Packing Tips For Your Alaskan Cruise

What to Take on an Alaskan Cruise: Packing Tips from the Experts

Cruise vacations have become a popular way to travel today, and there is a wide choice of itineraries and destinations for the avid cruiser. One of the places that have become quite popular to visit by ship is Alaska. With breathtaking scenery, ample wildlife and plenty of adventurous excursions, this destination has appealed to a wide variety of ages and tastes. However, knowing what to take on an Alaskan cruise can be a bit more complicated than packing for your standard beach vacation. Couple that with the fact that cruises tend to require more gear overall, from days at the pool to formal nights in the dining room, and you can see why figuring out what to take on an Alaskan cruise can begin to feel rather overwhelming at best. The good news is that with a few tips from the experienced Alaska traveler, you can arrive at your destination ready for anything.

For the Daytime

Daytime temperatures in Alaska can range anywhere from a balmy 70 degrees and sunshine to a downright chilly 40 degrees with light rain. Your best bet in clothing choices for daytime wear is layers, and casual style is generally more accepted as what to take on an Alaskan cruise, rather than the dressier resort wear that you might see more of with a different type of itinerary. When it comes to what to take on your Alaskan cruise, you can opt for slacks or even jeans for some of your daytime excursions. A short t-shirt topped with a flannel shirt and hooded jacket will be a good choice for day, but make sure that you also bring along a rain jacket and a polar fleece jacket for colder temperatures.

Nighttime Apparel For An Alaskan Cruise

Dinners in the dining room will usually require dressier choices than you will wear during the day. Casual nights will mean shirts and slacks for the men, and pants or skirts for women. Semi-formal nights will usually see men in ties and sports jackets and women in pantsuits or dresses. The formal nights often mean cocktail dresses or gowns for women and suits or tuxedos for men. You can rent tuxes onboard your ship to save a bit of packing room. Women may want a light wrap or shawl to wear with dresses, since the decks can be very cool in the evenings. This will be the majority of what to take on an Alaskan cruise for evening wear.

There are a couple of additional items that must be on your “what to take on an Alaskan cruise” packing list. First, you will want insect repellant, since bugs can be plentiful in this region. It is also a good idea to bring a small pair of binoculars for wildlife viewing and of course a camera with plenty of film to capture all of that breathtaking scenery. A backpack will allow you to carry your gear on excursions while keeping your hands free for picture taking or other activities. Proper preparation and packing will allow you to enjoy your Alaska cruise without worrying about forgetting essentials on your trip.