Packing for Alaska

[chrismelissa]

Good evening all, What should we be packing for our Alaska cruise, we know about a rain coat or waterproof jacket, do we need boots, hiking shoes, any suggestions, ?? 

[DDaley]

If the forecast is looking like rain, I would also suggest a pair of waterproof pants! It rained alllll day on us in ISP and half the day in Juneau and I was very happy to have the water beading off my legs instead of soaking in to my pants as we strolled around.

I did bring hiking boots (which were perfect in the rain) but if you’re not planning on doing anything too adventurous on excursions, you’d probably get by with tennis shoes. 

Aside from that I would say just tons of layers in varying weights. If it was a sunny day it was nice to peel off layers, on the rainy days it kept the rain from soaking through (yes my REI raincoat ceases to be waterproof after 8 hours). I packed an additional poncho but left it in the cabin, oops.  I wore three(!) kinds of hats - baseball, full brim and beanies when it was chilly. We went in September so the beanie probably wouldn’t be necessary mid summer. 

I also enjoyed having a pair of binoculars on our balcony! 

[chrismelissa]

Thank you very much

 

[JohnK6404]

Here are a couple of articles written by Jenna on Matt’s staff:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/alaska-cruise-packing-list

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/06/22/i-packed-my-alaska-cruise-carry-suitcase-heres-what-i-packed-and-how-you-can-do-it-too

… and one from Royal Caribbean”s website:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/blog/how-to-pack-for-your-alaska-cruise/

[Ryan79]

Be prepared for anything. I was there last summer and it was WARM!!!! The previous time to Alaska it was nothing but rain and fog. Boots or hiking shoes are only needed if you are actually planning on hiking. 

[PhillyLady]

Well, sometimes you go outside on the deck to see the icebergs or look for whales, and it can be FREEZING. Yes, I had a hat and gloves.  I also wore those items when we went trekking on the glacier. I second a lightweight waterproof coat and lots of layers.  By the way, we went In early August, and it was overall chilly sweater weather.

[VeronicaS1970]

We are going in May. I have been going back and forth on what to pack. There are 4 of us-me, DH, DD, and FIL. All of us got Merrell/Columbia shoes(sneaker like waterproof shoes). We are planning layers-t shirt, light pullover, sweatshirt and we got puffer jackets that fold into a pouch.  Everyone is taking a baseball cap and wooly hat and gloves.  Everyone also gets a very small umbrella and we got 2 binoculars to share. 

We are planning to do laundry during the week so that we can fit all this stuff in the suitcase! 

My theory is to be prepared for all eventualities and hope the weather is at least dry, temperature I can deal with!

[SPS]

One of the best things we did for Alaska was purchase Columbia parkas with removal fleece linings. We were fortunate enough to not need the full outer shell and fleece combo, but it was good to be prepared. The waterproof outer shells were quite handy on the one rainy port day we had in Juneau. Kept us dry and warm enough without feeling overheated. Also, the fleece alone makes a nice comfortable jacket for dry conditions, too.

The full combo was also light and compact enough to not take up too much room or add excessive weight to our luggage.

(FYI: they can be found only lightly used and in very good condition on eBay quite cheaply. All together, I bought two for us for about $50!)

[CruisingNewb]

"What to pack" questions often fall into 2 (sometimes overlapping) categories: Universal necessity and Personal necessity.  More often than not, most items are technically personal in nature.

Universal Necessities to pack:

1. Toiletries.

2. Money.

3. ID.

4. Basic clothing.

Personal Necessities:

1. Clothing for hot and cold weather.  Lot's of people say "lots of layers."  This is general true, but for us, my family all run hot.  We never saw the need to wear anything more than a T-shirt, light long sleeved top, and a water resistant windbreaker with hoodie.  Most of the time, we were in shorts and T-shirt with a light sweatshirt or hoodie even in 38 degree weather.  Comfort is key.  If you are comfortable wearing a suit and tie, go for it.  If you want to wear 4 layers and a thick parka, go for it!  We dress down as much as possible.

2. Shoes. Again, what are you expecting to do in Alaska?  Obviously if you want to walk a lot or hike, or have an excursion that requires some good shoes, you need decent walking/hiking boots.  We took rain boots, never needed them, ended up giving them to our room steward.  We also opted to take nice sneakers to double as formal wear shoes.  These days, a suit and sneakers is pretty shiek.  

3. Universal adapters.  We took 2.  We needed one.  Unless you are a YouTuber or have a lot, a lot, a lot of electronics, we didn't see the need for more than one adapter.  In fact, we each had a smart phone and laptop or tablet and still only really needed one adapter.  Just rotate charging based upon priority.

4. Swim wear.  If on a Quantum class ship, swim wear is awesome.  The indoor pool and Solarium are awesome when you are passing snow capped mountains but swimming in a toasty pool or in a hot tub!

5. Magnetic wall hooks.  These can fall under the universal necessities in my opinion.  We pack light for every trip, but the magnetic wall hooks can be used for just about anything related to storage.  We often used them to wrap electrical cords when not in use, to hang hats and coats, and even used them to secure curtains shut for maximum darkness at night.

6. Binoculars.  Again, probably something that is a "necessity" for Alaska!  We spent tons of time using binoculars!  

7. Umbrella.  Buy the cheapest collapsible umbrella.  You may lose them.  They may break.  You may not want them afterwards.  We did not feel the need for umbrellas aside from 1 or 2 days.  It just depends.\

8. A ziplock bag in a few sizes.  We used them for anything from document (ID, passport) storage to keeping extra cookies from the various dining venues.  They pack small and can be very useful.  Not necessary, but useful.

Things you may not, or DO NOT need:

Big box fans. LOL

Weapons of any kind. LOL

Power strips.

Look, its 2024.  You are not traveling to some third-world back road place.  If you need something and did not pack it, you can always buy it somewhere.  And yes, you can find bargains even at tourist ports.  People say bring snacks.  I say, buy them as you need.  We ended up not really needing snacks because the ship had so much to offer.  Unless you have strict dietary restrictions, no real need to bring your own food.  

People say be prepared for anything.  I do not disagree.  Our experience though...if we needed something, truly needed something, it was available somewhere.

I know my advice may draw extreme criticism, but it is just one of many suggestions that offers a different perspective.  Enjoy!

[CruisingNewb]

On 3/19/2024 at 4:20 PM, DDaley said:

I also enjoyed having a pair of binoculars on our balcony! 

YES!!!

[CruisingNewb]

14 hours ago, VeronicaS1970 said:

We are planning to do laundry during the week so that we can fit all this stuff in the suitcase! 

Absolutely!  Our trip was 13 days, including the time in Seattle before and after.  We packed for 7 days, used the $30 laundry bag on Day 2 of our cruise and day 5 or our cruise.  Only needed to take one small rolling suitcase for each of us in my family of 4.  

[Psycho and Barb]

Wear your boots and jackets...Heavy stuff on your flight.  Allows you to get more stuff in your suitcases...Lol

[WAYNO]

1 hour ago, Psycho and Barb said:

Wear your boots and jackets...Heavy stuff on your flight.  Allows you to get more stuff in your suitcases...Lol

This is an excellent idea.  Being from the often wet and cool upper West Coast, our weather is very similar to Alaska-Panhandle weather throughout much of the early or late travel season.  What I wear getting on an airplane in the Pacific Northwest to almost anywhere, my travel clothes are  much of what I would actually be wearing while on excursion during an Alaskan cruise. 

Below is very typical late-summer/fall attire for anywhere, Astoria to Juneau.  If it's too warm, take your coat or sweatshirt  off.  You'll see too, we all have stout walking shoes, but no hunting-type boots. And speaking of sweatshirts, I like a zippered hooded sweatshirt.  Unzip it if you're too warm, or take it off altogether. Being zippered it's much easier to do than a pull-over hoodie. 

 

There are no absolutes.  My Wife is cold nearly year 'round, and dresses accordingly.  I am warm nearly year 'round and dress accordingly.

 

[AOlivr]

My husband and I went to Alaska in May of last year, and every day was in the low to mid 50's during the day, except Ketchikan got up to 60 degrees.  I wore every day a sweatshirt and a thin rain jacket with regular athletic pants.  I did not bring a heavy coat and did not need one.  I brought a winter hat and gloves, and did not need them.   A regular baseball cap was fine.  One of my sweatshirts had a hood which I figured was good in case it did get colder.  Regular tennis shoes were fine as well, and I'd say only bring heavier shoes if planning on hiking.  Maybe bring two pairs of tennis shoes if one pair gets wet during the day.   Now, our itinerary started in Vancouver and ended there, so we did not go up to Seward or Anchorage, so that could have some bearing on what you bring to wear.  

[FLTraveler]

Lots of great tips here. I did Alaska in June of last year on the Quantum and had an absolute blast. I wore a t-shirt and shorts in Ketchikan; in Juneau, I wore three layers (including rain coat and waterproof pants) and was still cold and soaked through by the end of the day (whale watching in freezing rain and then a short hike at the glacier). So, layers were definitely a must for us. Waterproof shoes or boots would have been a big help, too.

In addition to what's already been recommended here, my traveling companion and I really appreciated having:

• Thick fleece blankets to hang out on the balcony with. We bought the ones offered by Royal, which made for great (if over-priced) souvenirs.
• A coffee thermos for enjoying hot beverages on the balcony.
• A tripod for timelapse videos on our balcony (one whole morning of the cruise was the Tracy Arm Fjord, and it was awesome scenery the whole way)
• A camera with a good zoom.
• I'm a weirdo, but I bring a hammock on every cruise where I have a balcony, and we made great use of it in Alaska.

I know I talk about the balcony a lot here...but much of this cruise was spent drifting along beautiful coastlines, so having a way to maximize use of outdoor space/views is key, in my opinion.