I just got back from a 10 day cruise to Alaska and here is my PACKING LIST.

[The J Project]

Hi all. I read through these boards before I left on my 10 day cruise and I noticed quite a few threads on packing lists. I admit, I did slightly overpack - so here is not what I BROUGHT, but what I USED.

(This is a packing list with the intention of NOT doing any laundry)

 

1 lightweight water resistant jacket

1 down vest with hood

2 pairs jeans

1 pair leggings

5 long sleeve shirts

2 short sleeve shirts

1 hoodie sweatshirt

1 3/4 length sweater

1 pair dressy dinner pants

4 dressy dinner tops

1 maxi dinner dress

2 dresses for formal nights

2 pairs pajamas

underwear / bras / socks (lots!)

2 sets of workout clothes

1 swimsuit/coverup

1 pair warm fleece boots (like Uggs)

1 pair tennis shoes

1 pair flip flops

1 pair black ballerina flats

1 pair dressy heels

1 pashmina shawl

1 large messenger bag or backpack for excursions and disembarkation day

1 small tote/purse to carry things around on ship (i.e. pashmina, lip gloss, cruise card, book, camera, etc. - I was so happy to have this!)

 

Here are items which I did bring and use but which I feel are more optional:

1 pair hiking boots (needed for hike on Mendenhall glacier)

1 pair warm gloves (needed while on Mendenhall glacier and on glacier day of cruise...nice to have but not NEEDED)

1 pair hiking pants (for our hiking trek)

3 scarves (I'm a scarf wearer, not necessarily for warmth, but I thought nice to have, and my husband borrowed one on glacier day of the cruise)

1 heavier weight 3 quarter length jacket with hood (I only NEEDED it on glacier day, but we were also fortunate to have amazing sunny weather and if this were not the case I would have used it more. If I were to go to Alaska again tomorrow I would bring it, just for peace of mind if it was colder/rainier)

 

It seems like a lot of shoes to pack but I was happy to have each and every pair.

 

I did not pack anything out of the ordinary like duct tape, power cord, over the door hanger organizer, weighted clothespins, etc. and the only thing that I felt that I could have used after reading ALL packing list threads was...a clock for our bedroom. I can't stand waking up and not knowing if it's 2am or 5am and I could check the time on my phone but it required me pressing a button, and then that just woke me up a little bit more making it harder to go to sleep. It would have been nice to just be able to glance over.

 

I think that's it, but I'll add to it if I think of something I've missed, and please let me know if you have any specific questions. We just got off the Sea Princess 10 day round trip from San Francisco to Alaska. Had a wonderful time and hope to get a review and pics up shortly :)

[Rebel54]

Thank you for sharing that :) I'm trying to keep my packing to a minimum but I'm not good at that.

[erewhon]

Thanks for sharing your packing list.

Glad you had a wonderful trip.

[Keith1010]

Glad you had a great time.

 

Welcome home.

 

Keith

[cellyml12]

Thanks for sharing, as we have recently had to switch the cruise we're taking next May to the 10 day RT out of San Francisco. It's nice to see what I might be needing in a 10 day period. Will you be posting menus and or patters? I don't think I've seen any for a 10 day in Alaska. Trying to figure out what's going on those 3 days that a 7 day Alaskan cruise doesn't have. Thanks for any info!!

[The J Project]

I didn't keep any menus, but I did keep some of the patters. I'll try and scan them and upload them along with my review. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank yoou for your list.

We were just on a 14 day Alaskan cruise - don't take jeans -- don't even own them -- plus they are heavier than slacks. Have never taken a down coat on any of our 15 Alaskan cruises. Many things on your list I don't take.

But it will be helpful for others planning an Alaskan cruise.

[cellyml12]

I didn't keep any menus, but I did keep some of the patters. I'll try and scan them and upload them along with my review. :)

 

That would be great! Well let me ask you this about the food, I've seen where there are themed nights in MDR, like Italian & Alaskan nights. Are there others on a 10 day & also how many formal nights on a 10 day?? Thank you so much for any info you may have. It's VERY much appreciated. :)

[The J Project]

@Krazy Kruisers - I absolutely agree that everyone's lists will be entirely different based on their own personal style, comfort level with temperatures, excursions booked and activity level. This was purely to be used as an example of what I personally used on my trip.

 

@cellyml12 - The only themed night in the dining room that I noticed a change in the attire of what the waitstaff wore, was Italian night. The other nights were named - like "Sailaway Night" (hmmm I can't seem to remember any of the other nights) but honestly it wasn't like it was THEMED - the menu was just changed slightly. There was always a handful of items that you could get EVERY night (Fettucine, Steak, Broiled Chicken, Salmon, Shrimp Cocktail, Caesar Salad) and the other items rotated but always included a poultry, a different pasta, beef dish, homestyle dish and fish - not including the appetizers, soups, salads and desserts which all changed nightly.

 

I'm a big foodie and I never thought I would say this but by the end of 10 days I almost didn't want to eat any more. By the time we got to lobster night (2nd formal night which was the night that we were in Victoria) I almost didn't want to eat in the dining room because I was just at food overload. One day we ate breakfast, snack, lunch, tea, dinner and then we found ourselves eating pizza at 11pm. It was just too much!! (but fun!)

 

On one of the sea days they had an Alaska themed buffet outside near the pool and that was a great meal - lots of seafood. They also had a BBQ'd fish buffet on the Victoria port day, but we missed that (taking a nap and missed it). There was also a dessert extravaganza on our last sea day inside the Horizon Court (buffet) and it was really really crowded, and I waited in a huge painfully slow line and when I finally got to the front of the line they were dismantling the displays and the cakes were just maassacred. I bet it was pretty when it was untouched and the beginning!

 

What else can I tell you? The tea was fun and a good place for a snack between lunch and dinner - the sandwiches are good and the scones are delicious.

 

There are two formal nights - the first one being the 2nd day at sea and the second one was the Victoria port day, the night before the last day at sea.

 

Let me know if you've got more questions~ Jes

[cellyml12]

Wow! Thanks for all the info! We were actually talking about getting sick of eating, because we aren't big eaters. LOL. Looking forward to your review! :)

[Northern Aurora]

I also found your packing list interesting. As someone who lives in Alaska I sense that so many people over analyze what they think they will need on an Alaskan cruise. You can not anticipate every conceivable problem. But I am somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to packing, and have never understood the need to pack the over-the-door-shoe organizers or battery operated tea lights, among other items.

[kenmii]

Hi there

I noticed your brought Uggs. I was thinking of bringing them for my daughters and waterproofing them. Did you use them on any excursions or just on the ship?

Thanks!

[ttjtmomma]

Krazy Kruiser, If I may ask. How does your packing list very. Or if I may, what is your packing list.

[Doglovertoo]

Thank yoou for your list.

 

We were just on a 14 day Alaskan cruise - don't take jeans -- don't even own them -- plus they are heavier than slacks. Have never taken a down coat on any of our 15 Alaskan cruises. Many things on your list I don't take.

 

But it will be helpful for others planning an Alaskan cruise.

 

Krazy Kruizers - do you take waterproof/resistant shoes or boots? I hate the thought of adding weight to my suitcase.

[The J Project]

@Northern Aurora - i am also a minimalist packer and I don't like a lot of stuff that is supposed to make your life easier. I think having less makes my life easier than having stuff that's supposed to help me organize my stuff. But my sister is the opposite of me and enjoys all sorts of gadgets and stuff and she's happy as a clam packing it all, and I'm happy as a clam not having it all so that's why there are different people in the world!

 

@kenmii - I waterproofed my boots as well. I wore them on a couple of days at port when I wasn't doing heavy walking as I don't think they are more comfortable to walk in than my tennis shoes. I was so happy to have them for kicking around on the boat especially!!

 

And I guess that my packing list does differ from people who have to fly since we were able to drive to our departure port so I wasn't concerned as much with weight. With that said, my husband and I only had one rolling suitcase each (and mine was the small size) and a backpack. I don't think we would have gone over the weight limit if we did have to fly though. I see lots of people saying they don't pack jeans because they're so heavy...but mine aren't heavy, and I would never go anywhere without jeans! (but that's just me! I don't think I own "slacks")

[alaskawdw12]

Today our 2 week trip to Alaska ended :( :( it was so amazing, words cannot express!! I'll write a whole review when we get back home.

 

What you pack REALLY depends on you. Being from near Tel Aviv,Israel, where the worst winter is 15 degrees Celsius, we were FREEZING!! We were fine in Fairbanks, but once we hit Denali and then for the rest of the trip we were wearing long underwear, shirt, 2 fleeces and a windbreaker/raincoat, scarf, gloves and a wool hat that covered our ears every day. We wore wool socks and water proof hiking shoes the whole time. I can tell you that we were definitely dressed more warmly than most ppl, others were fine in just a sweatshirt, some were even wearing sandals!!!!!!!!!!!! So my point is, I would never pack according to someone else's list.

 

In my opinion, water proof shoes are a must, so that no matter what the weather is you can have fun.

 

We used our rain pants in icey streight point, which ended up being the only place where it rained on us. we were very glad we brought them, since we had booked a whale watch through the ship. So there were 100 ppl onboard, but only a few of us stood out on deck, so it was fantastic! Water proof shoes, rain pants and water proof jacket - we were good to go :) a pod of 6 killer whales, puffins, 30 harbor seals getting into the water, a bald eagle couple with a baby in the nest and a hump back whale lunge feeding were what we got to see that day. Amazing. Have fun everybody!!

[WarmWaters]

Thank you for sharing your packing list. We were just on the Volendam and got back 3 days ago .. so the whole packing thing is still fresh in my memory.

 

I did find the packing lists on here very useful before we left as I was very nervous and unsure about what to pack.

 

What I brought and used were :

 

Little alarm clock to see the time at night

 

Warm fleecy earband to keep my ears and forehead warm

Soft long scarve to keep my neck and lower face warm

Thin knitted gloves - we spend a lot of time on the outer decks and the above came in very handy

 

Ball park cap - this one I saw from a previous packing list and my hubby used it often - he wears glasses and to have the ball cap on and the hoody over that kept the rain off this glasses.

 

Cheap $ 2 long poncho from the Dollarstore - I bought 2 identical ponchos and cut off the bottom part of one and sew it onto the 1st one to make a long waterproof poncho that kept my pants and my shoes dry. It was wonderful. I did not intend to buy another coat ,,so my idea of a waterfproof coat was the long thin plastic poncho.. it rains a lot up there and I saw several soaking wet " boat people" who looked very cold and uncomfortable. The poncho packes very easily in your day bag.

 

Also take 2 or so big white garbage bags that we use inside the kitchen.. when it stops raining and I had my wet poncho, I took it off ..folded it small and put it in the plastic bag. Not to wet the rest of my things in my bag on the days we were off the ship.

 

Another nice tip I got from here before we went, was to pack soft nice comfy exersize pants with an elastic waist band. I used the pair I packed a lot.

 

I have learned throughout all the cruises we have been on to pack a lot of pants with elastics... I did find that by day 3 my tighter fitting pants becomes uncomfortable. I now even have a very nice formal black dressy pant that has an elastic that I can wear with 2 different classy tops on the formal nights. Very comfortable.

 

What I brought but did not use was the insulated coffee mugs. On our ship they handed out pea soup in nice cups in Glacier Bay. I did not see people walking around with insulated cups either.

 

We also did not use the little blanket we brought with.. our ship had a lot of lovely warm smaller blankets out on the deck to use.

 

I also brought way too many jackets.. next time I will bring 1 pair of thin long underwear maybe.. on the Glacier Bay day 2 pairs of pants is a good idea if you want to be out for a long time on the bow of the ship perhaps, to wear one over the other.

 

Also hubby only brought 2 T shirts and its warm inside the ship ..so he ran out of T shirts.. next time I will pack at least 5 t shirts for him as your 1st layer should be comfy short sleeves.

 

On the Volendam on formal night the guys needed to wear a jacket..those who did not have a jacket could sign for a jacket at the entrance to the dining room to use it on that formal night..they did not care about ties.. but jackets were a big issue on this cruise.. 1st time I see that being enforced so stricktly in a long time.

 

I hope this helps !

[PalosPalos]

Our family of 14 (grandparents, children and grandchildren) just returned from the August 5th Oosterdam cruise to Alaska. I have been adicted to Cruise Critic for several years, and passed on all the reviews regarding what to pack for the cruise to my children.

 

My one daugther, who was in an interior cabin, was happy she brought an alarm clock.

 

Another daughter loved the over the door pocket holder - perfect for holding the walkies-talkies, brushes, combs, toiletries, etc.

 

I brought my insulated coffee cup, but never used it. I had enough coffee at meals and got special coffee at the Exploration Cafe.

 

Thank you to all who submitted their packing lists. It sure was helpful.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We are going to be in Vancouver for 2+ days before we board the Radiance. I was palnning on bring 2 pair of shorts. (the weather report says it will be in the 70s and sunny Aug 29-31) So--none of you took shorts?

[Countrygirl44]

We are going to be in Vancouver for 2+ days before we board the Radiance. I was palnning on bring 2 pair of shorts. (the weather report says it will be in the 70s and sunny Aug 29-31) So--none of you took shorts?

Where in Virginia do you live? We are in the mountains in Southwest Virginia...about fifteen minutes from the WV state line.

We were on the STAR Princess (July 29-August 05). Our sixth trip to Alaska and first to Tracy Arms. Weather overall was the worst we had in all the trips. It rained like pouring out of buckets in Ketchikan, plus cold and windy. Tracy Arms and Juneau were nice. Skagway was cold and windy as was the trip into the Yukon...but we still had a great time.Victoria was warm and sunny. A beautiful evening to go to the gardens.

 

No, I did not take shorts, but then again, I do not wear shorts at home. A little on the senior side plus ugly, ugly, ugly leg. I took capris and I did wear them. I also wore jeans. Long sleeve layered tees and long sleeve knit shirts. Did not wear any short sleeve shirts without the long sleeve tees except in Victoria. I just took a mid weight jacket.

 

Crew on ship talked about the wonderful weather the cruise before us. Said it had been the best of the season.

 

This was a spur of the moment cruise.:p Had not planned a cruise this year as we had some "costly home projects"....but I got this great e-mail for a balcony gty for $899.00 per person in late June. Thought about it several days and could hear Alaska calling my name.:rolleyes: Checked the airfare and it was not as good as last year, but with the cheap cruise, it was dooable.

We got two upgrades and ended up with the caribe aft balcony ....NICE!:)

 

Alaska clothing is soooo personal. A lots depends on the type of excursions you are taking. Also, how much time do you plan on being on the open deck. DH and I both have some health issues, so we spend the time mostly on our balcony....I know that does limit some of the views, but we still enjoy. We did take the small excursion boat through Tracy Arms and it was fantastic.:)

 

Happy Alaska cruises to all those that are going later this season and next. You know, we may just go back next year if a good deal comes by.:D

[sherryf]

Crew on ship talked about the wonderful weather the cruise before us. Said it had been the best of the season.

 

That's the week we were there! The weather was decent, even nice at times, but not the best I've experienced. We didn't have any rain, so that's a plus. If that was the "best of the season" then this really has been a bad season for weather!

 

I do always take shorts and I always wear them at least once. At the very least, sailaway from Seattle is usually sunny and warm (if you go July - August) and the first sea day and last day heading into Victoria can be nice. Of course, being from the Seattle area, I consider "shorts weather" to be anything over 60. :cool:

[DragonOfTheSeas]

CountryGirl--We are about 20 minutes from Charlottesville--in Louisa. I grew up in Fairfax and lived and worked in Fredericksburg--but, now I'm a country girl, too.

 

I was thinking Bermuda shorts. (No "Daisy Dukes" allowed on my old legs) LOL:eek::p:)

[WarmWaters]

I forgot to add that a light weight umbrella is nice to have when its pouring rain.. I did not pack one and yet the day in Ketchican when it was raining hard, I envied the people I saw with their umbrellas.

 

About shorts, I would say only pack them if you are going to use the gym a lot. Otherwise if space is a problem, dont pack them and rather go with lighweight cotton thin capri's. Those I wore in Vancouver and also on the ship 1st day up and last day down when it was warmer on the outside decks.

 

Remember to leave empty space in your bag when you leave home for the shopping you are going to do.. even me who is in general not a shopper, brought a few things back and on the way home, packing it all up again, was a real pain.

[Countrygirl44]

CountryGirl--We are about 20 minutes from Charlottesville--in Louisa. I grew up in Fairfax and lived and worked in Fredericksburg--but, now I'm a country girl, too.

 

I was thinking Bermuda shorts. (No "Daisy Dukes" allowed on my old legs) LOL:eek::p:)

Beautiful area...Walton's Mountain ...The Walton's was and is still one of my favorites. Love the reruns.

DH goes to UVA once a year for a check up. We go next month. Love the trip, so scenic, except if there is fog on Afton Mountain.

Not sure about the shorts. I think it would depend on the weather. I would say, pack them and see. Oh, I do agree about the umbrella. I have one of the large Totes umbrella that has made all the trips to Alaska with us.

Can't remember if you said or not...is this your first trip to Alaska? If it is, I am sure it will not be your last. It is by far, our favorite place to cruise. We like it better than the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, and the New England Coast/Canada. We thought about the NCL Hawaii cruise, but it would just be too port intensive for us.

We prefer the R/T Seattle as we can get direct flights to Seattle from Charlotte NC....where we have to drive to to fly!:mad:

[DragonOfTheSeas]

...is this your first trip to Alaska? If it is, I am sure it will not be your last. It is by far, our favorite place to cruise. We like it better than the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, and the New England Coast/Canada. :mad:

 

This is our first Alaska cruise. We have been to all of the same as you. The Panama Canal was our favorite.