Type of clothes needed for sept 1st alaskan cruise. light?warm? formal? 1st time traveling alone,suggestions?

Question

Clothing recommendations jacket? ,shoes, sneakers,boots? As i'm traveling alone,anything to know before hand? Is sea sickness experienced less in an inner room or an ocean view room?Also i'm in my 20' ,is there many others in this age group? is ratio of men to women higher in an alaskan cruise?

Answer 1

Let's see where to start ...

Weather is of course, unpredictable but I would suggest checking weather.com for forecasts and patterns closer to your departure. Check your particular cruise line website for info regarding dress and activities. They can also guide you with which cruises are more single -oriented. Alaska as a rule has far more men than women. Very little seasickness on most large cruise ships.

Answer 2

I have been to Alaska twice, once on business for two weeks in June and then on a cruise inside passage and land tour in May. What you need to pack is not that much different from any other cruise or trip. The weather in Alaska on land can be very pleasant; maybe in the 70's during the day, in June. It will likely be rainy in a couple of your port stops like Juneau and Ketchkan. Not a downpour but like showers.

It will be pleasant on ship while you are in inside area but breezy and chilly on open decks. When you get near the icebergs and glaciers it will be cold. And I mean like hat, coat and gloves cold. But the way to dress is layer your clothes so you will be warm enough when its cold but not too hot when you are in warmer areas. Instead of a ski jacket, take a lighter one that you can wear comfortably over a sweater or hoodie. Take some long sleeved shirts and slacks. Take a cap or hat and even gloves. Think dressing this way: underclothes, shirt, sweater, jacket for each day.

Most ships that do the Alaska cruises have areas where you can see things without being outside. They also generally have a solarium, a glass covered pool and hot tub area. And of course the ship will have a gym. So you can take things to enjoy these activities on ship.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM. So take:

- swim wear,

-sun glasses and sun screen, lotions,

-a warmup suit or sweats to relax on ship in,

- a hoodie and a jacket that you can wear over it,

- a hat and gloves for when you get near the glaciers and ice fields,

- a rain poncho because it will likely rain in Ketchakan and/or Juneau,

-a book if you are a reader,

-your music player,

-sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, -good walking shoes,

-your camera, and binoculars,

-other personal toiletries.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool towels. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand. They do not provide tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions. They DO provide a hair dryer.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, dress, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc. Don't over pack , take clothes that you can mix and match tops and bottoms and plan to wear each piece twice.

Your cruise will have a formal night when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. You will not be denied entry to the main dining room if you decide not to dress up, as long as you are at least sports casual. But most people do dress up; a gown or party dress for women.  Some women do not dress up at all, just go sports casual.  SO you will not look out of place if you do not dress up on formal nights.  If you do dress formal you should take a shawl or other wrap for the formal dress.

You do not have to worry much about sea sickness because the Alaska cruise is about the smoothest you can have anywhere.  It like cruising down a river most of the way and the open ocean is not a factor in the inside passage.  An ocean view or balcony cabin is best to prevent affects from the ship's motion and also cabins mid-ship.

Usually Alaska cruises have more seniors and families, plus some newlyweds.  Its not a party cruise like going to the Caribbean.  There may be a few in your age range and the ship cruise director will likely have a singles get together so you can meet people.

Some other packing tips:

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage.

-Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- If you want to use the pool, hot tub, or gym as soon as you get on the ship, take clothes for these in your carry on bag because your checked luggage will likely not get to your room until much later in the afternoon, maybe by @ 6:00 PM.

- If you can take a six-pack of bottled water and soft drinks in your carry-on for your cabin. You will have to pay for both on the ship and its nice to have those handy in the cabin.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer and/or hand wipes. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

- Take a can of air freshener for your cabin bathroom; it has no exhaust fan.

Answer 3

I have just returned from an Alaskan Cruise two weeks ago. Clothing, dress in layers so that you can remove or add as necessary. Its not cold at this time of year but the weather can be changeable, goes from misty and damp to warmish quite quickly.

Shoes or sneakers are fine, we only used boots on a couple of walks, Grouse Mountain and the woods around the Mendenhall Glacier.

If your are going on a seven night cruise there are 2 formal nights, the rest you could regard as casual.

The seas were very calm, I don't know of anyone that experienced seasickness on the cruise. Shop motion is minimal.

The mix of ages was the usual on a cruise, probably a higher percentage of 50 - 60 years old although the were a good amount of young people in the disco and casino until the early hours.

There did appear to be more men than women in the younger age groups.