Alaska in early Sept

[tourismtessy]

Just booked our first cruise to Alaska for 9 Sept.  Can anyone that’s sailed Alaska in early Sept tell me how the weather and scenery was?

[u2harmony]

I did Alaska early September in 2017 on the Ruby Princess. It wasn't deck chair weather, but it was definitely t-shirt weather. I brought a jacket, hat and gloves and only used them while on my balcony sailing by the Glaciers.

Otherwise the weather was beautiful and the scenery incredible. I would not hesitate to book this time of year again. (Actually I am booked for Alaska in August 2024)

[MileHighAko]

I've gone multiple times in September. Weather has been pretty good for us, it's just starting to cool down from the summer, but you still want layers because it rains and around the glaciers it's simply cold. I love September when the summer rush is over and it's not as crowded and things are beginning to slow down. You'll have a great time.

[DHP1]

We sailed Alaska last year (first week in September). Rained one day and cloudy the rest. The temperature was cool around 15c. Take a rain coat and a sweater maybe a winter coat because your going to need it when you visit the glaciers. 
However, we spent 2 days in Vancouver before we catch the cruise and it was sunny and warm (22c).

 

[stevenr597]

Chance to see the Northern Lights...if you are lucky. 

[nini]

We have sailed Alaska 3 times in September. We experienced a variety of weather and really enjoy that time of year. One time when departing Ketchikan, it was about 75 degrees and the outdoor areas were bustling with happy cruisers... In the hot tubs, pools, enjoying life.

 

Also, there is more of an opportunity to make it all of the way down a fjord to a glacier, mainly the Tracy Arm fjord which is beautiful.

[Micahs Grandad]

Done it twice and was great. However when we did a land tour after cruise a lot of places had already closed or were closing up so we did miss some stuff but was still a great time

[ringers0815]

We sailed in early September in 2018. It was a beautiful week! Sunny all week and fairly warm the 3 days we spent in Alaska before the cruise. T-shirt weather on land and on the ship. Never wore gloves, just a sweater or jacket from time to time. Scenery was spectacular. 

[davekathy]

Sounds like the weather going out of Bayonne or Boston doing a September NE/Canada cruise. 

[waltd]

With the wierd weather we have been having this year on the west coast you can just flip a coin what type of weather you will experience.     We have done September and loved it.   Felt like the start of fall to us.   

[Sea Hag]

We've done several cruises to Alaska in September, and the weather was mostly great. Crowds aren't as bad then.

[MissP22]

You can almost count on lots of rainy days. 

[rj59]

It varies, but September has higher average rainfall. I'm local, so the first September after restart I kept looking at last-minute cruises that had a positive weather forecast, but I had to wait until the end of September to find a last-minute cruise with decent weather most of the way, and even then we got caught on high seas off Vancouver Island, in between hurricane-force storms, which delayed return to Seattle by 5 hours or so. The Princess ship that left a day after ours was stuck in Seattle the first night, because of similar storms on the open ocean, while our ship left the day before in summery weather and had a good sailing up. Overall, Juneau has twice as much rain in September as in June, and even 2 more inches in August than in June, so you'll get clearer skies and longer days in May and June, and warmer weather but more rain and spawning salmon in August. It's the luck of the draw, but I wouldn't commit to something like a Mt. Roberts tram in Juneau until you get there, since if it's cloudy and rainy you won't see much of anything. I also definitely wouldn't pre-book any sort of sightseeing plane trip in Ketchikan until you get there, because both Royal Princess and a HAL ship had passengers die in plane crashes there in poor conditions. 

[Thrak]

Our first cruise was 10 day Alaska round trip out of SF on Sea Princess. We sailed on September 7 and had fantastic weather. The only place it was cold was in Glacier Bay and the only rain we had was a very light drizzle for maybe 10 minutes in Victoria. One guy in Ketchikan thanked us for bringing the sun as he said it hadn't been out for 2 weeks. I was wearing a tee shirt in the ports.

 

Naturally, your experience may not be the same. After all, it is Alaska.

[cruisingrob21]

Sailed in late sept last year, and we had better weather than sailing in July earlier in the year.  That's alaskan weather for you.  We saw a fair amount of marine life in September and some of the trees were starting to change colors, just barely.  Always bring a pair of lightweight gloves to alaska.  It will make sitting on the outdoor decks just that much more tolerable in the evening or if its breezy.  

 

Be prepared for all weather - Alaska is beautiful in all seasons.  The one advantage of sailing later in the season is that the sunrise and sunset are closer to circadian rhythm times - but it still could be light out at 930.  You may be in for some unusual weather as well.  Last fall we had a very low fog layer.  Deck 7 was split pea soup, deck 15 was just above the fog.  It was very surreal arriving into Juneau

[tscoffey]

We went late August to early September, 2022.  Rained in port various amounts each day, but not much.

Temps were mild. Light jacket was all we needed. Glacier day was in the 30s, but that is expected when you are parked next to billions of tons of ice. And we had a balcony, so it was simple to step inside on glacier day and put on extra things, or get a blanket.

[gottagoacruzn]

Would rather cruise Alaska in Sept, don't mind the rain at all. Saw the northern lights the first cruise up there, back in 90 was great.