May or September??

[shannon50]

Which one is better in your expert opinion. DH and I are trying to pick between the two months. Thanks for your help! :)

[Glaciers]

Mid to Late May is our favorite time to cruise. We even cruised the first week of May last year and it was wonderful. Usually, there is the least amount of rain in May, the mountains still have lots of snow for those “snow capped mountain” photos and there is much more daylight than September.

[shannon50]

Mid to Late May is our favorite time to cruise. We even cruised the first week of May last year and it was wonderful. Usually, there is the least amount of rain in May, the mountains still have lots of snow for those “snow capped mountain” photos and there is much more daylight than September.

 

Perfect! That's what we were thinking! :)

[Glaciers]

Shannon, you'll get more hits on this as well by tomorrow morning. Another consideration would be, at least for us, the ice around the glacier in May sometimes doesn't allow for vessels to get very close. Depends on what you want out of your cruise. You'll find a consistent message from those that cruise Alaska over and over. Pick what you want to do and then pick the cruise line and month from that. Other than whales that are here all season, wildlife sightings can be much better in July/August.

[hunterjackson]

Im a september person so we can get close to the glaciers.

[trophy_23]

Having done both the Sept and May trips, I would say overall the weather we experienced was far better in May. Not to say that would always be the case, but I really liked that in May many areas still had snow, by Sept it is all gone except the high Peaks and Glaciers.

[wwbill4]

Our trip back to Alaska will be Aug/Sept so we can see the Bears devouring the Salmon that time of year. Aparently cannot see this on May.

[Great Sky Girl]

No, the salmon are not out in May, but we went May 28 - first week in June and could not have asked for better weather. Plus there was no ice that kept us from anything. It added to Mendenhall and also Glacier Bay. All was wonderful! We however, did not see much in the way of wildlife. We did go on the Kenai Peninsula ship and saw lots of wild life, but that was about all, even with a full week tour after the cruise. It was beautiful, though!

[vbmom87]

As I watched the prices drop significantly on the May dates of our cruise scheduled for August 5, I began to second guess my choice. However, in the end, I was so glad we made the choice we did. Yes, the May cruisers had great weather, (we did too...but that is pure luck) they did not get close to either Tracy Arm or Hubbard Glacier. Getting close to Hubbard Glacier was a real priority for us. Also, we did want to go when we could go on a bear tour to see bear catching salmon. We went during peak time and it was a wonderful experience. Our last trip had been in June and although it was great too, we had other priorities this time. I know we got very lucky with the weather and our tours. My DH and I both loved our August cruise. May and September are cheaper for a reason. However any cruise can be a great one. Just depends on your priorities and expectations. If this is going to be a once in a lifetime trip, I would spend some time deciding what I really wanted to get out of visiting Alaska and then make sure to go during the timeframe that would best increase my chances of seeing and doing what I wanted to.

[Jeff in Torrance]

We've been on two Alaska cruises, one a cruise tour to Fairbanks from Whittier, both in May. Good weather both times, with excellent views of the Alaskan Range. Added plus is that the mosquitoes haven't yet figured out to bite you yet.

 

No matter what, I think that some rain is inevitable in Ketchikan.

[tetleytea]

In 2011, I think September is the better month. Mostly because May 2011 sailings are not available at the moment. I don't know why....