Packing is always complicated…and packing for an Alaskan cruise can be even more challenging. Here are a few tips to make sure you have everything you need for your trip!
Average Weather
Summer in Alaska can mean anything from cool, rainy days to bright, sunny ones. The main tourist season runs from June-August with May considered the shoulder season. Temperatures in southeast Alaska in May average in the 50s (degrees F) and 40s at night. Between June and August, those increase to 60s in the day and 50s at night. But you never really know! Some days may reach up to 70s/80s…or drop back down into the 40s (or below!). If you’re out on the water or up close to a glacier, the temperature can feel 10-15 degrees F cooler.
Southeast Alaska can be quite rainy, especially around Ketchikan. August and May are the wettest months while June and July are slightly drier.
Consider Your Activities
Some activities require specific equipment and clothing. Hiking will require more substantial footwear than just walking around town. Water activities are likely to benefit from additional waterproof clothing. And if you’re planning on getting up close to a glacier you’re probably going to need heavier gloves and hats than just hanging out on the ship.
And don’t forget on ship activities! If you plan on joining any of the exercise classes, don’t forget to pack a pair of gym clothes. If you plan on hitting the hot tub (or pool), a swim suit is a must!
Layers, layers, layers!!!
You’re probably going to get very tired of hearing about layers, but the recommendation bears repeating over and over for good reason. Layers are your friend. And you’ll be grateful to have a wide variety to choose from. My recommendation is to pack lightweight short and long sleeved shirts, hiking pants, a thin thermal layer to wear under your hiking pants, a fleece layer, a puff-style coat, and a wind/waterproof outerlayer raincoat. This gives you lots of options to mix and match…put on and take off…layers throughout the day depending on the conditions and what you’re doing.
Footwear
Footwear is always important when you’re travelling, but maybe even moreso on an Alaskan trip. Whether you’re going out on the trail or just spending time in town, you’ll want comfortable, sturdy, *waterproof* shoes. Hiking shoes are appropriate pretty much anywhere. So are rain boots. Whatever shoes you choose, make sure they’re well broken in. Don’t try to head out in a brand new pair! (And consider packing some moleskin to help protect any blisters that might form.)
Don’t forget gloves and a hat!
Some of the most overlooked items when packing are appropriate gloves and hat. Warm, waterproof gloves are ideal. Consider that you’ll probably have your phone out taking photos regularly, so gloves that are compatible with a touchscreen will be the most convenient.
A warm covering for your ears is a must as well. Whether that’s a hat, a thermal headband, or ear muffs…you’ll appreciate the protection on cold and windy days.
Be Prepared for Rain
It rains in Alaska. A lot. In fact, Ketchikan is one of the most rainy cities in the United States. You need waterproof outer layers…and footwear. As the saying goes…there’s no bad weather…just inappropriate clothing.
Do not leave home without a raincoat or poncho! If you’re going to be spending extra time out on the water (kayaking, rafting, small whale watching boats, etc.) or time on the ice (hiking, dog sledding, etc.), you may want to pack rain pants as well. If you don’t like using the hood on your rain jacket, make sure to pack an umbrella as well.
Formal Nights
Cruise lines traditionally have ‘formal nights’ during their sailings…and Alaska is no different. Dressing up is *optional* and you’ll see a range of outfits from formal dresses and suits…to business casual…to jeans and t-shirts. If you like to dress up…consider packing something nice. There are tons of photographers around the ships on these nights so, if you’re wanting updated professional photos, this can be an excellent opportunity. If dressing up isn’t your thing, don’t feel pressured to do so. Don’t worry, you won’t be the only one in jeans!
Cameras, Binoculars, and Electronics
Nowadays it’s practically impossible to travel without a variety of electronic devices. Even if you plan on a relatively unplugged trip, you’ll probably going to want a few things with you. Binoculars are a great addition to your packing list. Perfect for spotting eagles nesting in the trees along your route and watching dolphins and whales swim alongside the ship. A pair of inexpensive, compact binoculars will do for most…but serious bird and wildlife watchers may prefer something a bit more powerful.
Same thing goes for cameras. Those with casual photo interests will probably be satisfied with their cellphone and/or a small compact digital camera. Alaska is full of photo opportunities though! Serious photographers are likely to want considerably more camera gear to capture all the incredible scenery.
Odds and Ends
No matter where you’re headed, a few odds and ends can make you cruise experience more comfortable. Outlets are always in short supply in cruise ship cabins and powerstrips are a big no-no. A splitter with multiple USB ports can be particularly helpful in letting everyone charge their devices at once.
Coffee mugs and water cups can often been quite small…a reusable water bottle will not only make sure you have a good supply of water, it can help reduce waste…and a reusable coffee mug will make it so that you don’t have to make 10 trips to the coffee (or tea) station in the morning.
Day Packs
I almost always recommend packing an extra bag no matter where you’re going. Sometimes that’s a tote bag for keeping track of your stuff at the beach or carrying items when shopping at a market. For Alaska, a small, lightweight backpack is ideal. You can pack extra layers, carry a water bottle, and stash your binoculars…all while keeping your hands free. Don’t forget about the rain. Pick a waterproof/resistant bag…or bring a poncho big enough that you can put it over the backpack when you’re wearing it. As an added benefit, if you buy too many souvenirs to fit in your main suitcase…you’ll already have an extra bag to bring them home! There are lots of great day pack options that can lay flat or fold down into tiny bundles for easy packing without taking up too much space.
How Much to Pack
Deciding how much to pack is always a tough decision. And how much you need will depend a lot on who all is travelling and what your travel styles are like. Personally, I rarely take anything more than a carryon sized suitcase anymore. Which means I pack light. For this trip, I managed with just my carry-on sized Timbuk2 Copilot and my Timbuk2 Especial Stash.
Packing light is an advantage on a cruise. Cabins tend to be on the small side and, while cruise lines try to maximize storage space, there’s only so much to go around! Consider packing only a portion of the clothes you need and then doing laundry part way through your trip. This can help keep your luggage to a minimum.
There are a couple different options for doing laundry on a cruise. The cheapest is certainly to pack a little laundry soap and do it yourself in the sink. Cruise ships have drying lines in their bathrooms (for swimsuits…but works just as well for clothes!) where you can hang your laundry to dry. The easiest option is to pay to have laundry done. Most cruise ships will have a special mid-cruise discount on laundry…or if you’re lucky, it may be included if you’re a frequent traveller on that particular cruiseline. A few ships even have self-service laundry facilities if you prefer to do it yourself.
For my Alaskan cruise on Norwegian, I opted to take advantage of the special mid-week laundry rate. For one flat fee, they’d wash whatever I could fit in a paper laundry bag. I managed to fit in a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, two knit tops, one pair of hiking pants, four pairs of socks, and eight ‘undergarments’…with room to spare (but I was out of laundry that needed done!).
My Trip
What I packed
Clothes: 1 pair of jeans, 3 pairs hiking pants, 1 sweatshirt, 4 short sleeve knit tops, 4 long sleeve knit tops, 1 ‘dressy’ top for specialty dinners (which I wore with my jeans), 1 pair of thermal ‘base layer’ leggings, leggings and a t-shirt to sleep in, underwear, bras, socks (‘regular’ socks, 2 pairs of wool hiking socks, and 1 pair of heavy house socks for wearing in my cabin)
Outerwear: fleece jacket, puff vest, puff jacket, rain jacket, rain pants, light gloves, heavy gloves, headband ear warmer, waterproof hiking shoes
Extras: reusable water bottle, sunglasses, 2 empty stuff bags for dirty laundry, laptop and charger, camera and charger, cellphone and charger, battery backup for my cellphone, kindle and charger, 3 COVID tests (just in case!), notebook and pens (can’t go anywhere without them), toiletries (including sunscreen), travel first aid kit, glasses repair kit, belt, compression socks (for the airplane), neck pillow (for the airplane…I have a Trtl and love it!), day pack, hand sanitizer, laundry soap
What I used the most:
Clothes: Hiking pants and my thermal layer! These were the perfect combo for most days. They’re comfortable to wear, easy to layer depending on the weather (thermal layer on cooler days, without on warmer ones), look stylish, and were super easy to pack (they roll up small with minimal wrinkling). I could hit the hiking trails and then head straight to dinner without having to change. I also loved having a pair of heavy house socks to keep my feet warm when I was sitting on my balcony having tea in the morning.
Outerwear: Puff vest and rain jacket. Though we had minimal rain, the rain jacket was a lifesaver when we did! I’d pull it out of my day pack, put the hood up, and I was good to go despite the weather! I also surprisingly used my puff vest (Patagonia’s Nano-puff) more than my full puff jacket. This is potentially because we had such great weather for our trip (60s and sunny most days!), but with all my other layers it turned out to be the perfect choice most days. My waterproof hiking shoes were absolutely indispensable! They’re actually the only pair of shoes I took and I didn’t really feel like I needed another pair.
Extras: My day pack! It was my constant companion…both on ship and on shore. I could pack my extra layers, Kindle, notebook, binoculars, and anything else I might need for the day and have it right at my side. No need to run back and forth to my cabin. This was the first time out for my Exped Typhoon15 and it was perfect. Waterproof, lightweight, fully adjustable, and with chest and hip straps that made it super comfortable even out on the trail.
What I didn’t use
Clothes: Half of my short sleeved and long sleeved knit tops. Truthfully, between re-wearing tops and having laundry done partway through the week…I ended up not even getting out half of my tops.
Outerwear: Heavy gloves and rain pants. Again, our weather was perfect, but my lightweight gloves were sufficient. Rain pants were required for my glacier hike, but the weather was warm, sunny, and dry so we didn’t end up using them. That being said, I think they would have been super useful even on the ship if the weather had been cold and wet during our glacier viewing days!
Extras: Laundry soap. I opted to take advantage of the mid-week laundry special on board my ship instead. Thankfully I didn’t need my COVID tests this trip, but I don’t think I’d travel without them right now!
What I wish I’d done different
Clothes: I would have brought less knit tops (both short and long sleeved) as well as probably one less pair of hiking pants. Though both pack down small, I didn’t really need as many of each item as I took. I’d probably also bring more pairs of wool hiking socks and less ‘normal’ socks…they turned out to be super comfy!!!
Outerwear: I’d leave the heavy gloves at home. Other than that, I’d probably bring all the same outerwear. Though I used my puff jacket sparingly and my rain pants not at all on this trip, I’d have been happy for both if the weather had been a little different! I had considered leaving my puff vest at home, but super glad that I didn’t. It was one of my favorite outerwear items (paired with my fleece jacket).
Extras: Since I knew I was going on a long all-day hike at the end of my trip (and needed to pack my own water), I brought my 32-oz Hydroflask as my reusable water bottle. This was super handy (and necessary…as others on the hike ran out of water!), but…I almost wish I’d brought my 20-oz ‘coffee’ Hydroflask instead. Except for my long hike, there were plenty of options to refill water bottles…and filling my 20-oz with hot tea in the morning would have saved me dozens of trips to the beverage station to refill the (tiny) provided mug. I’d also do without the laundry soap. While I don’t mind doing my own laundry mid-trip, it really was super easy to let the cruise line do it for me instead (and worth the cost not to have to do it myself!).
General Packing Tips
For general packing tips, check out these additional posts:
