If you are planning to take a trip to Alaska, the best way to explore America’s Last Frontier is undoubtedly by cruise.
That said, if you have never visited the state before and this is your first cruise to Alaska, it is important to time your sailing right, especially since the cruise season is only five months long.
This blog will describe all the in’s and outs of cruising to Alaska in order to help you decide when is the best time to cruise here.
Since Alaska enjoys a northwestern location in a corner of North America, it has just two seasons. One is the long, cold winter months of winter, and a short but intense summer, which makes it quite a unique place to cruise to.
Because of this, only a very small window is available to cruise ships in which they can navigate through any ice that may not have melted yet on the waterways, especially during the initial stages of the journey.
Beginning from the month of April, the long, dark winter nights turn into hours of non-stop sunlight, making the months from May onwards till September the ideal time to cruise to Alaska.
While this is the perfect time to explore the spectacular wildlife and the combination of culture and glacier calving experience, the good news is that cruising in the last part of the shoulder season in late September is the best time to see the Northern Lights.
How to get special offers and benefits from an Alaska cruise?
If you have a flexible travel schedule, don’t have a specific accommodation option on the ship in mind, you can save a few hundred dollars a day if you consider sailing to Alaska during the shoulder season.
The off-peak months of Alaska are May, when the weather is a bit cool but temperatures are rising and September when the cold is still in season or winter chills are beginning to set in. This is when you can benefit the most from your cruise to Alaska.
The weather may play a role, but it is anyways always unpredictable at any time of the year, so that should not be a major concern.
However, some icy passages may still be impassable and wildlife will be just emerging. Otherwise, May is the driest month of the year with a remote possibility of any rainfall.
Cruise lines offer reduced fares in September, crowds are far lower at the historical and cultural sites, as well as in the towns and cities.
Moreover, shore excursions are not only cheaper, but also easier to book, whale-watching experiences are not crowded and offer peaceful viewing, while bars and restaurants are less crowded than usual.
Fewer families choose to travel in this lean period as schools and exams are still in session during May and September. Also, since the warm weather is the major attraction of an Alaskan cruise, less people travel and beaches are more or less crowd-free.
Features shoulder season cruises to Alaska
As soon as the cruise season begins in May, you can take a Northbound Glacier cruise to Alaska in early spring that leaves from Vancouver, British Columbia.
You will see plenty of things each day, from sailing the Inside Passage to visiting several towns before ending at Seward, Alaska.
In September, you can board the Southbound Cruise from Seward to British Columbia, where signs of fall may be showing on the northern ports.
You also get a couple of days to explore around Seward before the impending Alaskan winter is just beginning to show.
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