How To Pick The Best Time of Year to Cruise to Alaska

Table Of Content

• Great experiences from the great land
• Discover Alaska with Princess in 2024-2025
• June to August
• Alaska Cruise in April: Fewer Rainy Days When You Visit Alaska in April
• What is a land and sea cruise?
• Cruise to Alaska from April to October for an Incomparable Life Experience
• Repositioning Cruises: From Alaska to Asia in One Trip
• Alaska Cruise Highlights By Month

While you’re on the boat, you’ll enjoy delicious and local cuisine, with many of our cruises offering fine-dining options. And in addition to the glaciers outside, you can stay entertained with phenomenal live music performances featuring musicians from The Juilliard School, B.B. King’s Blues Club Memphis, and other institutions. At AAA, we offer a wide selection of cruise itineraries to those explorers who want to get up close and personal with Alaskan wildlife, landscape, and culture. The Denali Express Cruisetour includes a 7-night sailing with three days of touring up to Denali National Park and back down to Seward.

Great experiences from the great land

If you are an angler, there is nothing like hooking and reeling in a King. With an average size of 24 to 36 inches and weighing pounds, you’ll finally have a true fishing story worth telling. Temperature is relative, so don’t be shocked if you see an Alaskan sporting shorts and a tank top in June. The 60s can feel downright tropical after winter temperatures in the 20s and 30s.

Discover Alaska with Princess in 2024-2025

With extended daylight hours, you’ll have ample time to experience it all. Summer is the peak season for tourism and considered the best time for Alaska cruises, and for good reason. Running from late June to mid-August, summer has the warmest temperatures, near endless sunlight (approximately 18 hours or more per day!), and the best chances for viewing wildlife.

June to August

Alaskans are inviting people who love to share what makes their state unique. Watch lumberjacks in action, learn from Glacier Bay National Park rangers and craft with a Native totem pole carver. Or listen to harrowing Tales from the Deadliest Catch fishermen and climbers who have summited Denali during your Alaska cruise. Our award-winning North to Alaska program brings local personalities, culture and cuisine on board and ashore to immerse you in all things Alaska during your cruise to the Great Land. They groan, creak and shudder on their march to the sea, punctuated by the booms and crashes of "white thunder" — a sound that echoes across the water when ice calves into the ocean below. On an Alaska cruise, let us show you Glacier Bay National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier, College Fjord or Hubbard Glacier.

Alaska Cruise in April: Fewer Rainy Days When You Visit Alaska in April

The best time to cruise Alaska - The Points Guy

The best time to cruise Alaska.

Posted: Wed, 11 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Family favorite Disney Cruise Line offers 13 itineraries over the summer, including a seven-night itinerary from $3,467 per person. Uncruise’s 12-night “Inside Passage” itinerary departs April 15 with rates starting at $6,300 per person, and Alaska Dream Cruises’ seven-night “Last Frontier Adventure” has starting rates from $3,995 per person. The beauty of the land and its immense history; the thrill of seeing bears, moose and bald eagles; and the mysteries of the surrounding marine life will astound you. It's a trip worth taking the time to plan and doing right — because who knows if or when you'll make it back to the Last Frontier. In general, waiting until the last minute is not the best idea, unless you live in Seattle or Vancouver and don't need to book flights.

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]

This is not nearly as boring as you might think since you'll see incredible sights like Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve or Hubbard Glacier. Glacial ice carved this passageway long ago, and today, cruise ships and fishing vessels thread their way through the islets and channels to see some of the most spectacular natural sights in the world. Most sail along the Inside Passage, a maritime route along the state's southern coast (and into British Columbia and Washington state) that weaves around the area's thousand islands. Some venture farther north into the Gulf of Alaska; these are often one-way cruises that begin and end at the ports near Anchorage. When you want to go will depend on which activities you want to do, how you feel about cool weather and rain, and the price.

These cruises are perfect for travelers looking to make the most of their limited time in Alaska. Because Alaska has such a short season with a limited number of ships and is a dream trip for many, cruises are in high demand and people plan early. Sitka's Russian heritage also sets it apart from other Alaskan ports on your cruise itinerary. See St. Michael's Orthodox Cathedral with its onion dome and the Russian Bishop's House. If you're interested in Alaska's Gold Rush history, Skagway — 90 miles northwest of Juneau — is a port you shouldn't miss. In fact, it's the gateway to the Klondike and Dawson's mining district in Canada's Yukon territory, where prospectors searched for gold in the late 1890s.

There are days throughout the year when there can be a temperature swing of a hundred degrees on opposite ends of the state—50 degrees Fahrenheit in Sitka and 50 degrees below zero in Fairbanks, for example. May can be one of the finest months across Alaska, as daylight reaches near-summer heights, while June is even nicer, with the last chill of the arctic winter departing for the season. With that in mind, Alaska is still a dynamic destination—no one snapshot of time during the year is guaranteed to encompass all this state has to offer.

Alaska Cruise Highlights By Month

Most big-ship and luxury cruise lines send at least one cruise ship to Alaska every summer. 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. In this post, I share a month-by-month guide about the best time of year for an Alaskan cruise. I’ve included tips on the weather, wildlife, daylight, and the general experience you’ll have each month of the Alaska cruise season to determine when to set sail for the 49th state.

Most Alaska itineraries include some "scenic cruising," where your ship sails past incredible natural sights. These cruise lines, especially on their newer ships, offer something for everyone — as well as a higher caliber of onboard dining than on the cheapest cruises. Some activities are included in the cost of the cruisetour; other outings can be booked like shore excursions depending on your interest and budget. If you're hoping to see the northern lights, booking a cruisetour in September might be your best bet to see the aurora on a cruise vacation. One nice thing about the Inside Passage is how calm the water is because you're sailing between land masses. If you worry about seasickness, an Inside Passage trip is the best Alaska cruise itinerary versus a sailing where your ship transits rougher, open waters.

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. An inside cabin with no window will always be the least expensive way to go, but a private balcony lets you spot whales and bald eagles without the crowds. Although cruises to Alaska are expected to sail at or close to capacity this year, be on the lookout for last-minute deals that can score you a bargain. Most cruise ships will also make a special stop or two for guests to admire one of Alaska’s estimated 100,00 glaciers, including Glacier Bay, and it’s a real highlight of the trip. These ships can also more easily follow aquatic wildlife (within legal limits).

Sailings from Vancouver tend to traverse more of the Inside Passage and spend a full day sailing this scenic region. You’ll want to carefully consider Alaska cruise packages and itineraries as the scenery, price and length of time all vary considerably. The best Alaska cruises manage to combine epic nature with local flavor, and the following options all offer that mix with some variation. You'll need to set aside a good chunk of money to spend on shore excursions when you're in Alaska. They can be incredibly expensive when compared to experiences in the Caribbean or Mexico.

As you sail through Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier, relax on your private veranda and admire the stunning landscapes. Experience the wonders of Endicott Arm Fjord and Dawes Glacier on the gorgeous Celebrity Solstice on a June cruise to Alaska. It’s one of the state’s most lucrative industries, and many cruisers can’t wait to try their hand at it. Shoulder season is also the best time to go on an Alaska cruise if you prefer fewer crowds while exploring the historical and cultural aspects of Alaskan cities and towns. Instead of getting upset over a cold, rainy day in port, maintain a positive attitude. Find a cozy saloon to enjoy a warm Irish coffee, or bundle up in your rain gear and make the most of the day.

See local residents show their best moves, then dance to music old and new. Aim for the week right after school ends or the week before school begins if you’d like to get there just ahead of the most crowded part of peak season. A cruise to Alaska is an unforgettable summer family vacation experience your kids will cherish forever. Gray whales are also more commonly spotted earlier in the season, while blue whales are more likely to be seen during July and August cruises. If you’re thinking about taking an Alaska cruise vacation, you’ll be happy to know that America’s Last Frontier is best explored on a cruise.

Alaska has humpback whales, gray whales, killer whales, and a small population of belugas. Though it’s species-dependent, the best time to go whale watching in Alaska is in high summer, when the days are long and the feeding is plentiful. And it all depends on what species you intend to see—humpbacks are in the area year-round, while others like gray whales migrate to Alaska in summer. Each season has its pluses and minuses and the best time to cruise to Alaska depends on what’s important to you.

In this guide, we’ll explore why the summer months, from early May to late September, are the best time of the year for an Alaska cruise. Get ready to discover the beauty, wildlife, and adventures that await during your summer cruise to Alaska. If you’re wondering when is the best time to cruise Alaska, you’ve come to the right place. At Alaska Tours, we’ve been helping travelers explore the Last Frontier for over 30 years, and we can confidently say that summer is the prime season for an Alaska cruise.