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Alaska trip -- please, please help this clueless girl

old chic

Please help this clueless person from New York. We are taking a cruise/land vacation in Alaska in late August/early September. The usual thing -- a few days in Vancouver, then a cruise to see glaciers (we hope) and some land time in Denali, ending in Fairbanks. What the heck is the weather at that time? And what do we need to bring? Do I need a waterproof jacket? Is it cold enough for a hip-length Land's End puffer with a hood I already have? How about shoes? Sandals? Boots? Trainers? Short sleeves or long? Have rarely been this confsed. I just have no idea! Please help! Thanks in advance.

Dressing

14 replies

Latest reply was from old chic

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I would not bring sandals

old chic

Thanks, Anna. That's helpful.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

On the bus, so excuse terseness & typos.
I took my father on an Alaskan cruise, but it was over ten years ago.
For any kind of excursions I'd recommend sturdy trainers or light hiking boots, bonus if goretex.
It gets windy and cold on deck, especially in Glacier Bay, you can feel the cold from the ice.
Late August is short days especially up there.
I would consider fleece & definitely some sort of beanie. Rain coat definitely, though i don't think you need rubber boots.
It was my first cruise & I found it surprisingly casual, which makes sense given the location.

Anonymous

You'll probably get better information from searching the forums on sites like TripAdvisor and Cruse Critic. Also the cruise line will probably provide suggestions. Those were the sources I consulted before this trip.
I went even a little longer ago than Anna and in June. Whatever the average temps are at your travel time, you can be pretty confident the weather won't be "average"' at least not every day. You need to be prepared for a 15 degree F variance higher and lower. So lightweight layers are the best way to go. We wore almost exclusively gear during the day, both on land and on board the ship. Your specifics will also depend on what excursions you choose - will you be actively hiking, fishing, canoeing, etc. every day? If you go out on the glacier it is really cold, but the excursion companies provide special outer gear.
Like Anna, we also found that attire even in the main dining room generally was more casual than I understand is usual for cruises - and more casual than the cruse line's "dress code" suggested. We were on a big ship - Holland America. My understanding is that the smaller ships are more casual still.
Our ship had self service landry rooms, which was terrific since some days we got pretty wet and muddy!

SuzyQ2

I've taken two Alaskan cruises but both in the late June /July time frame so I can't advise for your trip. The weather for our trips was warm and the only time I wore a jacket was the departure day in Seattle. Plus we're an older group which limited our activities to short walks around the port towns
But check out the forums on the site cruise critic, it's cruise line specific and helped me immensely.

kerlyn

Veteran

I agree with the suggestions for light layers. Late summer/early fall can get chilly, so a fleece layer over a tee, and possibly a lightweight waterproof jacket would work well for outdoor excursions. You won't likely need sandals, but hiking boots would be good. Not sure about the puffer. You wouldn't likely need it in Fairbanks or Denali, but It might be nice for glacier outings and such.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I went in April, and I expect it was chillier than what your weather will be. But I agree that the cruise was less formal than I expected. I went to the dining room, where formal attire was requested, with a long black skirt, a slightly shimmery shell, a black shrug, and daytime-dressy ballet flats, and I felt appropriately dressed. I also had a pair of nice ankle trousers (like office-dressy) that I wore with a kind of dressy tunic and same ballet flats.

I did not bring a down jacket, as I didn't own one anyway. I wore my three-season trench coat with removable lining--and kept the lining in for the whole trip. Also scarf, gloves, hat, umbrella.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

Is gets really windy on deck when the boat is moving. Chill, too. You'll want something warm for that and also a way to wrangle your hair. We went on an Alaska cruise last year at the beginning of July. Dining was very casual. There were a few people in formal clothes--kinda looked like they were dressing for prom (hehe!). We felt we dressed nicely, in clothes that were sorta business formal, but there were people who made NO effort at all--camp shirts, shorts, flip flops etc. at dinner. Also, we ended up eating al fresco a lot for breakfast and lunch because the dining rooms were quite crowded. On the whole, it was chillier than we would have liked for that activity--and the wind was a continuing issue. Honestly, I don't remember how I dressed, but I'd suggest packing items that will be warm without being too restricting for eating and for wrangling food at a buffet line in case you find yourself in the outdoor seating. (Of course, it's not the only option...)

It rains a lot--especially southern Alaska--so I'd be prepared with an assortment of wet weather gear.

Also, there can be a significant difference in cruise lines. We were on a Norwegian Cruise. I didn't know, before-hand, but Norwegian has a reputation for being like the Applebee's of cruising. I think that was reflected in the casual attitude of many guests and the fact that a lot of guests seemed to be there only for the free bar. Your experience may differ. We did enjoy the the experience--both the cruise and the destination.

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JAileen

Veteran

Several years ago we spent a week in Glacier Bay. It was late May/early June. When we were near a glacier, it was quite chilly. I took a heavy fleece jacket and a couple fleece shirts and wore all of them. Layers is definitely the way to go.

RobinF

Veteran

I went on an Alaskan cruise last August. Definitely bring layers, the weather can vary a lot. I have a lightweight down coat that I brought (it packs pretty small) and wore, especially the days cruising the glaciers. Also gloves and hat. The days in port weren't very cold, a light jacket would usually be fine. I doubt you'll need shorts or sandals. We were in Vancouver a couple of days and it was very nice there, I wore cropped jeans a tee and light sweater. Agree with checking Cruise Critic, there are a lot of good ideas there. We loved it, have fun!

Nebraskim

Veteran

We were on an "adventure" cruise (62 passenger ship) in which we spent lots of time in Zodiacs, kayaking and hiking. There was literally no need for anything fancy (like a cocktail dress), but I did appreciate having a lightweight down jacket and a gore-tex jacket over it. On our cruise, everyone wore gear from Eddie Bauer, LLBean, REI, Cabela's, Bass Pro, etc. Layers, fleece, waterproof. Take a brimmed hat; take gloves. We also needed high boots to wade ashore from the Zodiacs. I was in Anchorage about 20 years ago the last week in August. It literally turned from summer to fall overnight. I went to bed after a beautiful 82 degree day (the Alaskans were complaining of the heat, but I had left 102 in Nebraska) and when I awoke the next morning, it was 35. The rest of the week it was in the 60s, warm enough during the day but it got chilly at night. Your cruise line should be able to give you advice on clothing for what you will be doing. Enjoy. It's a beautiful state.

Anonymous

We did an Alaskan cruise a few years ago at end of August. It was the last of the season because the water would soon be frozen. August is like late fall. I took a long puffer and wore it all the time. You will also want a warm hat that will not blow off your head, warm gloves and a winter scarf. Think winter. You will love it!
Oh, and no one on board used the pools. Just too cold. Boots or booties.

Anonymous

We were told that June = spring weather, July is summer, August is autumn, September starts winter.

old chic

Thank you so much, all! This is really, really helpful. Need to get myself a waterproof, fairly lightweight jacket to go with my layers.