Alaskan Cruise-- special clothes/shoes?

[vegas]

We leave in about a month for our Alaskan cruise so I'd like to start purchasing anything special I'll need for the trip.  I bought a pair of long johns but otherwise I really don't have any clothes specific for winter or rain since in Vegas we don't get much of either.  Should I buy a rain coat?  How about some puffer type jackets?  I have a Northface puffer vest that I bought for skiing several years back and I own a pair of ski pants, but otherwise I don't have much.  

Also, re: shoes I have tennis shoes and a pair of Uggs.  Anything else I need to buy/bring?  Should I buy the special rain boots/shoes?  How about special snow shoes?

For our excursions we are helicoptering to the top of Mendenhal Glacier for a hike (I believe they provide shoes/special gear) and taking a float plane to look for bears.

Also, for anyone who has been in late August/early September, should we just plan to wear winter clothes like long sleeves/sweaters/sweatshirts and jeans/pants or should I also bring some short sleeves and possibly capris or shorts?  

[sunshinedaydreams]

I would absolutely bring a rain jacket, and, if you can find some cheap ones, probably a pair of rain pants. We had some days when we were in AK that it rained all day and I would have been frozen and miserable without them.

For shoes, I wouldn't necessarily buy rain/hiking boots unless you plan to spend a lot of time outdoors hiking, etc. I wore a pair of Merrell hikers the whole time we were there and they were awesome. But we did a lot of backcountry camping and hiking, so I needed them. And I already had them/knew I would use them again. If that's not the case for you, I probably wouldn't buy them just for the trip. No need for snow shoes. You won't (shouldn't) encounter snow anywhere other than the glacier.

I think the puffer vest would be fine. Ski pants aren't really necessary. It won't be *that* cold in Aug/Sep. The best advice I can give is to be prepared to layer. We were there around the same time a few years ago and I had some days I was fine in hiking pants, a tee and flip flops. Other days (like the Glacier Bay tour) I needed a long sleeve tee, a light fleece, my rain jacket, wool socks, hikers, a winter hat and gloves. I would say to have a few long sleeves you can layer under your puffer vest, rain gear, lots of warm socks, a winter hat and light gloves.

[lexxasaurus]

I grew up in SE AK, in fact you'll probably stop in my town (Ketchikan).

You won't need rain boots unless you plan on doing long hikes or anything that don't provide gear. Sneakers should be fine for anything you want to do. They're pretty good at keeping excursions accessible.

I'd bring jeans and tees/long sleeves with hoodies to layer. It's pretty mild weather but that means cold ish for most, say mid 50's to mid 60d during that time. You don't need "snow gear" at that time of year. Rain gear is a very good idea as my town got 12+ feet of rain a year average, but you can get away with cheap stuff if you only need it a day or two. Don't go buy fancy stuff unless you'll use it otherwise. Most people wear garbage-bag-like ponchos!

Most of all, have fun and enjoy all the scenery! I love Mendenhall Glacier, do you have your other excursions planned out??

[curlygirlygirl]

We took an Alaskan cruise roundtrip from San Francisco, and it was freezing on the boat the first couple of days when we left. I really wished I had a beanie and earmuffs! Thankfully I had packed mittens, thick socks, and a warm scarf - they were lifesavers for me since I was constantly doing laps around the deck to burn off the calories I had eaten!

I got along fine with just sweatshirts and a windbreaker, but we went in early August.

Have a fantastic time - Alaska is gorgeous!

[Nonny]

When we went (in May 2003) I primarily wore jeans, tennis shoes, short sleeved t-shirts layered with sweatshirts. I brought my Columbia jacket (similar to this one -- www.columbia.com/Women%E2%80%99s-Bugaboo%E2%84%A2-Interchange-Jacket/SL7026,default,pd.html) and it was plenty to keep me warm and dry. But it really only rained lightly twice, and coming from Seattle it was the kind of misty rain we pacific north westerners tend to ignore.  I tended to wear it into port and be too warm with it on and then I'd have to carry it around.

I'd bring the tennis shoes but leave the Uggs.  You wouldn't want to hike in Uggs, and honestly I don't think you'll need them on the boat unless you have outfits planned around them or something.  You don't need ski gear either and I'm skeptical about the need for long johns (not something I brought or needed).  A rain coat/windbreaker is probably a good idea.  Basically you want layers layers layers for maximum comfort. 

The only time I was cold was when we were cruising past the Mendenhall Glacier and hanging out on the deck, it got really windy and chilly!  But that was for like 2-3 hours of the 5 day trip.  The rest of the time it was actually pretty pleasant.

Oh, and bring a hat with a brim (like a baseball cap), sunglasses, and sunscreen!  The glare from the glaciers are pretty intense, and I had to buy a baseball cap for comfort since I hadn't brought one with me.

Have fun!  It's a really beautiful trip.

[Deleted]

We went in May. I bought a pair of hiking boats and a winter jacket. You might what to take a jacket of some sort but you probably won't need a full on winter coat. It is currently 70 degrees in Juneau and 65 in Skagway.

[Deleted]

I went in Mid September it was chilly, I had to buy a pair of thin gloves in one of our ports. I don't recall anything else special clothes wise. Just jeans, thin sweaters and long sleeved shirts.

[GilliC]

I would definitely bring a rain jacket. We had a lot of wet drizzly weather, where it wasn't terribly cold but just damp. I also agree to leave the Uggs behind. They're not that great in damp, and you won't need anything that warm. If you want an excuse to buy new gear, I liked having a pair of GoreTex hiking shoes because I didn't have to worry about them getting wet.

Absolutely bring a hat and light gloves for when you're around the glaciers. It can be breezy on deck, and a light hat & gloves make a big difference. Also, ask on CruiseCritic to see if your ship offers deck blankets that you can check out. It's very cozy to sit outside on deck (or on your balcony) with a lap blanket.

[vegas]

Thank you all. I think the thing I'm most worried about is the cold weather since we are real weenies about that. I had never even owned a pair of long johns, I bought some just for the trip. They were called Cuddl Duds or something? A brand I saw recommended here.

DH snowboards so he has more of the layering stuff than I do. I think I'll probably bring a winter hat and some scarfs just in case. And I'll leave the Uggs. I just thought they'd work for function, I got them as a gift and have only worn them once in the 3 years I've owned them!

[vegas]

And curlygirlygirl, I'm training for a marathon and have to run 16 miles on the ship. I plan to run on the deck at least some of the time so I should probably follow your advice and get some warmer clothes for running!  At the very least all of that running should help me feel better about the yummy food I'll be eating!!

[aurora]

One thing to consider about the puffy is that if it's down, it will be totally useless for warmth if it gets wet (which, quite frankly, is quite likely in SE Alaska that time of year). Synthetics will be better for warmth, so just check the tag.

It's not going to be frigid that time of year for sure, but standing on the deck of the boat in the moist, 50-60 deg air with the sea breeze feels colder to me than a lot of things (and I lived well north of where you're going, so I know cold!). I don't think it's going to hurt you to have the hat and scarf - they won't take up much room, and you'd rather have them and not need them than vice versa. Heck, it's been a warm summer in AK so far so you could end up not needing most of your warmies.

As long as you have layers and a rainproof layer, though, you should be fine.

[curlygirlygirl]

Jul 15, 2013 17:40:59 GMT -5 vegas said:

And curlygirlygirl, I'm training for a marathon and have to run 16 miles on the ship. I plan to run on the deck at least some of the time so I should probably follow your advice and get some warmer clothes for running!  At the very least all of that running should help me feel better about the yummy food I'll be eating!!

lol, I was training for a 1/2 marathon during my cruise!  I wish I had kept track, but I probably ended up running about 50 miles on my 10 day cruise there.  It was a blessing in disguise though, since that's when we saw the most whales and sealife.  One day I counted 30 whales during my run!

Despite all of my running, my clothes felt so TIGHT at the end of our trip.  I had the biggest food baby on our last night.  Come to think of it, one more thing I wish I had packed was more roomy pants (bonus points if they had an elastic waist)!

Be sure to be out on deck as you leave Victoria - we saw Orcas there!

[stumpy]

I went in July and was actually hot! (I have been twice and the first time was chiloly and windy but nothing a fleece couldn't handle.)
Granted, you are going when it will be a tad cooler. I would waterproof your shoes b/c it will rain. Don't bring the Uggs like others said. I just brought my sneakers and sprayed them with waterproof spray and was glad I did.
Yes, you will get boats and waterproof shoes and the glacier excursion.

Bring jeans and layers! I basically lived in a Gap white long sleeve shirt with a t-shirt over it. Comfy and easy. A rain jacket is a MUST! Have a blast . . . I could go to Alaska again and again!

[ellipsis]

Jul 15, 2013 17:40:59 GMT -5 vegas said:

And curlygirlygirl, I'm training for a marathon and have to run 16 miles on the ship. I plan to run on the deck at least some of the time so I should probably follow your advice and get some warmer clothes for running!  At the very least all of that running should help me feel better about the yummy food I'll be eating!!

You might want to check with your ship, but the cruise we went on there was no jogging or running allowed on the deck.

[gt7301b]

vegas, when are you going? We are also taking an Alaskan cruise in August, if you are going in August/September we are probably going before you and I can report back.

We are doing the glacier hike to Mendenhall, kayaking in Ketchikan, and renting a car and driving to Skagway.

Mr. GT will also be marathon training and he scheduledthat week as one of his step back weeks so he "only" had to do 10 or 12 on the boat. But he will still have a lot if miles to log as he is using the Pfizinger 55 plan.

[vegas]

ellipsis: interesting about the jogging on deck. I can always do the treadmill, although a 16 mile treadmill run sounds like torture.

gt7301b: Ours is August 23rd. If you are going before us I'd love to hear back! Which cruise line are you on? We are doing Celebrity out of Seattle.

[gt7301b]

Jul 17, 2013 22:33:48 GMT -5 vegas said:

ellipsis: interesting about the jogging on deck. I can always do the treadmill, although a 16 mile treadmill run sounds like torture.

gt7301b: Ours is August 23rd. If you are going before us I'd love to hear back! Which cruise line are you on? We are doing Celebrity out of Seattle.

We are going the week before y'all and it appears we are on the same boat.  I'll try and at least report back on the temps when we are at port and have Internet.

[Deleted]

Jul 14, 2013 18:09:28 GMT -5 lexxasaurus said:

I grew up in SE AK, in fact you'll probably stop in my town (Ketchikan).

You won't need rain boots unless you plan on doing long hikes or anything that don't provide gear. Sneakers should be fine for anything you want to do. They're pretty good at keeping excursions accessible.

I'd bring jeans and tees/long sleeves with hoodies to layer. It's pretty mild weather but that means cold ish for most, say mid 50's to mid 60d during that time. You don't need "snow gear" at that time of year. Rain gear is a very good idea as my town got 12+ feet of rain a year average, but you can get away with cheap stuff if you only need it a day or two. Don't go buy fancy stuff unless you'll use it otherwise. Most people wear garbage-bag-like ponchos!

Most of all, have fun and enjoy all the scenery! I love Mendenhall Glacier, do you have your other excursions planned out??

Just as an FYI so I know for future reference...if I plan on taking an Alaskan cruise and want to do it when it is warm enough for shorts and flip flops what month of the year should I target?  I am looking for non rain weather that is in the mid to high 60's and low 70's.

[aksinger]

vigurl - Another Southeast Alaska person here, chiming in! Unfortunately, if you're looking for guaranteed no rain and 60's -70's, Alaska is not going to offer that! Southeast Alaska (where the cruise ships go, primarily) is a temperate rain forest. We get 250+ days of rain a year and it is usually 50's - 60's during the summer.

This summer has been particularly nice, lots of days above 70 degrees, but last summer the town I live in (Juneau) had over 30 consecutive days of rain (and by rain I mean serious rain, not just drizzles). There is just really no guarantee in what our weather will be like - we always say if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes or drive 5 minutes away and it will be different! So you just have to pick a time that works well for you and hope for the best with regards to the weather - and pack in layers and bring rain gear!

[Deleted]

Jul 19, 2013 15:03:05 GMT -5 aksinger said:

vigurl - Another Southeast Alaska person here, chiming in! Unfortunately, if you're looking for guaranteed no rain and 60's -70's, Alaska is not going to offer that! Southeast Alaska (where the cruise ships go, primarily) is a temperate rain forest. We get 250+ days of rain a year and it is usually 50's - 60's during the summer.

This summer has been particularly nice, lots of days above 70 degrees, but last summer the town I live in (Juneau) had over 30 consecutive days of rain (and by rain I mean serious rain, not just drizzles). There is just really no guarantee in what our weather will be like - we always say if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes or drive 5 minutes away and it will be different! So you just have to pick a time that works well for you and hope for the best with regards to the weather - and pack in layers and bring rain gear!

Thanks for responding to my post!  I am obviously not a cold weather person but I am a cruise person.  DH will only agree to cruise with me if I do an Alaskan one.  Hence my reason for the questions.  250 days of rain?!  Holly hell.  I have lived 4 yrs in TX and I don't think we have had 100 days of rain in the entire 4 yrs! LOL

Since I realized the no rain guarantee would be like trying to predict the winning #'s for the powerball then can you tell me when (what months) can I expect 50-60 degree temps please?  THANKS!

[aksinger]

vigurl - The whole summer should be around 50-60 degree temps. Our cruise ship season is May - September, the cheapest rates are at the beginning and at the end of the summer. Again, no guarantees on weather and temps, but you're less likely to have warmer weather in September than the rest of the season. (Of course now that I said that, I remember a couple of years ago we had a beautiful and warm September, lol!). My best suggestion of when to come is anytime June/July/August if you don't mind paying slightly higher rates.

No matter what, you're sure to have beautiful scenery the entire trip, it's completely green and lush here due to all of the rain! Plus we have things like whales (humpbacks and orcas), seals, sea lions, eagles, bears (had a big black bear in my back yard yesterday right after I walked the dog, scared the shit out of me!), and cools things like I have a glacier in my town (the Mendenhall Glacier, the ice field it flows out of is bigger than the state of Rhode Island). If you need any more advice/suggestions, I'm happy to help!

[Deleted]

Thank you!

[stumpy]

You just have to know that Alaska will equal rain! I have been on two cruises to Alaska and had AMAZING weather, but everybody said I was insanely luckily both times.
We went in mid July both times. (like July 18th ish)

The first cruise, it was cooler but nothing more than a fleece jacket was needed. When we went to Ketchikan, it was awful. TONS and TONS of rain. Just about every excursion was cancelled. We wandered around and took silly pics in gift shops and then went back to the ship and hit the spa.
That being said, every other day on the cruise was fantastic. Everybody said it was the best weather they had seen all season.

Last year I went again and the weather was even better! It was much warmer -- we never needed a jacket and we took our shoes off and wore tshirts and flip flops when we went past Glacier Bay. Yep, it was that warm.
Every day was sunny and warm. Everybody LOVED it and said that we lucked out again. (We did an excursion in Skagway and the guide said he had never seen a more beautiful day and we had to agree with him!!!)

You have to know, that this kind of luck is insane. Most people get rain every day on their cruise, but it is manageable.
July is normally warmer but you just don't know.

Bring a rain jacket and just enjoy!!! Alaska is incredible!

[aurora]

Jul 19, 2013 16:04:36 GMT -5 stumpy said:

You just have to know that Alaska will equal rain! I have been on two cruises to Alaska and had AMAZING weather, but everybody said I was insanely luckily both times.
We went in mid July both times. (like July 18th ish)

The first cruise, it was cooler but nothing more than a fleece jacket was needed. When we went to Ketchikan, it was awful. TONS and TONS of rain. Just about every excursion was cancelled. We wandered around and took silly pics in gift shops and then went back to the ship and hit the spa.
That being said, every other day on the cruise was fantastic. Everybody said it was the best weather they had seen all season.

Last year I went again and the weather was even better! It was much warmer -- we never needed a jacket and we took our shoes off and wore tshirts and flip flops when we went past Glacier Bay. Yep, it was that warm.
Every day was sunny and warm. Everybody LOVED it and said that we lucked out again. (We did an excursion in Skagway and the guide said he had never seen a more beautiful day and we had to agree with him!!!)

You have to know, that this kind of luck is insane. Most people get rain every day on their cruise, but it is manageable.
July is normally warmer but you just don't know.

Bring a rain jacket and just enjoy!!! Alaska is incredible!

Well, your first statement isn't entirely true since large swaths of the Alaskan interior are nearly deserts (in terms of precipitation, though not heat!), but I do agree that Alaskan *cruises* tend to be quite rainy.  If you head up to Denali National Park you are definitely looking at a higher probability of sunny days. 

I think this thread might be scaring people with the warm clothes/rain gear recommendations.  The truth is that it is possible to have really beautiful weather in the summer in all parts of the state (as you found).  It's just that it's also possible to have chilly/rainy weather, so bringing enough rain gear and warm clothes will make sure you're comfortable if you get stuck with it. 

I should also say that I would recommend shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops for Alaskan adventures in the May-Aug time frame!  You just have to prepare for extremes because the weather is so unpredictable.

[gringachef]

www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008C4ED04
We've used Frogg Toggs rain gear when in Alaska. It's an inexpensive, lightweight option that I would highly recommend.
Layers are key.