Alaska in early May?

[KevBew]

Has anyone been to Alaska in early May? We are considering the Infinity May 8th out of SFO but are wondering if it's too early to be heading up north. Thanks in advance!

[mii]

Kev: While I cannot vouch for early May I also did that cruise on the Infinity which left S.F. on may 28 and had the most fantastic weather. While I was waiting for my cruise I had read reviews of the cruisers who came back before I sailed and other than maybe a rain shower here and there was not much on weather. Of course at that time of year it might be a little rocky when you go under the Golden Gate and head north. Hopefully someone has taken that trip at that time and may come on and give you a better idea. But I can tell you that trip was the best. Have a great cruise.

 

marilyn

[HOT RODDER]

We went to Alaska on the Mercury in early May 2004 and had fantastic weather! ( in the 70's) A few sprinkles in Vancouver and Ketchican. 76 in Sitka!

We also went to Alaska on the Infinity in September 2005. The weather was much cooler and a lot more rain.

We will be going again on the May 8th cruise from SF,and really looking forward to it.

Hope to see you on board!

 

John

[KevBew]

Marilyn and John:

 

Thanks for the reports, it sounds like it would be a great trip! I was concerned that it would be cold in May but from what you've told me it sounds perfect. Thanks for the information.

[mii]

Marilyn and John:

 

Thanks for the reports, it sounds like it would be a great trip! I was concerned that it would be cold in May but from what you've told me it sounds perfect. Thanks for the information.

 

Kev: I still always go prepared for any kind of weather. A jacket, gloves, umbrella, always layer, layer and more layer. You just never know about the weather up there.

 

Marilyn

[Druke I]

We've been in Alaska in May, and had great weather - but you never know.

 

I think best advice has been given - layering.

 

One advantage of early (or late-after Labor Day): fewer people, fewer crowds.

[Nancyquilts]

And a warm hat that pulls down over your ears.

[Vistadeck]

I love Alaska in May .. the earliest was a May 11th departure out of LA a few years back on Galaxy, you have less chance of rain in May, it probably will be cool, not all the ships will be up yet so the ports won't be very crowded.

[tserface]

Has anyone been to Alaska in early May? We are considering the Infinity May 8th out of SFO but are wondering if it's too early to be heading up north. Thanks in advance!

 

Hey, my wife and I are booked on that cruise as well. You may want to check out the Roll Call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=194077 We liked the price, itinery, and ship. The price for the next week was a lot more. So far, from interacting with the people on the Roll Call, it looks like there will be great people there as well. If you do sign up you might want to sign up for the Cruise Critic party (we still need 2 more to get up to the minimum of 25)

https://secure.celebrity.com/cruisecritic/home.do;jsessionid=0000X7gPpzcRhDx_gCnZzklv7Gi:1051tg3ld

 

Anyway, hope to see you on the cruise...

 

Tom

[BrendaJ]

We were on the first Infinity cruise to Alaska in May 2001. We went that early because it was a great deal. I must say we did get a lot of rain that week; certainly in Ketchikan (sp?) it poured all day, which apparently is not unusual for that port. I can only remember one full day of sun and that was in Skagway.

 

However, that being said, we had a great trip and it wasn't till weeks after we got off the ship that it occured to me that the weather wasn't that great - there's so much to see while cruising, and the Infinity is a great ship for seeing the sights while staying dry (hint: when everyone is crowding the top decks for viewing the scenery, and the weather is not great, head to deck 4, where you can stand or sit out of the rain and watch the world go by, assuming you don't have a balcony).

 

I must say I was surprised by the temperature during the cruise. I expected it to be much colder and expected to see a lot more snow. The only place we saw a lot of snow was when we took the White Pass Mountain Railway trip and went high into the mountains (gorgeous scenery); other than that, very little snow, and it was probably always warmer than 50 degrees, although I don't know what the actual temperatures were. We certainly were fine with raincoats and heavy sweaters - never needed gloves or hats.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Brenda

[clopaw]

We went on Infinity from San Francisco last year, leaving May 16th. We had better weather in Alaska than they were having at home in Ohio. It rained in the morning in Skagway, but cleared up later, and it was overcast for parts of some other days. Ketchikan was beautiful and sunny. I never wore anything heavier than a sweatshirt jacket.