Weather information desired

[baxley]

Would some of you who just returned from an Alaskan cruise in August please share your weather experiences with us? We leave in a few days time and this would be very helpful to everyone. Thanks.

[Esha]

We just returned 8/13/11 after spending 2 weeks in Alaska. We experienced about 3 days of showers/steady rainfall. Temps those days were in the 50s-60s and with a fleece sweater underneath our waterproof coats we were warm.

 

The rest of the time it was partly cloudy - full on total sunshine. We were HOT in Kantishna, Denali (low 70s), but were comfortable everywhere else.

 

We took a few small boat tours, one to the Northwestern Fjord Glacier (out of Seward) and for that we added extra layers when we got to within 500 feet of the glacier, and we needed them, it was noticeably downright chilly (but we were warm). Any boat ride on the water, we used extra layers.

 

Also, when we drove up into the Yukon from Skagway, it was quite chilly up in the mountains.

 

Just dress in layers, take waterproof jackets and you'll be fine. Enjoy !!

 

Helen

[ladymadeline]

You can read my review of our Aug. 3-10 cruise under Reviews. We were on Regent Navigator. We had wonderful weather, which we did not expect. No rain, mostly sun or partly sunny, little wind, calm seas. That being said, we took the advice of others and packed for any weather, so we were prepared. This is what I did use: jeans, Nike dri-fit yoga pants, L.L. Bean Sporthill pants (pull on, water resistant). Wind breaker with hood, baseball cap, wool cap, light gloves, fleece vest, cotton turtlenecks, cotton crew neck sweaters,Ecco walking shoes. Did not use: rain suit, umbrella, gym shoes, swimsuit, hooded sweatshirt. No need for mosquito repellent (they're gone this time of year). For evening we both brought dress pants, collared shirts for my husband, nice tops and cute shoes/handbag for me, simple but fun jewelry for me. My husband didn't bring a sport coat, but said he would next time.

 

We saw people who were dressed like they were going above the Arctic Circle - women wearing Uggs, winter down coats, heavy hats/gloves. We also saw people in shorts and flip flops during shore excursions. So the moral of the story is be prepared for anything, dress in layers. Remember when you're onboard (and not intending to hang out on an outdoor deck) it's nice and cozy, so you can dress anyway you like inside. Even in my dressy clothes we would have an after dinner drink outside and I'd just bundle up in a shawl or the blankets provided by Navigator. They also had overhead heaters on the aft deck - very cozy!

[Esha]

I'd like to add, that unlike the above poster, we DID encounter mosquitoes. We are hikers and encountered them on almost every hike we did and were glad we had head nets and DEET. We encountered them in Denali National Park, on the East Loop Trail at Mendenhall Glacier (Juneau), Thunder Falls (near Elkutna, outside Anchorage) etc. If you are planning on doing any trails I'd advise you go prepared for some mosquitoes.

 

Alaska is beautiful....have a blast !!

 

Helen

[PennyAgain]

Alaska weather is extremely variable. Just because someone had fine weather recently doesn't mean you will. Be prepared!

 

The reverse can also be true with weather being better for your cruise.

 

It is impossible to predict which is why the weather reports out of Alaska are often so long and detailed.

 

I've seen many cruisers wearing sandals and flip flops in Alaska. Please do not do that. Slip and fall accidents are on the top of medical issues faced by Alaska tourists.

[sherryf]

Just got back Saturday from a week on the Golden. This was our 3rd year in a row sailing late-July to mid-August. Two years ago, we had sunshine and temps in the 80's most of the week. Last year, we had more of a mix, with sun in Juneau and rain in Ketchikan and Skagway. This year was in between. Mostly cloudy with a few sun breaks, but it never rained on us in ports. We did have a little rain leaving Ketchikan, and it rained a bit as we were leaving Glacier Bay and more later that night. Temperatures were cool, so I did wear jeans or capris most of the time. I did wear shorts the first 2 days, leaving Seattle and on our sea day. But, we are from the Seattle area, so we are used to cooler temps in the summer and the rain didn't bother us a bit.

[TiCKed]

Would some of you who just returned from an Alaskan cruise in August please share your weather experiences with us? We leave in a few days time and this would be very helpful to everyone. Thanks.

 

Just off of Coral, (Aug6 to Aug13), and it was quite cool for the most part and almost universally overcast. And we had rain in Whittier, some in Juneau, and a pretty good downpour in Ketchikan. But, frankly, I enjoyed the rain because I was prepared for it!

 

As for temperature, it really is as variable as everyone says. Two examples:

 

1) In Glacier Bay, it felt very chilly most of the day with the wind, and ship movement. The air temp was probably 55deg to 60deg(?) However, on two separate occasions, the sun poked through the clouds, and felt VERY warm for those 1/2 hour to 1 hour periods. We started shedding layers....only to reclaim them later. :)

 

2) On our last "at-sea" day, we were quite comfortable on our Starboard balcony, just watching the scenery go by. But at one point, there were reports of Orcas on the Port side, and I scrambled to the Promanade deck to see what I could see. It was VERY cold on that side because that is where the steady breeze was hitting. An entirely different experience! (And I didn't even see any Orcas). ;)

 

The Boy Scout's Motto is probably appropriate: Be Prepared. :D