What to pack?

[purplemusik]

If you told me today to pack for a Caribbean cruise and to be ready within 5 minutes, I'd be able to without forgetting a single thing.

 

Now, packing for Alaska is on a totally different page then what I'm used to so I just thought I'd throw this out there for things I might not think to pack. I know the obvious - jeans, socks, shoes but any details I might not think of?

[Peachypooh]

Most of these things you probably thought of already but here is a short list of some of what I packed for a late aug. cruise:

Waterproof flannel lined rain jacket with hood

Lighter weight rain jacket with hood

binoculars

hat, scarf, gloves

2 pairs of sneakers

first aid kit

lots of one dollar bills and five dollar bills for tips

some Canadian currency for a stop in Victoria (dollars are

accepted but it made it a bit easier)

pre-packaged snacks like granola bars

[Italy52]

Layer your clothing so you can adjust according to the temps.

Waterproofed jacket with hood

Waterproofed shoes

Smart Wool socks to keep your feet warm (include liners if necessary)

Gloves to keep your hands warm during water excursions/glacier viewing

Sunscreen for wind burn and sun

Sun glasses

 

Layers don't have to be bulky; there are a lot of nice thin base layers available.

Don't over pack; you can wear something a couple of times during your trip no one will notice.

[purplemusik]

Layer your clothing so you can adjust according to the temps.

Waterproofed jacket with hood

Waterproofed shoes

Smart Wool socks to keep your feet warm (include liners if necessary)

Gloves to keep your hands warm during water excursions/glacier viewing

Sunscreen for wind burn and sun

Sun glasses

 

Layers don't have to be bulky; there are a lot of nice thin base layers available.

Don't over pack; you can wear something a couple of times during your trip no one will notice.

 

That's what we normally do- might wear the same jeans twice or something but I wasn't sure if the weather would be rainy , if they'd get muddy or dirty?

[Italy52]

That's what we normally do- might wear the same jeans twice or something but I wasn't sure if the weather would be rainy , if they'd get muddy or dirty?

 

Because weather in Alaska is unpredictable, we always have a backup plan. With regard to the jeans and weather, forgot to mention that we also take a pair of light weight wind/rain pants to protect our clothes from the weather. If it is raining before we leave the ship, we put them on. If not, we carry the pants with us in our backpack (they fold up neatly into a little pouch) in case we need them while we are out and about.

[Crew News]

I always pack a pair of lightweight thermal underwear (available at REI) for those high speed whale watching boats, Glacier Bay, and just sitting on my verandah while the ship is moving.

 

If the temps or wind chill are in the mid 50's or below, they are my base layer for Alaska.

[purplemusik]

I love the idea of the thermal underwear. Especially for my daughter who doesn't like to feel that many layers. lol

[tlcoke]

My trip, most days I wore a basic technical (moisture wicking) t-shirt. I had a couple of long sleeve t-shirts with me also. Since I was on a northbound cruise, I planned to and bought a heavier jacket ($20) and sweatshirt in Ketchikan ($8). I only used the heavier jacket on Hubbard Glacier day, then mailed it home from Anchorage. I used the sweatshirt off and on the entire trip. It was never cold enough that I had to use the second layer under my jeans that i had with me.

 

The one item I wished I had was waterproof pants for the one day we experienced heavy rain to go with the Eddie Bauer rain jacket I had with me.

[Giantfan13]

A lot depends on what you are looking to do while in Alaska and what part of the country you might be from.

 

the latter means if you are from a warm weather climate, you might feel the chill a bit more than others from a cooler climate and need to dress more appropriately for that Alaskan climate.

 

You definitely need to waterproof stuff. Personally, I forgo the expensive brand name jackets unless you will use them at home, go with a normal windbreaker and substitute a $1 plastic poncho you can simply throw away after you use it.

 

If your planned excursions include anything glacier, you will need warmer clothes, like gloves and a hat (and maybe those thermals), but if you are going wandering about in town, gloves and hat will be useless. We brought them our first time, never used them, and didn't miss them the second time.

 

As we have said so many times, dress in light weight layers. I would add a nice hoodie though. Can be worn while cruising or in town if the weather does get cool. (buy one in Alaska and you have a great souvenir)

 

Cheers

 

Len

[AryMay]

I am not usually a "ball cap" kind of person, but having a hat with a bill came in handy to wear under the hood of my waterproof jacket when it was raining. Here is a photo of my husband with his hat on taken in Juneau. It rained ALL day long and it was so nice to have the extra protection for our faces.

 

[purplemusik]

A lot depends on what you are looking to do while in Alaska and what part of the country you might be from.

 

the latter means if you are from a warm weather climate, you might feel the chill a bit more than others from a cooler climate and need to dress more appropriately for that Alaskan climate.

 

You definitely need to waterproof stuff. Personally, I forgo the expensive brand name jackets unless you will use them at home, go with a normal windbreaker and substitute a $1 plastic poncho you can simply throw away after you use it.

 

If your planned excursions include anything glacier, you will need warmer clothes, like gloves and a hat (and maybe those thermals), but if you are going wandering about in town, gloves and hat will be useless. We brought them our first time, never used them, and didn't miss them the second time.

 

As we have said so many times, dress in light weight layers. I would add a nice hoodie though. Can be worn while cruising or in town if the weather does get cool. (buy one in Alaska and you have a great souvenir)

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

I'm from Florida so I might get a little more chilled then the normal person :)

[Giantfan13]

I'm from Florida so I might get a little more chilled then the normal person :)

 

You might.

 

We just came back from a Caribbean cruise, leaving from Miami. Being from NY, I though we get hot weather, but I just don't see how people survive in that hot humid weather? of Florida? Your body adapts, so you, being from Florida, won't feel all that heat as others might. So visa versa for Alaska.

Personally, we love the cool, cold weather and I rarely wear a heavy coat unless the weather is nasty.

 

It is all relevant. :D:D:D

 

Cheers

 

Len

[karrie020852]

I am not usually a "ball cap" kind of person, but having a hat with a bill came in handy to wear under the hood of my waterproof jacket when it was raining. Here is a photo of my husband with his hat on taken in Juneau. It rained ALL day long and it was so nice to have the extra protection for our faces.

 

I don't usually wear a ball cap either, but I also had one and it came in handy when it was raining. I wear glasses and it kept the rain off my glasses. Glad I took it!

[sherryf]

I don't usually wear a ball cap either, but I also had one and it came in handy when it was raining. I wear glasses and it kept the rain off my glasses. Glad I took it!

 

I agree, and I always make sure to bring a baseball cap. If you don't have one you like, you can usually buy them really cheap in port, sometimes less than $5.

 

OTOH, just the thought of wearing long underwear makes me sweat! :eek:

[Ginnyfyr]

We bought waterproofing spray in the camping section at Walmart and used that on our sneakers (we brought 2 pairs each just to be safe). Didn't have any problems at all with wet feet, even when we hiked to Nugget Falls in Juneau on a rainy day! That was $10 well spent. Definitely recommend waterproofing your sneakers. Bring some sunscreen, too. It may sound like an odd thing to pack, but we've cruised to Alaska twice now (May 2013 & again just last week) and on both trips, we got sun-kissed enough on water excursions (whale watching the first time & Zodiac boating the second time) that we peeled a little bit later in the week! Sunshine reflecting off the water can give you a nice little burn - only takes you a few seconds to spray or rub in some lotion before heading out!

[purplemusik]

We bought waterproofing spray in the camping section at Walmart and used that on our sneakers (we brought 2 pairs each just to be safe). Didn't have any problems at all with wet feet, even when we hiked to Nugget Falls in Juneau on a rainy day! That was $10 well spent. Definitely recommend waterproofing your sneakers. Bring some sunscreen, too. It may sound like an odd thing to pack, but we've cruised to Alaska twice now (May 2013 & again just last week) and on both trips, we got sun-kissed enough on water excursions (whale watching the first time & Zodiac boating the second time) that we peeled a little bit later in the week! Sunshine reflecting off the water can give you a nice little burn - only takes you a few seconds to spray or rub in some lotion before heading out!

 

NIIIICE ideas, thanks!