When's the Best Time to Cruise Alaska? | TripSavvy.com
The best time to cruise Alaska is in May or June, at the beginning of the cruise season. Alaska’s cruise season has always been short, peaking quickly at the height of the summer months and then done by early fall. But as the destination has grown in popularity, the season has extended, and there’s a definite sweet spot to target. In May and June, the days will be at their longest, the weather (although still unpredictable) will generally be its sunniest and driest, and the range of excursions and options at their most plentiful.
With that in mind, Alaska is still a dynamic destination—no one snapshot of time during the year is guaranteed to encompass all this state has to offer. There are always tradeoffs. Visit too early in the summer, and you'll miss the salmon runs (and the bears that come to feed on them); visit too late, and much of the wildlife that attracts summer visitors will have either started retreating for warmer climes or begun looking for a den to hibernate in for the winter.