carried cheap ponchos (pocket size) and/or umbrella in town or on an excursion. Not much for whale watching from the ship.
This Sept. the weather was very good (highly unusual as the locals put it) that we had clear skies (6 days) and only one day of showers (Ketchican). Coming from New Mexico, clear skies are normal and showers are great to experience. We saw whales in Sept., lots of orcas and hump back, from the ship. Eagles are everywhere there is fish, they are like crows, just near the water waiting for an opportunity.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

We went in June last summer (actually cruising during the summer solstice). It was awesome. The weather was a good variety - our first day was chilly and misty. We had a bit of rain, but nothing torrential. It was chilly most days. I would sit on the verandah with my jacket, hat, and gloves (partially to block the sun, but also because I was chilly). We saw glaciers, lots of icebergs, whales, sea lions, dolphins, so amazing! (I can't spot a bald eagle if it's sitting right in front of me, so I don't know if there were any around).
The last two days were absolutely gorgeous, I mean 80s! We didn't cruise with DCL, so we disembarked in Seattle, and the weather that day was perfection. We could actually see Mount Rainier (we were told that is extremely rare).

 

[Ravenclaw78]

I've been in early July and late August. There's plenty of wildlife to see no matter when you go, but the salmon run is mid-August to early September and that's when you'll see bears (and lots of them). Eagles an whales can be seen throughout the cruise season. Temperatures are warmer earlier in the season, and there's a lot more higher chance of rain in August and September (which can cause some of the flightseeing excursions to be cancelled, in addition to being less than pleasant to trudge through on walking or hiking excursions). Weather is highly localized in Alaska, though, so when it's raining in Juneau it may be dry in Ketchikan. We got lucky on our August trip and missed all the rainy days (our pilot on an excursion in Juneau commented that it was the first sunny day they'd had in two weeks), so you're not necessarily going to hit bad weather. All told, we preferred the end of the season for the salmon and bears and lower crowds, but there's never really a bad time to cruise to Alaska.

I highly recommend taking mostly private excursions in Alaska. They're almost always cheaper and a vastly better experience, and being US ports means private operators are subject to the same laws and regulations as the cruise lines' tours. Check Tripadviser, Yelp, etc. and the CruiseCritic board for Alaska; the recommendations there will be very good advice.

 

[Geomom]

May has the possibility of seeing snow on the mountains and more daylight hours (May is closer to the summer solstice than Sept. is). September has more chance of seeing salmon/bears. (I believe the salmon run begins in late July...not sure how late the season goes.) We went 8/8-8/15/16--temps in the mid 50's-mid 60's...pretty much cloudy/misty/light rain most of the cruise...only sun was the last day at sea. We saw a whale outside the ship on the last day at sea. Saw eagles in Juneau--1 sitting in a tree right by the cruise shuttle stop (to get back to the ship). We 'heard' bears at Mendenhall Glacier--3 bears in the thick woods only 10 feet off the path. Salmon were definitely running--saw salmon in the creeks in both Juneau and Ketchikan. As we were leaving Mendenhall, we heard people say there were bears over by the creek...but we didn't go look...kids were done and just wanted to get on the bus that comes every 1/2 hr! Temps/weather can vary week to week...so it really doesn't matter 'when' you go...you could be lucky and have sunny/hot weather...or be like us and have rainy/cool weather, lol. If I could go at any time, I'd just pick the cheapest date!

 

[Magic-Suitcase]

We have cruised both in May and June. Each time we had great weather, not hot but then we prefer cooler temps when traveling. We did not see a lot of "wildlife" but enough to make us happy.

 

[FFMickey]

We saw whales in Sept., lots of orcas and hump back, from the ship. Eagles are everywhere there is fish

Might plan a late summer 2020 trip. We want to be able to see the wildlife and especially the whales. Will have to research the average weather for that time of year.

 

[grannyminnie]

Oh goodness, so many good and helpful replies! Thanks to all of you!