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If you’re hunting the northern lights, then include a land trip to Fairbanks, where you can enjoy Denali Park and hopefully catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis. As August winds down, fall colors explode across the mountains, giving you gorgeous landscapes to explore by ship, train and foot. From the Alaska State Fair in the Mat-Su Valley to the Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival, there is so much to do in this glorious state in August. Blueberries are in season, with berry festivals following, bears roam the hills, and Seward’s Silver Salmon Derby is the perfect place to cast your fishing rod. It might surprise many, but July and especially August are rainy, so don't expect endless sunshine. That said, you are in Alaska at a time for festivals and other special events, and frontier towns really come alive.
The best time to cruise Alaska
What's New for the 2024 Alaska Cruise Season - Cruise Critic
What's New for the 2024 Alaska Cruise Season.
Posted: Mon, 11 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
When it comes to Alaskan cruises, balcony cabins come at a premium. You can save money by opting for an inside or an oceanview cabin. However, the views and ability to go sightseeing from your room on ocean days make the higher price worth it. In April, towns along the Inside Passage will have just over 15 and a half hours of sunlight and will be gaining daylight every day. Since I grew up in Alaska, I’m a fan of just about everything in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
What to Expect on an Alaskan Cruise in May
Some ships will have naturalists onboard, particularly in Glacier Bay. Conditions can sometimes prevent ships from reaching the glaciers, particularly in Tracy Arm Fjord. 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. Prices for Alaskan cruises are lower in April, May and September. Due to unpredictable weather, though, there’s a risk of shore excursions being cancelled -- especially boat and helicopter tours.
Repositioning Cruises: From Alaska to Asia in One Trip
If you do see these majestic creatures hulking around, stay far back (at least 50 feet) and never disturb a lone calf, as mom is somewhere nearby. For the most Midnight Sun, come 3 weeks before or after the summer solstice and longest day of the year, June 21. If your itinerary includes stops in Anchorage, Seward, or Whittier, you might experience rougher seas as you cross the Gulf of Alaska in September. Birds also haven’t started their migration, so you can spot both songbirds and seabirds as you cruise along the coast.
What to Expect on an Alaskan Cruise in June
Precipitation increases to 19 days of the month, so pack a raincoat with a hood (you’ll be grateful to have it!). The loss of daylight does mean you could see the Aurora Borealis while cruising to Alaska in late August. The best time to see the Northern Lights is between late August and April, typically peaking in March. By the end of August, the sunrise and sunset times in Alaska are pretty close to “normal” times for most states in the USA.
Longer Alaska Cruises: A Chance to Explore More of the State
The good news is that no matter which month you choose, your Alaskan cruise will reward you with incredible experiences and memories that last a lifetime. To maximize your chance of witnessing the northern lights, get off the boat and join a land excursion to Fairbanks. The aurora season in Fairbanks lasts from the end of August to April and the lights can be seen four out of five nights if the sky is clear. Down south, the waters around the southwestern and southcentral regions of Alaska teem with ships visiting Kodiak Island, the Aleutian Islands, Prince William Sound and Katmai National Park. While you might not be sunning yourself to a stunning shade of bronze on an Alaska cruise, you and everyone on board will want to take in the scenery.
The cruise season in Alaska is short (just May-September), but what this state lacks in winter tours it makes up for in stunning summer vistas, exciting wildlife and a travelogue of iconic land excursions. Summer is the height of the Alaska cruise season, which means crowds in port towns, especially when several ships are in port at the same time. You might have to wait hours for a table at Tracy's King Crab Shack in Juneau. A handful of cruise lines -- mostly small ship and luxury lines like Cunard, Seabourn and Windstar -- offer Alaska cruises ranging from nine to 14 days in length (generally departing from Vancouver). Mainstream lines have also started offering longer cruises to Alaska from southern West Coast ports like San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The 11 Best Alaska Cruise Excursions in 2024, From Whale Watching to Glacier Tours Condé Nast Traveler - Condé Nast Traveler
The 11 Best Alaska Cruise Excursions in 2024, From Whale Watching to Glacier Tours Condé Nast Traveler.
Posted: Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Alaskan Weather Is Unpredictable
Cruises through Alaska's gulf also tend to pass through the Inside Passage, with typical stops including Sitka, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Some will also call on more off-the-beaten-path ports like Icy Strait Point and Haines. The Inside Passage is a sheltered waterway between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland that extends north to Alaska.
You might feel like you aren’t getting the true Alaskan “Midnight Sun” experience this month. If you cruise to Alaska this month, you can enjoy more shop and restaurant options in port towns but expect things to be slightly more crowded. That being said, the weather and wildlife in Alaska are notoriously unpredictable.
Alaskan railroad trips are also available, giving you access to interior hiking, cozy lodges and remote wildlife viewing. On clear nights, you could have a chance to spot the northern lights — though they won't shine as brightly as they do in winter. Rather than stay up all night, see if your ship or pre- or post-cruise hotel has a sign-up sheet for people who want a wake-up call should the lights appear.
Arguably, the biggest draw is the marine animals, with opportunities to see pods of humpback whales, gray whales, orcas, sea lions, sea otters, and more. On Winter Solstice (December 21 or 22), the state breaks out of its winter hibernation and begins gaining a few minutes of sunlight each day. By the time Summer Solstice occurs (June 20,21, or 22), travelers to Juneau, Alaska, a common port, will experience a day with 19 hours of sunlight. Some attractions and shops will be closed for winter, though your cruise line will still operate a full roster of shore excursions.
Some adventurous cruisers will board ships when they arrive in Alaska in April to see the remnants of winter. A few big ships cruise into mid-October for those who want a peek at what life is like in Alaska towns when all the other tourists have returned home. 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. Alternatively, Gulf of Alaska cruises are typically seven-night, one-way itineraries between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier, the gateway ports for Anchorage and northern destinations in the state.
The peak season to view the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis is between late August and late April, which unfortunately doesn’t overlap much with the Alaskan cruise season. If the Northern Lights experience is high on your Alaska bucket list, consider a September cruise with more dark nighttime hours and increased solar activity. This month brings the warmest weather of the year, the longest hours of daylight and the largest number of tourists. And for good reason, as July in Alaska is ideal for salmon fishing, culture festivals like the Girdwood Forest Fair, bear viewing and memorable trips into the interior.
Because of its latitude, Alaska experiences extremes in daylight in the summer and darkness in the winter. Weather, ocean conditions, and limited sunlight make winter cruising to Alaska impossible. As for land trips, June sees Denali National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park open, both of which offer stunning floatplane and flightseeing adventures.
Cruise ships arrive in southeast Alaska in spring, stay the summer and linger only into early fall. The 49th state's snowy, cold and dark winters are not conducive to cruising. 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. You're in luck if you're hoping to see whales on your Alaska cruise, as the majority of the cruise season coincides with whale season. Humpback whales can be found in the waters of the Gulf of Alaska and are some of the most frequently spotted, though you may also see orcas and gray whales as well.
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