Packing for first Alaska cruise

[Kyislandgirl]

Packing for cruise June 28 crown princess

Packing for alaskan cruise no idea!!! How cool is it in evening on ship? Is dressing for dinner more casual then on Caribbean cruises? I read somewhere people dress c more causal except for formal(dressy) nite ...... Any suggestions .HELP leaving Sunday 😳😁thanks

[kitty9]

I've been on three Alaska cruises and didn't see a difference in dress on board the ship.

 

As for temps on the ship, it's doesn't vary because it's in Alaska. They keep the temps inside the ship the same.

 

Bring a light jacket for shore excursions and maybe even rain wear. It can be rainy and cool especially on some tours. Also good, sturdy walking shoes are necessary for tours. Sandals might not be a good idea off the ship on tours that involve water like on boat tours for whalewatching.

[ggo85]

Alaska's "summer" weather can be unpredictable. When we visited, in some ports it was 75 and sunny and in others (think Ketchikan) it was closer to 65 and rainy. We have relatives in AK -- some years, it never gets much above 60 and other years there are many days over 80 degrees. It can also be colder in the morning (or evening) and quite pleasant during the day.

 

It's been said over and over but is worth repeating . . . for days in port, dress in layers: khakis (or equivalent), tank/short-sleeved top, long-sleeved shirt, light sweater, light rain jacket. As (or if) it warms up, you can start peeling off the layers.

 

Ship attire is largely the same as any other destination. However, while the ship's interior temperature is the same in AK as in the Caribbean, I think you'll find far fewer sundresses, flip flops, and similar attire -- something about the outdoors tends to make people dress a bit warmer indoors. That said, it's not as if people are wearing wool sweaters!

 

For those traveling in "shoulder season" (May, August, and September), it can be much colder than you expect. For example, mid-August is considered "late fall" in many parts of AK. So you will want to bring slightly warmer clothes (keeping layers in mind) during those months.

Edited June 21, 2014 by ggo85

[Cruisin' Chick]

I definite echo the "layers, layers, layers." It probably won't be freezing, but it will probably be rainy (Ketchikan can be very wet) and any excursions would mean casual (jeans, flannel shirt) type of wear. If you're just touring the towns, there won't be any need to dress up, either.

 

Our cruise on the Sapphire Princess was ten years ago so I can't speak to any dressing trends right now, but it seemed most of the passengers did dress up on the formal nights on our cruise. The interior of the ship will be like any other -- the AC runs so keep that in mind.

 

The one thing about the Crown now doing the Alaskan cruises (it only moved over to the Pacific this year) is that it doesn't have the retractable roof over of the pools, unless Princess did a quick retrofitting that I haven't heard of. So you might not get any swimming in as you would on other Princess ships on this itinerary.

[Keith1010]

Inside the ship you will find the dress very similar to what you find on the caribbean.

 

Of course outside the ship on the open deck as well as in port it is quite different and what is key is to layer your clothing as weather is unpredictable. It can be sunny, warm, overcast, windy, rainy, cold or a combination of all of these.

 

A place to get a lot of good information about Alaska is the Alaska Ports Of Call Board.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

The key for Alaska with its unpredictable weather -- dress in layers. We take gortex jackets that have zippered linings and is water proof. Water proof shoes, small portable umbrellas.

On the ship -- dress like you do in the Caribbean -- ships keep their temperatures the same no matter where they are.

[JimAOk1945]

It's best to be prepared. We took light windbreakers and were fine in the Hubbard Glacier area even though it was quite cool. In some places, like Ketchikan, you may encounter rain since it is located in a rainforest. Last time we were there it was sunny and very warm, but the previous time it poured all day.

 

The weather is unpredictable at best. But, it's still an amazing experience!

[onefine89]

Agree with all previous posts.............we were there in July/August 2012 on a 14-day "Voyage of the Glaciers" cruise and the temps didn't get above the mid-60s and we were quite cold when visiting College Fjord as the sun was hidden in the mountain-side shadows............but we're from Arizona and anything below 90 degrees is cold to us:eek:

[CPT Trips]

If you cruise any of the glacier fjords, you will appreciate light mittens or gloves and a knit cap. I also pack a waterproof/windproof outer jacket. Don't forget to use sunblock on your face and other exposed areas.

[Treven]

When I was in Alaska I was fine with (during the day) long silk underwear, jeans, sweater, insulated jacket, knit cap & gloves. However going into Tracy Arm Fjord, I froze my butt off! I really could have used my ski jacket.

When I go back next year I'll hit Glacier Bay so I'll probably bring my ski jacket just for that one day; plus the long silks, etc. that I wore before for everywhere else.

Someone on another thread on the same subject said to dress like an onion; lots of layers.

Edited June 21, 2014 by Treven

[Fergus]

We found Alaska to be a bit more casual than Caribbean cruising. I wore capris on board, but with tennis shoes rather than flip flops and was very comfortable. As others have said.........LAYERS! And bring a pair of knit gloves for the day at the glacier. And rain gear is a must, especially on land. The weather changes quickly and showers are frequent (very much like the Caribbean!)

[flamomo]

Waterproof footwear is NOT necessary unless you are planning to be tromping about in the boonies.

We simply treated our sneakers with a water repellant spray called "Camp Dry" that we purchased at WalMart. 2 coats of this invisible product, and our shoes and socks stayed dry while walking in constant drizzly rain.

[Mrs.Gosse]

I am having a dilema with this too. We are sailing Sept 6th. Someone told us that they have gone 3 times in Sept and it was in the 60's and really pretty nice every time. 60 is actually a pretty hard temp to pack for in my opinion. I am bringing some thermals to wear under short sleeve shirts but the few long sleeve shirts I have are thin and don't do much on their own but also will not accommodate a thermal under it.

 

My new problem is that I was going to take my athletic shoes that I work out in every day as my excursion shoes but if they could get that wet, I guess that would not be a good idea. I really do not have any closed, non mesh shoes and don't have a large need for them at home so I don't really want to spend any money.