Emerald Alaska September Cruise questions - Formal night, onboard activities

Hello, we have our first Alaska cruise from Seattle to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. I am used to warm Mexico and Caribbean cruises so had some questions about the differences between warmer cruising and colder cruising. We live in Arizona.

1. I read formal nights are not always as form as the other cruises. I think it may be a bit cold for strapless gowns and sandals. Can i just wear a dress, skirt or nice slacks?

2. I am used to sitting out by the pool during the day on sea days, what is there to do on sea days? Are there more activities inside the ship?

3. How do we dress on the ship? Jeans and short sleeves ok? And is it cold and windy on deck?

4. For shore excursions, not hiking, do you need waterproof tennis shoes or boots? Or will regular tennis shoes be ok?

Any other suggestions or comments about what I may expect that is different on an Alaskan cruise welcome! Thank you all.

:)Last September, we sailed on the Emerald from Seattle to Skagway and back. We had a fabulous cruise, and I am sure that you will also ! Princess does Alaska like no one else, and there is so much to see ! You will have a great time.

For Alaska, it is a good idea to bring along layers of clothes that you can easily add or remove if the weather is warm or cold. We had some rain and fog, but we did not bring along waterproof boots. We just used our regular tennis shoes, as we were not going hiking.

Out on the deck, it was chilly and windy about half the time. During that time, we sat inside one of the lounges that had windows and looked out the windows. The scenery was beautiful. We also walked around the promenade deck, which is partially protected from the elements. On sunny days, many cruisers sat around the pool, as always.

Shipboard activities include exercise classes, line-dance classes, MUTS ( Movies under the stars) with blankets, lots of live entertainment, bingo, trivia, a cooking demonstration, and guest speakers who discuss the scenery, wildlife, and history of Alaska. One day the sled dog puppies were on board, and they were so cute. Another day was a folklorist/ folksinger with Alaska songs ; and another day was the first woman to win the Iditarod race, Libby Riddles. Daytime dress on board is very casual, and jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc. are fine.

The Cruise Director and staff wore red checkered lumberjack shirts, suspenders, and blue jeans for daytime wear.

The Main Dining Room temperature was kept at a comfortable level, and on formal night, I saw some sleeveless long gowns which were accessorized with shawls, shrugs, or pashmina wraps, all of which looked nice. ( Disclaimer -- this is an unofficial survey, and I did not count or take note of everyone in the dining room). I wore a black, floor-length dressy skirt with sparkles, and a long sleeve sparkly top, which seemed to fit in pretty well.

On board the Emerald is a wonderful naturalist, Rachel Cartwright, with an extensive knowledge of Alaska and a wonderful ability to spot all sorts of wildlife in the ocean, on shore, and in the air. She talked on the public address system so that everyone could listen in. Bring some binoculars so you can see the wildlife and scenery close-up.

She wrote a beautiful book, something like "Cruise Companion to Alaska", with lots of maps and easy to read information, plus great photos, that shows exactly where you are traveling. It's in the gift shop for $19, and well worth the price, I thought.

We are pretty well traveled, but this was one of the most fun and interesting adventures we ever took. I think you will have a SUPER FUN time. Please write a review and tell us all about it. Happy cruising !:)

Hello, we have our first Alaska cruise from Seattle to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. I am used to warm Mexico and Caribbean cruises so had some questions about the differences between warmer cruising and colder cruising. We live in Arizona.

 

1. I read formal nights are not always as form as the other cruises. I think it may be a bit cold for strapless gowns and sandals. Can i just wear a dress, skirt or nice slacks? Less formal. You can wear the mentioned attire. We were on Emerald last July and they are pretty casual.

 

2. I am used to sitting out by the pool during the day on sea days, what is there to do on sea days? Are there more activities inside the ship? It was fairly warm sitting by the pool; although not many people were in the pools. The pool is not heated and not covered.

 

3. How do we dress on the ship? Jeans and short sleeves ok? And is it cold and windy on deck? Yes you can wear jeans and short sleeves. It was chilly on deck in morning and evenings. During the day not too bad

 

4. For shore excursions, not hiking, do you need waterproof tennis shoes or boots? Or will regular tennis shoes be ok? I wore waterproof shoes; but we went dogsledding and landed on glacier. It will most likely rain in Ketchikan; it is in a rainforest so our guide says it rains or mists 300 days a year.

 

Any other suggestions or comments about what I may expect that is different on an Alaskan cruise welcome! Thank you all.