Alaska Balcony in June?
 

We're thinking of taking a HAL northbound cruise, Vancouver to Seward, in June. We want to book a balcony. Is it too cool/cold?
Thanks
Sue

It will likely still be cool when moving but I think a balcony on an Alaskan cruise is a MUST.

How cool? Will I need hat, gloves and heavy coat?
Thanks
Sue

Sue-
We cruised Alaska this past August. I agree that you definately should have a balcony. We enjoyed our time on the balcony with a warm sweater or light jacket. However, you will need warmer gear (warm coat/gloves/hats) when you are in the glaciers. We did not find it too cold, but you did need appopriate clothing. Enjoy!

Oh, be sure to throw in some rain gear, too. Just in case! :)

We also cruised Alaska last August and I suggest taking layers. Will it be too cold to enjoy the views from the balcony? Only if your hemoglobin is 3. LOL! Seriously I recall viewing Tracy Arm from our balcony with pj's and a sweater. No problem. You will be fine. Get the balcony. :-)

Yes to the balcony. Layers are the best way to pack for Alaska and in June, a sweatshirt was enough for me in the daytime and a blanket was great at night.

A balcony cabin, IMO, is a must for Alaska and Panama Canal cruises.

My honeymoon was on an Alaskan cruise. If we could have afforded it, we would have got a balcony. What a way to travel!!! Excellent advice to take layers, including a waterproof layer. Don't forget gloves and a hat!!! It isn't so much the temperature as the wind, and when you add a bit of rain to the mix, the option of looking out your balcony window onto the scenery while nursing a warm hot chocolate is PRETTY APPEALING!!!!
Have a great time!
Cheers!

Another <b>YES</b> to the balcony.

You'll appreciate having privacy when seeing the glaciers instead of being pushed and shoved by some unruly passengers for the same view).

I went in mid-June, and found myself needing only a windbreaker with a hood for 1 day, and I did fine. Summer tops were fine, but definitely bring along long pants for the breezier days around the glaciers.

Yes a balcony is wonderful in Alaska, but not at the expense of excursions in my opinion.

And I disagree, that it is superior viewing of glaciers from a balcony , try at least part of the time for front deck viewing and it is certainly enhanced about mcnyc's deck description above. Especially if you have a starboard balcony, you have limited glacier views of Glacier Bay or College Fjords until the way out and all the commentary is also on the way in.

We're going on Veendam next July (Seward to Vancouver) and have a balcony. Getting pretty excited already. We can move between port or starboard side still but aren't sure which would be better &quot;balcony&quot; viewing for cruising north to south. Any thoughts?

Are you sailing Glacier Bay and College Fjords??? Port side is the side to have for those glaciers.

We took the HAL cruise Vancouver to Seward on the Veendam last July---and though my wife and I didn't think we were cruise people, we absolutely loved it. ( this was a larger family trip with my parents and sibs and spouses). Fabulous and incomparable scenery, and all on a scale that dwarfs my previous mountain jaunts. In anticipation, my wife wasn't wild about the thought of spending 7 days a. with my family b. on a boat (technically a ship)and c. in Alaska---but she was proven wrong on all counts. I would NOT say that a balcony is vital---we had small but comfortable cabins---but we spent all of our time on the decks, or on excursions in port. The weather can be very changeable--a few beautiful days of sun, and days of clouds and some rain. it can get cold. we brought layers and water proof coats and ponchos---and we used them ( hiked around the base of the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau in the rain---gorgeous rainforest, with 20* varieties of wild mushrooms)

Have a great cruise!!

We were on a mid-late June cruise a couple of years ago. Yes, there were times when it was cool to cold. Most of the time, a fleece and if it was windy a light windbreaker sufficed. Then there were those days (and we had many) where we could sit on our veranda without the need for any layers. Overall, we found our veranda to be more protected than the open decks and we made extensive use of it.

A highlight for us - brunch on the balcony in sight of the glaciers of College Fjord - it was so nice out that we didn't need to put any layers on.