The Best Time to Cruise Alaska: A Month-by-Month Guide

Table Of Content

• What are nighttime temperatures like in Alaska during the summer?
• How To Pick The Best Time of Year to Cruise to Alaska
• The best time to cruise to Alaska for good weather
• The Best Time to Cruise Alaska: A Month-by-Month Guide
• How far in advance should you book an Alaskan cruise?
• When do cruises go to Alaska?
• Alaska Cruise Lines: From Holland America and Royal Caribbean to Small Ships like Silversea

There are advantages of cruising in each of the summer months, including when prices will be higher or lower. The Alaska cruise season runs between May and September, which happen to be the most temperate times of the year in the 49th state. Holding just 12 guests, the ship is one of the smallest sailing commercially in Alaska, so it’s able to tuck into areas the mega-ships can’t. And it’s a unique ways to spend 12 days—the Swell is a converted tugboat.

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What are nighttime temperatures like in Alaska during the summer?

It’s the place where the American flag was first raised in Alaska as the Russian flag was lowered in 1867. Visit the Island Artists Gallery, a cooperative of 25 native artists, and meet artists at work. See the most visible symbol of the Tlingit when you tour Potlatch Totem Park in Ketchikan. The totem poles reveal the history of the Tlingit in mythology and art, and you can learn about the art by watching live demonstrations. Sailing the Endicott Arm fjord toward Dawes Glacier is just as spectacular an itinerary, and this Alaskan glacier is just as magnificent. On top of that, you can anticipate significantly less rain and fog, which helps with comfort and visibility.

How To Pick The Best Time of Year to Cruise to Alaska

These are the "shoulder season" months, which is when the season begins and ends, and is when you will find less people vying for a cruise. Family favorite Disney Cruise Line offers 13 itineraries over the summer, including a seven-night itinerary from $3,467 per person. We sailed roundtrip from Juneau, and while I’ve visited the capital city during the busy summer months, I found the restaurants, bars, and shops much less crowded, reliably filled with locals for the most part. On the water, we rarely passed any other ships or boats, aside from fishermen out for their catches. Both the National Geographic Quest and National Geographic Venture make the sailing. The sister ships were purpose built to sail the North American coast and feature 50 rooms each, all with windows or portholes, private bathrooms, climate controls, and a TV, plus Wi-Fi connection.

The best time to cruise to Alaska for good weather

If you're hoping to see the northern lights, booking a cruisetour in September might be your best bet to see the aurora on a cruise vacation. You'll have up to two days of scenic cruising, in addition to sailing the Inside Passage. Because Gulf of Alaska cruises sail farther north, scenic destinations might include College Fjord, in addition to Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.

The Best Time to Cruise Alaska: A Month-by-Month Guide

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There’s a good chance you’ll see eagles perched high near the shoreline, in town scavenging garbage dumps, or even feasting off a salmon run. Bald eagles hatch and rear young in April and you can see their mottled fledglings from May through June. Read on for the best time of year to cruise to Alaska, based on your personal preferences and the breathtaking experiences you want to check off your bucket list. Stephanie Yrungaray grew up in gorgeous Eagle River, Alaska and now calls Utah her beUtahful home. She enjoys traveling and exploring with her husband and five kids any way she can, from cruising to RV camping and everything in-between! When she’s not out exploring, you’ll find her writing about travel, finances and parenting as well as gift ideas on her website,

How far in advance should you book an Alaskan cruise?

An Alaska cruise costs anywhere from $500 to $8,000 or more during high season. Cheaper fares can be usually found on mainstream lines like Royal Caribbean and NCL, while Cunard, Disney and Seabourn will be more expensive. October is one of the wettest months in Alaska, so prepare for low clouds and rain. Alaska weather in October is manageable if you pack the right gear and protective clothing. Even if you're a seasoned fisherman, we recommend using a local guide to help find you the best fishing spot.

When do cruises go to Alaska?

If you cruise to Alaska in June, you can expect warmer and drier temperatures, fewer children onboard, increased wildlife sightings, and more cruise offerings. May is a practical choice for Alaskan cruisers who are on a limited budget but want to have slightly warmer and drier weather and more chances to see wildlife. Your views will likely include snowy mountains, but they are gorgeous nonetheless.

Alaska’s summer cruise season is a spectacular window of opportunity, with peak popularity between June and August. During these months, the Last Frontier comes alive in all its glory, offering an array of options for visitors. The sheer variety of cruise choices, routes, schedules, itineraries, vessel sizes, cruise lines, on-ship amenities, and price points will make you happy and satisfied. Below, we have outlined why summer is the best time of the year for an Alaska cruise. It’s also an excellent time for wildlife viewing if you want to see Alaska’s more iconic marine life, like humpback whales, orcas, and various species of seals.

We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. Not only is the weather better, you get more hours in the day in the late summer. While daylight hours begin declining in September, they’re near their peak in mid-summer. On top of that, during the late summer and early fall, you will have a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights in all of their glory.

This can help enrich the overall experience of your Alaskan adventure and give you more of an opportunity to see what it would be like living in the United States’ most inhospitable state. The stretch between late April and late July is often considered to be Alaska’s second most popular time of the year for cruises. The popularity of this period is also why many people consider it the best time of the year to book an Alaskan cruise. To help you plan your perfect trip, we will explain which months are the best for Alaskan cruises. We’ll also discuss factors you may not have considered, such as visibility of the Northern Lights, financial costs, and more. And especially as Alaska is so different compared to your typical warmer cruise destination.

"The best reason to cruise to Alaska is there are things that you can only truly see from the water. It's why it is a bucket list destination for many, many people," said McDaniel. "When you're out on the water, you can do wildlife viewing as well, and it's built into that cruise experience." The last time I was in Alaska — many years ago — I stood on the deck of a cruise ship and watched giant pieces of ice, some seemingly as large as a car, fall off the Hubbard Glacier and into the sea. I stood there for what felt like forever, unable to take my eyes off the crumbling ice and the splash of the water below. Ice calving is both a thunderous warning of climate change and an incredible phenomenon to behold. The best time to view artic-blue ice plunge into the sea is during the warmest months of June, July, and August at active glaciers.

Almost all Gulf of Alaska cruises visit to Hubbard Glacier and spend some time scenic cruising in College Fjord. Alternatively, Gulf of Alaska cruises are typically seven-night, one-way itineraries between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier, the gateway ports for Anchorage and northern destinations in the state. You can also look for a last-minute Alaska cruise deal, though keep in mind that with Alaska's cruise season growing longer, interest in Alaska September cruises is rising. You will find local asparagus on some menus in southeast towns later in the month, and fiddlehead season also begins in Alaska in May. However, most of Alaska's tastiest fruits and vegetables aren't on offer until later in the summer. As for land trips, June sees Denali National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park open, both of which offer stunning floatplane and flightseeing adventures.