What to Wear on an Alaskan Cruise
No doubt there are many of you right now trying to figure out what to pack for your Alaskan cruise. Do you take the blue bikini, or the black one piece?
Save room in your suitcase and forget the pool clothes. No bathing suit, no "hanging around the pool" clothes. You won't need them. Yes, there will be hardy souls who will go out to the pool; maybe sit in the hot tub. But, there aren't many of them. A cruise to Alaska usually means one thing -- rain. And rain usually puts a damper on having a cocktail by the pool.
You will definitely want to take rain gear. If you're lucky you won't need it. But, chances are you will encounter some rain on your cruise and during your shore excursions. I went last August and experienced a couple days without rain. Granted it was at the end of August during Alaska's rainy season, but you don't want to be miserable because you're soaked and cold.
I don't know whatever possessed me to take out my raincoat when I packed last year, but I did, and just took one of those cheap rain ponchos, which are so bulky it was hard to see around the rain hood. And, if there's one thing you want to do on an Alaska cruise, it's be able to see all the beautiful things around you.
Instead of rain gear I loaded up on shorts and short-sleeve tops. I think I wore the shorts to the cruise ship gym and that was it. If you're the type who will visit the gym frequently, do take some exercise clothes. But, if you want to sit on deck and watch the scenery, you'll want something warmer than shorts.
Many cruises require you to dress "business casual" to dinner, so take that into consideration when packing. A couple nicer slacks and nicer tops will do, and something nicer for "formal" nights, if your cruise ship has those. I took a cruise on Princess and there were two "formal" nights. Many people really dressed to the nines, but most just wore nicer business casual. Most cruise ships will also rent out formal wear for those nights. You can also choose other dining accommodations for those nights if your cruise ship has those options. My Princess cruise had a cafeteria which was open for dinner as well as a couple of "cover charge" restaurants, so you could dress any way you pleased.
Packing for an Alaskan cruise does take a bit of skill. There are so many things you have to pack for: lounging around the ship; dining in the dining hall; going out on shore excursions; rain gear. The smart thing is to wear something twice (or, three times) and plan to spend a couple hours doing laundry.
Save room in your suitcase and forget the pool clothes. No bathing suit, no "hanging around the pool" clothes. You won't need them. Yes, there will be hardy souls who will go out to the pool; maybe sit in the hot tub. But, there aren't many of them. A cruise to Alaska usually means one thing -- rain. And rain usually puts a damper on having a cocktail by the pool.
You will definitely want to take rain gear. If you're lucky you won't need it. But, chances are you will encounter some rain on your cruise and during your shore excursions. I went last August and experienced a couple days without rain. Granted it was at the end of August during Alaska's rainy season, but you don't want to be miserable because you're soaked and cold.
I don't know whatever possessed me to take out my raincoat when I packed last year, but I did, and just took one of those cheap rain ponchos, which are so bulky it was hard to see around the rain hood. And, if there's one thing you want to do on an Alaska cruise, it's be able to see all the beautiful things around you.
Instead of rain gear I loaded up on shorts and short-sleeve tops. I think I wore the shorts to the cruise ship gym and that was it. If you're the type who will visit the gym frequently, do take some exercise clothes. But, if you want to sit on deck and watch the scenery, you'll want something warmer than shorts.
Many cruises require you to dress "business casual" to dinner, so take that into consideration when packing. A couple nicer slacks and nicer tops will do, and something nicer for "formal" nights, if your cruise ship has those. I took a cruise on Princess and there were two "formal" nights. Many people really dressed to the nines, but most just wore nicer business casual. Most cruise ships will also rent out formal wear for those nights. You can also choose other dining accommodations for those nights if your cruise ship has those options. My Princess cruise had a cafeteria which was open for dinner as well as a couple of "cover charge" restaurants, so you could dress any way you pleased.
Packing for an Alaskan cruise does take a bit of skill. There are so many things you have to pack for: lounging around the ship; dining in the dining hall; going out on shore excursions; rain gear. The smart thing is to wear something twice (or, three times) and plan to spend a couple hours doing laundry.
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