Alaskan cruise in September
 

Is September a good month to go on an Alaskan cruise? If not, what would you recommend?

Thanks.

We went last year in Sept., it was great.

Only ship in most ports.

50 to 75 % off on souveniers on and off ship.

Cooler and drizzle sometimes.-

No daylight until midnight.

Was great for us, we stayed onboard another 21 days a repo.'ed back to FLL.

Others like the summer but some ports have 4-6 ships in and do the math - way too crowded for us.

We went in early September, and loved it (land tour starting in Fairbanks, then cruise Seward to Vancouver). There had already been frost in Denali, so the tundra was starting its beautiful fall colors (and no mosquitoes). We had mostly good weather, plenty of sun, couple of cloudy drizzly days. Fewer tourists was a plus for us, and there was still plenty of daylight.

But best of all, the Northern Lights season was starting, and we saw them as we sailed from Juneau to Ketchikan.

Great trip and timing, we'd do it again.

Something to consider however. The last 2 Sept seasons have been exceptional. Hope for repeat trends. BUT prior to this it is NOT typical. Anything past the first week of Sept- I would still speculate that you have a better chance of foul weather than the entire rest of the season. Dusk by 7pm also needs to be considered with tour planning and time in port. Sure Northern Lights can be a highpoint but if you are all the way there in Sept be certain to get to Fairbanks where the lights will blow you away- significantly less on the inside passage. It used to be the end of season Alaska sailings were cheap give away rates- no longer. I used to pick up these cruises as my second yearly trip. Always the weather and wildlife were superior in August. No way to predict- be prepared and make the best choices for your priorities. :)

I went September 25, 2004. We had great weather and clear blue sky in Ketchican. What a treat it was!

We debated between August and September for an Alaskan cruise, but our travel agent strongly advised us to go for
August because of the weather. If you check the Weather Channel for average highs and lows and also check monthly rainfall averages, you will see there is a significant difference.
Of course a lot of it is luck. We booked for August but I got very nervous when I watched the weather reports and saw that it rained almost every day the two weeks prior to our trip. Then, luckily for us, the weather changed and we had no rain and it was even warm enough for short-sleeved shirts once or twice.

There is nothing nicer than a beautiful september day in AK . . . but part of the reason is that, on balance, they are relatively rare.

Cool, clear days, termination dust on the peaks . . . but folks tend to remember those and forget just how rainy and windy it can get. I formerly kept a boat in Seward and felt that any day I could get on the water after Labor Day was a huge bonus.

It's a crapshoot and the odds get worse in Sept.