Two Last Minute Questions

We are leaving on our first ever cruise next week. And it’s to Alaska! So excited. I have two questions I’ve not been able to find answers for...

1. Will we need rain pants? For our excursions, we’re going whale watching on a smaller boat (20 people), going out to an island and going on a floatplane. We have waterproof jackets and shoes.

2. Our embark time on the first day is 1pm. Will there be any place open to grab a late lunch? We’ll be on the Eurodam.

Any info is much appreciated!

We are leaving on our first ever cruise next week. And it’s to Alaska! So excited. I have two questions I’ve not been able to find answers for...

 

1. Will we need rain pants? For our excursions, we’re going whale watching on a smaller boat (20 people), going out to an island and going on a floatplane. We have waterproof jackets and shoes.

 

 

2. Our embark time on the first day is 1pm. Will there be any place open to grab a late lunch? We’ll be on the Eurodam.

 

 

Any info is much appreciated!

May not need waterproof pants, but helps to have ones that at least dry easily that you can wear over some sort of wind or thermal layer depending on what your weather forecast says that day. I find upper body warmth is where I need to put the emphasis, not necessarily on the legs. The rain is often quite gentle and intermittent. I like a longer rain coat over a shorter jacket myself, but even just an umbrella helps when the possible rains come. (and go).

Yes, you can find food after the main dining room closes mid-day in the Lido or the Lido deck snack areas. I also believe you can get room service on embarkation day, but not sure. They also now leave grab and go sandwiches out in the dessert area, between regular meal service times. Plus the salad bar and I believe the pasta station has extended hours that go beyond the normal Lido main station serving times.

Lido should be open.

Have a wonderful cruise. :)

I've never taken waterproof pants with me (don't own any) on my 4 Alaskan cruises. I find waterproof jackets to be too hot. Water resistant works better for me, and a poncho is lightweight plus allows for air circulation.

The Lido should be open for lunch when you board. Depends on how late a late lunch is.

Roz

Many people arrive around 10:30, go through security, check in and wait to be called.

As a rule boarding begins around 11:30. Cabins are ready at that time as well.

The dining room should be open from Noon until 1:30.

When determining what clothes to bring, I find reading the weather forecast for the ports that I am going to visit helps.

The Dive In on the Lido deck serves great burgers, hot dogs and fries!!!

The Dive In on the Lido deck serves great burgers, hot dogs and fries!!!

It's also less crowded outside by the pool. My "go to" first day lunch is a Dive-In Dog and an Amstel light. :beer-mug:

Roz

Thank you all so much!

I’m a teacher, so I’ve been too busy to think much about our cruise. Now that school is out I am getting so excited!

OP: first cruise and to Alaska! Perfect!

I wouldn't use up precious luggage space with waterproof pants. I can see the point about being on a small boat, but if the weather is so bad that you would actually need waterproof pants, they'll likely cancel the excursion.

Don't rely on weather forecasts too much: Alaska weather changes on a dime!

Enjoy your cruise to the Great Land. I hope you come back and do a review on this board. It is always good to hear the fresh views from newbies!

FWIW your Embarkation time of 1:00 PM is a "suggested" time and is never enforced. Actual boarding time has always started at 11:30 AM which means you can check in after 10:30 AM.

I lieu of rain pants, I bring an emergency poncho in my small backpack for excursions. I have yet to need it. Alaska excursion go in both rain or shine with the majority being in the rain since Alaska is in a temperate rain forest.

Lunch possibilities: Lido Market until 2:00 PM, NY Pizza on the aft Lido Deck 9, Dive-in by the indoor pool on Deck 9 (open all afternoon), and Lido Market Taco Station (open all afternoon).

If you have time, it might be worth spraying your shoes with water repellant. You can pick up cans at discount stores or on Amazon. We do this before traveling to Alaska, Norway, or anywhere else where rain might be experienced unexpectedly.

We've been to Alaska 3x and we've never needed rain pants. Do bring a weatherproof jacket. We usually go out on a smaller boat out of Sitka and you'll want something if you do that. If you splurge for a 'copter trip up to the glacier in Juneau (for example) despite being sunny and warm at the airport it will be cold once you're up on the glacier. We felt sorry for the kids from Florida who were on the glacier in shorts and flip-flops.

I guess I'm going to give a different answer to "do I need waterproof pants"

We went on a small whale watching tour in Sitka. It rained the whole time but we saw so many whales, otters, etc....that we wanted to be outside on the deck. I had warm jacket (not waterproof)...jeans (not waterproof) and all of us were freezing cold and wet by the end of the tour. We are going to Alaska again in August....and I'm going to take waterproof everything. It could make the difference in enjoying your tour and just enduring it....great though it was.

Dive In also has great grilled chicken sandwiches and a veggie burger. Also, Explorations Cafe has little tidbits that can tide you over.

When I was on Eurodam last month, lunch was served in the dining room but you have to arrive at their door before 1. I do recommend arriving at port at 10:30 so you can check in and board early. Also, do not miss the dualing pianos in the evenings. Such fun! Eurodam is a lovely ship with an excellent crew. Great choice for your cruise!!

This is my first cruise to Alaska and only my 3rd cruise period and I am taking a pair of waterproof pants because I will be outside every moment. If I can swing the money for an excursion to a glacier or a mush, I am going and would rather have them than freeze.

I way overpacked for the Caribbean cruises and learned from it. I will have my hiking boots and waterproof clothing even if I must wear the same few outfits more than once while onboard LOL I live in Florida and have been drenched more than once on what started out as a nice day. It's uncomfortable and can only imagine how much worse it would be in Alaska.

I guess I'm going to give a different answer to "do I need waterproof pants"

We went on a small whale watching tour in Sitka. It rained the whole time but we saw so many whales, otters, etc....that we wanted to be outside on the deck. I had warm jacket (not waterproof)...jeans (not waterproof) and all of us were freezing cold and wet by the end of the tour. We are going to Alaska again in August....and I'm going to take waterproof everything. It could make the difference in enjoying your tour and just enduring it....great though it was.

I will be on my first Alaska cruise in July. I bought waterproof pants for myself and husband. They will take up little to no room in luggage. I bought one size larger to be able to wear over jeans. They will easily fit in backpack if not needed while on excursions.

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Our first major cruise was to Alaska in 2016. I packed a couple of pairs of Eddie Bauer pants that aren't rainproof per se, but the water beads up and rolls off of them unless it's REALLY pouring. I don't know whether I'm allowed to link to them, but I call them my "magic pants" because they're great in sun or rain and you can roll them up if the weather is nice. They've been perfect in Alaska, Ireland, and Iceland, which are all locations where it might rain all day or for five minutes. I would have been too warm in waterproof pants over other pants, so I'd recommend something water resistant as opposed to waterproof.

Some of the best advice I read before our cruise was to board the ship as early as possible and explore. We got on the ship and walked every deck immediately, finding all the bars, restaurants, and amenities. It was invaluable during the cruise because we could say "hey, I'm going to swing by the Dive In and get a burger ... meet you on the back of the Lido deck?" and we both knew where were supposed to go. After exploring, we went to the back and grabbed NY Pizza and a drink and people watched. It was incredibly relaxing to be settled in and have a feel for our surroundings before most people had even boarded.

My last tip is to consider getting the unlimited laundry service. It will allow you to pack less, and to not worry as much if you get drenched on an excursion. It's the difference between an entire outfit being out of commission for the rest of the cruise, or it coming back to you fully laundered the next day!

Went to Alaska last September and wife and I brought Frogg Toggs rain paints - glad we did. Our day in Juneau was rainy and we were one of the few that stayed out on deck the whole time during our whale watching excursion - sorry that the others missed out on sites! We were also able to get a lot closer to Nugget Falls than most others when we stopped at Mendenhall Glacier.

In Sitka, we were able to walk around in some downpours as well.

Check the weather and decide if its worth bringing them - it was for us

Thank you, all!

Got some Frog Togs pants. Very light weight and easily fit in my day pack.

We've been to Alaska 3x and we've never needed rain pants. Do bring a weatherproof jacket. We usually go out on a smaller boat out of Sitka and you'll want something if you do that. If you splurge for a 'copter trip up to the glacier in Juneau (for example) despite being sunny and warm at the airport it will be cold once you're up on the glacier. We felt sorry for the kids from Florida who were on the glacier in shorts and flip-flops.

I have a question. Do you like doing a boat trip in Sitka in addition to one in Juneau? I am looking at excursion possibilities and wondering if one port is "better" than another. We would like to do at least one boat trip.

We saw so much wildlife on our boat tour from Sitka. Not sure about Juneau since we did the helicopter dog sledding glacier thing there.

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