What do you pack for an Alaska cruise?

[sue450]

Just back from a NB Alaskan cruise on the Island Princess. We had great weather but here are the things I consider essential. Oh, and everyone is right...layers...it was 50 and breezy in the morning on the ship and 75 and sunny by mid day on shore.

 

-1 pair waterproof hiking shoes (look like tennis shoes but the goretex makes them absolutely waterproof). I wore these a LOT.

-2 pair lightweight nylon pants that zip off into capris and/or shorts. These were great and could be layered with long underwear. Much more comfortable and lightweight (for packing) than jeans.

-2 pair silk longjohns (pants) and 1 silk longjohn shirt (didn't wear the shirt as we had great weather but would have if it had been colder.

-long sleeve t-shirts and plain short sleeve t-shirts to wear under a sweater or sweatshirt. Didn't bring long sleeve t's and really wished I had listened to the advice on cc and brought some. It was frequently warm enough to take off my sweatshirt but I was a little too chilled with just short sleeves.

-Waterproof rain jacket with a hood and a fleece jacket that zips up with a high collar (then you don't need a scarf nor any turtle neck shirts). Please, please follow the advise on cc and wait to buy these in Ketchikan. They have excellent quality jackets of both kinds for much less than I paid at home and they have nice, simple Alaska logo's on them. There are tons of stores right off the dock in Ketchikan (we found the biggest and best to be Tonga Trading Company) with a huge selection.

-Wind pants with a cotton lining (Nike, Adidas, Reebok, etc make them). These were great for the balcony and walking around the ship. The lining kept us warm and the nylon outside was a wind block.

-A pair of binoculars for each person. Trust me, you'll have them with you all the time. We had one very good pair (went with the Zen Ray Summit 10x42 and loved them) and one light, smaller pair (Bushnell Permafocus 8x25 which we got free from our TA as part of the cruise package). Thought the Bushnells would be too cheap to be effective but really liked them when we didn't want to carry the heavier, larger Zen Rays. The Zen Rays were great and didn't have a problem with the 10x magnification on the ship.

-Cameras with plenty of memory.

-Extension cord to use in cabin on ship. Plugged in behind tv and let it drape down to the counter. Gave us plenty of plug-ins for electronic devices.

-Insulated coffee mugs for balcony and walking around ship.

-Alaskan Cruise Handbook. What a guide and map. LOVED reading about everything as we were seeing it. Great hints, history, etc. Really made the trip. Was great following the cruise on the map. Since the ship gave us longitutude and lattitude and that's included on the map, I could follow our course.

-Gloves that are warm but still allow you to handle your camera and binoculars.

-A journal so you can document your adventures.

-Books by Sue Henry (murder mysteries set in Alaska with descriptions that really capture the feel of Alaska).

-Swimsuit so you can sit in one of the hot tubs under cover and watch the mountains and sea go by (with an adult beverage in your hand).

-Lots of lg & sm zip lock bags.

-iPod and small speaker. Had our own sailaway party in our room. Nice to have music in the morning and at cocktail hour.

-Copies of passports and credit cards in case of loss.

-$50 in singles for tipping.

-Small bag from Eddie Bauer that folds up into itself and is about 4x2 but unfolds into a fairly large shopping bag. Great for shopping in ports.

-Quarters for laundry...the machines were ALWAYS out of change and going to the pursers desk and standing in line for change was a hassle that I really didn't need.

[Elwinnie]

Sue, Your list was one of the best ever! Leaving Thursday 7/2 pre land tour and then S.B. on the coral. You didn't say anything about cltothes if you were in Mt.Kinley/Denali what you wore. Also, what about formal night? How dressey?

thaks

[Lois R]

Sue, Your list was one of the best ever! Leaving Thursday 7/2 pre land tour and then S.B. on the coral. You didn't say anything about cltothes if you were in Mt.Kinley/Denali what you wore. Also, what about formal night? How dressey?

thaks

 

Hi,:) I am not Sue but I love dressing up on formal nights:)

I get dressed up on formal nights on all my sailings. Its something

I enjoy immensley:D

 

I guess we all have our preferences. I don't bring many of the items

listed and have never missed them;)

[McDebbie]

Waterproof rain jacket with a hood and a fleece jacket that zips up with a high collar (then you don't need a scarf nor any turtle neck shirts). Please, please follow the advise on cc and wait to buy these in Ketchikan.

We thought about this but our cruise will be half over by then... :D Not sure what we would do the first three days.

[cantw8togo]

choozin' cruzin' asked Can you please tell me which rainsleeve you used??

 

I used the OpTech brand rainsleeve on my Nikon D60 with a 55 - 200 lens.

 

Here is a link to a discussion about rainsleeves in the photo gallery section. There is a link to an American source for them in one of the postings. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=999422&highlight=rainsleeve Here is a link to a Canadian source for them too. http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&departmentId=10404&categoryId=10428&itemID=251383

 

They are a cheap and cheerful solution to foul weather and summer water gun fights :D (I am still very protective of my camera though).

 

Hope this helps,

 

N.

[Choozin Croozin]

choozin' cruzin' asked Can you please tell me which rainsleeve you used??

 

I used the OpTech brand rainsleeve on my Nikon D60 with a 55 - 200 lens.

 

Here is a link to a discussion about rainsleeves in the photo gallery section. There is a link to an American source for them in one of the postings. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=999422&highlight=rainsleeve Here is a link to a Canadian source for them too. http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&departmentId=10404&categoryId=10428&itemID=251383

 

They are a cheap and cheerful solution to foul weather and summer water gun fights :D (I am still very protective of my camera though).

 

Hope this helps,

 

N.

 

Thanks a bunch!

[family_planner]

You must remember to bring insect repellent in the pump bottle. We brought the spray, only to have it confiscated by the Alaska airlines.

Fl Star

 

Does this include checked baggage or just carry-ons?

[Bryan York]

Polaroid Sunglasses proved essential.

 

Lightweight telescope would have been nice but stopped by weight limits of internal USA flights

 

2 or 3 sweatshirts for cool evenings or as extra layer

 

Took a thick wool jumper too but that was an overweight mistake - only wore it once and 2 sweat shirts would have been as warm.

[saibari]

Thanks to all for the very helpful advice! I'm a bit confused though. Layers are advised for August so one can peel them off or put them back on as necessary. However, this would be rather difficult with long underwear! Wouldn't it be quite hot to have those on if the day should become warm? Or are those always advisable if, for instance, one is going on an all-day boat trip, but not if you're doing a bus excursion or walking around town?

[newstarr]

I am a backpacker (so pack light but for every type of weather). I swear by Patagonia Wool and down. All you need is 1 short sleeve, one long, a pair of wool (2) pants, a down sweater, zip off pants and a waterprof shell. Go into any Patagonia retailer (It is pricey but you get what you pay for) and they can recomend 3 classic lifetime pieces for you. The wool is cool on hot days and warm on cold days. I love my down sweater also! Best $200 spent ever!!!!

[notes4theheart]

Ok' date=' I get the head/berth tax thing :D ...... Still interested in the rainsleeves for the camera.[/quote']

 

The name of the product is "Rainsleeve" it's by Op tech. Mostly any camera company worth it's salt carries it