Weather in July... what to pack??

[Rdy2crews]

First time to cruise ... first time to Alaska!! We will be in Alaska and on a southbound cruise for the last two weeks in July. We want to pack light but are wondering what to pack.... long pants/shorts? light jackets? rain gear? gloves? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Also, where can we find what other ships are at port when we are?

 

Thanks!

Carnival Sprit, 20-JUL-05

[vegasglitz]

Hi Everyone,

 

Great question - We're going July 24th on Celebrity Infinity and I was wondering the same thing.

 

Debbie :)

[Love Cruis'n]

A great thread already exists on this very subject, very informative (and a bit funny). Suggest you check it out : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=173886.

 

As of this minute, it's just a few posts down on this page.

[jstducky]

The key to Alaska is to pack in layers. It can be hot and sunny one minute, and then cloudy, cool and raining the next. The day that the ship goes to the glacier (whether its Sawyer, Hubbard, or Glacier Bay) it will be pretty cool, and you'll probably need a jacket, hat and gloves.

 

You'll need clothes that are easy to put on and then peel off one by one. So some t-shirts, lightweight jackets, maybe a rain coat.

 

Last time I was in Ketchikan in 2003 in July, I was ready to go out on a kayaking excursion wearing a long sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt and a brought a jacket along just in case. The jacket stayed in my backpack. And eventually I had to peel the sweatshirt off as it was close to 80 degrees and I was sweating. So you just never know...

[Rdy2crews]

Thanks for the advice! Layers sounds like the way to go.

[jjtsfca]

To see which other ships are in the ports on the same day as yours, go to Northwest Cruise Ship Association at http://alaska.nwcruiseship.org/port_schedules.cfm?menuId=9

 

They have a great site, and you can narrow down to the port and the day.

 

Having completely overpacked for my August 2003 Inside Passage cruise, I've wised up for my forthcoming August 2005 Atlantis Events charter to the Inside Passage on Celebrity. August 2003 was freakishly hot and sunny, but could have been rain daily and overcast, so now I have my Alaska packing rule of three. One third knits/cahsmeres/wools/waterproofs, one third long sleeve cottons/pants, and one third t-shirts/short sleeves/shorts. That way I'm ready for anything. I'm also staying a week after in Whistler, so probably packing more than the one week traveler. But this way I feel like I've covered every Alaska weather outcome that time of year.