Alaska attire

We just returned from a Celebrity cruise to Alaska and thought I'd post my fashion observations for anyone who may struggle with packing as I did.

Alaska is cold and wet at the end of the summer. Ketchikan receives over 160 inches of rain throughout the year - which works out to almost half an inch a day ... don't be like me and think the sun was miraculously going to shine for seven days. Take more than one pair of long pants or jeans (I foolishly packed onlyt two long pairs of pants - a pair of jeans & a pair of lightweight travel pants).

Accept the forecast for what it is. Magical thinking will not make it feel like the lower 48. ;)

I did have a great cold weather jacket that resisted water, a pair of gloves, a couple of scarves & a fleece headband - so I was really comfortable when it wasn't pouring rain. I did buy a couple of cute long sleeved t-shirts in Ketchikan ...

I overpacked for evenings. We ate in the more casual dining establishment (Blu) and I was one of maybe a couple of dozen women in a long dress on the first formal night. I saw a few men in tuxedos (they looked divine), but generally people were much more casual at night.

Just passing this along ... I unpacked last night and had not worn over 50% of my clothes. Capris, tank tops, shorts? All going back into the closet.

Great advice Janine. Alaska was the toughest cruise packing wise for me as well.

Lisa

I'm KC's wife responding. We have done several Alaska cruises (love em) and I grew up in the Yukon and on the west coast of BC.

I always pack for cooler weather but I always include one hot weather outfit. Dh and I try to do minimalist luggage so it's about 4 to 1 of the warmer clothes to a single hot weather outfit. June can be especially hot in Skagway for example. When I was a girl in Whitehorse we used to always get burnt on our end of school field day as it was called. My sister ended up in hospital for heat stroke one year. But that singular day or two can be bordered by wall to wall cold rain.

Wool is your friend, especially the fine knit merino or cashmere which keeps you warm even in the chilly damp air as the fog descends or the ship comes close to the winds coming off the ice fields. Layer it, so it's easy to pull off when you are inside or when the sun comes out and blasts you.

Every cruise even if I don't use the single outfit for hot weather I'm glad I have it in case but even the years I've needed it, I only needed the one outfit.

And I always end up being thankful for layers of wool.

HTH

Oh and btw, a change of shore shoes is good because they get damp especially in Ketchikan and need to dry out.

It's all in the jacket, in my opinion. A really good water resistant jacket that fits snugly around the wrists and neck, with a hood, can be worn with medium weight pants and good shoes.

A pair of gloves, and umbrella, and these:

http://www.amazon.com/WATER-RESISTANT-RAIN-DRIZZLE-BOOTS/dp/B00BSBRPEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410718222&sr=8-1&keywords=travel+galoshes

It's all in the jacket, in my opinion. A really good water resistant jacket that fits snugly around the wrists and neck, with a hood, can be worn with medium weight pants and good shoes.

 

A pair of gloves, and umbrella, and these:

 

http://www.amazon.com/WATER-RESISTANT-RAIN-DRIZZLE-BOOTS/dp/B00BSBRPEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410718222&sr=8-1&keywords=travel+galoshes

Wow. I haven't seen boots like those for decades. My mother used to have a pair.

Wow. I haven't seen boots like those for decades. My mother used to have a pair.

I've had a pair of these for my husband and I for about 8 years. Never had to use them, but I throw them in the suitcase if we are going anywhere that looks rainy. Venice in October for aqua-alto was the first time we took them.

I didn't know they still made galoshes. I haven't worn them since I was a kid and that has been a while ago. I live in the Midwest and for snow and rain I wear waterproof hiking shoe and/or boots. Both are great for walking and inclement weather. I plan on wearing the hiking boots for our upcoming Canadian cruise this Oct.

I also have lightweight layers of both synthetic and wool fabrics.

Shak

I didn't know they still made galoshes. I haven't worn them since I was a kid and that has been a while ago. I live in the Midwest and for snow and rain I wear waterproof hiking shoe and/or boots. Both are great for walking and inclement weather. I plan on wearing the hiking boots for our upcoming Canadian cruise this Oct.

 

I also have lightweight layers of both synthetic and wool fabrics.

 

Shak

HA! Living in Central CA with a multi-year drought going on, we don't need waterproof anything!

The ones I posted the link to above are actually travel galoshes. They aren't the heavy duty kind. I don't want to take special shoes if it's going to (maybe) be wet, so I throw those in my suitcase.

HA! Living in Central CA with a multi-year drought going on, we don't need waterproof anything!

 

 

 

The ones I posted the link to above are actually travel galoshes. They aren't the heavy duty kind. I don't want to take special shoes if it's going to (maybe) be wet, so I throw those in my suitcase.

I don't consider my hiking shoes as special. Actually I find them very practical. I wear the instead of traditional walking shoes. I find hiking shoes to be better constructed and last longer. They are just as good in dry climates as well as wet. The next time you need new walking shoes try on a pair of hiking shoes you may find you like them too.

Shak

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It is hard to pack for an Alaskan cruise, for the reason you mentioned (cool and rainy weather) but also because it is summer and it absolutely can be in the 70's and 80's! Sorry you felt you packed too much but please know that it can feel like summer up in Alaska, and you may have used your warm-weather clothing more than you did. Some weeks in Alaska are absolutely sunny, beautiful, and clear with blue skies for days! Gorgeous.

Having said that, I have never been as wet in my life as I was the day we ported at Ketchikan. I wore a waterproof coat and it saved me. We still had fun, though.

...A pair of gloves, and umbrella, and these:

 

http://www.amazon.com/WATER-RESISTANT-RAIN-DRIZZLE-BOOTS/dp/B00BSBRPEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410718222&sr=8-1&keywords=travel+galoshes

Oh. My. :eek:

:D

.

We were in Alaska mid June and DH wore shorts at least 3 or 4 days. I wore capri. We only put on a jacket maybe one day and one morning. We had wonderful weather so it can happen. We brought some lightweight clothing and some layers which ultimately we didn't need.

We were in Alaska after Labor Day last year and took convertible clothing(zip off pants/roll up shirts) and layered up. Since we did a driving tour before our cruise up to Denali we had time to acclimate. By the time we got to the cruise we were only wearing 1 layer and a jacket and when it got sunny the jacket would come off and go into the backpack.

Alaska in my opinion is a lot like FL. Wait 15 minutes and the weather will change. We had snow, rain, hot sunny days, overcast days, etc.

Just come prepared. We did a lot of research so we knew the weather patterns and also knew most people don't dress up for dinner so we didn't bring any dressy clothes. We also only take carryons when we travel so space is a big consideration when packing.

OP here ...

I think my mistake was in not packing a balance of clothes. I have decided that it's really tough to pack for a season that you are not experiencing at home.

Of course the inverse was true. I bought a bunch of really beautiful handmade sweaters in Juneau, and they will probably be worn about twice in Atlanta this winter.

We also just returned from Alaska on Celebrity. Since it was round trip San Francisco, there was no flying for us and we could pack to our hearts content. Living in the Bay Area, the rule of thumb is layers layers layers. The same applied to Alaska and being onboard ship. A rain jacket and umbrella for Ketchikan and tank tops in Victoria. Overall we had great weather on this cruise.

I was/am surprised that people think that going to Alaska means more informal dress on board the ship. It's still a Celebrity cruise with the same formal nights and same smart casual dress code as on other cruises. We had our tux and gowns, and our cocktail wear and enjoyed the beautiful lounges. The only Celebrity cruise that is casual and informal with no dress code is on Xpedition in the Galapagos.