What items are "must packs" for an alaskan cruise?

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kimmer727

Rain gear - it rains alot there. We were there my May, and it rained alittle everyday.

lulu

Rain gear is a must. Depending on the time of year you go, take things you can layer like t-shirts and sweatshirts. A light rain jacket/wind breaker is good for on deck. If you do any hiking, mosquito repellant is good to have. A backpack is good to have on hikes also and to carry any souvenirs you might buy while in port.

audioengineer2005

Thats the perfect time to go. That's when the majority of whales will be there. VERY EXCELLENT choice.

Bring binoculars. Bring a fleece sweater (dont worry about bringing very heavy clothing--its not that cold up there that time of year, and if you do need something extra, take the cover off your bed and wrap it around you while you are out looking at glaciers)

Bring the desire to stay out of your stateroom. The moment you go inside you are going to miss something. Dolphins jumping, eagles flying alongside the ship, whales breaching, seals, otters......just stay outside. Better yet, upgrade to a balcony cabin if you can afford it.

Next, bring the desire to get in the air. Take a helicopter tour out of Skagway and land on a glacier. Get out and walk around on it. You will absolutely love it. Take a floatplane out of Juneau to Taku Lodge for a fresh salmon bake. Take advantage of what Alaska has to offer. Its really easy to get hooked on it. Have a great cruise.

leigh

We just got back from Alaska on the Holland America Oosterdam July 21. Stuff an extra bag/backpack in your luggage. Between the souvenirs and the magical expansion of clothing on your return you'll be glad you have an extra bag or two. Ziplocs are a must. Yes it does rain alot in Alaska. Ziplocs saved our camera. Take protein bars on your excursions. The local food is expensive, unless you are dying to snack on crab legs or crab cakes, eat a protein bars and wait until you back to your ship for "real food". Light weight rain gear. Many folks had cheap ponchos in their backpacks. Also if anyone is worried about seasickness-take Ginger root capsule. I get seasick VERY easy and these worked perfect. I took my first one once we boarded then another at dinner. The rest of the time I felt fine. I was also AWAKE unlike the many we saw who had on the patch. Even though the inside passage is smooth water, there were days with some waves. Many folks weren't prepared so I passed out some Ginger pill to our table mates. They couldn't get over how well it worked. If using a digital camera bring extra memory cards. We left there with nearly 1000 pictures.
Have a wonderful time!

Debb

We went on our Alaskan cruise over Sept 11, yes, the Sept 11, I don't recommend that, we were Canadians and out of our own country at one of the worst moments in history, a scary time. However, we were also there to celebrate, because it was our 25th Wedding Anniversary, and my parents joined us for their 47th Anniversary and we planned to enjoy it....We did the land tour part of our journey first, into Denali national park, overland sightseeing train and all in all it was spectacular. First make sure you bring the best camera and binoculars you can afford, if this is a once in a lifetime trip you will want good pictures, I prefer digital, simply because I know I can check them out right away, also they can be stored on CD's or flash drives until I can get home and deal with them. On the trip to Mt McInnley, we were travelling in a school bus, a very long trip, over 7 hours and terribly uncomfortable, find a cushion you can live with and bring it, blow up or otherwise. That time of year it's starting to get a little cooler, make sure you can layer and invest in one of the lightweight rain jackets with a hood, it saves bringing an umbrella everywhere and you can stuff it in a small corner of a bag when you don't need it... Speaking of bags, find a cute carry bag, tapestry or something durable, I like a fanny pack as a purse, but sometimes you need something a little bigger to carry water and all the etc's we seem to need, or want to purchase.....towards the end of the season Aug/Sept the cruise towns are starting to shut down, this is an amazing time to pick up deals. The cruise you are on sort of dictates the evening clothes, but I found with a little creativity I could mix and match, watch for clothes that travel well, you can roll them up shake them up and go. Take inventory before you go and purge by at least half to one third, you simply will not be wearing all those clothes. Do pack a good pair of comfortable shoes for walking, if things are wet you don't want wet feet all the time, at night I would slip into a plush pair of sock with the anti slip feet, by day my Birks. I hope you have a wonderful cruise, I know we did.

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