Packing Advice For Alaska

[Fazzdaan]

We are going to Alaska in August, so yes this is a bit early. But I am seeking the advice of past Alaska cruisers as to what to pack for an Alaska cruise, other then dinner attire. Is it jeans, sweatshirts, a jacket and maybe a rain slicker? I'm just trying to get an idea.

 

We're probably going to be coolish no matter what the weather, since it will likely be about 105-110 at home about then.

 

Thanks.

[vfb2girls]

We are leaving on Saturday for Alaska and this is what I am packing. Besides our formal wear I am taking a couple of pairs of wind pants, goretex rain gear, a turtleneck, t-shirts, a sweatshirt, a fleece lightweight jacket, hat and gloves and a pair of cuddleduds. We already plan on doing laundry sometime on this trip, we are doing a 12 day land tour on our own before we cruise. Also I am taking my goretex shoes, but from what I understand any type of waterproof shoes will do.

[NJDeb2]

Layering is the key....The weather changes quickly...one hour you are wearing a t-shirt...the next a fleece pullover...and I never went anywhere without a good raincoat...comfy shoes are a must...my formal wear was definitely not what I would wear on a Carribean cruise....

[jetta2828]

We went to Alaska on the NCL SUn last year (july)and had the same problem with packing. So here is my advice, beleive it or not it is really not THAT cold. It was about 65-70 degrees during the day and chillier at night. Luckily enough, we had wonderful weather and NO RAIN, but we heard that it was very weird for that to happen becasue it rains a lot. So I would suggest to take a raincoat but hopefully you will not need it. My husband had shorts on at times during the day. We are from Miami and not used to cold whether but we delt with it great. i usually find 70 degrees cold but was fine with a sweater and a light jacket. It was the same for my son (3 at the time). Hope this helps.

[mom23guys]

We went last June-July. The weather was great. I didn't wear shorts at all but my husband did. I wore lightweight stretch type jeans almost every day although I did wear Capris in Skagway. I brought a zippered fleece and a lightweight Gore-Tex jacket sweatshirts on many excursions such as whale watching and the sea otter trip. We also purchased seatshirts in some of the towns which I wore on our trip. We were on a 7 day cruise and then stayed for 6 more days on a land tour. Here's a list of the most useful articles of clothing:

 

Jeans-lightweight I brought 3 pairs

Gore-Tex rain jacket from LLBean

Lightweight waterproof fleece lined jacket packable- I bought this from Lands End, husband got his from Cabellas This was really useful.

T-shirts -about 3- wore these mostly on the land portion

3/4 sleeve shirts 2

turtlenecks- brought 2 but could have used more. I often wore under fleece but they were perfect by themselves most of the time.

slacks, long skirts, fancy tops etc. for dinners One pair dress shoes

fleece

2 sweatshirts- I actually wore frequently so I wore the ones I purchase also

sneakers plus a pair of Gore-Tex hiking style sneakers

 

Dress styles are really casual during the day with most people in jeans of wind pants. I brought more clothes than I needed. I didn't need as many dressy casual outfits that I brought and I definitely didn't need all the different dressier shoes I thought I would need.

[voyagerfl]

We went the end of August beginning of Sept......

If you plan on any outside viewing from the forward decks ..or open rail areas.....esp. while the ship is in motion.....you will need gloves....and some kind of hood to pull up around your face........

 

Over all the cold was not so bad......but I like it cool and we had some sunny days..........It did rain in Ketchikan..........which I hear it does most of the time.

 

Next time.....I'll take as big a carry on as allowed with at least a jacket...as the airline lost our luggage....(thankfully we got in 2 days early) and we barely got it before the ship sailed.

 

You can view some of our Alaska Pics at my web site http://lifevoyager.net

Here is one picture on Lynn Canal near Sawyer Glacier.........it's my other half Dick and a lady we met onboard. The ship was moving at a snails pace there....so the wind was not so bad.....It's one of the most beautiful, peaceful places I've ever been !

 

[nextelcup]

We went last June-July. The weather was great. I didn't wear shorts at all but my husband did. I wore lightweight stretch type jeans almost every day although I did wear Capris in Skagway. I brought a zippered fleece and a lightweight Gore-Tex jacket sweatshirts on many excursions such as whale watching and the sea otter trip. We also purchased seatshirts in some of the towns which I wore on our trip. We were on a 7 day cruise and then stayed for 6 more days on a land tour. Here's a list of the most useful articles of clothing:

 

Jeans-lightweight I brought 3 pairs

Gore-Tex rain jacket from LLBean

Lightweight waterproof fleece lined jacket packable- I bought this from Lands End, husband got his from Cabellas This was really useful.

T-shirts -about 3- wore these mostly on the land portion

3/4 sleeve shirts 2

turtlenecks- brought 2 but could have used more. I often wore under fleece but they were perfect by themselves most of the time.

slacks, long skirts, fancy tops etc. for dinners One pair dress shoes

fleece

2 sweatshirts- I actually wore frequently so I wore the ones I purchase also

sneakers plus a pair of Gore-Tex hiking style sneakers

 

Dress styles are really casual during the day with most people in jeans of wind pants. I brought more clothes than I needed. I didn't need as many dressy casual outfits that I brought and I definitely didn't need all the different dressier shoes I thought I would need.

 

What about non-formal nights in the dining room...Capris, khakis (sp?), or dress pants? What about tops...sweater sets, 3/4 sleeve tops, short sleeves? Is it cooler or warmer in the dining rooms? THX! (We leave tomorrow a.m. :) )