Attire while on Star?????

[MomGo]

There are 21 of us, ranging in ages from 13 to 80 years, scheduled for the July 10 Star to Alaska. Is it comfortable enough on the Ship to wear shorts and a sweatshirt or light jacket during the day? The men and teenagers were planning on mostly shorts, and the women in capris. We have seen pictures of people in the ports wearing shorts and sweatshirts...will that be about right for mid-July? I assume closed toe shoes are best all around, no sandals on the ship (too cold maybe?). We are all from Las Vegas and surrounding areas so we have to get in the right travel packing mode. Finally, what about dinner? Long sleeves, short sleeves, no sleeves??? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

NCL Wind Hawaii - 2004

NCL Star Hawaii - 2003

NCL Norway Carribean - 2002

Carnival Jubilee Mexican Riviera - 1994

[SeattleCruiselover]

Take it from a refugee from Victorville--even if it is hot here by our standards (read anything over 70 degrees at peak heat), it will be somewhat cool on land compared to what you are used to (unless they have another freak heatwave like last July, when they had several days actually over 90 degrees), and likely VERY cool when you are underway with the winds generated by the ship alone, plus whatever environmental winds are about. Plan on layering. Bring shorts, because you may find times to wear them, but don't neglect long pants and sweaters or sweatshirts and light jackets/windbreakers/rain gear. Closed toes the order of the day for safety's sake alone. Ship dress code is "resort casual", which is to say no shorts in the public areas after 6 pm unless you are on the jogging tracks (and NEVER in the dining rooms after 6 pm), bathing suits covered up and not in the dining rooms at all, and slacks/polo or golf type shirts for the men; slacks or sundresses/dresses for the ladies at night. Formal night is totally optional, and most freestyle cruisers don't even do it anymore unless they want the formal portraits and/or just to dress up of an evening. You will enjoy, no matter what.

[katiel53]

We were on the Star 5/22-5/29 and coming from Florida, I nearly froze to death. Granted, it should be warmer in July, but I ended up buying a fleece jacket on the ship because even though I had on jeans and sweatshirts, I was still cold out on the balcony and on the decks. The inside of the ship was warm, and I worse summer type clothes inside for dinner. I would check the weather forecast for the time you are going and see what it says. You can get a 10 day forecast at weather.com. Alaska is a wonderful place to cruise and I know you will enjoy the Star and the cruise itself.

 

Katie

[littleboy]

On our first cruise to Alaska a few years ago my husband said it is summer in Alaska we don't need a coat wrong. It got very cold in July no one was swimming in the pools and he had to buy a coat at gift ship. The second time he had a coat but believe it or not it was very warm last summer and we did not need a coat most of the trip. I would bring a coat and if you don't need it oh well.

[waterfront]

We are is a group of 28 on Star July 10th, Glad to hear of more people aboard! our range is from 5 to 81. How are you handling excursions for those in your group?

[johnql]

To the OP, as others have pointed out, your best bet for dressing in Alaska is to think layers. A t-shirt, casual shirt (or sweatshirt), and a light jacket (preferably hooded and rainproof) is a good choice. I vote for hooded over trying to use an umbrella because it's one less thing to worry about carrying around; it frees your hands; and an umbrella can be cumbersome and can block your views as well as that of others. Shorts ondeck during the day might be okay, but I wouldn't count on it. It can get a little nippy, especially if the ship is in motion.

 

As for dinner, sometimes the AC in the dining rooms can be a little chilly. But that depends on the individual. I often see women taking a light sweater to the dining room just in case. I happen to love AC, so short-sleeves suit me fine, but I like it cool.

[brunolvr]

There are 21 of us, ranging in ages from 13 to 80 years, scheduled for the July 10 Star to Alaska. Is it comfortable enough on the Ship to wear shorts and a sweatshirt or light jacket during the day? The men and teenagers were planning on mostly shorts, and the women in capris. We have seen pictures of people in the ports wearing shorts and sweatshirts...will that be about right for mid-July? I assume closed toe shoes are best all around, no sandals on the ship (too cold maybe?). We are all from Las Vegas and surrounding areas so we have to get in the right travel packing mode. Finally, what about dinner? Long sleeves, short sleeves, no sleeves??? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

NCL Wind Hawaii - 2004

NCL Star Hawaii - 2003

NCL Norway Carribean - 2002

Carnival Jubilee Mexican Riviera - 1994

We found it to be much warmer in port than on the ship. Our 2 days at sea were extremely windy and temps in the low 50's. Also, it was very windy coming into Victoria.

 

I highly recommend a light windbreaker jacket which is also waterproof. Then have a fleece jacket that you can wear under it. That's what saved us. We were able to go out on deck and walk the promenade deck and view the sights in comfort. In Skagway and Juneau we didn't need our jackets (low 70's) but when we arrived in Ketchikan, it was raining the first couple of hours, then it cleared off.

 

Also, we found the Versailles dining room to be on the cool side and also the Stardust Theater was usually chilly.

[cruisequeen10]

Take a pair of mittens and a scarf. It can be chilly in ports and also when in the Glacier areas.

[MomGo]

We are is a group of 28 on Star July 10th, Glad to hear of more people aboard! our range is from 5 to 81. How are you handling excursions for those in your group?

 

Thanks everyone for your input. That helps alot. Waterfront - we are a family of four and booked our cruise last summer while on our Hawaiian cruise. We talked 2 friends of ours into going since the wife's parents really wanted to do this cruise along with their whole family, then they talked their family into going, then their family into going, inlaws, etc. So it's mostly their group, not ours. I've done all the research on the ship to email them (we were on the Star 2 years ago and LOVED it!!!) and also on the ports through these message boards. We have prerequested bookings for Whale Watching and White Pass Railroad since the tour companies off the ship are only about $10 more and the times are not as accommodating for our schedule...going to see what tours are offered off the ship in the other two ports. One post stated they took a tour to Totem Bight and Saxman Village for $49.00...although NCL doesn't offer those 2 together....separately very expensive. Our friends are very laid back and we don't know if they will utilize the entire time in port for everything they can see or just get off the ship when they feel like it. They are also normally pretty late to everything we do together, so we opted to do our own thing...if they happen to do the same...fine...if not, no big deal, and they feel the same way (they know we want to see all we can and plan to get off the ship as soon as we can). I just email them everything we are planning in case they want to do the same thing. We know what we want to see and do and are planning on not missing anything so I don't want to wait for them to decide. Never know when we'll get back to Alaska again. Good luck with your group tours. Two weeks and counting...can't wait.

[Billymac]

We are also on the Star for the July 10 cruise. We simply love Alaska. This will be our fifth Alaska Cruise. We have been to Sawyer Glacier 3 times and this will be our second to Glacier Bay. We have been pretty lucky with the weather only having a little rain in Juneau last year. We found that jeans are pretty much the order of the day until dinner. Last year on the Spirit they were pretty strict about the no jeans after 5.00 P.M. rule. All in all the weather is a crap shoot. You never know what you will get. In July 2001 it was 75 degrees in Skagway and Haines. In 2002 it was 80 degrees in Ketchikan (and no rain). In 2003 it was 85 degrees in Wrangell. Last year it was 85 degrees in Prince Rupert. The other days on these cruises were all in the upper 50's to mid 60's. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason. We always bring a couple of sweaters and a spring/fall jacket. When you are in front of a glacier it gets colder, much the same as when you are cruising. Alaska is absolutely beautiful. I guess that's why we like it so much. As far as tours go, in Juneau you will pay $45.00 to go to Mendenhall Glacier. Buy it in port for $5.00 each way. Many other bargains as well. We wait to see what the weather is like before we pick an excursion. Last year we took a bus almost to the Canadian border and back. We stopped at Bridal Veil falls and drank the water. Cold and Pure!!

 

 

Anything else I can help you with let me know.

[MomGo]

Have you ever booked Whale Watching in Juneau or the White Pass Railroad in Skagway? Everything else I saw indicated there wasn't much difference in price on or off the Ship for some strange reason. Ketchikan seemed a little different with prices...that's why we opted to not schedule an excursion until we get off the Ship.

[Star Boyz]

Have you ever booked Whale Watching in Juneau or the White Pass Railroad in Skagway? Everything else I saw indicated there wasn't much difference in price on or off the Ship for some strange reason. Ketchikan seemed a little different with prices...that's why we opted to not schedule an excursion until we get off the Ship.

 

I can HIGHLY recommend the Evening Whale Watching Quest in Juneau! Great food, wonderful boat(s) (all named after Russian Orthodox Saints), and the views.............WOW!!!!:)

[Billymac]

You won't save much on the train ride. If you go, sit on the left hand side of the train. Pictures are easier going up than coming down. Also, there are platforms between cars. You are allowed to stand on them and they are big enough for 2 people. Grab one ASAP for a better view for pictures. Views are awesome. We have not done the whale watching.

[Happy ks]

Check out the weather on www.weather.com a couple of days before leaving. You may need both long pants and shorts, walking shoes and sandals. The same with shirts, take long sleeved and short. Light layers are best, weather can change throughout the day and a lightweight raincoat is almost always a neccesity sometime during the week. You will need to dress warmly on the day you are cruising the glacier, really the only cold day we had all week. Don't forget your bathing suits! While it may not be warm enough to swim, some ships have indoor pools and spas, saunas, you don't want to miss those. My kids didn't take their bathing suits, but the wished they had had them for our days before and after the cruise, the hotel had an indoor pool.

 

If your packing becomes too much, cut down on the number of long pants and have them laundered during the week, ditto for shirts. Packing for a family of 4 was a terrific challenge for me. Now that I have done it, I would advise the above tip (laundry service) and only take one pair of comfortable walking shoes with a closed toe. We each took 2 pair, they weigh a lot and take up a lot of room, we only wore 1 pair each all week. We each took 3 pair of jeans, I would cut it back to 2. I wished I had more short sleeved shirts and really missed my sandals. Cut back and only take the necessities, leaving all the extras at home. I also did not take shorts, only capri length pants and I wished a couple of times that I had a pair along.

 

Hope this helps a bit and does not confuse you even more!

[MomGo]

All of your replies have helped me to pack exactly what I need. We are staying in Gig Harbor for a week after the cruise, so I have to think about packing for that also. I think I have it down and we should all be able to pack in one big roller suitcase each. Thanks again.