Alaska – wow what an incredible place! Everywhere you look is a postcard, truly. Alaska is the biggest state in the United States, so taking an Alaskan Cruise is one of the best ways to see Alaska in all its beauty. Because Alaska is so big, it’s no wonder when you hear you have to pack for all seasons – people are not lying. Especially if you’re traveling up to Denali and making your way to Vancouver.
This is the Alaska Cruise itinerary we took and we loved it. If you have the opportunity to add some days to your Alaskan cruise; we highly recommend adding a land portion prior to getting on the cruise ship. We opted for 3 days on land before the cruise ship – and loved it! This way we were able to stop at Mt. McKinley Lodge and Talkeetna. As well as spend some time hiking through Denali National Park.
We recommend doing the land portion before the sea portion because on the land portion you are responsible for all food and beverage – as well as have a pretty early wake up call everyday. This just makes the all inclusive, wake up on your own terms that the cruise ship offers that much better.
This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you purchase through one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see my full disclosure statement here.
As I said above though – you really need to pack for all seasons for your Alaska cruise. We went at the end of June/ beginning of July and we wore everything from t-shirts and shorts to sweatshirts and winter hats.
Alaska Cruise – Clothing Items to Pack
You’ll need clothing items for all seasons, and all events. Truly we experienced warm summer days, and cold rainy days. We did things from hiking to fancy meals on the cruise ship. Try and pack layers that can be worn for both to try and save some space.
Here are the top clothing items you must pack in your suitcase for your Alaska Cruise –
- Winter Hat: A warm winter hat is a must! It can get pretty windy and chilly when you’re out on the docks taking in the scenic views during your days out at sea.
- Rain Coat: You’ll need a rain coat as it may get wet on the cruise ship, as well as while you’re out exploring when docked at your ports. We definitely needed them when we were in Juneau.
- Winter Coat: We did not pack winter coats, however, we can see where it would have been beneficial. Plenty of people were wearing their warm winter coats, and at times I do wish I had packed mine. Remember, you’ll be on the cruise ship for full days at times going through Glacier Bays, and it does get pretty cold. We opted to not pack winter coats, solely to save on space. So instead we bundled up with layers and sweatshirts, and used blankets to help keep warm. If you do decide to take a winter coat, we have found a few good space saving options for travel, and you can find them here.
- Long pants and shorts: Shorts were definitely needed when we explored Denali as the temps were in the 70s. (Fahrenheit) Otherwise, you’ll definitely need long pants for hiking and exploring, walking the cruise ship. Remember you’ll have some days where you’ll be on the cruise ship for the entirety of the day. These leggings are my absolute favorite, for hiking and everyday, I wear them all the time and wore them frequently on this trip. There are so comfy, and soft, and petite friendly! Also come in a multitude of colors to fit all styles.
- Swimsuit: If you want to take a dip in the pool or hot tub! Which we highly recommend. The views from the back deck of our cruise ship while sitting in the hot tub were unreal. And since the sun does not set until super late – both are open late, as well as early in the morning. We also felt that they were not crowded which was nice – we often found that we got the whole hot tub to ourselves. And on the Princess Sapphire there was also an adult only hot tub and pool located in the spa.
- Sandals: If you plan on going to and from the pool/hot tub a bit. I did not take any sandals and regretted having to put on sneakers after getting out of the hot tub.
- Hiking Boots: You will want these, especially if you plan on adding Denali National Park to your trip. I also love my hiking shoes just for doing a lot of walking around town. They are SO comfortable.
- Formal Wear: There will be two or three nights that are considered formal. So you’ll want to pack some nicer outfits and shoes. To be honest, no one in our party looked forward to these nights, and I don’t think they were very strict on our cruise ship. As we did notice some not dressed formally. We did cruise via Princess. Something about a colder Alaskan cruise and formal nights that just didn’t fit together. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely people dressed to the nines as well though, just not something we were fans of this trip.
The most important thing is things you can layer. That way if it’s too hot you can take layers off and if it’s too cold you can add layers. Also items that can be versatile, so you can save some room in your suitcase.
Alaska Cruise – Miscellaneous Items to Pack
Here are a few odds and end items we packed that we found super helpful for our Alaska Cruise, as well as items that we wished we had packed and recommend packing.
- Binoculars: You’ll be able to see quite a bit from the cruise ship – as well as while you’re exploring by the naked eye, but when you can zoom in and see wild life even closer it is truly incredible. That way too if something is too far away you can better decipher if it is in fact a rock or a bear. Long story but that was one of our debates while nature viewing from our balcony. The verdict is still out, however, since we did not see a bear on that trip – I’m going to say it was a bear and not a rock.
- Camera: This is a no brainer, if you have a DSLR camera, bring it. I get it can take up some room when packing, but I’m so glad that we took it. We also had some really good shots from our phone. Phone cameras can take some epic photos nowadays.
- Sunscreen: We actually did not pack sunscreen because we thought there’s no way we’ll get sunburned in Alaska. Well we were very very wrong. We definitely did get some color on our trip. We especially recommend getting sunscreen if you extend your cruise in Vancouver before or after as it will typically be very hot and sunny while there, during the summertime.
- Battery Pack: This you may or may not need. We always bring ours just in case. It comes in handy when you need a phone charge and aren’t close to any outlets.
- Blanket: This one is a maybe. I ended up purchasing one from the cruise ship gift shop before they started renting blankets out to people to use. Though it was $$ it was worth it however for me, for a number of reasons. One being the size of it was a lot bigger than those being handed out. Two, it’s a cool souvenir. And three, I really needed it. When you are sailing open waters it can get pretty cold on the decks. There were even parts not sailing open waters that got pretty cold. But I wanted to sit outside because the VIEWS. So I purchased the blanket and I would purchase it again. It was big enough for the both of us to share. But long story short if you want to save some $$ and don’t want to use the blanket the cruise ship offers – I would consider bringing one along. They can be super beneficial for the plane ride as well.
In Summary
You really do have to pack for all seasons. We recommend packing layers and things that can be versatile to help save some space in your suitcase.
Be sure to read about our port reviews and itineraries, as well as our favorite excursions here before you take off for your Alaskan Cruise!