Fresh home from majestic Alaska, I’m sharing what I packed vs. what I wore on our back-to-back Alaskan cruise. We embarked in Seattle and sailed through the inside passage north to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway and then headed south to Victoria before disembarking in Seattle (twice). The first week it was just my husband Steve and I (Ann) on the cruise. The second week, we welcomed 84 guests who were part of our second Postcard Jar Friends Cruise.
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About a month before our May 2024 cruise, I made a list of everything I thought I would need for two weeks at sea and in Alaska. In fact, we made a FREE printable to share with you, so you can use our list, too.
Next, I did an inventory of my closet and tried on absolutely everything I was planning to pack to make sure it fit and felt comfortable. I’m glad I did. A dress I ordered in the same style but a different color than one I already had fit very differently. Even though the sizes on the tags were exactly the same, the new colored dress was too small. So glad I tried it on first!
There were a few things I didn’t already have that I thought I might need in Alaska. I ended up ordering some lightweight gloves, a pair of waterproof pants, and a dry bag on Amazon. You can see our entire Amazon packing list for Alaska HERE. And, read more about the things we considered when packing for an Alaskan cruise HERE. Later, I also purchased a pair of moisture resistant hiking pants/joggers at Athleta. Then, I started gathering things for our trip in our guest room.
I filled one and a half checked bags and my husband used the other half plus a bag of his own. What can I say? We both like to have options. Plus, the clothing for Alaska is a little bulkier. In addition to our clothes, we also packed a lot of supplies for our group cruise guests.
For the most part, I packed everything that was on our list, including lots of layers. I packed four long-sleeved undershirts, two sweaters, and four nicer shirts to wear around the ship. To be honest, I was so unsure about what to pack for pants that I took four pair of leggings, each with different thicknesses for warmth. I also took three pairs of joggers, including the resistant ones I got at Athleta. And, just in case it was extra warm, I packed a pair of nice shorts.
I had the most difficult time deciding on which coats/outerwear to take, so I took a bunch! I packed my lightweight puffer coat, a mid-length waterproof jacket, a fleece jacket, a lightweight windbreaker, a puffer vest, and a hoodie. Yes, I know, too much, too much, too much.
To save space in my bag, I put most of my outerwear in a compression bag and sucked all the air out. It worked great!
Here’s what I packed for shoes:
Don’t judge: I packed at least seven bags. I have a bit of an obsession with bags, so this was nothing new for me. Here’s what I took:
In addition, I took a small carry-on bag (on top of the pile below) that had all my medications, jewelry, an extra outfit or two, and some first aid supplies. For my personal item on the plane, I took a shoulder bag. Inside that bag, I packed a small cross-body purse, my laptop, electronics cords, a few toiletries, compression socks, headphones, and a few other personal items.
Since medical equipment does not count as a carryon, I also took my C-PAP in it’s carrying case.
Let me begin by saying that I actually used (at least once) most of what I packed for my 14-night cruise to Alaska. So, here’s what I used most and least.
Despite having packed lots of leggings, joggers, and even shorts, the pants I wore most on this trip were the new Athleta ones I bought the day before our trip. They were comfortable, warm and pretty moisture resistant, which is always a plus on rainy or misty days in Alaska. I also wore them underneath the waterproof rain pants I purchased for $25 on Amazon.
I layed both pairs of pants for our day trip in Ketchikan, our fishing boat expedition, a whale watching tour, and even our helicopter trip to the top of a glacier. They were perfect and I just loved them. And since I had complimentary laundry as part of my Captain’s Club benefits package, I was able to have them laundered a few times.
The shoes I wore for almost every excursion were my waterproof hiking ones I got several years ago at a Columbia outlet store. These shoes were comfortable for walking, warm, and kept my feet dry, even on the rainy days. Boots were really not necessary on this trip, so I’m glad I opted for these easier-to-pack hiking shoes.
Around the ship, I typically wore my HOKA tennis shoes during the day. For dinner and evening events, I wore one of the two pair of sandals I brought. They were both slip on sandals – one pair black and the other metallic so those went with everything.
The coat I wore most days was my Charles River waterproof rain jacket that we had customized with our blog logo. I absolutely LOVED this jacket!
It was light weight, soft and flexible. And most importantly, it kept me both warm and dry. A travel tip – if you get this coat, be sure to order a size a bit bigger that what you normally wear so you have room for layering. The other coat I wore most was my white puffer coat.
When we were out on the ship’s deck on cool mornings, it was nice to have something a bit warmer. I also wore my puffer coat for our dogsled excursion and I wished I hadn’t. With the sun shining down on us and reflecting off the white snow, it was actually quite warm there and I was hot!
For most of our excursions, I wore my Athleta joggers, waterproof rain pants, and my waterproof hiking shoes.
One day, I wore my fleece lined leggings and almost immediately regretted it. Once we got to walking a bit, they were too hot. I never wore the shorts I packed. However, I did wear my swimsuit several times. It was nice to swim at the indoor pool in the Solarium and we even braved the cooler temps to enjoy some time in the outdoor hot tubs.
As for my hanging clothes, I wore every single dress (I brought seven) for dinner and evenings around the ship. Some were casual and I brought a few that were dressier for evening chic nights.
I did find that many people dressed more casually on this Alaskan cruise from the U.S. I know it’s a controversial topic, but I actually enjoy dressing up when we’re going out to a nice restaurant like the ones on the ship. That’s especially true on evening chic nights when I’m being served lobster at a white-clothed table by a waiter dressed in a suit and tie.
If we got back to the ship late from an excursion and didn’t want to change clothes, the buffet was always another option.
The other items we used most on our cruise to Alaska included those listed below. You can find links to most them on our Amazon storefront.
Admittedly, I took too many coats. I never wore the lightweight windbreaker I brought or the fleece. I only wore my puffer vest once – when we hiked in Ketchikan the first week on what turned out to be a warm and sunny day. A scarf wasn’t necessary, which is good, because I forgot to bring one.
We brought two bottles on sunscreen which we never used. I guess I didn’t think about the fact that most of our bodies would be covered in sun-resistant clothing. My husband and I both used moisturizers with SPF on our faces daily, and didn’t wear short sleeves outside, making the sprays unnecessary. We also never used the insect repellant we brought. Maybe it’s because we were in Alaska in early summer (late May), or maybe because we weren’t out and about at dusk, but we never saw a bug.
I used my hat a just couple times and my gloves only twice.
I packed a couple waterproof cell phone holders for our boat excursions but we didn’t need them. I suppose if you were kayaking to a glacier they may have been useful, but we just needed think they were necessary. I also didn’t use the sleep mask I packed. I was thinking it would be difficult to sleep with it being light so many hours a day in Alaska. Fortunately, our shades were room darkening and getting a good night’s sleep was never an issue.
The only pair of shoes I didn’t wear on the cruise were my white Kiziks. I wore them for our plane ride and for boarding the ship on embarkation day. But other than that, they sat in the closet. It’s often rainy (and little muddy) in Alaska, so white shoes were not a good option for an Alaskan cruise.
I wore most of the tops I brought but probably didn’t need so many nicer long sleeved shirts. What would have been more useful was an extra sweatshirt. So, I bought one in Alaska early in the cruise at one of the ports. (Great souvenir, and the price was very reasonable!)
All in all, our printable packing list was get guide for this cruise. I really did have everything I needed (and a little more). How about you? Have you been to Alaska or are you planning to go? What did/will you pack?
