Alaska in May or June??? should I do it?

[wadeod]

We are planning on a cruise to alaska next year. either the last week in May or the first couple of weeks in June. Is this a mistake? am i in for lots of cold and rain? I was told by a friend to wait till after June 15thish......is this true? I dont want this cruise of a lifetime to be bad...........please let me know your thoughts? THanks

[Yukon]

May and June are consistently the DRIEST months of the summer, and can be extremely warm (though that varies dramatically from year to year). The mountains have lots of snow on them still, glacier dogsledding is almost never cancelled, there are lots of bears around, it's not crowded yet, there is no forest fire smoke yet - yes, I'm a big fan of May/June travel here.

 

Murray

[garycarla]

Do a search and read a bunch of reviews. I beleive you will find lots that have taken cruises in May/June and have loved it. We did and thinking about early June again next year.

[the fonz]

We are booked for a cruise to Alaska (along with a pre-cruise land tour) on 6/17/05, Vision of the Seas. A friend did the same cruise in mid June this year and said the weather was great. Just look out for the mosquitoes, which I hear are always a nuisance. Supposedly, after June the weather is more likely to be rainy. Hope this helps.

[Host Caroline]

Hopefully the weather gods will shine on you:) We've had incredibly good luck weather wise in Alaska.. we always go in late May/early June and have had little rain. Went on Vision in 2000- gorgeous ship and perfect for Alaska with solarium etc.

[garydm]

We have done this cruise in August and had rain everyday and done it in late April/early May and had nothing but sun. You just cannot predict it.

 

Gary

[ute_fan]

Our cruise left on June 6. Do to work and school requirements, this was the only week we could go. The weather was beautiful in Ketchikan, overcast and misty in Juneau, cloudy in Skagway, and fairly nice in Wrangell. It was a little bit on the cool side, but I like it that way :) .

 

The only real weather problems we had were heading back to Vancouver -- fairly stormy, with 7-12 ft. waves and gale/strong gale force winds. I think we just happened to hit a storm.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to go again that time of year. The pricing was a little bit cheaper, we had beautiful sunsets (at about 11:00 at night), and never did need heavy coats -- just sweatshirts and jackets. I think I'd rather go in May/June than at the tail end of the season -- I really liked those additional hours of daylight.

[irislady]

We're booked for Alaska in early June of next year. We went in late Aug. last year and lucked out with wonderful weather except for a rainy day in Juneau. DH decided he wanted to go earlier this year since he heard there are often more wildlife sightings in May or June. June is supposed to be a dryer month, but our TA went in June one year and had rain for nearly the entire 2 weeks.

 

Shae

[FlorenceItaly]

Just returned from Alaska a few weeks ago....it is beautiful!! IMO, there is no bad time to go to Alaska...I would travel back to Alaska ANYTIME :).

 

Marie

[Budget Queen]

There are no guarantees on Alaska weather. Best is to consider being prepared for the varied weather that is Alaska. :)

[lucyjohnz]

We went in mid-July this year with predicted rain for a 2 solid weeks. It only rained one afternoon at sea and all our port days were partly cloudy to partly sunny. And, our temps ranged from the 60s to low 70s. My aunt and uncle went 2 years ago in mid-July and had dreary, rainy weather the entire week of their cruise. My mother was not looking forward to the trip much dreading the rain and ended having a great time with nice weather.

 

I think you'll be fine in late May, early June and the way it goes in Alaska, you could get rain ANY time.

[alaskancruzr]

Although you never know what the weather will bring us - I would definitely go with the late May - early June cruise. It's often some of the nicest weather of the year IMHO here in Anchorage plus you avoid some of the crowds that come later in the summer.

[emma2u]

I have cruised Alaska five times, only once in May and it was very cold! It also rained alot for our May trip. We loved it though and travel there hoping for cold weather. I did notice traveling in May there were much fewer children....they are still in school. It is beautiful whatever the weather.

[lrn376]

Hi B.Q. I have booked an Alaskan trip on Celebrity in June 2005. Am trying to plan out my excursions. I am not a helicopter or floatplane person, nor a raft person. I need help from the "expert". We are also not renting a car. We are doing a 5 day land tour and a 7 day cruise, southbound. Starting in Seward and winding up in Vancouver and then flying home. Here goes: Do u recommend the dinner theatre in Denali and if so, would u have the website for it. Suggestions what to do in Ketchikan: Saxman village, lumberjack show. If u recommend these things would u have the websites for me to book them separately. I basically need help in what to see at my ports of call:Seward, Icy Straits, Juneau, Skagway Ketchikan. Also, my land tour takes us to Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, Anchorage and Seward. Also, can u please point me in the right direction for cruise insurance. I find all of this very confusing. Many thanks for all of your help. If u prefer, u can e-mail me at lrn376atyahoo.com

[Budget Queen]

The theater is OK - Cabin Night. It is a nice production that many people enjoy. http://www.denaliparkresorts.com/index2.shtml Please look over a shore excursion list and narrow down your interests in each port. I then can probably direct you to a vender. Saxman Village tours are readily available at the Ketchikan dock visitor center- they only run about $25-30 and guides are many and ever changing. The Lumberjack show is enjoyed by those with an interest. If you have all day in Seward- I highly recommend a Kenai fjords boat tour- at least 6 hours on the water. As for your land tour- BE VERY informed about what you purchased. It is highly recommended you get to Fairbanks at least a day early- and tour on your own- you see extremely little via tours. BE CERTAIN you have the Tundra Wilderness tour in Denai Park. If at all possible add days- ideally you need 7. :)

 

Request each port's visitor guide

http://www.traveljuneau.com

http://www.visit-ketchikan.com

http://www.skagway.org

[Krazy Kruizers]

June would be a much better time for Alaska.

The temperatures are warmer and as a result the glaciers are flowing more.

We have done Alaska in June and loved it.

We actually prefered July more.