Alaska in august?

[dmtb518]

Hi-

Planning to go back to alaska in august. Have been there all other months. Hiw does august compare?

 

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[triptolemus]

Compared to December, I hear it's pretty nice.

[BirdTravels]

We sailed on the Jewel in August last year and it was fine. Weather was warm. Salmon were running so the bears were feeding. Our day in Juneau had a very low cloud ceiling and all of the flight-tours were cancelled (float planes, helicopters),,, and not a day to go up the tramway,,,, into the clouds.

[hawk1972]

We went on our only Alaska cruise in August in 2009 and we had beautiful weather.

[xlxo]

Done two early August trips....

• wildlife is active. Seen a few bears at Mendenhall and the salmon are jumping in Ketchikan.
  
• Tracy Arm is ice free for visits to meet Sawyer..... in 2016, ships were not entering the 31 Arm until mid-August.
  
• it's statistically the start of the wet season as September is best for storm chasers.
  
• Future trips will be in July or earlier for me as I prefer dry weather in ports
  
• weather in Cascadia is great!
  
• Fireworks competition in Vancouver before embarkation if you are in town for that early August weekend.
  

Month by month review

• May and September is cheaper, but colder and some excursions are not running. Some like these months as you can do back 2 back cruise getting to/from Alaska.
  
• May can mean ice congestion to some glacier viewing sites like Tracy Arm/Sawyer. Ice in some years can go into July! In 2016.... it was mid-August before ships went to Tracy Arm.
  
• May to July is dryer in Alaska, August will see more rain and September will be wettest. If too stormy to dock.... cruise ships will skip the port.
  
• July to August will be dryer in Cascadia
  
• May to August will give you more day light
  
• August and September offer better wildlife opportunities with bears and salmon
  
• August starts to get statistically wet.... with storms more likely in September to fill the Ketchikan rain gauge. Check out the climate chart on this page.... http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/juneau/alaska/united-states/usak0116
  
• I like late-July for weather compromise and wildlife. It's also priced higher.
  
• some ports offer seasonal opportunities like fireworks and pride celebrations, but can also mean congestion on those popular days.
  
• http://www.alaska.org/advice/best-time-to-visit-alaska => it recommends mid-June to mid-July!
  
• http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2667
  

Edited January 14, 2017 by xlxo

[jannie711]

Thanks, xlxo! We are sailing in August as well.

[Cruisegirl0413]

We found out on our cruise to Alaska on the Pearl that the entire month of August is considered "vacation" month for several Asian countries, so we had a substantial amount of "kids/teenagers on our cruise, about 900 according the ships staff and it creates quite a different experience. I'm all for kids having fun, but the blatant disrespect and lack of consideration and manners was appalling! We're going back this year, but in June/July to avoid this experience again.

 

 

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[Budski54]

Hi-

Planning to go back to alaska in august. Have been there all other months. Hiw does august compare?

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Forums mobile app

During the week that we cruised Alaska, the weather was great. However, it's a good idea to pack some long underwear, long sleeve shirts, and a pair of gloves. When we were in Glacier Bay in the morning, I had on a few layers of clothes, including gloves. Later in the afternoon, I was on the top deck in my swim trunks. In other words, pack some "winter clothes."