cruiser man 60 Posted August 11, 2017 #1 Share Posted August 11, 2017 we are considering a cruise to Alaska next year, what's the best time to see most wildlife? Also when do the cruises get busy with kids from USA/ Canada school holidays? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare www3traveler Posted August 11, 2017 #2 Share Posted August 11, 2017 I do not cruise Alaska between Memorial Day and Labor Day- summer school holidays. I love to cruise the first cruise of the season out of Seattle. The glacier is has not melted or broken off yet. Some times it is very chilly but it is wonderful. Sometimes, the first cruise of the season adds a day or two. You can see wildlife almost anytime. Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Laszlo Posted August 11, 2017 #3 Share Posted August 11, 2017 My wife and I cruised on the Jewel last Labor Day out of Seattle. The weather was pretty good. In Alaska our days were in the mid 60's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycarla Posted August 11, 2017 #4 Share Posted August 11, 2017 My top hint: Start or end at the last weekend of May. The Northwest Folk Festival takes place at the Space Needle park for 3-4 days. Makes for a great day or two wandering around. As you get into the summer, more kids. There is more chance of some snow left over as you go earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser man 60 Posted August 11, 2017 Author #5 Share Posted August 11, 2017 Hi, as we're from U.K. Could you explain what dates are Labour Day and Memorial Day. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarlChilders Posted August 11, 2017 #6 Share Posted August 11, 2017 Hi, as we're from U.K. Could you explain what dates are Labour Day and Memorial Day. Thanks Memorial Day is the last Monday in May. Usually a 3 day weekend holiday for nearly all schools and businesses. Labor Day is the first Monday in Sept, same deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BostonGal35 Posted August 11, 2017 #7 Share Posted August 11, 2017 we went the first week of september (labor day week) last year and there were barely any kids on board. however, it poured rain every day except the day we were in glacier bay. so, we are trying it again this year, same week. that said, teh week before and after us was gorgeous weather. SE alaska weather can be rainy at any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minoushka Posted August 11, 2017 #8 Share Posted August 11, 2017 I went end of june and first week July ...perfect weather ..sunny ...warm Locals said not in late August or after seas get crazy with very rough weathet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BirdTravels Posted August 11, 2017 #9 Share Posted August 11, 2017 The Alaskan season overlaps summer break and you'll always have families and a younger demographic August is good. You should go when the salmon are running and the bears are active. We went in late June in 2015 and it was too early for the salmon. But we got up close to the glacier. We went in late August in 2016 and the salmon were running and the bear were active. But, our cruise had to stay further away from the glaciers due to a lot ice in the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycarla Posted August 11, 2017 #10 Share Posted August 11, 2017 Hi, as we're from U.K. Could you explain what dates are Labour Day and Memorial Day. Thanks Here are all the "strange" holidays across the pond. https://www.redcort.com/us-federal-bank-holidays/ found this on google, there are probably a few other lists out there for less common holidays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son of a son of a ... Posted August 11, 2017 #11 Share Posted August 11, 2017 We went over Memorial Day this year on NCL Pearl. We were told that the salmon begin to run a week or two later so we missed seeing bears. If you want to see bears, then plan accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted August 11, 2017 #12 Share Posted August 11, 2017 we are considering a cruise to Alaska next year, what's the best time to see most wildlife? Also when do the cruises get busy with kids from USA/ Canada school holidays? We did a 14 day trip.7 land and 7 sea ,in May .It was fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarimaJ Posted August 11, 2017 #13 Share Posted August 11, 2017 We went July 29-Aug5, I just posted my review. The water was like glass, no rough seas. Weather was in the 70s just perfect (although everyone said it was unusual). A normal amount of kids on board, didn't bother me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredflint Posted August 12, 2017 #14 Share Posted August 12, 2017 You are better off going towards the end of the season rather than early. To avoid children pick a higher end cruise line with minimal childrens programs. I cruised on Crystal and we had virtually no kids on board was the end of June and we had the 4th of July in Sitka which was great fun and really long day 10PM and it was still light out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetp0618 Posted August 13, 2017 #15 Share Posted August 13, 2017 This spring we spent a week on land (independent - not a cruise tour) split between Anchorage, Denali and Seward starting on May 26. We departed from Seward on a SB Celebrity cruise to Vancouver, which departed on June 2 (first SB cruise of the season). We had marvelous weather the entire trip. The temperature varied between the high 50s to mid 70s the entire trip. The only day we had to bundle up was Hubbard glacier cruising. There were fewer than 30 kids on the ship. Over our two weeks, we saw all of the wildlife (including a lot of bears in Icy Strait) you would expect but missed the salmon run, which was not a priority for us. The crowds in ports were relatively small. The ship was not full and we were able to upgrade from a balcony to a suite two weeks before departure for no additional $; we also got (in addition to the beverage packages and internet we already had), we got an extra $300 OBC and gratuities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now