Cant get my head around Alaska

[Jocecruise]

thanks everyone so far sailing date would be Sept 2014

 

Hows the weather at that time?

 

 

We did the last cruise of September, back in 2007. Weather was great ! Not a drop of rain. Actually, I brought way tooo much warm clothing!

[SixOneTwo]

And if you end up really liking Alaska, consider a South American Cruise Around the Horn. Much of that trip is alot like Alaska, in my opinion. Port Stanley, Ushuaia, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas are green and cool with lakes, forests, mountains and many, many glaciers. Bonus: penguins!

[Lois R]

I have been to Alaska 3 times. Both in May and September.

You are in Alaska and so it will be cold;) I have to say the word

that comes to mind for me is "majestic".....the horizon and the

mountains meeting the water....it is simply majestic:). I hope

you have a wonderful time:D

[flames9]

I wore shorts in May during our Alaska cruise!!!! Cold is just a frame of mind!! :D Get the 1,2,3 GO promotion and stay warm on Rum!!

[hughdm]

Have you done Norway? Think Norway, only more rugged. More remote. LOTS of wildlife. While we were doing Norway, the Norwegians said "Why are you here when you have Alaska?" It's true, and we loved Norway...

[1SMURFF99A]

Help.

 

Have cruise Med and Caribbean and thinking of the San Fran/Alaska Cruise but from the UK know little about what to expect from Alaska other than reading.

 

We like sunshine......

 

Thanks

 

Alaska is a beautiful place. You won't regret it. The scenery is fantastic. Go on a whale watching tour. I've been there 4 times. One was a land tour and saw Mt Mckinley in full view.:)

[hughdm]

Alaska is a beautiful place. You won't regret it. The scenery is fantastic. Go on a whale watching tour. I've been there 4 times. One was a land tour and saw Mt Mckinley in full view.:)

Hope we get to see it this August! Glacier Bay is like no other place we have ever been.

[camarodrivenrs]

Being currently in Fairbanks, I think you should go to Alaska in the winter time....the real Alaskan experience. Plus you get to see Alaska's greatest feature, the northern lights.

 

I did do an alaska cruise a few years back and it was in September and it rained 6 out of 7 days. Perhaps some do get sunny weather on cruises during that time of year but it is the exception. Prepare for cold and rain.

[Taxguy77]

I wonder if anyone can give me some information about temperature and rain for July. We are from the northwest of the UK and we certainly know about rain, but wonder how this compares?

 

We are all really looking forward to this trip next year - we booked the Solstice out of Seattle. Anyone got any recommendations for pre and post cruise?

 

Thanks in anticipation.

 

BB

 

When our DD lived in England, we visited them annually, once for Christmas. :)

I have never seen any worse weather:eek:, you'll be fine on this continent! :)

[norituck]

Help.

 

Have cruise Med and Caribbean and thinking of the San Fran/Alaska Cruise but from the UK know little about what to expect from Alaska other than reading.

 

We like sunshine......

 

Thanks

 

For the best weather book for late May thru June. We had sunny 60°F at most ports. Only rain in Homer, AK.

[nothriver]

Our Alaska cruise in early June '09 was sometimes cold and wet. Othertimes, it was warm and sunny. Sometimes in the same day. We were well prepared with fleece jackets, waterproof coats and shoes, and some short sleeve shirts. We needed it all! We did not need swimsuits and flip flops however, it was too cold to swim.

 

I hope to get back to Alaska soon. I think a cruise is a wonderful way to explore the port towns from your luxurious floating hotel.

[sjaak]

If I look at the Alaska cruises some do Hubbard Glacier and some do Tracy Arm Fjord. Does it matter? Which one would you choose?

And can someone give advice on the cruisetours? (landtours)

Oh, and northbound or southbound, does it matter :confused:

[epixx]

If I look at the Alaska cruises some do Hubbard Glacier and some do Tracy Arm Fjord. Does it matter? Which one would you choose?

And can someone give advice on the cruisetours? (landtours)

Oh, and northbound or southbound, does it matter :confused:

 

Are you interested in seeing a glacier? If so, then Hubbard is a better bet due to more consistent sightings. The twin Sawyer glaciers require a very long transit of Tracy Arm Fjord, so most people do not end up seeing them due to limited time for the cruise ship to transit the fjord. This is especially true in the early season (May).

 

Advice on cruisetours: 1. Read the description VERY carefully to see what you are purchasing. The cruiseline descriptions are very misleading. 2. Longer is much better than shorter, since the distances you need to travel on bus or train are significant. With shorter land portions, many people spend most of the time sitting on a bus or train. 3. Only consider a land portion that includes at least 2 nights in Denali. Don't consider land portions with Natural History Tour, as that will not get you into the Park. You need 2 nights to either take the Tundra Wilderness Tour or to take the shuttle to Eielson, either of which will get you into the Park. 4. Don't do the land portion in May. The shuttle to Eielson doesn't open until June 1. Same problem with late September. 5. Are you sure you want to do a cruisetour, rather than a cruise plus DIY land tour?

 

Check for much better information on the Alaska Ports of Call section of this website.

[CRUZBUDS]

Are you interested in seeing a glacier? If so, then Hubbard is a better bet due to more consistent sightings. The twin Sawyer glaciers require a very long transit of Tracy Arm Fjord, so most people do not end up seeing them due to limited time for the cruise ship to transit the fjord. This is especially true in the early season (May).

 

We actually had one sunny day on our September Alaska -- We were scheduled for Hubbard but couldn't get there due to weather -- Tracy Arm was substituted

 

It was cold, but fantastic. We were there the same day as the Zaandam -- They only went in a little way and turned around -- we went all the way to the glacier. It was spectacular!