Recently, I had the pleasure of going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska.
It was amazing!
The few weeks before the trip, I found myself googling what to pack but came up empty handed.
I wasn't sure what to do.
Brendan was helpful, but that's because he had been to Alaska once before.
What if you don't have the same luck that I had?
What if you don't know anyone who's visited Alaska before?
Hopefully that's where this blog will help you!
I did find some other blog posts, but their list included items of clothing I didn't own or didn't plan on packing regardless of their suggestions.
Some of those things included thermal clothing, hiking books, a backpack and emergency supplies.
I did go out of my way to purchase a pair of sneakers specifically for the trip, but besides that, everything else I packed I had available in my closet.
It was important for me to be prepared.
I wanted to be able to take off layers if the sun was out on shore.
I also wanted to be able to bundle up for the colder days out at sea.
I wanted to be comfortable, but still uphold my cute, girly sense of style.
So, when I did my packing I tried to take into consideration everything.
And, since I tend to over pack, I did end up bringing a lot of things I did not need.
Keep reading to find out what I packed and what I did not need or use.
3 pairs of jeans
windbreaker/rain jacket
3 pairs of black yoga pants.
1 pair of thick thermal leggings
1 long sleeve thermal shirt.
2 pairs of shorts
3 long leave shirts.
2 pairs fuzzy socks
1 pair knee high socks
7 pairs ankle socks
pajamas
underwear/bras
sneakers
flip flops
black flats
2 pairs of heels
3 formal dresses
5 semiformal dresses
5 t-shirts
Under Armor pull over sweatshirt
earmuffs
3 bathing suits
toiletries
makeup
gloves
scarf
baseballhat
hair curler
3 tank tops
4 nice, dressy tops
thin zip-up sweater
small cross body pocket book.
large travel tote bag
phone charger
batteries
camera
Unfortunately most of the clothes I packed I didn't even wear.
I didn't wear any of the jeans, dressy tops, fuzzy socks or the scarf.
My problem is that on the Caribbean Cruise I went on, we spend a lot of time exploring the ship.
We had time to get ready and look good.
We had the time to change as many times as we wanted to throughout the day.
Alaska is different.
You spend all morning and afternoon doing a 6 hour excursion.
You come back to the ship exhausted and ready for a late lunch.
You nap for two hours and then it's time to get ready for dinner.
The ship is not big enough to explore.
It's too cold to lay out on the deck.
It's just different.
I wore a t-shirt and black yoga pants almost every day.
On top of that, depending on the temp, I either wore my thin zip up or pull over sweater.
Then I always wore my neon pink wind breaker on top and topped my head with my ear muffs :-)
Anything extra I needed that day (more layers, gloves…) I put in a huge tote bag that I brought along with me on land excersions.
Now taking all that into consideration, lets look at the list again.
This time I will cross off what I wouldn't repack, and add in a
different color things I 'forgot'.
Keep reading to find out how I would pack differently.
Second time around:
windbreaker/rain jacket
3 pairs of black yoga pants (+2 more)
1 pair of thick thermal leggings
1 long sleeve thermal shirt.
3 long leave shirts. (+1)
1 pair knee high socks
7 pairs ankle socks (+2)
pajamas
underwear/bras
sneakers
flip flops
2 pairs of heels (+1)
3 formal dresses (+1)
5 semiformal dresses
5 t-shirts
Under Armor pull over sweatshirt
earmuffs
3 bathing suits
toiletries
makeup
gloves
baseball hat
thin zip-up sweater
small cross body pocket book.
large travel tote bag
phone charger
batteries (bring extra!)
camera
Something that I found super helpful when packing was to
have a carry on suitcase and a
checked piece of luggage.
This give me more room for souvenirs and reassured me that
my checked luggage would always be
below the 50 lb airline limit.
If this blog post helped, make sure to share it, follow and give it a +1! Thanks!
Have fun on your trip!
Until next time,
Ines xoxo
