Alaskan Cruise Outfit Ideas: Packing List and Photos
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Alaska Packing List
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Alaska Packing List 〰️
Alaskan cruises are completely different from Caribbean cruises or cruises to the Bahamas or Mexico. That means packing clothes for your Alaska cruise takes a little more planning and organization—especially if it will be your first time in Alaska.
I recently returned from my second Alaskan cruise, and in this post, I share everything my family wore on our 7-day Alaska cruise in May along with pictures for examples.
I also share how I found bargains on everything (I don't call myself The Bargain Chasing Tourist for nothing!). I have included my Alaska Cruise Packing List as well to help you prepare for your Alaska cruise!
Related: Where to Stay in Vancouver Before Your Alaska Cruise
Five Things Princess Cruises Does Best: From Deals to Cabins
You can watch my Alaska Cruise Outfit video on Youtube!
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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The natural beauty of Alaska is something everyone should experience in their travels. The snow-capped mountains, stunning forests, and plentiful opportunities for close-up wildlife viewing left me in awe. If you're considering an Alaskan cruise vacation, I can assure you: it's worth it!
Find awesome Alaska cruise deals at Cruise Direct
The tricky part about packing clothing and accessories is the unpredictable Alaska weather. The Alaska cruise season starts in April and extends through the summer months to the first week of October.
The "shoulder season" months of April and May are known to be cold while June and July are warmer, and the temps start to drop again in mid-August into September and October.
Of course, it rains A LOT in Alaska and planning for rainy days is a large part of planning your clothing and accessories for your Alaskan cruise.
Rainy day in Icy Strait Point, Alaska
I sailed to Alaska in late May with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line aboard Quantum of the Seas. I cruised with my mother, my 7-year old daughter, and my 12-year old nephew. (my significant other was not able to cruise with us this time).
I live in central Arizona which does not have a true winter, so I don't own a lot of clothing for cold or rainy weather conditions. Because of this, I gave myself a lot of time to organize, shop, and pack for this cruise.
I booked my May cruise the previous October which allowed me to shop throughout the winter and take advantage of winter clearance. For any cruise, it's a good idea to book in advance to secure the best prices.
Quantum of the Seas in Juneau, Alaska
When I cruised the week before Memorial Day, the temperatures in Alaska and at sea were in the mid to high 40s Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) which I consider cold weather.
Of course, how we experience weather is very subjective, right? In Arizona, we get our sweaters out when the temperature drops below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), so the wardrobe I packed for Alaska reflects this.
Alaska weather in September is similar to May while October is even colder. June and July have sunny days, so you could actually bring a pair of shorts!
I want to make a point that clothing for Alaskan cruises is more about practicality and comfort than high fashion! On cruises to the Caribbean or Bahamas, I typically wear tropical prints and maxi dresses, but I left all of those at home in favor of fleece, leggings, and thick sweater dresses.
Instead of a stylish handbag or tote bag, I wore a backpack in all of the ports.
Travel Day
Flying to Seattle on Southwest Airlines
For some reason, I have the hardest time picking my travel day outfit for the plane going to the cruise port. Finding the right outfit is difficult because you want something that is comfortable, won't wrinkle excessively, won't show stains, but also doesn't look like pajamas.
You also want to save your newest and best outfits for your actual vacation.
I recommend wearing your heaviest pair of shoes on the plane because shoes weigh down your luggage too much. For this trip, my heaviest shoes were my waterproof boots.
So, I had to find something that didn't look ridiculous with knee-high fur boots (well, I probably already looked ridiculous walking around in fur boots in Phoenix when it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit!)
I settled on this black sweater dress with tights. I already had the dress and tights for years: the dress was from Ross at least 4 years prior, and the tights were from Kohls.
Seattle-Tacoma Airport
My daughter wore a long-sleeve T-shirt from Carters, jeans from T.J. Maxx, and a sweatshirt from Burlington. My nephew wore a long-sleeve T-shirt from T.J Maxx and shorts for the plane, and then put on sweatpants from Old Navy when we got to Seattle. Instead of carrying a handbag, I wore a crossbody bag with RFID blocking.
Embark Day
Alaskan cruise vacations typically leave from Seattle, Washington, or Vancouver, B.C. Our embark and debark days in Seattle were our warmest days of the vacation. We bundled up at the airport thinking the cruise pier would be chilly because it's close to the water, but it was actually warmer than the airport.
I recommend following the weather for Seattle or Vancouver closely online prior to your departure and packing an umbrella in your carry-on, of course!
Onboard the Ship
Trying to spot orcas from my cruise ship balcony!
Comfy Outfits
Every Alaskan cruise has several sea days, and I recommend bringing 2-3 "cozy" outfits to wear when the ship is sailing. Cozy outfits are your casual wear: they are warm and comfortable for those windy days at sea and the glacier viewing days.
For me, my cozy outfits consist of leggings, joggers, or yoga pants with a sweater, sweatshirt, or fleece top. I also wore thick boot socks with my fur-lined clogs.
My daughter wore leggings with long-sleeved shirts or sweatshirts and boots. My nephew wore long-sleeved shirts with shorts and slides.
My mom wore ankle-length knit dresses from Lands End with wool socks and clogs.
My daughter was comfortable in sweatshirts and leggings onboard
Don’t forget a Swimsuit!
Even though you will be sailing to Alaska, bring a bathing suit! Every cruise ship has a hot tub, and several ships have indoor pools.
I loved that my ship, Quantum of the Seas, had an indoor pool and hot tubs for all ages as well as an indoor swimming area for adults.
My daughter and nephew spent a lot of time during the sea days swimming in the indoor pool.
Warm PJs
I also packed warm pajamas for all of us. Warm PJs come in handy when you need to run outside to the balcony quickly to spot a whale first thing in the morning!
Glacier viewing at the Endicott Arm
Dinner Outfits
Choosing outfits to wear in the main dining room or to specialty dining restaurants seems to really stress cruisers out. BUT, I will tell you, on Alaska cruises, it really does not matter what you wear at night. Alaska cruises are much more casual than cruises to the Caribbean or Europe.
In general, cruises have become so much more casual since the Pandemic. Alaska cruises, in particular, barely have a dress code.
It doesn't matter whether you are sailing with Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line or on a Carnival Cruise. Even Holland America, a more traditional cruise line, relaxes its dress code in Alaska.
It is acceptable to wear the clothes you wore in port to the dining room.
I was surprised when I returned to cruising after the Pandemic that even on formal nights, guests are dressed casually.
I find it odd that Royal Caribbean's website still lists cocktail dresses and tuxedos as examples for formal wear because you typically see the opposite on Royal Caribbean cruises!
On my Alaska cruise, I saw ONE girl in a sequined gown, and I have NEVER seen anyone in a tuxedo on a cruise other than my one cruise with Cunard in the early 2000s. I don't think I even saw a single sport coat among the gentlemen in the dining room.
On the first formal night, I wore a short dress which I don't consider formal, and I didn't feel underdressed at all.
(This video was actually filmed on a different cruise, but I wanted to show the full length of the outfit which I forgot to take a picture of on my Alaska cruise!)
I wore this knit dress from Marshalls on the last formal night. My daughter’s dress is also from Marshalls (on clearance!) I also brought a cardigan because parts of the ship are cold.
Alaska Cruise evening attire on Royal Caribbean
One night, I wore this sweater dress from T.J. Maxx. Every other night, I wore the clothes I had worn in port.
Alaska Cruise outfits for the Main Dining Room
I always bring a clutch to carry at night which is helpful for my room card, hand sanitizer, lipstick, tissues, and deck of cards since we like to sit in one of the venues and play cards.
