Alaska in May

[judyrink]

Is May too early to go to Alaska?

Thank you!

Edited October 17, 2016 by judyrink

[Shmoo here]

Is May too early to go to Alaska?

Thank you!

 

Not if you enjoy snow and cold. We did a cruise/tour that started 5/22 with the Alaska/Yukon portion first.

[judyrink]

Just didn't want it to be too cold and not able to get to some of the places.

[Crew News]

Is May too early to go to Alaska?

Thank you!

 

We have been to Alaska many times in May. Everything was open and the only excursion that was not available was to Tracy Arm out of Juneau because of the ice flows. Snow was present in the higher elevations but did not hinder travel.

 

The last three years the temps have reached 72 degrees with lows at night in the 40's.

 

May prices are cheaper because kids are still in school and families cannot travel. It is also the month when baby animals are active. Baby humpback whales dance above the water, baby eagle are learning to fly, and bear cubs are greeting the world. Flowers are also beginning to bloom.

 

May is our favorite month.

[zigdilcru]

Is May too early to go to Alaska?

Thank you!

 

just did the May 7th out of Vancouver this year. Yes it was a little cool the first day or so but boy did it warm up quick. Sweated our tushes off in Ketchikan, our only problem was tooo many kids and families from China, guess they have different school vacations then us and Canada. They seemed to overrun the ship. If the price is good for May, do it, it was certainly worth it for the cruise of your dreams.

[CruiserBruce]

A little reading on the portion of Cruise Critic devoted to Alaska, located here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

The key point you might pick up is the weather in Alaska is quite variable. If one person says their early May cruise last year was acceptable (in terms of weather) it absolutely doesn't mean next May will be acceptable. Things change hour to hour, day to day, and week to week in Alaska. Far more than other parts of the US.

[Krazy Kruizers]

One of our Alaskan cruises was the second week of May.

We had lots of rain -- many of the float planes and helicopter tours were cancelled.

It was also very chilly.

Weather is unpredictable -- there is no telling what your weather may be like.

[katree]

Two years ago, it was 70's every day and I never put on a jacket. This year, it rained in every port. You can never tell, but I have another Alaska cruise booked for May 2017.

[NMLady]

Is May too early to go to Alaska?

Thank you!

 

Definitely not to early. Just be aware as others have said, that weather in May one year is not necessarily weather another year in May.

The year we went in mid-May we had 13 out of 14 days of glorious sunshine.

[fishywood]

Not if you enjoy snow and cold. We did a cruise/tour that started 5/22 with the Alaska/Yukon portion first.

 

My mom did a group tour in May quite a few years ago (northbound cruise followed by land tour) and recalls it being 80 degrees in Fairbanks. When the whole family went a few years later in July she vowed her next Alaska trip would have to be in May again: longer days than after the June summer solstice, the glaciers (Hubbard and College Fjord) were much more beautiful at the beginning of the season, the ports a little bit less crowded.

[Shmoo here]

My mom did a group tour in May quite a few years ago (northbound cruise followed by land tour) and recalls it being 80 degrees in Fairbanks. When the whole family went a few years later in July she vowed her next Alaska trip would have to be in May again: longer days than after the June summer solstice, the glaciers (Hubbard and College Fjord) were much more beautiful at the beginning of the season, the ports a little bit less crowded.

 

Oh, I liked our trip in May, I was just referring to the fact that there was more snow, and more probability that not all areas may be accessible. As it was, the day we went into Denali, was the first day it was open for the season, and it was rainy/sleet the whole tour.

 

I actually found the weather itself (temperature and rain possibility) was quite similar on both our May and September trips (mid 50s to low 60s with drizzle in Juneau and Glacier Bay).

 

There was just more snow, and longer daylight hours in May vs September.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Lots of cruise ships go to Alaska in May. If it was too cold and unpopular, they'd stop going,

[CruiserBruce]

Lots of cruise ships go to Alaska in May. If it was too cold and unpopular, they'd stop going,

 

Well....people who see the cheapest fares will still go in May. And of course, the fares are cheapest in May (and late September) for a reason...

[Sea Hag]

We've gone twice in May and are going again next May. We might have hit it lucky those other two trips, since the weather was wonderful.

[Scrapnana]

I was in Alaska in May and we had a drizzly day in Juneau but better weather in Ketchikan and Skagway. I watched the Juneau webcam from the time it started (mid-May) until the last ship left on October 1. There was no time where the weather was significantly better than any other. You just take your chances.

[Keith1010]

I have visited Alaska several times starting in mid-1990's and as recently as this past August.

 

When it comes to weather you just don't know what it will be like.

 

Personally I like May in Alaska. You will see more snow on the mountains than say in August and you will have less people on board the ships and in ports because all of this peaks in July and August with school vacations.

 

I would not hesitate to plan a cruise for May.

 

Keith

[mehowic]

Anytime I'm traveling somewhere and want to look up what the weather might be like I load up https://www.wunderground.com

and go to the Calendar Forecast for the city I'm visiting. It has average temperatures/precipitation and you can look at what the weather was actually like from several years back.

 

For Alaska it looks like the average high temps in May are between 50ºF and 60ºF, and light showers are possible.

[trishkri]

I have visited Alaska several times starting in mid-1990's and as recently as this past August.

 

When it comes to weather you just don't know what it will be like.

 

Personally I like May in Alaska. You will see more snow on the mountains than say in August and you will have less people on board the ships and in ports because all of this peaks in July and August with school vacations.

 

I would not hesitate to plan a cruise for May.

 

Keith

 

We did Alaska at the end of May 2015 and the weather was perfect. I agree with everything that Keith said above. In addition, I spoke with a fellow passenger on our cruise that was on his 12th Alaskan cruise. He mentioned the above but also said that when he had done the September cruises that the summer help in ports were burned out by then and ready for the season to end. In May they are all fresh and ready to help.