How to Pack for an Alaskan Cruise (and What Not to Pack!)
Packing for an Alaskan cruise is not an easy decision. The weather can vary immensely! For our trip, the temperature was in the 50s and 60s and only one day did it rain. For clothing I recommend LAYERS! We wore pants every day, but our teenage boys did wear shorts a few times.
Excursions: I recommend wearing pants (possibly even long underwear), a long sleeve base layer, another long or short sleeve shirt, and either a waterproof layer, or a packable down jacket with a rain poncho in your day pack, and waterproofed sneakers.
Here are links to our favorite products. For packing, we like to do laundry in the middle of a 7-night cruise, see our ultimate printable packing list at the end of this post!
Packable Down jacket
We waterproofed our sneakers with:
Several years ago we invested in one set of suitcases like this. I highly recommend them in bright colors making it easy to find your bags after a long flight!
We love our packing cubes! I really do not know how we packed before this. When we pack for a trip with multiple stops, I like to pack 1 bag for each location. Having each family member assigned to a color packing cube makes this process so much easier! Make sure you get the one with multiple different sizes.
Day Bag – I invested in this bag for this trip and I love not only the number of pockets it has but the strap that slides it onto a rolling bag!
7-Night Cruise Packing List (with laundry in the middle )
For Printable Download Click here
4 long sleeve
4 short sleeve
2 shorts
5 undergarments
4 pants
Base layer
Packable jacket
Knit gloves
Long underwear
6 socks
Pajamas
Bathing Suit (although we did not use it)
Extra waterproof shoes
Good walking shoes
4 outfits for dinners with shoes (1 formal if you wish, but most people do not)
Workout clothes
Passports
Cruise documentation/Travel insurance
Door magnets (great for knowing where your cabin is!)
Motion sickness medicine
Dollar bills for tips
Small clutch or lanyards
Day bag
Binoculars
Sunglasses
Umbrella or rain jacket/poncho
Camera
Earplugs (cabins are small and can be noisy!)
Laundry bag (we tend to use a garbage bag)
Laundry detergent (we have discovered laundry strips which are easier to travel with than pods)
What we brought but did not use:
Bathings suit (still recommend)
Slippers for the room
Refillable water bottles (more useful on a hot weather cruise)
Winter hats
Shoe organizer (not allowed over the bathroom door anymore)
Card for the lights (not needed on the Wonder)
What not to pack:
Heavy or Down Coat (it is just not cold!)
Boots – unless you are going on a long hiking excursion (and many excursions provide warm coats or waterproof boots/coats if needed)
Fancy Clothes – most are not dressing up for dinners in Alaska
I hope this helps you pack for your Alaskan Cruise.
Have a Wonderful Trip! — The Goofy 5
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