My wife and I are planning our very first cruise in 2024. We decided to sail on the Wonder to Alaska. The prices vary greatly, with the cheapest in late May and September. We figured this is because the kids are in school. Is there other reasons for the cheaper rate, such as weather, less to do, etc? Also any pointers for cruising Alaska will be great. Thank you
3 Likes
The best time to go depends on so many things, including your budget and what you are interested in seeing/doing, not just when you can get freed up to go. Definitely do your research. There are a lot of good articles online, such as Alaska Cruises: A Cheat Sheet to Planning the Perfect Adventure . We like the discussion boards on cruisecritic.com - so much information (and opinions), but you can ask anything there. There is a book many people recommend, and many libraries have: Alaska by Cruise Ship, by Anne Vipond.
We did an Alaska cruisetour - 7 nights northbound from Vancouver to Seward, followed by 5 nights on land that went to Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks. We did that in the last two weeks of June. We sure got to experience the land of midnight sun in Fairbanks! We had to go in the summer to match our available time. It was a great trip. The only downside was we were a bit too early for when the salmon started running that year.
The spring and fall months are less money, but sometimes the snow lingers in the spring and keeps some areas closed longer. Wildlife might be more active in the fall, and you’ll certainly have darker skies for trying to see northern lights (further away from the summer solstice), but fall can be wetter.
Bottom line: do your homework - so much to learn about! Have a great trip!
6 Likes
Thank you for the information! We are also considering an Alaskan cruise in 2024. The link was very helpful!
1 Like