Southeast Alaska has a temperate year-round weather yet the summers are pretty erratic. June is the driest of all summer months, July is the hottest, and in the month of August you will experience heavy showers. As the weather mostly alternates between rainy and warm, you will find some towns like Ketchikan experience rain throughout the year. Daytime summer temperatures range between 50 to 60 degrees. However the weather does seem chillier due to frequent showers, the cold wintry winds, proximity to the glaciers and trips to higher elevations

The cruise season starts from the month of May, and you will probably experience chilly rain at the shores and crisp new snow at the top of Juneau’s Mount Roberts as well as many sunny, warm days.

You will not experience the midnight-sun this far down south, yet the days seem to stretch on. In the month June, Juneau gets about 18 hours of pretty intense sunlight. In Anchorage, Fairbanks, Denali- the sun stays below the horizon for a little over four hours perhaps in June.

While dressing up for cruise trips to Alaska you must keep in mind the rule of layering. For daytime-wear other than the swimsuit, bring along stuff like a waterproof coat or jacket, fleece pullovers or sweaters (at least two of them), waterproof walking shoes, two to four pair of jeans or pants, long underwear during the May/September shoulder-season cruise, gloves, a warm hat and a folding umbrella.

Do pack in your sunscreen and sunglasses- the essentials to protect yourself while taking an active part in shore excursions or while whale-watching from the deck. Get a good camera, with a zoom lens and lots of digital memory to capture the whales, eagles and bears on your film! And that reminds me, mosquito repellants are quite essential here while you go deep inside the territory for excursions.

The other oft visited place is the Baltic Sea region in Europe, where the summer cruises are accompanied by beautiful weather. August is the rainiest month and general daytime temperatures range between the low 60s to the high 70s.

Another destination for such trips would be Canada- the temperatures range between 60s and 70s and hence the cruises planned are rather pleasant. On September/October fall foliage cruises, expect temperatures in Canada to range from the low 40s to the low 60s. You will probably experience hot weather while traveling from New York, yet the temperatures in Nova Scotia usually drops down to 50s at night. Rain-wise, Canada is rather erratic as storms follow bright sunny days pretty often. The Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia experiences dense fog, and so does New Brunswick’s Fundy Coast.

The rule of layering applies here as well even thought the weather conditions are not as extreme as in Alaska. Get some long sleeved shirts, light sweaters along with your regular T-shirts, polos and dresses, shorts and long casual wear pants. Packing in a good pair of walking shoes, preferably waterproof makes a lot of sense as does a light jacket for evenings when the temperatures dip slightly. As always pack in your sunglasses, hat, sun block and folding umbrella!