Packing Carry on

[Kar1679]

Any hints to pack Carry on for a 10 day Alaska cruise.  I almost always travel with carryon but having a hard time with this one. Will be going in July

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by Kar1679

[masterdrago]

20# of camera gear ;=] I took a large fanny pack with batteries, chargers, cables, etc and a backpack with camera gear. DW did a small backpack with rain gear, a bit of extra clothing, some toiletries, and a Brighton large bag/purse thingy with other essentials (phone, makeup, jewelry, blah, blah, blah). One more hint. DW got the full frisk job at IAH by the TSA after setting off alarms big time. Turned out her jeans had a boat load of bling on them and confused a new agent. DW was hand scanned up and down multiple times by a very unbelieving agent that thought this 69yo granny was hiding stuff in her pants. It was a hoot and if I could have turned on the GoPro, I would have one for Americas Funniest Home Videos. The managing agent and I were watching together and he explained to me what was happening.

[Cruise_More_Often]

15 hours ago, masterdrago said:

20# of camera gear ;=] I took a large fanny pack with batteries, chargers, cables, etc and a backpack with camera gear. DW did a small backpack with rain gear, a bit of extra clothing, some toiletries, and a Brighton large bag/purse thingy with other essentials (phone, makeup, jewelry, blah, blah, blah). One more hint. DW got the full frisk job at IAH by the TSA after setting off alarms big time. Turned out her jeans had a boat load of bling on them and confused a new agent. DW was hand scanned up and down multiple times by a very unbelieving agent that thought this 69yo granny was hiding stuff in her pants. It was a hoot and if I could have turned on the GoPro, I would have one for Americas Funniest Home Videos. The managing agent and I were watching together and he explained to me what was happening.

 

This is hilarious! Did DW think it was a hoot? I'm not sure that would have been my first thought. 🤨

[masterdrago]

8 hours ago, Cruise_More_Often said:

 

This is hilarious! Did DW think it was a hoot? I'm not sure that would have been my first thought. 🤨

At first, hell no! But later, she got a chuckle out of the whole affair. We had plenty of time, thank goodness. I had picked up my stuff with no issues. And I thought for sure, with all the Lithium batteries, cables and electronics, I would be unloading crap. I finally turned around and she had removed one of her boots. Just one! I had considered letting the GoPro run while on the conveyor since it was on a mini tripod to see what happens inside the xray machine. If that had happened, I may have been able to stealthily record the antics.

[swanny70]

Our whole family went on an Alaskan Cruise in 2010 and we all took carry-on only. I always wear my bigger. bulkier clothing such as tennis shoes, etc. I choose my outfits ahead of time as well. It sure saved time on waiting for checked luggage for 7 people. 

 

It was a breeze. I rarely check luggage anymore. My next challenge is our cruise in March. I am going to try my hardest to go carry-on suitcase only and backpack as my personal item under the seat in front of me.

[karatemom2]

On 6/30/2019 at 7:49 PM, Kar1679 said:

Any hints to pack Carry on for a 10 day Alaska cruise.  I almost always travel with carryon but having a hard time with this one. Will be going in July

 

 

Since you say 10 day Alaska cruise, I'm guessing that means you are doing the Princess cruise from San Francisco. If that is the case, then you can probably plan to wear a jacket of some sort on your flight that you can take off if it gets too warm. San Francisco can be typically cooler in the summer, so wearing your jacket or pullover to port will help free up room in your luggage and may not be too uncomfortable. I am assuming this question means you plan to just take a carry on and not check any luggage, so you will have to pack smart and be spare. I have had some success using the suction bags to really help compress clothes, although that does tend to result in wrinkles - Princess laundry rooms do offer irons. And speaking of laundry rooms, you can pack light and do laundry during your cruise. If you plan to dress up for formal nights, I would just bring one lightweight dress and maybe a pair of nice heels. Other than that, a good pair of tennis shoes or walking shoes should do fine for the rest of your trip and you can also wear those on the plane to save room. Also, maybe wear one pair of jeans on the plane and pack one pair, that should get you through as well. My typical port day outfit is jeans, ankle boots or tennis shoes, turtle neck or long sleeve shirt and fleece pullover - layers are the way to go in Alaska. Make sure you have a rainproof windbreaker with hood which should be thin and easy to pack without taking up much room for any rainy days. And perhaps a pair of water resistant slacks. A blouse or two and lightweight pants that you can pair with your heels should suffice for non-formal dinners. And instead of a purse, think about carrying a larger shoulder bag that will help supplement packing space - you can put all of your makeup, hair/body products, meds and toiletries, and any other smaller items in that so your suitcase can be reserved just for clothes/shoes. I'm sure you can make it work - let us know how it goes!

[Kar1679]

Thanks for the tips.  Yes out on San Francisco.

[Anita Latte]

You don't really have to take too much more to Alaska clothing-wise...granted that the clothing you do take may take up more luggage space (pants vs shorts, for instance). Layers are the recommendation for Alaska, but the fact is that these layers don't have to add a lot of space. Think about your wardrobe in terms of three layers:

 

1. Protective Layer...this is your outer most layer and it should be waterproof. PROOF. The best rain protection is a jacket. Fitting snug to your body with arms and a zipper (not tight, just more fitted than an emergency poncho for example) and a hood...this offers you the best rain protection when conditions may have wind (likely near the sea). And much better than an umbrella. You only need ONE protective layer. You may also end up wearing this layer when weather is windy...not necessarily rainy...and not necessarily cold...so a typical single layer waterproof jacket is preferred...and for another layer, you have...

 

2. Warmth layer...this is the layer that you may need because you are on a boat watching whales...out on deck admiring the scenery...in the shade walking through town...whatever. Depending on your own sensibilities with regards to weather, this could be something like a fleece pullover / jacket / vest, or a smart wool type layer of sorts, a sweater, some do sweatshirts, a flannel shirt...depending on what you choose here...it can be something that is usually easy to repeat without concern for laundry between wears...primarily because this also functions as a layer that you would wear over...

 

3. Base layer...the most comfortable thing that is next to your skin. Again, depending on your sensitivity to temperatures, this can be sleeveless (then you rely on the warmth layer more...and perhaps would have two warmth layers), short sleeves, and/or long sleeves. Depending on your personal style and weather sensitivity, you will likely have a combination of these. The key is to have these layers WORK with the warmth layer so that you can streamline your travel wardrobe. Also...another key may be to have these layers be fabrics that are friendlier for multiple wears (smart wool, certain stink resistant tech fabrics, bamboo, etc.) OR to plan these base layers such that you have one load of laundry (I think Princess has self serve laundry?) with your base layers being able to be washed altogether, especially if you can combine these layers with staples like foundation garments.

 

You might end up looking like you're wearing the same thing in most pictures...I was pictured A LOT in my purple rain jacket. So you may want to think about accessories more...a hat with a brim is wonderful for rainy weather, really helps to keep the rain off your face and help for taking pictures to shield the camera (I brought a tech fabric water resistant ball cap) and something like a beanie that offers more warmth which can be a blessing on glacier viewing day (I brought a messy bun beanie). These two head gears can really help you enjoy your day and may be just enough to add a bit of variety to your outer wear too.

 

So really...outside of the two extra layers...you don't end up packing much different for tops for a 10-day Alaska vacation.

 

For bottoms...again it depends on what your excursions are, but I wouldn't think you would really need water proof pants. I had water resistant tech fabric type pants and they were fine when we dealt with rain. I had a lightweight pair and a heavier weight pair. I also brought lined (for cooler weather), cargo style hiking leggings (Athleta brand) and they ended up being my favorite pants to wear on excursions. I wore jeans because everyone recommended jeans, but I'm not a big jeans person and I feel like that was a waste for me. It turned out that I would be just fine in my daywear tech fabric pants in the MDR. Because of our plans, I also had a lightweight pair of capris...I wore these in Vancouver and also on the Kenai Peninsula...and I never wished to wear them during our cruise because the weather wasn't there for capris for me.

 

I also brought a couple dresses. Nothing especially fancy. Simple dresses that I could wear on formal night.

 

In my mind, the biggest challenge for carry on only are shoes. Again, depending on your plans...you will likely be fine in a normal style walking shoe of some sort. I would be sure that the soles were appropriate for wet weather...and I would want them to be waterproof or able to be treated with a waterproofing agent. These will be your go to shoe for excursions. For on the ship, you don't need anything more than what you would normally have on ship. The one exception to that would be if you want the ability to spend time outside without your feet getting too cold...then you want to have something that would cover your feet, maybe have the ability to wear some socks with...but definitely something else that allows you to let your excursion walking shoes dry out if needed. Ladies have a better time with shoes than men because most ladies shoes are far less bulky. Definitely wear your most bulky shoes and clothing on the plane.

 

The next biggest challenge will be toiletries. Depending on your excursions, you'll still need sunscreen (face friendly...especially for on the water excursions or on the glacier) and bug repellent in addition to your normal toiletries. I would be sure to bring hydrating type treatments as well...the wind can really dry out your skin...so even if you don't normally travel with lotion or aloe gel, you might want to grab some from home...or plan on purchasing before boarding.

 

Accessories not to forget...the aforementioned hats, SUNGLASSES, windproof gloves, eyeglass cloth (for dealing with rain).

 

It's definitely doable...again it all depends on what you are doing though. We went camping after our cruise so...we HAD to check backpacks, sleeping bags, fishing poles, etc. LOL. But I can say frankly that if we were talking about the absence of GEAR, we could have packed carry on only. Just be very thoughtful and mindful of how changeable the weather is...remember that Alaska is more casual than other cruises...and maybe plan for a strategic load of laundry.