Best Month to Cruise Alaska

[2tallt]

Hello,
My wife and I are strongly considering booking a 7 night Alaska Cruise in summer 2023. I know a veranda is basically a must for Alaska sailings. I was wondering if anyone had a strong preference in what month they do an Alaska sailing. Currently the late August sailings are much cheaper compared to the June and July sailings. Is that most likely due to families going back to school, or is there something different about the June and July sailings compared to late August?
Any other Alaska sailing tips would be much appreciated.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

August is in the time frame of the salmon runs (July-Sept). If you want to see big wildlife, this is a great time. Whales are still feeding in August. The weather is still mild with some rain. Great time to go. We've been to Alaska twice: the opening season in late May and the end of the season in early September.

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

We were on the first sailing this year back in May and except for the first sea day, the weather for us was perfect. The temp was in the mid 60's to low 70's for most of the stops and no rain. The only day that I wished for my heavy jacket was at Dawes Glacier, every other day I was in shorts and t-shirts.

Psy

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

We went early July (due to school schedules), but prior to this trip my parents went in May. They felt like things were a little less crowded in May (don’t forget there’s a few other ships docking in the ports as well, and they all tend to be a little busier in the heart of the summer) but they enjoyed the same overall experiences.

 

[tvguy]

Both our Alaska cruises have been in June, first during a "heatwave".
I would disagree that a balcony is a must for Alaska. In Alaska you are surrounded on 4 sides by amazing scenery. We spent most of our time out on the deck taking it all in. With a balcony you miss 3 of the 4 sides.

 

[auntlynne]

I have sailed interior x3, ocean view x1 and balcony once. With Disney pricing and a love for expensive excursions (and current airfare, I would be happy with an interior).

I’ve been there mid-May, late May, late June, and early September. The weather was not significantly different enough to justify one month over another. Alaska weather one week to the next is so variable. (Our week in mid-July was the most summer like).

Watching videos this year, I do notice how much more tourism occurs starting in June - with more food options in ports than I ever experienced.

In our area, kids are back to school already; I’m pretty sure other area start after Labor Day, as they don’t finish til late June.

If you can snag a good rate, I’d say go for it. I planned on an AK cruise to be a once in a lifetime thing, but I was back there again after my first visit.

I love whale watching; I do it most times I have an opportunity. I also live glaciers - and visit Mendenhall in Juneau each AK cruise (not that it’s the most impressive; it’s easy to get there and not too expensive. It is also receding, so I take photos each time).

I finally got to Tracy’s Crab Shack in Juneau and definitely enjoyed the King Crab.

We have enjoyed float planes, helicopter to a glacier landing, Zodiac boats, biking, rafting, kayak, Zipline (great in Icy Strait Point). It all depends on what you enjoy.

Above all else, it’s the crisp air and beauty of the area. It makes for a peaceful cruise.

Bon Voyage!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I know a veranda is basically a must for Alaska sailings.

Strongly disagree. Anything you can do on your verandah, you can do up on Deck 10. In Alaska, I'd save the money on a verandah to fund excursions, which are very expensive.

 

[Calantha]

Strongly disagree. Anything you can do on your verandah, you can do up on Deck 10. In Alaska, I'd save the money on a verandah to fund excursions, which are very expensive.

Concur. We did Oceanview on Deck 2 and used the extra money to do some really fun stuff. Also, I feel like I froze to death most of the time, and thus would not have wanted to sit outside on my balcony (unlike when we were on the Fantasy in July).

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Concur. We did Oceanview on Deck 2 and used the extra money to do some really fun stuff. Also, I feel like I froze to death most of the time, and thus would not have wanted to sit outside on my balcony (unlike when we were on the Fantasy in July).

On that point, Oceanview Deck 2 is far superior to Oceanview Deck 1. You want the one giant window, not the two tiny ones.

 

[tj48103]

I wouldn't say a verandah is a must. We had two Oceanview rooms in May and I absolutely loved it. We were rarely in the room and when we were I could sit and look out the big window and sip my "room wine". On port days we were busy on excursions and on sea days we were all over the ship.

 

[MichelleCanada]

One more vote for passing on the verandah and spend your money on the excursions. We did oceanview for our Alaskan cruise with DCL in the middle of August 2019. We did the same as others - spent time on the upper decks taking it all in. We didn’t spend a lot of time in our room.

 

[2tallt]

Thank you all for the info!
Those who we have talked to in person have always said that verandah is the way to go for Alaska. This has really changed our mind and we may end of doing a cheaper room and do more excursions.
We typically do deck 2 Oceanview for our cruises, granted we only have 2 under our belt but also have 2 Baja cruises with countdowns in the app!