Packing for an Alaskan Land Sea Cruise

[4Wegirls]

This will be our first cruise and we are doing the land portion first.  Land portion starts on June 20, 2019, with the cruise portion beginning June 23rd.  We are interested in tips for how to pack for both.  Will our luggage be with us for the land portion or will we have to leave some of it behind only to meet up with it again later?  What can we expect as far as weather?  There are many more questions but you get the idea. 

 

[RMLincoln]

I believe you will be asked if you have luggage that can go directly to the ship, so having a smaller suitcase just for the land portion is a good plan, along with your day pack per person with meds, valuables, water bottle, snacks.

Weather can be anything, but it is very good to have waterproof footwear!  Also very useful for comfort on my trips to Alaska: A waterproof hat with a brim to keep the rain out of your eyes; rain jacket/wind breaker sprayed with a water repellent; light gloves. A small vial/squeeze bottle of insect repellent can be a lifesaver.   A handkerchief or bandanna to wipe off camera outsides can come in handy.  Layers are best...  "No such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!"  Alaska is known for liquid sunshine!  And its stunning beauty!  

Edited March 22, 2019 by RMLincoln

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, 4Wegirls said:

This will be our first cruise and we are doing the land portion first.  Land portion starts on June 20, 2019, with the cruise portion beginning June 23rd.  We are interested in tips for how to pack for both.  Will our luggage be with us for the land portion or will we have to leave some of it behind only to meet up with it again later?  What can we expect as far as weather?  There are many more questions but you get the idea. 

 

Here is a link on the Holland America website that will explain any luggage issues:

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/manage-my-cruise-already-booked/faqs/Tour_Tips.pdf

[CATandSQUID]

5 hours ago, 4Wegirls said:

This will be our first cruise and we are doing the land portion first.  Land portion starts on June 20, 2019, with the cruise portion beginning June 23rd.  We are interested in tips for how to pack for both.  Will our luggage be with us for the land portion or will we have to leave some of it behind only to meet up with it again later?  What can we expect as far as weather?  There are many more questions but you get the idea. 

 

This is the best site for getting tips on your cruise!  I'm sure we'll overpack as usual. We will be on the same land/cruise tour.  There is a roll call for the cruise portion where you can join here: https://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcalls/westerdam-june-23-2019/

[wyobean]

We took packable rain gear, packable down coats and vests. All had their own bag and folded up quite small. We went the end of June into July and used all of those pieces. We also had some shirt sleeve days...be prepared...

[the2ofus]

This might seem silly to some folks, but if anyone in your group wears hearing aids, be sure to pack extra batteries in your day pack.  You might not expect that long travel times and long daylight once in Alaska would make a difference, but you might wear your hearing aids longer than on your average days back home.  I ran out while at Denali and nobody at the HAL resort or the local stores carried the size batteries I needed.  Fortunately a fellow traveller came to my rescue.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2019 by the2ofus

[lcand1923]

I am always cold, so I would suggest fleece gloves, hat and scarf for your land portion.  I needed them all in the early morning.  Layers/layers/layers are best.  I would find myself placing that early morning gear in the pockets of my rain jacket and going with shirtsleeves by mid-day and then putting everything back on in the evening!

[pmcubed]

We just did Alaska last July.  I had one big suitcase for the ship with a duffel bag inside and my day pack.  After the first night they asked if we wanted to send a suitcase ahead that would meet us on the ship.  I packed what I needed for the rest of the land portion in the duffel and kept that and sent the big suitcase on.  It made things a lot easier and lighter for the land portion.  Each night that we were in a new hotel - my duffel was there.  Once I got on the ship - my suitcase was there.  

 

Dress in layers.  I have a packable winter coat - which I did use on the ship when it was windy along with a winter cap and gloves.

Layers and rain gear (which we were lucky, we didn't need).  

 

And HAVE FUN!  Alaska and Denali National Park were AWESOME!

I would go again in a heartbeat!

 

PAt

[LRLLSL]

I called HAL today to clarify the luggage question on the land portion this May.  At first, Brenda didn't seem to know the answer.  I referred her to the Tour Tips document on HAL's website.  She thinks it only pertains to those going to the Yukon and said the way it is written in the Tour Tips is hard to understand.   We agree!  We are on the double Denali, no Yukon.  She said we could only take two small carry on bags (one for each traveler) with no wheels regardless of how small the bag is.  She said these two small bags would be the only ones allowed once we disembark to start the land tour.  She said the rest of our bags including any with wheels would be waiting for us at our Anchorage hotel on the last night.  Brenda said there would be porters available to help.   With shoulder and neck issues, I'm concerned about carrying even a small bag. 

[dundeene]

If you read all the paperwork (which this reps seems not to have done) you will see that the small day bag is the only bag that is available to you to access all day-everyday.  You are allowed a 2nd bag that is handled by porters (it rides under the bus or in a separate vehicle) you must place it outside your hotel room early each morning and is delivered to your next hotel each evening.

The "daybag" is usually a purse or small backpack. The other bag is likely a small roll-aboard.

[LRLLSL]

Dundeene,  Thanks for this information.   I hope you are correct.   The HAL rep said "Join Me Tonight" doesn't apply to Denali overnights, only to those going straight to Fairbanks or Anchorage.  The 2019 Journey Tips document states, "If you are traveling on any Denali Land+Sea, you will only have one piece of luggage throughout the land portion of your journey."

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, LRLLSL said:

Dundeene,  Thanks for this information.   I hope you are correct.   The HAL rep said "Join Me Tonight" doesn't apply to Denali overnights, only to those going straight to Fairbanks or Anchorage.  The 2019 Journey Tips document states, "If you are traveling on any Denali Land+Sea, you will only have one piece of luggage throughout the land portion of your journey."

 

The "Join Me Tonight" may be a regular-sized suitcase that will join you each night of the land portion.  That one piece may be a roller bag, if you wish.  My daypack is a camera backpack that meets the "underseat" size requirements.  The roller bag that I bring on my flight is the bag that I send to my final destination and is repacked once all of my luggage is available.

[dundeene]

7 hours ago, LRLLSL said:

Dundeene,  Thanks for this information.   I hope you are correct.   The HAL rep said "Join Me Tonight" doesn't apply to Denali overnights, only to those going straight to Fairbanks or Anchorage.  The 2019 Journey Tips document states, "If you are traveling on any Denali Land+Sea, you will only have one piece of luggage throughout the land portion of your journey."

Yes, you will only have one piece of "luggage".  Your "daybag" should not be luggage.  It is small and must fit under the seat in front of you on bus or train.  A purse is not luggage. You will not have access to your luggage until they bring it to your hotel. You will only have access to your "daybag".

[AJY64]

We are on this same cruise with the double Denali first as well. I have a question about luggage when we get to Vancouver. Our flight home isn’t until 10:30 p.m. What should we do with our suitcases during the day while we are exploring Vancouver?


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[martincath]

17 hours ago, AJY64 said:

We are on this same cruise with the double Denali first as well. I have a question about luggage when we get to Vancouver. Our flight home isn’t until 10:30 p.m. What should we do with our suitcases during the day while we are exploring Vancouver?

Either store it at the pier or have it send to the airport for you (both can be done at CDS the official pier luggage storage - $40 sees up to 4 bags sent to their YVR office for collection, and that stays open until after your flight so no worries about collecting it). Cheaper option for just storage is the Pan Pacific hotel directly above the pier, where bell staff will look after it for $5 a bag - but then you have to go back and schlep your bags to YVR, so the 'send the bags' service is pretty good value - and since SkyTrain is even easier without luggage, the whopping <$3pp compared to a cab for ~$35-40 immediately saves you a nice chunk of change.

 

I'd have an early dinner downtown - cheaper and way more options than at the airport - then head to YVR about 8pm, so you arrive about 8:30pm which is more than enough padding even for very nervous travelers. No preclearance on flights at that time so just check-in/Security to worry about, you will do your immigration & customs in your first US airport (so if you have a stop, make sure it's long enough to get all the paperwork done!)