Alaska: If Not Jeans Then What?

[Mysteryreader]

I have seen multiple postings about how jeans are a major faux pas on a cruise. We're going to Alaska in mid-Aug. As I understand it, it can get pretty chilly. I don't want to pack cords or wool flannel slacks b/c they're even bulkier than jeans, and I'll be spending months and months and months in them soon enough--I don't need to anticipate. What do others wear?

 

M/R

[trish1c]

I thought they were only a faux pas at dinner in the dining room. Most of the posts deal with the carribbean where IMHO it's too hot to wear jeans anyway. I don't see why you couldn't wear jeans on the excursions. Like you said -- it's cold!

 

Trish

[Katie100]

Jeans and Dockers are fine in Alaska.

 

August 2001 Westerdam Alaska

October 2002 Enchantment of the Seas Eastern Caribbean

[Truffle]

Jeans are great for excursions, especially active excursions. However, we did not find the temps to be "freezing." There were several days when we took a sweater or light jacket with us on excursions and didn't even need them. I wore some nicer outfits, like light weight wool pants and nice tops (Ralph Lauren-type styles) on the days we were cruising Glacier Bay (needed a jacket this day!) and the one day we did more of a town tour rather than a more active excursion. You never know about the weather in Alaska, so it's best to be prepared and layer.

 

We have always sailed Celebrity in Alaska, and in the evenings people still really dressed up. I have seen several posts in which people suggest that things are more casual in Alaska for evening, but we have never found this to be the case. On casual nights people still wore very nice outfits.

[marvholly]

I used warm-up suits I could layer with a t shirt or blouse, sweater and windbreaker if needed. Never wore the sweaters, seldom wore the windbreaker.

 

Holly

 

M/S Boheme 11/69

Rhapsody 2/77?

Azure Sea 3/89

Panama Canal 11/90

Mexican Riviera 3/98

Carnival Triumph 12/99

Carnival Spirit 12/01

NCL Dream 11/17/02

Celebrity Mercury 6/1/03

carnival Victory 3/28/04

 

[rag doll]

Jeans are fine for your daytime excursions. Khakis and other cotton pants are also fine.

 

Make sure to layer your tops. I used short sleeve t-shirts and sweaters. Also take a jacket. I didn't take a heavy winter coat, just a jacket that would fit over my layering articles. I did take a pair of gloves, though and found them useful.

 

Have a great time in Alaska!

[Solo Cruiser]

I saw plenty of people with jeans on in the daytime on my Alaska cruise. For me though, jeans just aren't comfortable so on the ship I wore some pretty nice cotton knit pants and I wore sweats on excursions.

 

Layering is important for both the top and the bottom. I swear by my Land's End Silk Long Undies. For glacier viewing from the deck or any excursions that take you into the colder areas the silk long sleeved shirt and pants to match under a sweatsuit was fine. In Tracey Arm I had to throw my waterproof jacket on over top them but I was comfy while others were shivering.

 

Both cotton knit pants and sweat pants are less heavy to pack, quicker and easier to wash and dry and just plain more "forgiving" on me than jeans.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Sandy

 

Grand, 2/8/04

Star, 8/30/03

[pattigay]

Jeans are fine for excursions if you are comfortable in them. I wore khakis and my Lands End cashmere sweaters (I'm usually cold and have them in about a gazillion colores because they are my uniform here in Seattle from early fall through most of the spring.) It was cold on glacier tour and on deck the day the ship was doing the glacier but other than that, nless it was raining didn't have to wear a jacket of any kind. I agree about the silk undies - they only weigh an ounce or two and are great for layering under a sweatshirt or sweater.

[imlulu]

Wear the jeans.

 

No longer cruiseless...donations still accepted! Miracle 2/2005

 

Last cruise

Sensation 2/17/03

[BethCarp]

Jeans are fine. I wore them most of the time. In July it was actually warm enough at times to wear shorts, but I had only bought one pair. We were on Royal Caribbean. Perhaps a line like Celebrity or Holland America might "frown" upon jeans on board. But, for shore excursions, jeans are fine.

 

Beth

 

Radiance 7/03

[Mysteryreader]

LOL about the silk undies. I worked in a bldg where the temps were kept very chilly, and I was on the north side of the bldg so it was even worse there on cold days. I decided to order some silk undies to wear under my sweaters and slacks.

 

I'm 5'3" so I wear petite sizes, but I'm not ultra-short. When the undies arrived they were long enough for a six-footer. The crotch in the bottoms were halfway down my thighs unless I pulled the waist up to my diaphragm. The sleeves were long enough to completely cover my hands.

 

I was desperate: style wasn't my goal, warmth was so I decided to make do. I rolled the waistline; the legs had stretch cuffs so even though they ballooned around my waist at least I wasn't tripping over them. But no matter how many times I rolled the sleeves by the end of the day they'd unroll and be peaking out beneath my shirt/sweater sleeve.

 

Yes, I was warmer, but I was so glad to be reassigned to another location the next yr. Remember your mom's advice to wear nice underwear in case you're in an accident? I was an embarrassment waiting to happen!

 

M/R

[mnwildfan2]

This will be a little bit off-topic, but close enough to not start another thread. My husband is going on a glacier/dogsled excursion and I'm wondering what to pack for him. He tends to stay very warm. We live in Minnesota and he usually doesn't put a winter weight jacket on until it is at freezing. Anyway, I was planning for that day to pack jeans, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and windbreaker/rain jacket (no lining) for him. Will he be warm enough in this or do I need to pack a lined jacket? Also, on the glacier will he be able to wear his favorite tennis shoes or do I need to convince him that hiking boots will be much warmer/drier. I'm not sure how wet he should expect his feet to get.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

Jen

 

1st Cruise on Celebrity Mercury - Alaska 6/4/2004

[natalunia]

I believe the glacier dogsled excursions provide boots and some outerwear for that... I'd check on that. The less to pack, the better.

 

Natalie

 

Superstar Leo to Alaska 5/22/04

http://community.webshots.com/user/natalunia

[momofmeg]

Jeans are fine for excursions just not right for dinner in the main dinningroom. Also good to pack like a running suit in that waterproof type material if your ships goes in the glaciers.

 

You will find the glaciers are much colder then the ports because of a strong constant windy mist there. If you are wearing something waterproof you will not get near as cold as that mist keeps hitting you-you definetly don't want to be wearing any wet jeans then for sure.

 

Carnival Tropicale 10/15/98

Sovereign of the Seas 11/22/99

Carnival Fascination 09/23/00

HAL Statendam 05/20/01

Sovereign of the Seas 11/08/01

Pacific Princess 09/29/02

Carnival Inspiration 12/14/03

Carnival Miracle 04/09/04

[amarvel]

I have cruised to Alaska twice and both times I wore my jeans quite often, in fact I think I wore them everyday, just didn't wear them to dinner. And as I remember everyone wore jeans, it was pretty chilly there and I wanted more than just slacks on my legs.

 

Oceanic 1990

Jubilee 1997

Elation 1999

Sky 2000

Sky 2001

Inspiration 2004

 

Carnival Inspiration Cruise