Weather in Alaska Now

[PennyAgain]

Haven't you been to Skagway on a 5-ship day? :D

 

Can't even imagine Skagway on a 5 ship day.

[Loblolly_Cruiser]

Weather?

Back from Carnival Spirit today...

 

Did we have weather!!! :eek:

 

Sat 8/22 - Houston hot & humid 98 deg Anchorage (7 hrs later) 58 deg damp - Nice!

Sun 8/23 - Anchorage to Denali mid 50's fog damp

Mon 8/24 - Denali mid 30's snow rain mist fog - Absolutely stunning scenery!!!

Tue 8/25 - Denali to Anchorage - 36 & cloudy when we left - clouds cleared just as we caught our first glimpse of Denal (The Mountain) rest of the day absolutely beautiful! 60 & clear when we got to Anchorage - yes we got that rare view of Denali!

Wed 8/26 - Anchorage to Whittier - 50's wet - glacier cruise was cool damp & fabulous - embarkation on Spirit wet & rainy but quick

Thu 8/27 - day began mid 50's light rain - College Fjord & PWS were fantastic but by 3pm winds were up to 40knt seas 6-8ft by 6pm winds were 65knt gusting to 70 seas 18-20ft Capt & much of crew seasick most activities cancelled, all outside decks closed - continued thru the night and finally smoothed out by about noon Fri and no we didn't get sick - in fact we dressed up and went to dinner.

Fri 8/28 - Sitka cool cloudy but no rain - wonderful day of sightseeing!

Sat 8/29 - Juneau low 50's rain off and on but had great time at Mendenhall bears, bears and more bears!) and Rainforest Gardens - Museum was interesting and the beer was cold.

Sun 8/30 - Skagway more 50's & cloudy dampness but clouds cleared east of White Pass. Yukon was cold but beautiful!

Mon 8/31 - Ketchikan - 100+ in of rain annually... Not Today! One of those rare days in Ketchikan and the most beautiful day of the cruise mid 50's not a cloud in the sky - magnificent day & sunset

Tue 9/01 - Inside Passage again mid-50's & cloudy but cleared up about 3pm for some good marine life sightings and a magnificent sunset.

Wed 9/02 - Vancouver 60's cloudy but clear and great by the time we got to Seattle. The beer is cold...

 

From rain, heavy seas & snow to sunshine and a couple of magnificent sunsets, we will always cherish and never forget our experiences in Alaska! :D[/size]

[LoriPhil]

Our first cruise was to Alaska two years ago in early July. Rain? yup. Drizzle? yup. Pouring in Skagway? yup. Fabulous? Absolutely and got us hooked on cruising. Even in the summer you can get cold, rainy weather (if I believed in the odds I'd never buy a lottery ticket :)). Though we hope for the best we go for the experience whatever it is, meeting new people, enjoying the time together and being pampered. I like to think of September cruisers as hardy folk with a refined eye for beauty. :D

[sjmccmjs]

We left LAX at 8:30 this morning where it was already over 80 degrees. Arrived in Fairbanks at 4:15 (after a brief stop in Seattle). The weather could not be better!!! It is absolutely gorgeous, sunny skies, and temps in the mid 60's. It is beyond perfect!! Hopefully the weather will remain this good, but if not, we will not let it ruin our first trip to beautiful Alaska!! Our bus driver said it had been raining steady for a week, and today was the first good day. Tomorrow is supposed to be even better.

[CaseyJr]

The tone from some experienced cruisers makes me a bit uncomfortable (as a first time cruiser) to ask for help...there is no indication from any tourbook I have read (and I got all the majors) that even possibly mention any problem with September. I do not know any 'serious' cruisers, other than people just saying how beautiful it was on their one and only cruise...

 

I feel like that 'somehow' I should know better than to book a cruise in a season that is 'somehow so widely known' to be horrible...So, yes, I will not be thrilled if it rains every day on my cruise, and it will change my experience if I have to be completely drenched and soggy.

 

We just returned from Alaska on our first cruise (NCL Pearl 8/23-30). The first day in Seattle was beautiful but as soon as the ship pulled away from port, the wind became cold. The sun was still shining and the kids were in the pool but everyone else on deck was bundled up.

 

We hit decent rain and were drenched in Juneau. We arrived around 2 pm and immediately went to Mendenhall Glacier. It cleared up to a light drizzle for a few minutes so we took the 15 minute hike to the waterfall. Half way there, it started raining hard but we continued and came back soaked. At a certain point, after you are wet, it doesn't matter anymore and the hike to the waterfall was great. People that waited or shopped around town a bit before getting on the blue bus got a rainy, foggy view of the glacier.

 

If I had to do it again, I would bring waterproof pants. We all had jeans on and once jeans are wet, there's no turning back. The kids (7 and 10) had to roll up the bottom of their jeans because they became saturated with mud. My husband and I had hiking boots but the kids didn't. Their sneakers (which were old to begin with) were tossed after the trip.

 

Skagway was wet and overcast. We had zero visability at the summit but it cleared up once we got into Canada. The temp did drop as low as 42 degrees. Coming back over the summit, it fogged up again so we had no view but the rain was less than Juneau and we just put on our hoods.

 

We're from So. Cal so 42 degrees is extreme for us. We all had on several layers and were cold but did okay. We were just disappointed that the fog didn't lift so we didn't get to see much.

 

Ketchikan was wet but much warmer than Juneau or Skagway. We went kayaking and got bit by what must have been giant mosquitos. We all have big welts all over our body. We had on so many layers that I don't know how the bugs got in but my advice would be to put some Deet on your face and neck before venturing out into the rainforest.

 

One of the best things we did was to sign up for the "Spa Package." After wet and cold days on land, it was nice to come back and soak in the whirlpools or sit in the sauna. The spa was at the front of the ship with great views so we were able to relax, watch the whales and enjoy the view from inside.

 

My advice (and you can take that with a grain of salt if you like) is to bring water proof pants and a waterproof jacket. Bring a hat to keep your head warm and hopefully something with a brim that will keep the water out of your face. It wasn't practical to use umbrellas so most of the time, we just got wet. My husband had contacts on but I was miserable when my glasses were wet and I couldn't see. Bring Ziplocks to put your wallet, camera, etc. in as your backpack will get drenched and contents will become wet too. We brought gloves which helped but I ended up taking them off because it was difficult to take pictures with them on.

 

That said, while you are indoors on the ship, the temperature is comfortable enough that my kids wore shorts and t-shirts.

 

Have a great cruise. Prepare for blue skies and, if it rains, you'll be disapointed. Prepare for the wet weather and you'll be pleased if you get blue skies.