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ALaska - mid september

Frankie Sue

By Frankie Sue,
in Holland America Line

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jtl513

jtl513

Posted
Posted

You can never tell about AK weather. In '07 we did a 11-day Cruise Tour that started with beautiful mid-70s sunshine in Fairbanks on Sep 12/13 and by the time we got to Ketchikan (21st) we were into low 30s snow/rain mix. Glacier Bay had biting cold winds. I wouldn't go later than August again.

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Bill S

Bill S

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We cruised to Alaska in mid-September this year.

According to the locals, we had rare week of excellent weather (temps in the high 60s & sunny skies).

We were a bit disappointed with the lack of eagles. All of our prior Alaska cruises were in May or August, and there were eagles everywhere during those cruises.

However, from a shopping perspective, most merchants had items on sale or were willing to bargain, as the end of the cruise season had arrived.

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PirateShark

PirateShark

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Like Bill, we had fabulous weather in Mid-September (of course, last week of August in 2007 we were pretty much rained out). As to excursions, we did two this last time: The helicopter Glacier Trek in Juneau and the Floatplane to Misty Fjords in Ketchican. These are pricey but they were trips of a lifetime. Whale watching in Juneau I hear is great also and I think (don't hold me to this) will run in the rain where the helicopter and floatplane are at the mercy of the weather.

 

For eagles, if you go to Sitka, do go to the Raptor Center - you are then guaranteed to see one of these majestic birds. Have a wonderful cruise - just remember that Alaska is beautiful in any weather!

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erewhon Holiday Sharing Rare

erewhon

Posted
Posted

Frankie Sue,

 

We were on the Alaska cruise with Startwin, September 15 to 22nd. Were so pleased to have such beautiful sunny days.

 

Off topic, Hi Startwin, hope all is well with you and DH as you count down to your next cruise.:)

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CowPrincess

CowPrincess

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I was on the same cruise as Bill S Sept 12 to 19. The weather was outstanding! What we experienced in Vancouver pre-cruise (rain, drizzle, downpour, rain, wind.... repeat....) was more or less what I expected for the weather in Alaska. What a joy to have sun, blue skies, warmth :) We all took long johns and wool socks, and really needed more lightweight pants and sandals. NO GUARANTEES. NONE.

 

The only reason I went in Sept was because of the itinerary. If they run that itin again this September, I'll be going back :) regardless of how bad the weather may be.

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catl331

catl331

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And so as you can see from the posts above you can have all types of weather. We had a nice snowstorm in Denali on a Sept cruise/land tour. My advice is bring a variety of clothes and enjoy Alaska in Sept! p.s. the pea soup served at Glacier Bay hits the spot!

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bepsf

bepsf

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IMO - September is the BEST time to go to Alaska:

Whales have begun their southbound migration - no need for a whale watching tour since you'll see them from the decks of the ship.

Salmon are spawning.

Bears are out in force, stocking up for winter.

Fewer ships and tourists.

End-of-season bargains.

Glaciers will be calving like crazy from the summer melt.

Just be sure to dress warm!

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startwin

startwin

Posted
Posted
Frankie Sue,

 

We were on the Alaska cruise with Startwin, September 15 to 22nd. Were so pleased to have such beautiful sunny days.

 

Off topic, Hi Startwin, hope all is well with you and DH as you count down to your next cruise.:)

 

Hi Jeannette, all's well, but April 2012 is toooo far away! We're hoping to grab a good deal for Sept 2011 Alaska, and I'd even take an inside, just to get another cruise in!

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Sunshine91

Sunshine91

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Posted

Go for it!!!!!

 

We went 2 years ago - the last 2 weeks of Sept, w/Brian (above). We did a 5-6 day southbound land/train-tour starting in Fairbanks, then boarded Ryndam in Seward for a week's cruise to Vancouver. There we boarded a bus to Seattle before our midnight flight home (much cheaper to fly home from Sea-Tac than Vancouver).

 

Pluses

No mosquitoes

Great temps

No crowds in port

Only a handful of kids - most are back in school

At Denali saw 4 of the Big 5, plus foxes

Sales - throughout the interior, on the train, on the ship & in ports

Dolphins escorted the ship into Vancouver

Fantastic glacier calving - only ship at Hubbard so we had extra time

 

 

Minuses

A shop or 2 had already closed for the season

Daylight is about 12 hours - still a lot more that at home, tho

 

Keep an eye on weather conditions at either weather.com or wunderground.com. Both sites have tons of info.

 

If you're doing a land tour, make sure you do one that has 2 nights at Denali. One just isn't enough. Our train arrived mid-day, so the husband & I did a guided ATV trek later on, just north of the park. It was AMAZING, riding those trails at sunset. We even got fed.

 

The Tundra Tour at Denali (included) is an all-day trek into the park - 8 hours on a converted school bus. I didn't do it, but the husband did & loved it. I hiked a couple of miles in to the park's kennels to spend time w/the sled dogs.

 

On the way from Anchorage to Seward, try to take the Portage Lake cruise. That was a really nice extra.

 

Both of us are just itching to go back - we may not cruise next time but just do an independent land roam. Would we go back in Sept? Absolutely. But maybe a week earlier. :)

 

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chipmaster

chipmaster

Posted
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Colder, wetter and few choices as that is the very end of the season, at least if you find a ship sailing in Med Sept, pricing will be really good and ports will have lots of end of season deals.

 

I am looking at an itinerary for Alaska in mid september. Would that be an O.K time to cruise Alaska? and any suggestions on what excursions would be good?
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alcpa1

alcpa1

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Posted

We have sailed the Alaskan waters in September too.

Our weather was mixed but we were prepared. WaterPROOF shoes and clothing are the key.

We did whale watching from Juneau with highly recommended Capt. Larry of Orca Enterprises. This was not our first time with the purple boat and highly recommend him. You can check him out on the Ports of Call/Alaska boards.

Unless things have changed recently, Avis (the only highly recommended car rental company in Skagway) closes its operation around Sept. 15. There are some wonderful self booked tours available in Skagway.

When you choose your sailing date be sure to join your Roll Call. We found that the Alaska boards are some of the most active and helpful.

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  • 7 months later...
suzzie59

suzzie59

Posted
Posted

Hi there,

We are booked on the Zuiderdam 10th Sept 2011 for 7 night cruise our first time to Canada & Alaska, we are from Western Australia therefore are not used to cold weather. From reading looks like we do need some warm clothes & maybe thermals. Is anyone else going on the same cruise?:)

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dylan63

dylan63

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Posted

Hi Suzie59

I'm booked on this cruise with my 23 year old daughter. I live in Sydney, Australia. I've already been to the "Kathmandu" store and bought 2 soft shell jackets, I've also bought 2 pack away rain jackets. I'm going to be in Canada for about 4 weeks prior to this cruise, I'm staying with my sister and her family, also going to the Canadian Rockies (my 2nd visit to Canada, 1st for my daughter) and having a few days pre- and post- cruise in Vancouver.

Yes, you will feel the cold - layers are essential, I'm not taking thermals but I'm taking singlets, long sleeve T-shirts, fleecy tights/leggings etc to wear as base layers, you'll also need fleecy jumpers - a fleecy vest is good too, gloves, beanie, scarf. I haven't got a down filled jacket (they're so expensive to buy in Australia). You'll also need these if you're going to the Icefields/glaciers in the Canadian Rockies - I was totally unprepared for the cold when I went there the first time, it was mid June and I absolutely froze!

P.S I haven't done the Alaskan cruise before but I'm going to assume it's going to be cold from my earlier experience in Canada.

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