My husband and I spent years planning and saving for our Alaskan cruise. After making the decision on the perfect cruise ship and booking the cruise, I was tasked with deciding what to pack for myself, my husband, and my 10 year old son. Having been on several cruises prior, I had some idea what cruising essentials I needed, however the Alaskan cruise itinerary differs from the climate we had traveled to in the past. What should I pack for an Alaskan cruise?

Blog post: How we decided on the Norwegian Bliss

Here is my list of packing essentials for an Alaskan cruise:

Cruising essentials for every cruise

On every cruise, there are essentials I would recommend you pack in addition to traditional items such as a hairdryer, toothbrush, razor, etc. Here are my recommendations:

• Passport: If you are traveling outside of the U.S., most time you will need a Passport. If you are starting your cruise itinerary in the U.S. and ending it at the same U.S. port, you do not need a passport. In contrast, I would still recommend having a passport if you plan on disembarking the ship in any port outside of the United States. Though you will be permitted back on the boat, what happens if you are stopped or something occurs while you are off the boat in a foreign country?
• Alarm clock: There are no clocks in your cruise cabin. I like to know what time it is in the middle of the night so bringing an alarm clock is very helpful. I know you are saying, “You are on a cruise, why are you worrying about waking up to an alarm instead of relaxing?” On the contrary, if you have any shore excursions planned and need to disembark the ship at a specific time, an alarm clock is helpful. You can set a wake up call to ring your room as an additional precaution so you do not miss your exciting adventure.
• A multi-plug outlet or a surge protector: Every ship we have been on has one plug in the living area of the cabin. If you have two people who need to charge their cell phones, you have no additional plugs for your alarm clock (see above), your camera battery charger, or for your wife to blow dry her hair while you are in the shower. Therefore, you need extra plugs! Trust me, you will not be sorry!
• A sweater or hoodie: In Alaska, we actually needed jackets, however for any cruise whether in a cold climate or a tropical one, I highly recommend you bring a sweater or a hoodie. They tend to keep the ship pretty cold. You will want your sweater when you are watching the shows or hanging out in the bar. It is a must have!
• Poncho: Lord knows you hope you will not have rain, but it happens. It rained while we were in Ketchikan. I was thrilled I had packed ponchos. I would recommend packing ponchos for any cruise. Walmart sells disposable ponchos that are small enough to fit in your pocket or purse for less than $1. Stock up!
• A cup: An insulated cup is always a cruising essential. Forgetting them is a huge disappointment! Why do you need a cup when you have the unlimited drink package? We wanted water, tea, or juice in the room. Because we did not have a large cup, we ended up using the small plastic water cups from the buffet. We would fill them up two at a time to bring back to the room. Had we had our Yeti’s, we would have been so much happier.
• Cash: The ship does not allow you to use cash while onboard, however you should have cash if you disembark. Though a credit card may work, you may need cash for locker rentals, a taxi, food, etc. while in port.

Alaskan cruise essentials

An Alaskan cruise was different than any cruise we had taken before. In the past, we have cruised to warmer locations. The colder climate of Alaska made it necessary to pack warm clothing. However, many days the temperature would then warm up later in the day. Because of this shift in temperature, it was beneficial to layer.

Here is my list of packing essentials for the Alaskan cruise and climate:

• Sweaters: In addition to sweaters, I also packed t-shirts to wear under the sweaters so I could take off the top layer when it warmed up
• A heavier jacket: Though the temperature while in Alaska did not get colder than 45 degrees, it is very chilly when the boat is moving and you go out on the deck or your balcony. You should bring a heavier jacket. Those of us from Florida, thought it was definitely brisk!
• Jeans and pants: This is not a cruise where you will be basking in shorts on the sun deck. It was pretty chilly. Because the shore excursions we took were outdoor adventures, it was definitely advisable to have jeans.
• Cruise documents and tickets: Most of the cruise documents can be completed online, however I had booked our shore excursions though private companies, not the cruise ship. In this case, I had a notebook that included tickets and contact information for the tour company.
• A cell phone: We used our cell phone for navigation in Skagway and to make calls when off the ship. Though the cruise was technically in the United States (minus the stop in Victoria, British Columbia), beware of extra cell phone fees by using it while on the ship to make phone calls. Onboard, my husband made a few phone calls without concern thinking we were in the continental U.S. The result, $3.99 per minute bill upon our return because we were on the cruise ship! We used our cell phones to take photos. In addition, we used our phones to make calls when connected to the WiFi which was included in our cruise fare. (Find out about Norwegian’s freebies when booking cruises) I would also recommend a waterproof sleeve for your cell phone if it is not already waterproof. We were in wet snow on a glacier, on a wet boat fishing, in the rain, and whale watching on the ocean. It was good to have our cell phones protected.
• A backpack: It was helpful to have a backpack when we disembarked the ship. When the temperatures warmed up, we were able to put our jackets into the backpack. We were able to carry ponchos and the shore excursion tickets in the backpack with ease. Any shopping we did while in port, we easily stored in the backpack.
• Closed-toe shoes (preferably hiking boots): An Alaskan cruise itinerary is much different from my normal flip flops on a cruise ship. I would highly recommend investing in a hiking boot or at least packing tennis shoes. And not just one pair. You should have at least two options for closed in shoes in order to keep dry feet due to the weather. It was great to have a second pair of comfortable, dry shoes to wear the next day.
• A bathing suit: Wait! Isn’t it cold on this cruise? Yes, however while in Seattle on the first day of the cruise it was warm enough for my son to utilize the aqua park on board. Throughout the cruise, we did see many travelers utilizing the pool and hot tubs. Do not miss out on zipping down that fun water slide! Bring your suit!

In summary…

This is a sample list of packing essentials when cruising to Alaska. What packing essentials do you recommend? Drop me a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

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