Alaska in August--suggestions for clothes and other stuff

Parent Cafe
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Going on a 10 trip to Alaska in early August. 7 days on a cruise and 3 days in Denali. Any recommendations on " must" clothes to bring or leave at home? Any suggestions for the cruise? Should we buy the drink package? We already bought the water bottle package. We’ve also booked some on shore excursions. We are going Princess BYW.

How formal are the formal nights? How should you dress at dinner for non formal nights?

We went on a Caribbean cruise on Carnival many years ago. Recently we have been going to adult all inclusive resorts for our winter vacation. So I know how to dress there.

I, of course, have been reading info on line. But I thought I would ask my CC friends for your experience and knowledge. It is usually very helpful.

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The range of attire varied widely. I was on the Golden Princess in September, cruising round-trip from/to Seattle and inside passage. It was a bit cold for us from HI, but we were comfortable with ski jackets. Our friends from LA sometimes just wore shorts and sometimes we just wore jeans and tshirts, depending on the weather. Folks warned that it might rain, but we were fine with lightweight ponchos ($1) that we brought along.

For dining (traditional seating), there was a huge range of attire on all evenings, with more formal on the formal night. H brought a tweed sports jacket that he wore with black jeans. He looked fine. I wore a pair or black slacks and dressier sweater/top. Our friends wore a suit and a nice dress. Folks also wore just about whatever they wanted all nights, including the formal evening. One night when they were serving something that didn’t interest our friends, we all ate at a steakhouse onboard, which was delicious, even though we paid a small extra fee. We didn’t pay anything extra for drinks or water bottles, as we don’t drink much alcohol and were fine with the sources of water that were readily available.

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LAYERS.

4

I did the cruise and some land excursions in mid-August a couple years back. Weather can be quite unpredictable and rainy in the Inside Passage. Dress in layers, with a good rain jacket. On our ship, formal night could be as casual as an open collar dress shirt and jacket. Ties are not mandatory. Don’t need formal dresses. Other nights it was casual in the main dining room (not shorts and T-shirt casual).

5

Agree about layers. I went in Sept on Princess and the temps varied from 70 degrees to 45 in Glacier Bay. Fleece and a Columbia unlined rain jacket worked for me for the variable temps and I was glad I brought a pair of fleece gloves for Glacier Bay. My husband brings a navy sportcoat and I wear dresses to dinner. I have a long black skirt and a sparkly top I wore for fancy night.

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Yes to layering for men and women. It’s always easiest that way.

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So that’s it. Layers. A little more detail? Like only long pants and thermal underwear needed? That us layering. Should I pack capris or shorts? Any sleeveless shirts?

I live in the northeast. Should I consider it February , October , April or June?

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No one I know has taken thermal underwear on an Alaskan cruise.

Layers would be…shirt, something like a pole fleece, and a rain shell windbreaker over it. Every one I lnow took scarves and gloves, but didn’t need them all the time.

Relatives who went in early August three years ago did take a sleeveless or,short,sleeve top…or two.

I asked…and they agreed with the above poster…temps can range from innthe seventies to the forties.

9

When we travel, we generally look at the long range weather forecasts for about week or two before we leave, so we can have some more accurate idea of what kind of weather to expect. I’m a “fragile flower,” and get hives from too much heat OR too much cold. I always bring layers and wear them or leave them in my suitcase, depending on how the weather actually turns out. We were cruising in mid-September. It varied as was posted above between snowing to raining, with most days being sunny and gorgeous. I mostly wore jeans, long sleeves, a vest and carried or wore a ski jacket. I’m assuming you can wear a lot less. To me, it was similar to my visits to SF, and that’s what I wear when I go there. I did bring thermal top and bottom, but don’t recall wearing the bottom. My LA friends didn’t need to wear as many layers as H and me because they have a broader range of comfortable temperatures.

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Theri is no bad weather, only bad gear. Layers, including an outer rain layer and boots.

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If you’re not going to do heavy-duty hiking, walking shoes or even TEVA-type sandals are perfectly adequate most of the time. We didn’t bring boots but used our walking shoes for the entire trip. The cheapo-$1 poncho was adequate as insurance with the ski jacket for the light rains we experienced.

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I am not trying to be an a-hole folks But you can only pack so much.

I am getting a better idea from you guys. But for below the waist, what combination of jeans or long pants, vs capris vs shorts ?

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Wear comfortable pants. If it were me, I’d pack a pair of light weight black slacks, a pair of khakis, and I’d wear the jeans. The black slacks could be paired with decent tops for dinners. I wouldn’t bother with shorts.

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I did NOT bring anything short–brought black nylon long slacks suitable for hiking and one black dressy pair of slacks and wore my dark denim jeans. It worked fine for me. My GF from LA packed a ton more than me but changed more often and doesn’t care about packing light. She brought a pair of capris or long hiking shorts and wore them.

15

August in Alaska: It will rain. Rain in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska (where it sounds like you’ll be the whole time?) is generally a sporadic drizzle. Thunderstorms are vanishingly rare, but expect wind (occasionally strong wind) near coastlines.

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We lived in Anchorage for seven years, but we are not cruisers, so I can’t help with that. Denali will be colder than the southeast, obviously, but it is an amazing experience.

Do check on the weather before you leave. That saying, Alaska is very casual/outdoorsy where you are going.

I don’t think I’d bother with hiking boots, but you will probably want some kind of comfortable walking shoe/hiking sneaker. If you have space, 2 pairs in case one gets wet. I’d say a pair of comfortable sandals that you can walk in, and then whatever “dressy” shoe you want for the ship (again, no experience with that).

The layering suggestion is key. If you take a pair of jeans, a pair of hiking - type pants (Horizon by Eddie Bauer, for example), and a pair of capris (in whatever multiples you can fit in your suitcase), you should be fine. Nicer pants if you want for dinner in Anchorage but honestly you’ll see everything in restaurants there, in or out of tourist season.

For tops (again not for formal night, have no clue), t-shirts with long-sleeved button up shirts that you can put over them, and a light wool sweater or 2. Again, there are nice hiking shirts at REI that also add sun/insect protection.

A fleece and a rain jacket that fits over it are musts, and I like the little stretchy gloves that are easy to pack, just in case. You may want a brimmed (baseball) cap for sun/rain.

Bring binoculars. If you have room, bug wipes for the land portion of your trip. In Denali, unless you are hiking, you will mostly be riding on a bus through the park.

That’s my advice! Take it or leave it.

P.S. If you want restaurant names in Anchorage, let me know. We’ve been gone about 6 years but most of our favorites are still there.

17

Oh, and you probably don’t need shorts. If you have room you can throw a pair in (they don’t take up much space). I laughed at your question about which month to compare it to - it could be any of the four the week you are there. Just check the forecast before you go to get the best guess.

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We went on an Alaskan cruise in July 2015. It was 80 when we were in the ports. Definitely watch the forecast in the days leading up to your trip.

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I would say pack like it’s October at home. Layers but expect a warm day or two.

You may catch Alaska on their warm week of the summer.

20

We are going for the third time in June, so I need to start gathering some things and thinking about this also. Bought a new Marmot waterproof shell on a good sale at REI online yesterday. The “yoga pants/leggings” thread reminded me to take my black leggings to wear under a dress to dinner. (I’m always cold in restaurants) I’ll probably end up with two pairs of jeans, one pair of ponte black pants, and a skirt/dress or two. The first time I didn’t bring gloves or a hat and had to buy them at our first port. It’s pretty windy out on the deck when the ship is underway. I didn’t bring shorts. Lightweight wool socks can be washed in the sink and will actually dry overnight. I’ll wear my walking shoes, and pack Keen sandals and black flats.

Have a great trip!