Best time to go??

[Crusin Karen]

Ah yes. I’m sure this has been asked and answered a few 1000 x but search is confused today and pulling up lots of unrelated topics. So….what’s the “best time.” Some background: I’m a CCL Caribbean cruiser. Past 15 years or so from my

homeport in Manhattan. I love the actual CRUISING. Ports of call secondary. I am now a solo cruiser. I have an itch to do AK. It’s WAY out of my comfort zone but while I’m still “able” I’d like to. Don’t want to look back and wish I had. Not interested in excursions except the railway in Skagway. I don’t like cold, I don’t like being wet! I really want to do this just to cruise along and see what Mother Nature has to show me. . Wildlife? Nice but Not a requirement. This would be 2025. When should I go? Any other advice? TIA 

[AKStafford]

June, July or August. Definitely not April or October.

[nordicacres]

June is the least rainy/wet of the summer season is my understanding! That is when we chose to cruise.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, nordicacres said:

June is the least rainy/wet of the summer season is my understanding! That is when we chose to cruise.

Actually May is the driest (historically). June is the 2nd best.

Edited March 10 by Coral

[nordicacres]

I think May is considered Spring/shoulder season, though? 

[Coral]

12 minutes ago, nordicacres said:

I think May is considered Spring/shoulder season, though? 

I have gone more than a dozen times in May and when I have gone, things are in full swing. It seems to be a secret that May is a great month to go. It is when many of us repeaters go. We know how special May is.

 

April and October seem to be shoulder season, now.

Edited March 10 by Coral

[karatemom2]

Based on your preference for not being cold or wet, your best choice is probably mid June to early July. As Coral points out, May is lovely in terms of lack of rain, but it can be pretty chilly. 
 

Our warmest and dryest trips have been in mid to late June to early July. I remember one over July 4 where it was so warm on our day in Glacier Bay that people were admiring the scenery poolside in swimwear. 
 

Late July, August and into September, we see more rain and as it gets later in the season it gets colder as well. 
 

We love every time of the Spring/Summer cruising season, but for your weather priorities it would seem June, maybe early July is your best bet. No guarantee though - it’s weather so not fully predictable. 

[Coral]

Alaska is incredibly unpredictable. 

 

My first Alaska cruise was over July 4th and it was incredibly cold, wet, rainy, windy and foggy. My coldest cruise in Alaska was in July. We had ice pellets in the rain. It was foggy all week, we could barely see anything. I went back several years later the same week and it was incredibly warm that I was too hot in jeans and changed into shorts.

 

Expect anything. I will take dry over wet any day.

[Coral]

25 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

 

Late July, August and into September, we see more rain and as it gets later in the season it gets colder as well. 

Technically/historically May has the least amount of rain. Every month after has more rain. June has more rain than May. Even early July has more rain than May and June.

[disneyochem]

We have cruised in Alaska every year (except dur8ng the shutdown) in May since 2009.  May is our favorite month because of the lack of rain!  Tad bit chilly at times but minimal rain.  I asked my husband if he remembers if it ever rained during a May cruise.  He could recall it raining once— and that was in Ketchikan.

 

Our wettest Alaskan cruises have been in July.  
 

OP, my suggestion is to look at those cruises in late May/early June.  The weather has been consistently good for us.  We are booked for our first cruise this summer in late May.

[Traveller1212]

Most of the replies mention weather - I just want to add that depending which cruise line, in July & August there will be lots of children

[diesel1973]

Definitely agree with AKStafford Been going up there for over 25 years and go in June, July, or August. Been up there also in the winter and one of the advantages  to that is there are no mosquitoes! but you can't beat the scenery!