What do you do if it rains the whole time?

[redfish1955]

Just looking for some feedback on what you do (maybe some info from previous Alaskan cruisers who have experienced this) if it is cold/chilly and rains pretty much the whole time you are on your Alaskan cruise, esp. if you have various excursions booked. Do you still spend time on your balcony/outside on the various decks of the ship taking in the scenery with your rain gear/ warm clothes on? And if you already paid for your excursions and they aren't cancelled because of the weather, do you still go ahead and take them, provided you have the appropriate rain gear? :confused:

[lucywestie]

Our first and only cruise was to Alaska in September. Last cruise of the year and apparently the weather can be decidely "iffy" that time of year. In Ketchikan we had lousy weather and they even crossed my Kayak excursion. What did we do when it rained? Just threw on the rain gear we bought specifically for our Alaska trip and walked the streets and went in and out of the shops.

On board we had an interior cabin but we spent alot of time up on the outside decks watching for wildlife and looking at the scenery. We saw plenty of whales and the weather never altered our views or opinions of how great a cruise it was.

You can't let the weather dictate your holiday. Just make sure you have good waterproof clothing including shoes and you will be fine.

Last year we went to Zion National Park, Utah over the Christmas period. When we arrived the rain was pouring and there seemed no end to it. The park ranger said that we were going to see the park like most people never do as there were so many waterfalls etc. We just treated like a different but positive experience and got on with it.

Treat Alaska the same.

I have a theory I use in my life that there are certain things you just can't change so you just go along with it and hope for the best.

You will have a great time whether rain or shine in Alaska.

Pete

[Truesoldier]

Being from WA ST the rain doesn't bother me. The way we look at is there are different levels of rain. If you have the typical Seattle drizzle then you are all set for BBQ weather. If it is an utter downpour then you are ready for a good muddy game of soccer. You just have to go with the flow (pun intended).:)

[donaldsc]

Just looking for some feedback on what you do (maybe some info from previous Alaskan cruisers who have experienced this) if it is cold/chilly and rains pretty much the whole time you are on your Alaskan cruise, esp. if you have various excursions booked. Do you still spend time on your balcony/outside on the various decks of the ship taking in the scenery with your rain gear/ warm clothes on? And if you already paid for your excursions and they aren't cancelled because of the weather, do you still go ahead and take them, provided you have the appropriate rain gear? :confused:

 

When we were in AK last summer, it rained for 4 days straight in Ketchikan and 3 days straight in Prince Rupert plus the day it rained while we were on the ferry from Ketchikan to Prince Rupert.

 

You manage. There is not a lot that you can do about it.

 

DON

[rayliang]

if it rains, just cancel your flight related excursions. But continue everything else.

[TallinnGirl]

Make sure you have a waterproof camera! :)

[jonbgd]

I will tell you in 10 days as it looks like rain almost everyday next week :(

[AKman2495]

No, it doesn't rain all the time. Sometimes it snows...;)

 

I once saw a button celebrating the Juneau rain festival. It said: Juneau Rain Festival Jan. 1- Dec 31.....

 

That said, I have been in Juneau in bright sunshine and 70 degree temps. THe people there were so confused......:D

[Peteymil]

Just looking for some feedback on what you do (maybe some info from previous Alaskan cruisers who have experienced this) if it is cold/chilly and rains pretty much the whole time you are on your Alaskan cruise, esp. if you have various excursions booked. Do you still spend time on your balcony/outside on the various decks of the ship taking in the scenery with your rain gear/ warm clothes on? And if you already paid for your excursions and they aren't cancelled because of the weather, do you still go ahead and take them, provided you have the appropriate rain gear? :confused:

 

We pretend it is sunny, don't allow ourselves to complain, and continue with the plan. We still have always had a good time!! Don't worry about it, be prepared, and enjoy!! Adding some Bailey's to your coffee doesn't hurt either!!!

[mrell345]

Get yourself a good Gor-tex rain jacket and pants. For my DSLR camera I get the disposable rain sleeves they sell in my camera store. To be honest I have had some beutiful photo ops in rainy misty weather.

 

Unfortunately thats why they call it a rain-forest.

[mytime53]

I've been in the pouring rain in NYC, Boston, Rome, London, Machu Picchu, Nairobi and Tanzania. The only place it changed our plans was Tanzania, because the mud was so slippery that we never would have been able to get back up the hillside to our lodge. The great thing about Alaska is that if you're prepared you'll have rainpants. It was too hot to wear them in Africa and Peru, and we didn't bring them (and most likely wouldn't have worn them if we did) to the big cities. I'd be far more comfortable in Alaska in the rain.

[bottom-dragger]

That said, I have been in Juneau in bright sunshine and 70 degree temps. THe people there were so confused......:D

 

 

[bonvoyagie]

Even if you can't be out on the balcony - you still have the floor to ceiling windows to look out of. Most ship now have glass balcony fronts so you can see through from the inside of the cabin. BTW most balconys are semi covered by the one above you.

 

Like Truesolder - I live in the PNW and we simply don't let some rain get in the way of our fun.

[poolwife]

Also, if you check the forecast before you leave for your trip and it says rain everyday for your whole trip, DO NOT be discouraged. When we cruised northbound on Aug. 27- Sept. 4, 2009, we were supposed to have rain continuously. It ended up only drizzling a little bit about 3 nights after we got off of the ship. We ended up with beautiful weather.

 

The weathermen are not always right. So don't be discouraged and as above posters wrote, just roll with it. It will still be a great experience.

[NoobCruise]

Just looking for some feedback on what you do (maybe some info from previous Alaskan cruisers who have experienced this) if it is cold/chilly and rains pretty much the whole time you are on your Alaskan cruise, esp. if you have various excursions booked. Do you still spend time on your balcony/outside on the various decks of the ship taking in the scenery with your rain gear/ warm clothes on? And if you already paid for your excursions and they aren't cancelled because of the weather, do you still go ahead and take them, provided you have the appropriate rain gear? :confused:

 

Haven't cruised Alaska yet, but we're going with the expectation that it may rain every day of our trip. The weather is always unpredictable, but we're going in September, when it's even more so. The cruising area of Alaska is so beautiful because of the rain so if we want to enjoy that beauty, we should expect the rain as part of it :) so we're packing plenty of layers and good quality rain gear. Unless the weather is so bad that I risk getting blown off the ship, I WILL be on my balcony, rain or shine, shorts or dressed for a monsoon ;) And hopefully my excursions won't be cancelled (both are boat rides) but if they are, we'll find something else to do. Worst case scenario, we'll explore the towns, museums, shop, and find a nice restaurant and/or pub. We will have a great time regardless of weather and we will NOT huddle inside whining about the weather :)

[redfish1955]

Thanks to all of you who have replied! Nope, no whining (maybe "wining" instead) here! I live in Texas, so I'm used to weather shifts and the weather forecasters not always being on the mark. I just mainly wanted to hear from folks about what they do and how they handle it. Glad to hear you who posted here just go with the flow. Besides, we will be on VACATION, so how bad can it really be? Plus, on a beautiful ship with awesome Alaskan scenery, rain or shine, not to mention the chance to meet some new people/make new friends. And did I mention room service, great food and drinks, and NOT having to cook or do laundry for a WHOLE WEEK? It's ALL GOOD!

[Tweedy]

Just looking for some feedback on what you do (maybe some info from previous Alaskan cruisers who have experienced this) if it is cold/chilly and rains pretty much the whole time you are on your Alaskan cruise, esp. if you have various excursions booked. Do you still spend time on your balcony/outside on the various decks of the ship taking in the scenery with your rain gear/ warm clothes on? And if you already paid for your excursions and they aren't cancelled because of the weather, do you still go ahead and take them, provided you have the appropriate rain gear? :confused:

 

I think the first thing you need to do is plan for the worse and be pleasantly surprised when it's better then you hoped.

 

My first cruise to Alaska was in September '08, we had rain... torrential rain in Juneau. We had an excursion planned for Mendenhall Glacier. We went, bundled up and ready for what mother nature had in store. I had one of those plastic ponchoes and my camera hung under it. When it was time to take a picture I just lifted the front of the poncho careful to let the water drip around and not onto the lens of my camera. Worked great. The day we sailed into Tracy Arm (which I believe was the same day we did Juneau), there was no improvement here. I stood on the promenade deck to view the scenery and glaciers. I was cold but close enough to a door to pop back inside when necessary. There wasn't alot of people on deck. We also had rain in Skagway but since the excursion we were going on was into the Yukon, by the time we got there the sun was out.

 

Our second cruise to Alaska was in May '09 and we had beyond fabulous weather.

[laughing husky]

Wear a raincoat....continue with a smile...You are in Alaska.....oh, and buy some xtra tuffs to bring back home....Great muck boots...great fishing boots...everyone wears them in the South East....and elsewhere....It "proves" that you are a real Alaskan.....:):D:D:D

[fishfire]

The first time I went to Alaska it was foggy and rainy all but one out of the eleven days I was there. No excursions were canceled and we still used the balcony. I bought a video so i could show my students pictures and had planned to say "See that? I didn't." But truthfully everywhere we went the sky cleared up just enough to get a view, but not a picture. The fog and rain add a different beauty and that is when i fell in love with Alaska and have been back every year since. I may even move there one day. BTW, rainwater is the best hair conditioner there is. It softens and shines beautifully!

[SeattleCruiselover]

 

Sorry, those people are not from AK, they are my neighbors.

[TheCalicoCat]

Just looking for some feedback on what you do (maybe some info from previous Alaskan cruisers who have experienced this) if it is cold/chilly and rains pretty much the whole time you are on your Alaskan cruise, esp. if you have various excursions booked. Do you still spend time on your balcony/outside on the various decks of the ship taking in the scenery with your rain gear/ warm clothes on? And if you already paid for your excursions and they aren't cancelled because of the weather, do you still go ahead and take them, provided you have the appropriate rain gear? :confused:

 

Our cruise is in -30 days, we have a car based excursion in Skagway = definitely going.

 

I have an off the ship Tracy Arm excursion - as long as it goes, I'm going.

Juneau we will do the tram if the weather cooperates & our other Juneau plan is Mendenhall Glacier - which we will probably do rain or shine.

 

Ketchikan is our "play it by ear" port where we loosely have planned to ride hte city bus to a beach to explore a tide pool &/or see totem poles...

 

I think that we have the appropriate clothing planned for Glacier Bay (& and other cold/wet stops...)

 

I'm not opposed to sipping a hot beverage...

 

So I don't see rain hampering my plans.

[agabbymama]

I'm going to be the voice of reason here. Everyone is telling you you will still have a GREAT time.

 

I have to disagree. My first cruise to Alaska was in May in 1999 and it rained everyday but 1. We had no excursions planned. We just wanted to enjoy the cruise and Alaska. Even with a raincoat, you still get drenched when there is a torrential downpour, and it isn't much fun slogging around soaking wet, and there is nowhere to get dry. It's difficult to take photos in the rain, as it will ruin your camera, even just the dampness, even if you don't actually get the camera wet. We did make our way to the Raptor Center in Sitka (which some was indoors, but a lot was outdoors). On the ship we spent a lot of time out by the back pool as it was the only place with covered seating. When I got cold I'd go back inside. While the trip whetted our appetite to see more of Alaska, I can't say it was a fantastic time. Glacier Bay the sun accommodated us and it was an absolutely beautiful day out of 7.

 

For our second trip, I wanted to see more of Alaska and the Yukon so I chose a cruisetour. We arrived in Vancouver to RAIN. We had misty drizzle through Tracy Arm, but did get to see the glaciers. We arrived in Juneau to bursts of downpour. We were originally going to go out to Mendenhall Glacier, but decided to just stay in town and browse from building to building to try and avoid getting soaked. But fortunately in the 11 days of our cruisetour, we had rain on the coach (which the driver had to fight with), but for the most part when we stopped somewhere, the rain also stopped. Whitehorse and Dawson City Yukon were truly amazing and we had sunshine. Denali was beautiful when we arrived, but we had the afternoon Tundra Wilderness Tour and sure enough about 9:00 pm it started raining, so we saw McKinley through rain and clouds, but the mountain did peak through. I chose the cruisetour I wanted to do, so really didn't do any extra excursions this time either. The only one was to Jeff King's Husky Homestead and again we had a cold beatiful morning tour.

 

I'd make sure any excursions I booked were fully refundable, not just if they cancelled the tour, but if you did too. Constant rain for 7 days, and you are not going to have a very enjoyable trip! Of course that's just my opinion.

[trooper 1]

 

Bottom-Dragger: Thank you. A great photograph. I did one tour with the Alaska State Troopers in Southeastern before requesting a transfer back up North to drier posts. But while we were there we just learned to wear the proper gear and go ahead with our normal outdoor activities.

Trooper 1.

[vbmom87]

Our first trip it rained on key excursion days: Tracy Arm Fjord all day independent tour, 9 hour Kenai Fjords Northwestern Fjords tour and our all day trip into Denali. Not only did it rain, but it was unseasonably cold. We had the right clothes, but the weather was miserable. Did it ruin our tours? No. Were our tours all they could have been? No. Did we make the best of it and enjoy the scenery? Absolutely!!! We were fortunate that none of these rainy days were torrential downpours. We still got to see what we had hoped to see. Sunshine would have made for a much better experience, but we still enjoyed the wonders of Alaska.

 

On our second trip to Alaska (14 day cruise), we had amazing weather!!!! It did rain on our Hubbard Glacier day and part of our time in Sitka, but overall, we were experiencing gorgeous weather with lots of sunshine. In port after port we kept hearing how fortunate we were to have such wonderful weather and sunshine. There is no doubt that good weather puts you in a better mood, but you can still and enjoy Alaska in spite of the rain. Just have the proper clothing.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Thanks to all of you who have replied! Nope, no whining (maybe "wining" instead) here! I live in Texas, so I'm used to weather shifts and the weather forecasters not always being on the mark. I just mainly wanted to hear from folks about what they do and how they handle it. Glad to hear you who posted here just go with the flow. Besides, we will be on VACATION, so how bad can it really be? Plus, on a beautiful ship with awesome Alaskan scenery, rain or shine, not to mention the chance to meet some new people/make new friends. And did I mention room service, great food and drinks, and NOT having to cook or do laundry for a WHOLE WEEK? It's ALL GOOD!

 

Howdy! :)

 

I know you remember the gawd-awful summer we had last year. When I took my Alaska cruise in mid July I was praying I'd see rain because I couldn't remember what it looked like. Our first stop was Juneau and there was a steady downpour the whole day...I wanted to dance in the streets. ;) Rain or sun it won't matter...Alaska is breathtaking. Have a wonderful cruise to the Great Land!