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Family favorite Disney Cruise Line offers 13 itineraries over the summer, including a seven-night itinerary from $3,467 per person. Norwegian Cruise Line kicks off the 2024 Alaska cruise season when Norwegian Bliss sets sail on a weeklong, roundtrip itinerary from Seattle; she will be the only ship sailing in Alaska the first two weeks of spring. Balcony cabins are still available on the season’s inaugural sailing at a discounted fare of $1,029 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.
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Whittier is closer to Anchorage, and some itineraries even take disembarking passengers directly to Denali or Talkeetna the same day. Whittier is also a convenient port for cruising College Fjord, which most northbound sailings do on the final day before arriving in Whittier. Whittier is, however, a tiny community that is little more than a deep-water port, while Seward is a larger community and regional base for a more diverse collection of tours and activities.
What to Do in Alaska: Top Things to Do in September
According to Travel Alaska, cruising is the most popular way to explore the state, and Cruise Lines International Association Alaska predicts that 1.64 million cruise line passengers will sail to and within Alaska in 2024. Cruising in September will give you the highest chance of viewing the Aurora Borealis on an Alaskan cruise. You won’t want to miss this indescribable sight, so watch for clear night skies and set an alarm to go on deck (or on your balcony) for potential middle-of-the-night Northern Lights shows. Precipitation increases to 19 days of the month, so pack a raincoat with a hood (you’ll be grateful to have it!).
What shore excursions are available in Alaska throughout the cruise season?
But you'll also see Alaska itineraries from Carnival, Disney, Norwegian (NCL) and Royal Caribbean, which gives you an array of price points to consider. 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. Another way to save some money is to check out glacier routes that go northbound, which can be slightly cheaper than those heading southbound. If you're looking to avoid the crowds, choose "a sailing that starts mid-week rather than on a weekend," suggested McDaniel.
Best Time To Cruise To Alaska For Wildlife
You'll find those who work in tourism excited to be back in business, considering that many people in southeast Alaska earn their income from out-of-state visitors. Cruise lines will offer the opportunity to extend your cruise with land tours, which include accommodations, transportation and some meals. To help you select the ideal time for your trip, the following guide will introduce you to weather and attraction differences between the months. Then we’ll wrap up by answering some frequently asked questions about Alaskan cruises — the best time to see whales and northern lights, the best time for salmon fishing and similar queries.
With fewer crowds in May, take a step inside Alaska’s finest fisheries and taste fresh king salmon — a local delicacy — as they’re plucked from the cool waters. Revel in the rousing vibrations of May sunlight and lookout for humpback whales as they make their first appearance of the year. Or, explore the outdoors on a peaceful boat tour through deep fjords and enjoy a relaxing train ride up the sweeping mountains. As the driest month of the year, May provides optimal conditions to experience the great outdoors.
Best Time to Take a Cruise to Alaska
Wildlife tours, for example, popularly sell out of their early morning slots early, as this is an ideal time to see the wildlife before it gets exasperated with the streams of tourist buses and boats. As the summer sun peaks over the snow-capped mountains, beloved wildlife reawaken from their winter slumber and the Great Land comes to life. This breath of fresh air yields longer days and more time to explore forested canopies and coastal waterways.
The Best Time to Cruise in Alaska
The average July temperature in Juneau is 64 degrees, with an average low of 51 degrees. My advice is to pack plenty of warm (and waterproof) layers, expect the unexpected, and find joy in whatever experience you get. If you have an exterior room and are sensitive to light while sleeping, a sleeping mask will help you rest during these long days. You’ll also have more hours to look for wildlife from your room window or veranda. While temperatures are warmer and the snow is typically gone at lower elevations, the highs in Juneau average in the low 60s, with lows in the upper 40s. Expect less activity and fewer shop openings in some smaller port towns in May since most summer workers are in college and won’t arrive until June.
The best time to cruise to Alaska for good weather
If you are in port, you’ll get to see how Alaskans take advantage of the Midnight Sun with locals out biking, hiking, and fishing at all hours of the night. May is an excellent cruising month for birdwatchers as migratory songbirds start to arrive in Alaska and seabirds gather in their nesting spots or rookeries. Keep an eye out for my favorite, the ever-adorable puffins, Arctic terns, cormorants, and bald eagles. Another thing to keep in mind when deciding the best month for your Alaskan cruise is wildlife viewing opportunities.
June is a smart choice for cruisers who don’t want to travel during peak season but want more opportunities. Because they don’t migrate, you have a great chance of viewing these 1000+ pound, 10-foot-long animals on rocks near the shorelines as you cruise. You’ve got about a 50/50 chance of getting rained or snowed on during excursions. You’ll be very happy if you purchase a quality raincoat and pack clothing you can add or remove in layers.
Just expect cooler weather, fewer wildlife viewing opportunities, and less active ports with some shops that are still shuttered. Locals typically call the months of April and May “break-up” because the snow and ice begin to break apart and melt after the long winter. In April, mountains will still be snowy, and high temperatures will max out in the upper 40s for most cruise ports. These ships can also more easily follow aquatic wildlife (within legal limits).
Any of the fishing tour companies offer services that package up your catch and ship it back to your home packed in dry ice so you can have a feast, and bragging rights, when you return home. Alaska food festivals, marathon races, dances, art exhibits, and so much more are offered year-round, but especially during cruise season. Ketchikan holds a Gigglefeet dance festival in late July or early August each year. See local residents show their best moves, then dance to music old and new. During the land portion of your vacation, your tour guide will make sure you have everything you need and will arrange comfortable transportation from one site to the next.
These months are also your best bet if you want active fishing trips on a shore excursion. For both cruising and land-based tours, May and September are the “shoulder” seasons in Alaska, with better deals and fewer crowds. Cruise prices during those times may be lower, perhaps by a couple hundred dollars per person. When planning your cruise, the weather should be a consideration for many shore excursions.
Cruises through Alaska's gulf also tend to pass through the Inside Passage, with typical stops including Sitka, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Some will also call on more off-the-beaten-path ports like Icy Strait Point and Haines. The Inside Passage is a sheltered waterway between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland that extends north to Alaska.
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