Alaska in June - packing tips...

[TxSandMom]

I can't seem to wrap my mind around cruising in cool weather.

 

Are long pants / jeans what I'll get the most use out of considering we're cruising to AL in June? Should we even forego our swimsuits?

 

We hope to kayak one day; jeans then, too?

[PathfinderEss]

Jeans are fine on an Alaskan cruise, I probably wouldn't bring a bathing suit but then thats just me. It will probably be cool and rainy.

[RandyinDEN]

We just got back from a week on the Big O on Sunday. You might want to bring lots of rain gear, layers and then more layers.

[RuthC]

Layering is the order of the day in Alaska. Be prepared for some warm, to very warm, weather. But also be prepared for cold rain.

Jeans get wet in the liquid sunshine, and take a long time to dry; for this reason, slacks may be a better choice. You shouldn't need shorts.

Swimsuits can be used in the ship's pool, and especially in the hot tubs. It's a real kick to be in the pool or the hot tub as you look out to sail by a glacier.

Besides, you'll need a swimsuit for the Arctic Swim event. :D

[Keith1010]

The key is to layer as the weather can change from hot to cloudy to cool to rainy and to windy not only from day to day but even over the course of the same day.

 

Keith

[TxSandMom]

These are all very helpful tips for me. I will leave the shorts at home.

 

Rain gear - need to get some of that.

 

How cold will it be???

[VirginiaTripster]

Last week a warm day was 59 Fahrenheit, but when the wind kicks up it feels much cooler. Proper layering for those days was a long sleeve T-shirt, a sweater, a fleece vest, followed by a rain proof wind breaker and a hat or ear muffs.

[Markanddonna]

Once again, I packed 20% too much. I have been in Alaska where the weather was almost 80 but last week (early June) was a rather rainy and sometimes cold and windy place. The essentials are a rain slicker (hopefully with a hood), a tight fitting hat, gloves, waterproofed shoes (I did my athletic shoes with a spray), warm socks (like smart wool), a hoody sweatshirt and maybe even tights or cuddleduds (good luck trying to find them in June). An umbrella was essential for most ports.

 

Consider if you will need a bathing suit. I never needed it when I went on ships that didn't have a retractable roof. We were on the Westerdam this time and I probably still didn't need it because the pool was pretty much taken over by children (not bitter, just don't want to be in a splashpool). The "adult" pool wasn't really and it was outside (brr). I did go in the hot tubs because I brought my suit and darn! I was going to use it!

 

Remember that most ships have a pretty good deals on laundry and you can usually get a bag done for about $20 and they have it back to you the next day. I could have done it with two pairs of pants for excursions. My best choices were jeans and a pair of corduroy jeans.

 

It is unlikely you will ever need shorts or capris. Bring exercise clothing for the gym!

[Krazy Kruizers]

No matter when we cruise Alaska -- we always bring clothes to dress in layers.

We do not bother with swim suites as we do not use the pools no matter where we are cruising. The Lido pool is covered and you will see people sitting there and using the pool. That is up to you if you want to take them.

But we do take a pair of bermudas each -- and usually do get to wear them at least 1 day in port.

Slacks are what we wear most of the time.

[sail7seas]

We had exceptional weather in June last year. I think our sail date was about June 10 and we had little rain but had days I wore only a 3/4 sleeve jersey and slacks. Didn't even need a hoodie or jacket. We even had mostly beautiful weather all our stay in Seattle.

 

We were so lucky but we came prepared with layers andrain jackets w/ hoods etc

 

[jer_l]

As others have said, the key is layers. Jeans take up a lot of room and once wet they tend to stay wet so they may not be the best choice. We will be taking our 10th cruise to Alaska this summer and we've seen 80's in May and 50's in the summer and everything in between. The weather can vary a lot from week to week and even during the week you are there.

 

I take thermal underwear--tops and bottoms in case its really cold. They come in especially handy when outside viewing glaciers in the morning. I will also take a couple of pairs of lightweight cargo pants with legs that zip off. They are easier to pack than regular cargo pants and you have instant shorts for those port days when the weather gets warm. I also take a lightweight water resistant jacket which is usually warm enough when I wear the thermal shirt with a second shirt or sweater over it. I also take disposable rain ponchos from the dollar store (think garbage bag with a hood). They are in a package that is about 2"x3"x1/2" which easily fits into a pocket or back pack. Also, good walking/hiking shoes and warm socks are important. I would take a swimming suit in case you want to use the jacuzzi--on cooler and rainy days HAL ships usually close the roof over the pool.

[dan1618]

I can't seem to wrap my mind around cruising in cool weather.

 

Are long pants / jeans what I'll get the most use out of considering we're cruising to AL in June? Should we even forego our swimsuits?

 

We hope to kayak one day; jeans then, too?

 

We just got back from Alaska in May. (We've done Alaska twice in May, but never in June.)

 

While we were there, the temperature on our port day in Juneau was 52 degrees, Skagway was about 60 degrees, and Ketchikan was 58 the day we were there. Light breezes all three days. For excursions out on the water, we wore cool weather rain jackets (light lining, not heavy -- just a little more than a windbreaker.) In town, I wore jeans and long sleeve button down shirt, one son wore a light jacket, the other just a polo shirt. My wife, who is coldblooded :) went with heavier fare, but layered, so she could drop layers if she got too warm.

 

For days like Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm, we also made sure we had gloves. Those days, it was probably low 40s out on the deck.

 

Layers are the key, but remember -- you are going to Alaska, not the Arctic. :) The only reason you will need a swimsuit, though, is if you plan to take advantage of the pool or the thermal suites. HAL kept reminding us the Lido pool temp was 81 degrees -- but with the air at 50 degrees, we still weren't going in.

 

The thermal suites are nice. We did them two years ago, skipped it this time around.

[startwin]

These are all very helpful tips for me. I will leave the shorts at home.

 

Rain gear - need to get some of that.

 

How cold will it be???

 

Take shorts, they won't take up much room. Trust me, you just might need them.:)