NCL Inside Passage in October

[magicsoccer]

We are planning a NCL cruise out of Vancouver October 3.  Very few other cruise lines seem to sail in October.  I know it is the end of the season.  Will we miss much going in October or just waste our money?  It is really the best date for us.  We cruised to Alaska early June before and really enjoyed it.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Coral]

Look very carefully at the weather and sunlight in October. You previously went at one of the best times for weather/sunlight/daylight previously.

 

I probably would only go if it was free.

[1025cruise]

There are still cruises to Alaska in October?

[magicsoccer]

Ncl has cruises the entire month of October. 

[donaldsc]

6 hours ago, magicsoccer said:

We are planning a NCL cruise out of Vancouver October 3.  Very few other cruise lines seem to sail in October.  I know it is the end of the season.  Will we miss much going in October or just waste our money?  It is really the best date for us.  We cruised to Alaska early June before and really enjoyed it.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

How many tours will be available.  How many shops will be open.  How many tourist sites will be open.  The more basic question is - why October?

 

I might point out that many of the people who work in the tourist industry in AK are college students.  They will be back in college in October.

 

DON

Edited January 1, 2021 by donaldsc

[Coral]

I would be more worried that the later you get in the season in September, the more potential for storms. October is going to be worse than first of September. By mid-September, I don't recommend anyone going for tourism.

[Heidi13]

In October you may be lucky and experience smooth sailing, but it is highly unlikely. Even cruising out of Vancouver, we normally experience the first storm system in October, so even the first 5 hrs out of Vancouver can be lumpy. The transit up Hecate Strait can be very uncomfortable, as I have experienced up to 90 kt winds in Hecate.

 

Daylight fades fast, losing about 5 mins each day. Alaska is all about the scenery, why would you pay to cruise in darkness.

 

When it comes to Alaska cruises, Princess & HAL are the most experienced. How many Princess & HAL ships are still in Alaska in October - most likely none. If still in Vancouver, they do short coastal trips between Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle.

 

I worked on the BC Coast for many years and can attest to the fact the starting in October, the weather can be very unpleasant.

 

As a passenger, even if they paid me to go to Alaska in October, I would decline the offer. My time is way to valuable to waste.

[magicsoccer]

I am so glad I asked this question.  I think we will need to pass on the October cruise. I think we may be able to move to early September instead.  Thank you all. 

[magicsoccer]

Thank you for the information.  I have switched to an August 3 cruise out of Seattle on the Sun.  I hope this will be a better idea.

[Northern Aurora]

While I am late to this discussion I wanted to comment that a number of years ago we did the last Celebrity Alaska cruise of the season.  It was the first leg of a B2B.  We live in Alaska and my husband years ago worked briefly out of Southeast Alaska, so we expected heavy rain and were prepared for heavy rain.  We had torrential rain in Juneau, a storm in the Gulf of Alaska and missed Ketchikan due to heavy winds.  Those last of the season cruises can be inexpensive, but folks who book them need to have realistic expectations as to what type of weather they could potentially experience.

[magicsoccer]

What were the dates of your cruise?

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, magicsoccer said:

What were the dates of your cruise?

  Are you directing this to me?  In any event, I checked my scientist husbands' cruise history spreadsheet (he just has to record data), and we departed Vancouver on September 15th.  It was a longer Alaska itinerary than Celebrity usually does, but paired well with the following Pacific Coastal wine cruise.

 

The summer of 2019 we did a seven night Alaska cruise out of Seattle.  In my opinion, the Alaska itineraries out of Seattle tend to not be the most optimal, but there was a special exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum I wanted to attend and the Seattle Mariners had a special series of games honoring one of their players who had just been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  We had tickets to one of those games.  We boarded in early August, and had great weather.