Top 5 Items to Bring on Your Alaska Cruise

Are you planning to cruise to Alaska this summer? Alaska cruising season starts at the end of this month and continues through late September/early October. If you haven’t booked your Alaska cruise, yet, no need to fear–there is still plenty of time, but try to book sooner rather than later to get the itinerary and stateroom you want!

Cruising to Alaska is an incredible experience. I first sailed to Alaska in August of 2021 onboard Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam, and I immediately fell in love. The scenery, the wildlife, the ambience–all of it was magical and memorable in so many ways. I loved my trip last year so much that I decided to do it again twice this year. During and following my trips this year, expect to see more Alaska cruising content on my blog and across my social media platforms.

Looking back on my 2021 Alaska cruise, there were certainly things I would do differently–specifically in regard to the items I wish I brought and the items I couldn’t live without. I took copious amounts of notes both during my cruise and in the months following, and I have a pretty solid idea of how to pack for an Alaska cruise.

Packing for an Alaskan cruise is quite tricky, especially if you’ve never been to Alaska before or if you are coming from an entirely different climate and part of the world. For a more detailed packing list, be sure to check out my blog post here for a comprehensive breakdown of everything you need to pack for your trip. Plus, that post features a free printable PDF!

In this post, I will highlight the top 5 items to bring on your Alaskan cruise. If you think of any other items that aren’t on this list, feel free to jot them down in the comment section below for other travelers to add to their own lists’.

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Camera

Alaska is one of the most picturesque cruising destinations on the map, and the photo opps are to die for. Even if you never get off the ship, you will have the opportunity to view stunning scenery, marine wildlife, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets. This is part of what makes Alaska such a great cruising destination. Most people do get off the ship when docked in various ports in cities like Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, and more. If you choose not to do any port excursions, I still highly recommend wandering around the cities and exploring what Alaska has to offer. 

Regardless of which ports you sail to or whether you even get off the ship, a high-quality camera is an essential item to bring along with you on your journey. I promise you that you will look back and view the images and videos you capture during your Alaska cruise for years to come. Every now and then I still watch the videos I took during my whale watching excursion out of Icy Strait Point. To see some of the videos I captured during my 2021 Alaska cruise, check out my YouTube video!

Though a smartphone camera will capture great images and videos, I suggest bringing along a high-quality camera, if possible. The zoom and in-body stabilization on smartphone cameras is not particularly great, and some of the shots you’ll want to take in Alaska require features that can only be found in a high-quality camera. 

Mirrorless cameras are a bit of an investment, but there are usually better prices if you purchase a used camera as opposed to a new camera. For the longest time, I used a basic Canon Rebel T5i camera with a kit lens and eventually upgraded to a couple of more advanced lenses. This served me well and it was not too expensive compared to other makes and models. If you’re just starting out and don’t know much about photography, I recommend getting a starter camera for your Alaska cruise. The one I used as my starter camera can be purchased here. It will provide you with all of the functionality you’ll need to capture great, high-quality photos. 

 

Binoculars

Binoculars are a great item to pack if you enjoy birding, marine life viewing, or just being able to see something that’s far away in a clearer frame. This item comes in particularly handy while whale watching–and you don’t necessarily have to go on an expensive excursion to see whales, by the way. I saw them multiple times from onboard the ship during our scenic cruising days. I’m so glad I brought binoculars because otherwise I might have missed out on seeing these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. 

Plus, if you don’t bring binoculars onboard with you and you decide that you want to buy a pair half-way through the voyage, it will cost you an arm and a leg. Even in port, a basic pair of binoculars is expensive. Purchase a pair of binoculars on Amazon or at Walmart or Target before your trip, and pack them in your carry-on! 

 

Sandals/Flip-flops

This item might seem like it’s on the wrong list, but hear me out. When I cruised to Alaska last year in late-August, it was cold. Some nights it was below freezing. For the most part, I thought I packed pretty well with all the expected items: comfortable footwear, down jacket, long underwear, wool socks, etc. But you know the one thing I didn’t pack that I will now pack on every Alaska cruise I take? Sandals/flip-flops.

Think about it… one of the coolest things to do onboard an Alaska cruise is sip a margarita (or your beverage of choice, this just happens to be mine) while enjoying the warmth of the toasty hot tub next to a glacier. It honestly doesn’t get much better than that. 

But the annoying part about that awesome experience is that if you only pack sneakers and hiking boots, you’ll have to go through the process of peeling them on and off every time you want to stick your toes in the water. It’s truly a pain. 

For this reason, I highly recommend bringing a pair of sandals or flip-flops. Hanging around the ship is a mostly casual experience. You’ll be able to wear your sandals to the buffet, around your stateroom, or to the pool or hot tub. 

 

Reusable Water Bottle

This item is critical for a few reasons:

1. Water is expensive both onboard and in port.
2. Using a reusable water bottle is more sustainable than using single-use plastics.
3. Water is sometimes not accessible if you’re on a remote excursion like kayaking or hiking in the Alaskan wilderness. 

As mentioned above, bottled water is not cheap. Some cruise ships even go as far as to sell expensive “water packages” for those cruising, which in my opinion is not really worth the money. Table-side water is free on ships, but if you want a bottle to take with you, you might be caught paying for it on top of your cruise fare (check the fine print of your beverage package or base cruise fare). This varies from cruise line to cruise line, but regardless it’s still something to keep in mind if you’re not interested in paying $5-$6 USD for a bottle of water. In port, bottled water can also get expensive. Bringing a reusable water bottle and filling up onboard before you go into port is a great way to save money and time. 

On the topic of sustainability, single-use plastics can cause a lot of harm to the environment if they’re not disposed of properly by means of recycling. Further, the creation of plastic water bottles in and of itself causes a lot of harm to the environment through pollution. Alaska is home to a wide variety of wildlife that can deeply suffer if plastic penetrates their ecosystem. It’s important to consider the impact of your travel on the environment and ecosystems you’re visiting. This concept is commonly known as sustainable travel, sustainable tourism, or ecotourism. For this reason especially, I encourage you to bring along a reusable water bottle and make an effort to avoid single-use plastics during your cruise. 

Another reason to bring along a reusable water bottle is for hydration during excursions that are more remote or “off-the-grid”. I did a canoeing excursion on Mendenhall Lake while in Juneau where we canoed 5-miles out and back to get up close and personal with the magnificent Mendenhall Glacier. The lake is formed by glacial run-off, and thus is not necessarily potable. I didn’t bring a water bottle during this experience, and I highly regretted it. Half-way through the excursion myself and those around me were already exhausted and thirsty. We had to wait until we were back on the bus to get water. If I would have brought my own water bottle, I could have completely avoided feeling dehydrated.

Something else to mention here is that water bottles in your stateroom’s mini-fridge are sometimes not included in your beverage package or cruise fare, and you will see an added charge for those items on your statement at the end of your journey. To avoid these charges, just bring your own water bottle and ask for any bartender or waiter to fill it up for you for free.

 

Waterproof or Water-resistant Jacket (option 1, option 2)

For the most part, Alaska is cold and wet. Not always, but during our 7 night cruise we got wet by means of rain, mist, or forest dew at least 5 of the 8 days we were onboard. A waterproof jacket will keep your clothing and body dry both onboard and in port. Something most visitors don’t realize about Alaska’s ecosystem is that Tongass National Forest (which encompasses a large part of Southeast Alaska) is mostly temperate rainforest. That’s right! Rain-forest… Prepare to get wet. 

Even more Alaska trivia for you: Ketchikan is one of the rainiest cities in Alaska, and in the entire United States. If your Alaska cruise itinerary features a stop in Ketchikan, make sure to wear a rain jacket when you venture off the ship. 

Even onboard the ship, you’ll need a waterproof jacket for when you’re whale watching with the onboard naturalist, or when you’re cruising through a glacier field. The mist and sea air will be enough to dampen your clothing if you don’t wear a waterproof jacket! Trust me!

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Those are the top 5 items I recommend people bring on their Alaskan cruise. Of course, these aren’t the only items you should pack. For a detailed list of everything you’ll need to bring on your cruise to Alaska, check out my blog post here. If you have any questions or ideas on other “top items” to pack for an Alaskan cruise, please share them below for others to see!