Alaskan Cruise: Packing Light and Smart

[CruisingNewb]

I just read the excellent blog by Jenna DeLaurentis regarding Alaskan Cruise Packing - https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/alaska-cruise-packing-list

I have watched several YouTubes and read several blogs on this topic.  Here are my thoughts, experiences, and actual hacks on packing light and smart.  If you don't care about overpacking and don't care about costs to check in luggage at the airport, this Post is not for you.

My family of 4 each took one rolling carry on and a backpack.  We came home with the same, but with the addition of a tote bag.  We bought tons of souvenirs.  We did NOT pay to check in additional bags at the airport.  Here is how we did it.

Before you Pack:

Realize that even if you say you won't, you will buy some sort of souvenir or bring back some extra items from your cruise.  The port cities obviously offer wonderful sights and activities, but you know what they all have in common? The [insert city] T-Shirt Company/Store, etc.  Every other store will be some sort of souvenir shop.  Sooooo.....don't kid yourself.

Pre-Packing/Post-Packing:

1. Pack with room to spare.  Not talking a ton of room.  Just make sure you have some leeway.

2. Pack, DO NOT USE, vacuum seal packing bags.  Pack these awesome space savers, but don't use them to pack for the trip.  Use them for packing to come home.  Ask your stateroom attendant to borrow the vacuum cleaner.  They will.  We did.  I pre-purchased 4 of those adorable Polar Bear hat/scarf/mitten thingies AND the Polar Bear blanket. These vacuum packed to easily fit into one of our pre-packed tote bags - which brings me to the next tip...

3. Pack a packable tote bag.  This will be used later for the unintended souvenirs you bought.  I know you bought some.  Don't lie. 

You Don't Need....:

1. You don't need your entire wardrobe.  You don't.  Everyone says pack sweaters.  Meh.  Sweaters take up space.  The Windjammer was uncomfortably warm every morning while it was 49 degrees and rainy in Juneau.  In fact, most of the ship was warm, bordering uncomfortably warm.  My wife hates the cold.  She never felt the need to wear a sweater.  Good thing because I took it out prior to boarding the plane lol.

2. Multiple dresses, suits, etc... I wore a suit to formal night.  I packed dress shoes because...its formal night.  For dressed to impress night, I wore the suit jacket with jeans, a very nice but not collared T-shirt, and nice sneakers.  By the way, my nice sneakers are water proof.  Double duty clothing is key here.  Wife took one black dress, a very attractive but light shawl and used one of her light cardigans to make 2 outfits out of one with the black dress.  

3. Multiple coats, jackets, etc...One packable down jacket, one water-resistant or proof windbreaker, possibly one light hoodie.  Again, if you feel the need to walk the runway, you go girl/boy, but my family is practical.  We won't ignore tradition such as formal night, but we don't need to take more than one suit and dress or multiple jackets and coats.  

Do Laundry:

So many naysayers told me that the $35 laundry bag was not worth it.  It was cheaper than checking in luggage and absolutely fit our needs.  Are you spilling red wine on yourselves at every meal?  Do you wipe your nose on your sleeves?  Right, so we only laundered underwear, socks, and our 9 year-olds' clothes.  They all fit.  Our 14 year-old is not a slob but our 9 year old is still learning lol.  By utilizing the laundry service, we did not need to pack 10 days worth in underwear, socks etc.. BTW - we were on a packed ship and laundry turn around was 24 hours.  Worst case scenario, we had single use detergent for handwashing just in case.

Backpacks:  

Everyone in our family was required to pack one pair of flip flops or sandals, one card game, and personal items like make up, plush toys, etc.  In turn, I used my back pack for all of the room things like outlet adapters, binoculars, magnetic clips, magnetic hooks, and chargers.  Make each person responsible for a family item.  My 9 year old packed the ducks.

Airport:

If you choose to fly or have to fly...

1. By not checking in bags on the way to Seattle, we saved at least $100.  We spent $35 of those savings in doing laundry on board.

2. For our trip back, we put all souvenirs (which included food items) in the packable tote.  That way, if flagged by airport security, they check one and only one bag.

3. By having carry on luggage, when we got to our gates, the staff asked if anyone wanted to check in bags FOR FREE.  Yep.  Free.  Overhead storage on planes is a commodity.  We said yes please. 

4. How we used the packable tote--my kids both used a very packable backpack.  The packable tote unfolded to twice the size.  So, we folded up the back packs and packed them in the totes.  What does this mean?  We boarded with the same number of carry on and roller luggage as we debarked with.

Clothes Hacks:

1. Breathable under shirts/T-shirts/underwear...These pack extremely well and take up VERY little space.  

2. Pajamas? Comfortable T-shirts for lounging?  Let's face it, I don't need to wear a nice t-shirt to walk from my room to the indoor pool just to take it off and swim.  We did not need dedicated PJ's.  We took old t-shirts, old socks, and other lounge wear that we knew we would throw away or eventually donate.  Before we packed to come home, we threw away some holy, not HOLY, shirts, threw out some old socks and voila, EXTRA SPACE!

3. I was gifted a few shirts and shorts that were nice but I did not really like that much.  On day 7 of our cruise, I asked our room attendant if he would be interest and that they just needed to be laundered.  He was happy, I was happy.

4. My 14 year old and I wear the same shoe size.  We took shoes that we would be okay swapping with each other.  So between the two of us, on one formal night, I wore my dress shoes and he wore my nice sneakers, and on the other formal night, he wore my dress shoes and I wore my nice sneakers.  Similarly, my wife and teen swapped hoodies on alternating days.  Why not?

Does this help? Any comments?  Any suggestions?  Let's share!

[JC Pats]

I know a lot of people don't like using credit cards - so if this is you, scroll on. But, if you get an airline's credit card, DEPENDING ON THE CARD, you usually get 1 free checked bag per account plus decent boarding (check the fine print, but I think even the basic economy version too) position. This says nothing about Southwest who, while an airborne bus, does the job and you can check 2 free bags. I am an over packer, plus I hate buying travel sized anything so checked luggage is how I roll. I've yet to have one misplaced (knocking on wood) and I use air tags as well. 

To me, especially since it's not costing me a penny, playing jenga with my luggage just isn't worth the time. As always, YMMV. 

[Matt]

17 hours ago, CruisingNewb said:

So many naysayers told me that the $35 laundry bag was not worth it.  It was cheaper than checking in luggage and absolutely fit our needs.

I've become a huge onboard laundry fan. Yes, it costs money but it saves on the amount of clothes you need to pack and as you pointed out, spills, stains, and otherwise soiled clothing gets a new lease on (cruise) life.