# Cruising to Alaska in September, October or November **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366 "2015-06-12T17:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/1 "2015-06-12T17:04:00Z")
Is October the ideal temperature time for an Alaskan cruise - cooler than September but warmer than November? I’m hoping for slightly-chilly temperatures. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/2 "2015-06-12T17:28:32Z")
We went in September of 2012, and it was chilly enough to wear warm jackets, hats and gloves. There was one night the captain shut down the outer decks because it was so windy. Nice plus…not a lot of people using the pools, so we were able to get into the hot tubs and not fight crowds. What ports are you looking at? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/3 "2015-06-12T19:07:08Z")
You’ll be in Southeast Alaska, which is much like the Pacific Northwest, only wetter. You should check annual rainfall charts and weather online. It will be chilly, and will likely be rainy. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/4 "2015-06-12T20:44:08Z")
We went once in early September. Cruise from Vancouver to Seward. Needed a light jacket over a sweater/sweatshirt 100% of the time outdoors. At the time we lived in the Midwest & were used to chilly fall & winter weather. While we were there the weather was lots of rain & cloud but no snowfall. There was a fresh dusting on the higher peaks though. This was back around 1999, but in those days the last cruises of the season were in mid-Sept. We were going the week before every cruise line stopped for the winter. Some shops in the small towns had already started shutting down, aggressively running down their merchandise, having end of season sales, etc. Are you sure you even get a cruise later in the year now? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/5 "2015-06-12T20:48:35Z")
Thanks everyone, sounds like August or September is better then? I underestimated the cold. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/6 "2015-06-12T20:49:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There was a fresh dusting on the higher peaks though. Locals refer to that dusting as “termination dust”. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/7 "2015-06-12T21:01:56Z")
“Pink slip dust” was the term I heard from the college kids working the shops & restaurants. Same idea. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/8 "2015-06-12T23:07:39Z")
I went on the last booked cruise a few years ago. I think it was November. All the shops were practically _giving_ shit away! I got a hat for a dollar. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/9 "2015-06-12T23:31:46Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Thanks everyone, sounds like August or September is better then? I underestimated the cold. My wife and I went last August (the 19th to the 26th, if I recall correctly). It was essentially in the low- to mid-60s every day. I think it rained one of the days we were at sea, but we generally had a mix of overcast days and sunny days without much precipitation. ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruising-to-alaska-in-september-october-or-november/722366/10 "2015-06-13T00:43:14Z")
If I were you I’d decide what temps you are hoping for then looking online. August is a nice time to come up here with most of the wildlife still around but August is still the late summer and depending on the weather is could be warm (60-70 5 in Anchorage) or wet and cold (40-60). That being said 'Welcome to Alaska from someone in South Central Alaska.