What to Pack for your Cruise to Alaska (without Overpacking or Freezing)
Anthem of the Seas Inside Passage Cruise 2025
This summer, I finally checked off a big bucket list destination: Alaska! My husband and I always said that we would take a trip to Alaska on a milestone anniversary…but with 3 kids its hard to leave for such a long time so we brought the kids along! It was me, my husband, and a group of about 30 friends/clients!
The whole thing actually started with a friend of mine who has over the years become a client — someone I’ve known for 22 years! She asked me to plan an Alaska cruise for her family. After helping her book the trip, I found myself commenting on how fun it looked… and she invited us to come along. Soon my family was booked too, and I invited a couple more friends. What started as a client trip quickly turned into a full-blown group getaway. It turned out wonderfully; zero pressure and just enough planned activities (most of us did our own activities in Alaska, but we had a group dinner) to keep things fun.
We sailed on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas, but whether you're cruising with Royal, Princess, Holland America, or anyone else, this post will help you figure out what to pack for your Alaskan adventure. Most of these tips apply no matter what ship you're on.
So now that I’ve cruised Alaska myself — and learned a lot from both my experience and watching what 30 other people packed (or forgot to pack) — I wanted to share what I’ve learned, since when I started I wondered:
“What the heck do I pack for an Alaska cruise?”
Well here are my suggestions:
🎒Must-Have Items that I Actually Used
🔹 Water bottle – There’s a lot of walking and exploring, especially on port days. Having your own refillable water bottle is a must. Also unless you pre-purchase water bottles for the ship, bring on your alotted amount, or get a drink package, being able to fill up with the filtered water on the ship is great!
🔹 Magnetic lights – Cabins on cruise ships are... cozy (read: small), and usually not very well-lit. I brought little battery-powered magnetic lights and they made a big difference in getting ready or moving around without waking everyone up. The walls are magnetic so you can stick these anywhere. They are rechargeable.
🔹 Over-the-door shoe organizer – This is a game-changer for cruise organization. It keeps shoes, sunglasses, chargers, toiletries — all the little clutter — off the counters and out of the way. We hung ours over the closet door.
🔹 Pop-up hamper – Helps keep dirty clothes contained and out of sight, which is a huge sanity saver in small cruise ship rooms. If you purchase magnetic hooks (the walls are magnetic) you can also hang things like swimsuits etc. on them.
🔹 Pool floats – If you're traveling with kids or just love to lounge, bring one. Royal Caribbean does usually provide some, but having your own is never a bad idea. They flatten down when deflated easily in luggage.
🔹 Sunscreen – Don’t let the cooler weather fool you. You can still get sunburned, especially on days at sea or on glacier-viewing decks.
🔹 Medications – Bring anything you regularly take, plus a little emergency kit. Dramamine is a good one — Alaska waters can get choppy.
🔹 Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses – OK, I know this is a pricey one, but they made it so easy to snap photos and video of the entire trip without digging my phone out constantly. If you love documenting your travels, these are worth it. I got the transitional ones (they turn into shades when sun is out and are clear when not). I didn’t buy them specifically for this trip but they were WONDERFUL!
🔹 Binoculars – Whale watching, glacier viewing, bald eagles (we saw all of this)... binoculars will give you a front-row seat even when you're standing on the top deck.
🔹 Lanyard for your ship card – You’ll need that card everywhere — to get into your room, order drinks, buy stuff, check in and out of the ship. I recommend grabbing a cheap pack on Amazon before you go. On board, they’re about $10-$12 each. (also luggage tag holders are awesome to have as well!)
👟What to Wear: Layers are Key
Before this trip, I didn’t really get what “pack in layers” meant (I looked up what to wear for this trip everywhere and read that over and over again). But now I do — and it doesn’t mean pack every coat you own. It means build your outfits so you can add or remove layers depending on the weather. We had days that were warm like TX days (maybe not quite but 75-80 degrees) and some days MUCH colder.
Here’s what worked for me:
A couple pairs of leggings
A few pairs of comfortable pants (like 2!)
3 T-shirts & 2 long-sleeved tops
A hoodie or zip-up sweatshirt
A lightweight sweater
A beanie & gloves (especially for glacier day…it also got really cool on th whale watching boat!)
A lightweight, waterproof jacket (rain happens often…though it didn’t during my trip)
Comfortable walking shoes (already broken in!)
Waterproof boots or shoe covers – It rains often in Alaska (even though we lucked out with none!)
Swimsuit – Most ships have indoor pools and hot tubs. You will want to swim on sea days (even if you don’t if you are traveling with kids they will want to)
Bug spray – Yep, we got bitten by mosquitos panning for Gold in Skagway!
A small fan – Cruise ship cabins get stuffy at night…this is my favorite thing to bring on a cruise! This one can fit anywhere and is chargeable!
What I learned about Alaska cruise fashion…its cozy and casual. Even on “formal nights,” most people skipped the tuxedos and ballgowns. People looked great, but there were no red carpet vibes…just cozy vibes!
That’s it for part one of my Alaska blog series! If you’re planning a cruise up north, I hope this list helps you feel a little more confident (and a lot less overpacked).
Got questions? Reach out! And stay tuned — I’ll be sharing more tips over the next week or so on everything from Seattle departure tips to what to do in each Inside Passage port.
🧡 Follow along on Vacations By Jill – LTW Travel
📞 Want help planning your own Alaska cruise? Call me at 800-887-0564 or contact me here!