My wonderful DH surprised me with a cruise to Alaska. We leave in 3 weeks. I am so excited. It is our first cruise. Is there anything that I should know? I need ideas about what side trips are worth while. Also, anything about cruising in general. I know that I have to bring warm clothing. Do I need a winter coat? Please help!!!
This sounds so exciting!!! Have fun. What a wonderful surprise.
It was my birthday gift. I was stunned.
August should be mostly pleasant with some showers. We went in September with a vest, light fleece and windbreaker, though YMMV. Congrats–have a great time!
If you don’t want to gain weight–walk instead of using elevators. You’d be surprised how many flights of stairs you will climb, up and down (or at least one direction–we caught elevator up and walked down).
Our entire family loved our Alaska cruise-you will have a blast. One key item to pack is a pair of good small binoculars…there is so much amazing wildlife to see right off the boat!
We wore jeans, fleece jackets and vests almost every day.
What ports are you visiting?
We have been twice, both times in July, and I was glad to have gloves and a warm headband both times. Also a water-resistant outer layer. Are you leaving from Seattle?
My favorite was a semi-submersible ride in Sitka, if you’re going there. There was SO much undersea life - it was stunning! You’re in for a real treat.
Advice for a cruise - don’ t eat anything you don’t really like or is only so-so because there is a ton of food that is really great. Pace yourself.
I don’t think you’ll need a winter coat. Layers are best, with fleece and windbreaker type layers.
If you see something you like, buy it. You may not see it again. Try an excursion that is different from anything you’ve never done.
There is a lot of info at cruisecritic.com. Go to their message boards and read the tips for new cruisers and the recommendations for excursions.
If you have time/money add on a trip to Denali, the ports the ships stop at are very commercial.
Layers, layers, layers. It can get pretty cold over there (especially up on deck when the ship is moving).
Also, definitely take a pair of binoculars. It’s amazing what kinds of wildlife you can see even from the ship (whales, bears, seals, etc.)
If you want to book some excursions, either through the ship or on your own, I would recommend booking them as soon as you can. Some fill up quickly.
My inlaws have cruised all over the world and their favorite is the alaska cruises-you’re going to have a blast! They did a helicopter tour over a glacier that they raved about. Um, I remember stories of treks through national parks with moose (not super strenuous ones). They really enjoy the heck out of that particular area.
If you have a camera other than your phone make sure you have an extra battery. Take an external battery pack for your phone. Alaska is amazing. If you have a good camera with a great zoom don’t leave it at home.
Take a good warm jacket and windbreaker. Dress in layers.When we went it tended to “spit” rain–so damp a lot but doesn’t keep anybody inside. Good windbreaker works great.
Decent walking shoes that “go” places.
As to the “what I need to know” question–you’ve got a great hubbie!
Alaska was my favorite cruise ever. We went on a smaller boat able to go in the inside passage.
We visited a glacier on a helicopter ride which was very memorable. It was memorable to be in a new environment and also memorable that it was slippery beyond belief. Don’t go if you have reservations although you can probably just go without actually landing ON the glacier. . It was fun just for the ride alone.
I enjoyed all stops along the way. Great just walking around. Low key stuff mainly to see but just new and fun with a laid back vibe. And so beautiful.
The days are so long…don’t forget to sleep!
I went last July and it was 80* most days! So yes take layers, but make sure you have some lightweight clothing just in case you encounter warmth like we did. Ditto the advice about taking the stairs and not the elevators. We walked everywhere at every opportunity, and even though I felt I ate non-stop I actually lost weight. Push yourself to do a few things on the ship that might be outside your comfort zone. There were some things that sounded pretty corny to me, but we tried them out and had fun.
Most important - get used to hearing/seeing the word “tanzanite”.
FYI, sunrise is about 5 am and sunset isn’t until after 10 or 11, if I recall correctly.
They do have an exercise room/gym where you can use the treadmill, stationary bike nd weights, except during classes that are an extra charge. Walk around the ship and explore–you can get quite a workout just exploring the entire boat!
I totally forgot about “tanzanite”! Too true! LOL
Yes–make sure to pack some lighter weight items also. Just think layers.
Just in case you’re tempted to get some tanzanite, remember that it’s a very soft gemstone 6.5 on the Mohs scale-about the same as an opal. The way they hawk the stuff on cruises you’d think it was teeny bits of Philosopher’s Stone, lol.
MIL says “don’t forget your binoculars”, I think someone else said that upstream on this thread as well. We bought them an amazing pair for Christmas one year that is small, light, but powerful, and they used it a lot on that particular cruise.
A ligthweight scarf that can be wrapped a couple of times around your neck is a great help in the layering.
I went many years ago for my honeymoon, being a Southern California kid & it being the middle of summer, it never crossed my mind to bring a coat, had to buy one. Knowing what I know now, a Northface Apex bionic style soft shell, some layers under that, scarf, and gloves, and I would be all set, layering up and down all day.
A few tips:
Call your cell phone carrier and find out if they have service for when you are on a cruise ship (some now offer that/or offer at an additional charge), otherwise plan on putting your phone in ‘airplane mode’ while you are on the ship and only using it during your excursions or it will get EXPENSIVE.
Internet is generally available for short durations at a cost, so don’t expect to spend much time online, but you can buy enough time to check and send some quick emails if you can’t go ‘cold turkey’ for a week.
If you have any fear of motion sickness take an unopened package of Dramamine or similar with you (it will be more expensive to buy on the ship) and although most people aren’t bothered by motion sickness on large ships, getting on board and being sick would really spoil the trip.
You can have unlimited coffee, tea, generally lemonade or similar and water as part of your price, but if you drink any soda or alcohol it can get expensive. Some cruise lines allow you to bring a limited amount on board with you (must be unopened) and others don’t allow any to be brought on board, so check your lines rules. You can also buy ‘passes’ for x number of sodas or alcoholic beverages, so if you’re planning to drink either, figure out if that may be a cost savings.
You will get a daily ‘newsletter’ delivered to your cabin with all the activities on the ship that day, as noted above, just go try some things out that you wouldn’t normally do (after all, you’ve already paid for it 
)
You will have 1 person assigned to be your housekeeper and you will have 1 head waiter and 1 assistant waiter assigned for your dinner service. Those people will not change and will accommodate any requests within reason that you have. Your tips to them are not included in the price of the ticket, most lines have an automatic daily tip amount that will be charged, but you have the option of cancelling the automated charge and paying more or less as you see fit.
For dinner, the Alaska cruises tend to be more casual than other locales, but many passengers will ‘dress for dinner’ and some cruise lines will not allow blue jeans (or shorts/swimware in warmer locations) in the dining room during dinner service at all.
You don’t have to order off the menu for dinner service - they will accommodate requests as they are able. On the evening they have steak and lobster on the menu as separate items, you can request both. If you don’t like any of the menu items you can request something that served a previous night and they will bring it if available. I went on one cruise with a toddler nephew and they had a platter of watermelon waiting at his spot every evening. I went on another with my son and we were seated with another mom and teenaged son and when he wasn’t happy with anything on the menu, they made a hamburger specially for him. Most adults will be content to live with the choices available, but it’s nice to know that you don’t have to.
You will save money by not booking excursions through the cruise line (although that is more convenient), at every port you will find numerous small companies competing to offer a variety of excursions to the ships passengers (as I noted above cruisecritic is a great source for getting recommendations on the best choices).
Pay attention to the time - allow plenty of time to get through security when the ship is initially leaving and take a couple watches/phones whenever going on an excursion. The ship WILL NOT wait for you. It will leave as scheduled and if you aren’t on board, it becomes your responsibility to find transportation to ‘catch up to the ship’ at the next port.
‘Closed loop cruises’ - ships that leave and return to the same port, do not require passports, however for an Alaskan cruise if you are going to go on an excursion that takes you into Canada (I know per cruisecritic recommendations at one port we rented a car and drove into Canada) have a passport.
And RELAX and ENJOY!
Try to hunt out locally owned businesses. If you stop in Skagway have lunch at Skagway Brewing Company. Have the fish and chips and a pint of Spruce Tip Ale. They use spruce buds instead of hops and it is fabulous!