Charles Stanley Alaska Cruise 2023 (2025)

FAQs

When not to cruise to Alaska? ›

Alaska is a cruise destination with a limited season. Cruise ships arrive in southeast Alaska in spring, stay the summer and linger only into early fall. The 49th state's snowy, cold and dark winters are not conducive to cruising.

Best Months to Travel to Alaska. Alaskan cruise season is May through September with July and August being the highest season attracting the most travelers. Convention holds that the best months to cruise Alaska are July and August when the temperatures are at their highest and the weather is generally sunnier.

The best time to book an Alaska cruise is when a cruise line first opens bookings on that sailing, often more than a year in advance. You'll have your pick of itineraries and cabins — balcony cabins are popular in this scenic destination — and often the best fares.

The average price for a 7-day Alaskan cruise can range from $1,300 to $3,500 per person, depending on the cruise line, type of cabin, and time of year.

Becky Stanley

Charles Stanley / Daughter

For both cruising and land-based tours, May and September are the “shoulder” seasons in Alaska, with better deals and fewer crowds. Cruise prices during those times may be lower, perhaps by a couple hundred dollars per person. Selected shore and land excursions can also be 20% cheaper.

Temperatures range on average between fifty and sixty degrees with mostly cool afternoons and evenings and chilly mornings and mid-day hours. The late nights and early mornings can be very cold, but these are also the hours when most people are asleep in their cabins.

Best Times to Visit Alaska for Lower Prices

The shoulder seasons (May through early June and late August through mid-September) offer the best value for travelers on a budget.

Northbound Alaska cruises sail up the coastline through the Inside Passage and along Hubbard Glacier, so your best view of Alaska's scenic landmasses are likely on the starboard side of the ship. Southbound Alaska cruises are the opposite.

Which is better, inside or outside passage in Alaska? ›

It's a matter of personal taste. Some people don't like open-jaw flights (flying into one city and out of another), and so prefer the round-trip Inside Passage route. Others don't mind that and enjoy the additional glacier visits of the Gulf cruise itineraries. It's entirely up to you.

Alaska's Inside Passage is one of the most popular routes for cruises through Alaska as it is a network of waterways running from Washington State's Puget Sound in the south, up the Pacific coast of British Columbia and through the Alaska panhandle.

Hurricane Season

Storms in August and October have a moderate risk of developing into hurricanes while September has the highest risk of all. For these reasons, September is the worst month of the year to take a cruise.

September is Less Crowded

Cruise ships run through September—docking in Whittier and Seward, and with buses and trains departing for Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks. But, to be fair, those cruises and buses are less crowded than they were in June, July, and August.

Alaska Cruises Can Be Bumpy in the Gulf of Alaska

Rough Waters: The majority of sailing on an Alaska cruise is done in the protected waters of the Inside Passage, but ships sailing to Seward, Whittier or Anchorage must cross the Gulf of Alaska, which is much rougher.

The spring and fall months in Alaska offer unique opportunities and lower prices. In our opinion the best time to travel to Alaska is in June, July and August. The best month to visit Alaska is July, when travelers will experience the best combination of weather and wildlife.