Alaska packing list

[emeltee]

Any suggestions on type of shoes/socks/clothes to pack for a 4 & 8 yo?

 

They'll both wear layers plus a fleece jacket at the minimum.

 

Long underwear - would that be necessary?

 

What kind of jacket should I pack? A packable raincoat or a heavier duty ski-type jacket?

 

What kind of shoes should they bring? Rainboots? Do I need to go run out and buy waterproof shoes? If so, what kinds are recommended (if links could be posted, that would be helpful.)

 

My younger daughter has rainboots; my older one just trudges along in her running shoes at school. (it really doesn't rain all that much here.)

 

I figure end of season sales will be here soon enough, so I gotta keep my eyes peeled for deals.

 

If anyone has any recs for what adult shoes to bring, I'd appreciate that as well!

 

Thanks!

[laniriveira]

When will you be sailing?

 

We were there in early may on the Spirit. DS (5 at the time) & DD (2 1/2 at the time) were layered with clothing. DD wore leggings, long sleeve tees and her Colombia jacket which has a removable fleece jacket in ports. DS wore either jeans, or lined track pants with long sleeve tees and his Colombia jacket. I packed mittens, beanies and ear muffs for both but only DS wore his ear muffs. It was pretty nippy out and with the wind blowing in all three ports (Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan) you definitely need to keep the little ones bundled. On the ship they dressed the same just without their outer jackets on. I did pack two sweatshirts for both of them for the nights in camp.

 

I would pack boots for the children. DS had Crocs rainboots and DD wore her Uggs. I don't think you need waterproof shoes, DD's Uggs worked perfectly and stayed pretty dry. I cleaned them when we returned since she did get them a little wet.

 

As for the adults I would say make sure to bring comfy shoes for all the walking around the ship. I had Nikes for the ship. I love my uggs and wore them in every port. They are very comfortable and always keep my feet warm. If you need extra warmth put a pair of socks on then your uggs.

 

Stick to the layers rule and you'll be fine. Have fun!! Btw make sure to take extra memory cards for your camera, you can never have enough!!

[emeltee]

When will you be sailing?

 

We were there in early may on the Spirit. DS (5 at the time) & DD (2 1/2 at the time) were layered with clothing. DD wore leggings, long sleeve tees and her Colombia jacket which has a removable fleece jacket in ports. DS wore either jeans, or lined track pants with long sleeve tees and his Colombia jacket. I packed mittens, beanies and ear muffs for both but only DS wore his ear muffs. It was pretty nippy out and with the wind blowing in all three ports (Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan) you definitely need to keep the little ones bundled. On the ship they dressed the same just without their outer jackets on. I did pack two sweatshirts for both of them for the nights in camp.

 

I would pack boots for the children. DS had Crocs rainboots and DD wore her Uggs. I don't think you need waterproof shoes, DD's Uggs worked perfectly and stayed pretty dry. I cleaned them when we returned since she did get them a little wet.

 

As for the adults I would say make sure to bring comfy shoes for all the walking around the ship. I had Nikes for the ship. I love my uggs and wore them in every port. They are very comfortable and always keep my feet warm. If you need extra warmth put a pair of socks on then your uggs.

 

Stick to the layers rule and you'll be fine. Have fun!! Btw make sure to take extra memory cards for your camera, you can never have enough!!

 

We'll be sailing in July on the Sapphire Princess.

 

Did you run into much rain on your cruise? Do Uggs hold up in rain? DD1 has a pair of knock-offs from Costco and I don't know if they would necessarily hold up in the rain.

[laniriveira]

It will be a lot drier in July. We were on the very first sailing for the Alaska cruise season and it rained only in Ketchikan. Our other two ports were nice and sunny but pretty windy, it was low 50's. Uggs aren't supposed to get wet but I took a chance and lucky DD's held up. I think your DD's Costco boots would be fine. She can wear socks with them and if they do get wet at least you didn't spend $90+ on them ;)

 

Check piperlime dot com they have free shipping and free returns, that's where I found DS's boots for a good price.

[sherryf]

My boys were about that age on their first cruise to Alaska in July 2001. They wore jeans and sneakers. Layers on top is best, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, fleece, rain jacket with hood if necessary. Long underwear or ski jacket in July is total overkill... unless you are from a really hot place like Arizona and are not used to cool weather at all. Having a 2nd pair of shoes in case one gets wet is best. My 8 year old got his soaked playing on the edge of the lake where he and his dad went kayaking. A lot depends on what type of things you are planning to do. If you are mostly walking in town, riding buses/train, etc. you shouldn't need anything special. If you are hiking, you might want better shoes/boots. You don't need to invest a lot on money in things they will wear once.

 

On my kids' 2nd trip to Alaska in Aug. 2011, they still just wore jeans and sneakers, except for my oldest who wore shorts the whole trip and only put on long pants for dinner. They didn't take anything warmer than a hoodie. But we are from the Seattle area and my kids are used to cool summers and wet weather.

[boulders]

My boys were about that age on their first cruise to Alaska in July 2001. They wore jeans and sneakers. Layers on top is best, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, fleece, rain jacket with hood if necessary. Long underwear or ski jacket in July is total overkill... unless you are from a really hot place like Arizona and are not used to cool weather at all. Having a 2nd pair of shoes in case one gets wet is best. My 8 year old got his soaked playing on the edge of the lake where he and his dad went kayaking. A lot depends on what type of things you are planning to do. If you are mostly walking in town, riding buses/train, etc. you shouldn't need anything special. If you are hiking, you might want better shoes/boots. You don't need to invest a lot on money in things they will wear once.

 

On my kids' 2nd trip to Alaska in Aug. 2011, they still just wore jeans and sneakers, except for my oldest who wore shorts the whole trip and only put on long pants for dinner. They didn't take anything warmer than a hoodie. But we are from the Seattle area and my kids are used to cool summers and wet weather.

 

I agree with this. Average highs for the Alaskan ports is low to mid 60's in July. Long sleeve shirts and fleece or a warm rain jacket will be all that they need. Some hiking shoes (not boots) if you are planning to go into the woods.

[nothriver]

We did a bit of hiking in Alaska so waterproof gear was important to our family. My daughter wears waterproof Keen hiking shoes as her daily shoe, and has for the past three years. I can't say enough good things about these shoes. We bought a NorthFace waterproof tennis shoe last year and the literally only lasted 3 weeks. So if you are going to invest in waterproof shoes, take a look at the Keens. We couldn't find them locally this year, tried on the non-waterproof shoes locally, the ordered the waterproof version online.

 

For outerwear, we take waterproof rain jackets, fleece jackets, fleece tops, fleece hats and mittens. We needed ALL of that for our Alaska trip in early June, it was cold and wet, wet, wet. We just wore jeans for pants though. For a real hiking/backpacking trip we'd take long johns, shorts, polyester pants, and waterproof pants. But for day hikes, if jeans get a little damp, we'll suffer through.

 

For myself, I've got a pair of waterproof North Face hiking shoes now but usually wear waterproof Merrill shoes. For waterproof rain jackets, we mostly have North Face for the adults and REI brand for my daughter. I buy the kids at least a size too big and make them wear them for two seasons. We do a bit of hiking, so I believe waterproof gear is a good investment. If you'll only be using it just for a week in Alaska, I'm not sure I'd make the investment. There is always the bread bags over the socks trick to consider... worked for me as a kid!

 

I hope you have better weather in July than we did in early June!

[Onessa]

I'd be more concerned about staying dry than warm. Average temps by month for the inside passage area:

Month Low High

May 40°F 55°F

Jun 45°F 62°F

Jul 48°F 65°F

Aug 48°F 62°F

Sep 42°F 56°F

May and June are drier than August and September.

A slightly oversized water-proof or minimally water-resistent wind-breaker type jacket -- preferably with a hood. Polar-fleece tops for layering under (preferably two lighter-weight vs one heavy-weight).

Brimmed hat and/or sun glasses (the glare off the snow in the glaciated areas can be intense).

Solid shoes -- water-proof or minimally water-resistent shoes with good tread for use on uneven surfaces. Be certain they will fit well with thick socks. If you are planning more "off road" type excursions a hiking shoe is preferable. Bring spare socks with you on excursions. (bring some "blister" bandaids -- when your feet get wet, even well fitting shoes will rub.

Jeans are generally fine, if you are from a cooler climate a pair of shorts for daytime use. You may want a pair of fleece or a pair of leggings/long johns in case you hit a cooler spell.

At least a pair of "wonder gloves" the light knitted one-size-fits-all gloves (look for them now since the big box retailers do a close-out in January of all winter wear).

To me, AK weather in the late spring and early summer is great, but of course I'm from the northern midwest and really prefer highs in the 60s!

[emeltee]

Thanks for the added replies. I think I'll keep an eye out for some good deal on Keens for my girls. Waterproof Keens are a good thing to have around -they can wear them to school on raining days. Otherwise, I think my girls are set.

 

Now I just have to figure out shoes for me & DH...