Deciding what to pack for a cruise to Alaska can be a tricky task. I just went on my first cruise to Alaska in July and didn't even know where to start. The temperature in Alaska varies so much, so you have to be prepared. I knew it wouldn't be like my other tropical cruises where I only needed swimsuits and sundresses! So if you are headed on an Alaskan Cruise, I've got you covered!
Here is everything I packed and suggest you bring on your cruise to Alaska. I also have everything that I purchased from Amazon for my trip for my boyfriend and I linked HERE. Everything else you can find on my LTK.it.
Please note, my exact cruise was particularly VERY WARM. We had ZERO rain and we were literally in bathing suits in the middle of Glacier Bay! Yes, we got very lucky, but I still made sure to pack for any type of climate, because you really don't know until you are there.
LAYERS
If you take anything away from this blog post, take away LAYERS. Pack LOTS of layers for different weather. If you are going in the summer, bring both short sleeves and long sleeves. You can then layer with jackets or take off depending on how the weather is. The majority of what I wore for my base layers are below.
OUTERWEAR / JACKETS
For jackets I brought with me a rain jacket, a heavier waterproof jacket, a shacket, and a puffer jacket and vest. Since it was warm and didn't rain, I didn't get to wear the rain jacket, but everything else I wore at least once. You'll definitely want a jacket with a hood. In addition, I brought just one casually hoodie to wear on the boat when I was relaxing.
SHOES
I don't know about you, but shoes are my weakness. I have a hard time narrowing it down when I go on trips! I think I did pretty good for this trip. I brought a pair of rain boots, hiking shoes, tennis shoes, flip flops and two pairs of nicer wedges to wear for dinner. I got the hiking shoes new right before my trip and they were sooo comfortable and did the job!
Rainboots:
Hiking Shoes:
Boyfriend's hiking boots:
SWEATERS
For my trip, I only packed three sweaters and only got to wear one, because it was too hot.
PANTS
I packed hiking cargo pants, athletic pants, four pairs of leggings, flare pants, linen pants and one pair of jeans. I didn't end up wearing the jeans at all. Remember, you will be doing a lot of walking and exploring, so it's best to pack athletic pants in that you can move in!
EVERYTHING ELSE
Don't forget warm socks, hat, scarves and gloves. We wore hats, but it wasn't cold enough for gloves and scarves in the winter. You will need a waterproof backpack with a collapsible water bottle to bring on excursions off the boat. Also, I needed my water bottle on board to refill! Additionally, I recommend bringing binoculars (we saw a lot of wildlife like sea otters, bears and eagles with them), a portable charger, a power strip, sunscreen and bug spray too. We brought a YETI mug to enjoy coffee on our balcony in the mornings too.
SWIMSUITS
DINNER OUTFITS
If you've been on a cruise before, you are probably aware that you typically dress nicer for dinner. I love dressing up, so of course I wore a dress every night! The Alaska cruise seemed a bit more casual attire than other cruises I've been on.