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Alaska Cruise Packing Guide: What to Pack For A Week Long Alaskan Cruise
- 2 hours ago
- 10 min read
Alaskan cruises can be hard to plan and pack for, since the weather can be unpredictable! One port can be sunny and warm, and the next can be freezing cold! The key to packing for an Alaskan cruise is being prepared for all the possibilities! In this post we will break down what you need to pack to make the most of your time in Alaska, and to share essential and non essential items so you know what is worth it to pack!
We visited Alaska in the shoulder season towards the end of September, so we experienced rainier, colder weather than peak summer. The shoulder seasons (April and September) tend to have colder weather than peak summer months like June and July, so keep that in mind while planning and packing!
Weather & Conditions to Expect on Alaskan Cruise:
Alaskan cruises are different from your standard warm weather cruise. They require a little bit more planning, and more thought when figuring out what to pack! The weather can be unpredictable, so planning for warm and cold weather is a must! Although not common in the inside passage, the water can get rough, and ports can be canceled. We experienced rough seas, and missed out on our Ketchikan port. We visited in late September and were met with fog, wind, and rain most days, but got a glimpse of the sun once or twice! Knowing the average weather during the month you plan to visit is helpful when planning what to pack!
Estimated Juneau weather:
April: High 49° / 36° Low (coldest month)
May: High 57° / 43° Low
June: High 62° / 49° Low
July: High 63° / 51° Low
August: High 63° / 51° Low
September: High 57° / 46° Low (rainiest month)
Estimated Skagway Weather:
April: High 50° / 34° Low (coldest month)
May: High 59° / 42° Low
June: High 65° / 48° Low
July: High 66° / 52° Low
August: High 65° / 50° Low
September: High 57° / 45° Low (rainiest month)
Estimated Ketchikan weather:
April: High 49° / 39° Low (coldest and second rainiest month)
May: High 55° / 45° Low
June: High 59° / 51° Low
July: High 63° / 55° Low
August: High 64° / 55° Low
September: High 59° / 51° Low (rainiest month)
Estimated Sitka weather:
April: High 50° / 33° Low (coldest month)
May: High 54° / 39° Low
June: High 58° / 44° Low
July: High 62° / 49° Low
August: High 63° / 49° Low
September: High 60° / 44° Low (rainiest month)
Estimated Victoria weather:
April: High 56° / 45° Low (coldest month + rainiest)
May: High 61° / 50° Low (rainiest month)
June: High 65° / 53° Low
July: High 68° / 55° Low
August: High 68° / 55° Low
September: High 65° / 53° Low
Estimated Vancouver weather:
April: High 56° / 44° Low (coldest and rainiest month)
May: High 63° / 50° Low
June: High 68° / 54° Low
July: High 73° / 58° Low
August: High 73° / 58° Low
September: High 66° / 53° Low
Our Recommended Gear for an Alaska Cruise
An Alaska cruise is unlike any other vacation. Even in the peak of summer, temperatures can stay surprisingly cool, often never climbing out of the 60s. Add in glacial breezes, misty mornings, and unpredictable rain, and you’ll quickly realize that packing for Alaska requires a different strategy than your typical warm-weather cruise.
That said, life onboard the ship tells a different story. While the decks and port days can be brisk, indoor spaces like observation lounges, dining areas, and the buffet tend to stay comfortably warm. We were actually surprised by how often we reached for shorts or light pants inside! If you plan to take advantage of the pools or hot tubs, just be ready for that chilly post-swim walk back to your room, we were especially thankful to have a warm coverup.
Below is a collection of gear that we used on our Alaskan cruise, that we helped us have a smooth sailing, and comfortable on board experience.
This post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. We only recommend gear we use and love!
The cutest beanie with a detachable pom-pom on top! This beanie is satin lined so your hair doesn't get pulled and tangled, and is seriously so cute! Beanies are a great way to accessorize, and add some extra warm layers!
There is a high chance you experience rain and mud on your Alaskan cruise, and having proper footwear can make the difference between a miserable day in port with soaked feet, and keeping your feet warm and dry. We both used these hiking boots while in port, and they were lifesavers on flooded streets, wet trails, and even on board when the decks were flooded from rain. They are comfortable and lightweight enough where even walking multiple miles a day did not hurt our feet. If you only make one purchase for your cruise make it waterproof footwear!!
Elijah wore these Columbia Men’s Rebel Roamer pants on our Chilkoot Trail hike in Skagway through Alaska’s temperate rainforest and on our river float down the Taiya River. They kept him dry in the rain and on the raft, and helped keep his legs warm in the damp, cool conditions. They also came in handy when we sailed through Glacier Bay and stood out on the deck for hours in the rain, especially with the added wind coming off the water.
These Birkenstock Arizona Eva sandals are the perfect pool shoes! They are rubber based, and dry off quickly since water doesn't soak into them. They are compact as well and fit easily into your luggage. Alyssa has had her pair for over 5 years and they are still going strong!
The Touchat wearable blanket hoodie is the perfect cold weather pool cover up! We went to the hot tub a few times in the evening and we were freezing the second we got out of the nice warm water, this is a good option to put on after the pool to warm up on your way back to your cabin. We use these at home to after getting out of the cold water at the beach, or when we go swimming late at night! (Note this does take up a lot of room in luggage, so if your tight on space this may not be for you!)
REI Trailmade Rain Jacket:
This jacket is our absolute favorite, and most used purchase to date. They fold up so compact that they fit easily into a small bag, and are super lightweight. We pack them for every trip since they barely take up any room and provide great coverage from rain and wind. Hands down our favorite travel rain coats!! These are a good outer layer, over another coat or sweatshirt since they are thin a don't provide much warmth.
Here are the links REI Rain Coats
Not Affiliate but we love these jackets
This is my go to sun hat when we are out in the sun for any extended period of time! I love the all over brim, it keeps the sun off my face and neck, and helps keep me cool on warm days. Even on overcast days I like to wear it since I burn easily, and it came in handy on our hike to nugget falls in Juneau. I really enjoy the under the chin strap, it help the hat stay on even when its windy!
We visited Alaska in the rainiest month, and had cold weather most days onboard. These Bayleaf fleece lined water resistant leggings were the perfect pair of pants to wear on shore excursions, especially when we hiked the Chilkoot trail in Skagway! They kept me warm and dry as we trekked through Alaskas temperate rainforest.
Our room only had two USB ports, so having a USB charger that could charge our Apple watches and phones at the same time was amazing. This freed up room for us to charge more important things like our camera gear on the other outlets in our cabin. If you have an apple watch and I-phone we recommend grabbing one of these before your cruise!
This is the only camera bag we use, and it is absolutely amazing! We use it as our day bag on shore excursions, and as our camera bag. It fits my large DSLR camera, two lenses, and has plenty of room to spare for things like jackets, water bottles, and more.
Items We Did Not Need & Why For Our Alaskan Cruise:
When we were planning our cruise we did a lot of research into what to pack, and saw a lot of the same advice. People were sharing their cruise essentials, but most of those items we did totally fine without. Below is a list of frequently shared must-have cruise items that we see no point in purchasing and why!
Magnetic and over the door organizers:
We saw a lot of videos and posts online sharing storage hacks using magnetic storage bags and over the door shoe organizers to help create more storage in your room. We opted to not purchase any of these items, and honestly had plenty of room without them. We were able to store our checked bag under the bed, our backpacks in the closet, and all of our toiletries fit on the bathroom shelves. We did have a small desk, where we put all of our extras like camera gear and accessories. Even with an inside cabin, we were fine on storage without these!
Metal hooks:
Our room had two metal hooks near the door, and we used these to hang up our coats when we got in from the rain. If we needed more room to hang wet clothes our bathroom door had a hook, and the shower had a clothes line. We did fine with just the provided hanging space, and did not need any extra hooks!
Fans:
We can see how these would come in handy on a warm weather cruise, but on an Alaskan cruise we did not see the point of bringing or purchasing a small fan. It's cold outside, and the rooms have air conditioning. Even for two people who run warm, we never thought to ourselves “man I wish I had brought a fan!”.
Power Strip:
Power strips are one of the most recommended items to bring on a cruise, and we were worried we would not have enough outlets in our room to charge all of our devices! We had two usb ports, and three normal wall plugs giving us plenty of space. Our room also had one international port, if you are traveling from outside the United States. If you have more devices than that, a power strip could be a good idea, but make sure it's allowed by the cruise line.
Pop up Hamper:
This sounds good in theory, but in reality takes up more room in an already tight space! Instead of using a pop up hamper, we just put our dirty clothes in our empty checked bag and kept it zipped and under the bed. The clothes are going to end up back in the bag on the way home anyway, so this saves time packing too!
Blankets:
Although we see the appeal of having your own cozy blanket from home, they are just so big and bulky to pack! The cruise rooms have heaters, and comforters on the bed. We were never too cold in our room, and actually slept with the air conditioning on most nights. Blankets for us are just not worth the space they take up!
Liquid Hand Soap:
We saw tons of blogs and social media channels saying to bring your own liquid hand soap on cruises, while this is definitely a good idea when compared with the typical hotel bar soap, our cruise (NCL Encore) had liquid hand soap already in the room. Check with your cruise line before sailing to see if you need to bring your own or not!
What to Pack for a 7-Day Alaska Cruise: Real Packing List + Item Breakdown
Because Alaska’s weather can change quickly (sometimes within the same hour), layering is absolutely essential. You’ll want lightweight base layers, warm mid-layers, and waterproof outer layers so you can easily adjust throughout the day. The goal is flexibility: shed layers when the sun comes out and bundle up when glacier winds roll in.
To make planning easier, we’re sharing exactly what we packed for our seven-day Alaska cruise, including quantities of clothing, shoes, and accessories. Use this real-life example as a practical guide to help you build your own Alaska cruise packing list with confidence.
Clothing:
10-12 pairs of underwear
3-4 bras
10 pairs of socks
3-4 long sleeve shirts
3-4 short sleeve shirts
2-3 sweatshirts
2-3 sweaters
1-2 warm coats
1 raincoat
1 pair of waterproof pants
2 swimsuits
Warm pool coverup
2 pairs or jeans
2 pairs of sweats
1 dressier outfit
2-3 pairs of shorts
Accessories:
1 set of gloves
1 beanie
1 sun hat
1 pair of sunglasses
1 pair of waterproof shoes/hiking boots
1 pair of sandals or flip-flops
1 day bag or backpack
Toiletries:
Body wash
Brush / comb
Chapstick or lip mask
Conditioner
Deodorant
Face wash
Face mask
Hair ties
Lotion
Shampoo
Tip: For toiletries, consider airline restrictions when packing your liquids. You do not want to waste money by losing all your goodies to TSA on your way out! We have even heard of people visiting Target or Walmart upon arrival into their starting city, to purchase items there!
Extras:
A water bottle
1-2 small bottles of hand sanitizer
Binoculars
Camera
SD cards and lots of memory to go with the camera
Cards or some sort of pass time (we brought our Nintendo switch!)
Usb charger for phone + watch
Anti nausea/motion sickness medicine
Vitamins to help keep the cruise flu away
Click below to download our free printable 7 day Alaskan cruise packing checklist!
Final Note: Alaska Cruise Packing Guide
Packing for an Alaska cruise can feel overwhelming if you’re unsure what weather conditions to expect. From chilly glacier mornings and rainy port days to warm, comfortable indoor spaces onboard, knowing how to pack for an Alaska cruise makes all the difference in having a stress-free trip.
We hope this Alaska cruise packing guide has helped you understand exactly what to bring, what to wear in port, and how to stay comfortable on the ship. The key to packing smart for Alaska is layering. Temperatures can shift throughout the day, so wearing moisture-wicking base layers, warm mid-layers, and waterproof outer layers will help you stay both warm and comfortable in changing conditions.
If you purchase only two items specifically for your Alaska cruise, make them waterproof shoes or hiking boots and a high-quality rain jacket. Alaska is known for frequent rain showers, and having proper rain gear ensures you can fully enjoy excursions, wildlife viewing, and scenic days without being cold or soaked. With the right preparation and smart packing choices, your Alaska cruise will be comfortable, memorable, and adventure-ready, no matter what the weather brings.