Alaskan Cruise?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

The best time to go is when you can get the best price. The Alaska cruise season is from May to Sept. The weather is generally warmer in June, July and Aug, but it can also be pleasant in May and Sept. When we went a few years ago in May it was shirt sleeve weather (70's) in Anchorage and Fairbanks. The odd thing was, it was cooler further South in Juneau and Skagway than it was up north. It was rainy and cloudy in Ketchkan. It will be cold, like coat, hat and gloves weather, when you get close to the Glaciers. When you pack, think layering of your clothes. A couple long sleeve shirts/tops, a sweater/sweatshirt, a light jacket, maybe with a hood.

The best prices will be in May and Sept but you will see the same things as other times. The port stops will be the same but may be in a different order. Some cruises ship itineraries are run in reverse order, North to South vs starting in Seattle or Vancouver. Check the cruise line web sites for variations by date, itinerary and price.

The best Alaska cruise experience is the CRUISE-TOUR. Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean all run cruise tours which take you by train all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska. Princess and RC have special domed train cars for this. Your best chance to see wild animals will be if you do a cruise-tour where you go further north after cruising the inside passage. The only animals you are likely to see in the inside passage is seals. On these tours You can arrange to stop for a night or two in Taketna, or Denali National Park. This will be your best opportunity to see Moose, Caribou, eagle, wolf, and bear. But you really need two days at Denali so that you have time to get one of the Park Service's busses that go deep into the park. Regular tour busses , cars and campers can only go about 3 or 4 miles into the park. The Park Service runs busses about 17 miles into the park, but you must get to the visitor center very early to reserve a spot on one of their busses. The train stops going
north and south do not get you to Denali in time or allow enough time for the deep back country busses. With Princess, Holland America, and RC you can do the tour part first and then go to Seward or Whittier to get on ship for the inside passage part. I recommend doing the tour part first.

Alaska cruises and tours are mostly scenic and cultural. The usual stops for the inside passage portion are Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and College Fjords. The scenic parts are the animals, mountains, glaciers, fjords, and waterfalls. The cultural parts are the Alaska Native, gold rush, fishing industry, and historical sites. Here's some web sites for you.

http://www.alaskanative.net/

http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

http://www.travelalaska.com/

http://www.alaska.com/

rick d

May & Sept.offers the best fares. Going the middle of May you still have the whole summer for other things. Sept. All stores at ports of call have 50% off sales. If at all possible I would check out Princess 11 day cruisetour 9N. Better lodges than the others plus, lots of extra's Princess.com for free brouchure. You need to book early early as they sell out fast.
Inside cabin for 2 reasons 1. save you about $500.00 each 2. you are not in your room that long plus, besdides paying $1000.00 extra for a balcony you end up only seeing 1 side of things.
If you are a member of AAA they can save you on whole trip or once on Pricess's site sign up for all special offers.

tech_fanatic

Princess has amazing cruises to Alaska. They are my favorite to go through. The best place to go out of is usually Seattle. But if you are looking to compare prices I would say either Princess or Holland America. Both are known as being really great cruises for Alaska and I must say that I agree! They are absolutely wonderful!

I have been on several cruises to Alaska and it is my absolute favorite cruise destination. It is just a fantastic cruise.

There are two seasons for Alaska the Shoulder Season and Peak Season. Shoulder Season is May, the first week of June, the last week of August and all of September. Peak Season is most of June, July and August.

Peak Season tends to cost more because the weather is better and that is when more people can travel. The This is the most likely time for families to take cruises, etc. More people are able to go and more people can go, so prices are higher. During shoulder season you will be able to save some money because the cruise lines are trying to get more people on board. Both seasons are great and just as beautiful as the next. You go at different times and it just a different type of beauty.

As far as when to go anytime between May and September is good. Obviously to save money you would be better going during shoulder season. Spring is absolutely beautiful because all the flowers are blooming, but Fall is also a great time because of the foliage.

If you go in June and July you will have the warmest weather and the longest days. So really, all the months have good points for why you would want to go, so you can pretty much schedule when you are available to go.

If you can, try to do an inside passage cruise. This is my favorite way to go. You will go to more ports this way and see a lot more. There are also cruises where they include a tour at each port, which is a really fun way to go, especially for your first visit. You will learn and see a lot by taking the cruise.

shizbomb WMD

That is a great place to be I was stationed there for 4 years and I would have to say around the end of may beginning of June would be best. That way you still have some sort of darkness at night to sleep.

lowflyer1

The weather is typically better in late May and June. Plus there is still considerable snow on the high ridges, making for better scenery contrasts. The snow is off the lower glaciers, so the blue ice stands out better.
The best of the year for me is late fall, when the tundra is coloring, but the tour season is done by then. (maybe that's why I like it; I have my State back)

dogman54

February.

missanglgrl

June or August. July is to expensive and too hot. May and September are too cold. June and August are the best time to go, but if you are looking to travel in 07 you better book now. Also Holland America Line, Princess and Celebrity are all sailing out of Seattle and are great companies to travel with. HAL is the longest running line in Alaska.

DAVE

spring, because that is when you see the most wildlife and alaska is known for its wildlife.

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