Aug. cruise wardrobe

Old Jul 15th, 2016, 07:22 AM
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Aug. cruise wardrobe

Planning an Aug. cruise trip to Alaska. Totally clueless as to what I should pack for wearing on the ship all day and on the ports or for various activities.
I have tons of good, formal/dressy sort of attire as I like to dress up.
But lacking casual wear, thus need to go shopping for few outfits. Any recommendations for stores will also be helpful.
Thanks to my Fodorite friends who always have great ideas for all problems.
Have a beautiful day and a relaxing weekend.
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 07:49 AM
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>

Which will be completely wasted in Alaska. They don't dress up. And dressing up for traipsing around glaciers and national parks is simply daft. Since you seem like someone who spends a good bit of coin on clothing, go to REI and stock up.
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 09:38 AM
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Thanks for your reply.
Really, don't spend much on clothing. Have a good sense of purchasing everything on the good sales.
Don't have outdoorsy sort of stuff, thus seeking help.
Will look at REI.
Have a great day.
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 12:37 PM
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All you really need are jeans (I assume you have those?), and a warm jacket. Any kind.
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 12:52 PM
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We were on an Alaskan cruise in August as well. In Glacier Bay, I was glad I had scarves and gloves, while on the railway trip, I was glad my bottom layer was sleeveless shirt.

Black pants and nice tops will be more than enough for dinners on board.

Layers
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 12:59 PM
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For my Alaska cruise I lived in fleece pullovers and a lightweight waterproof jacket.
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 01:06 PM
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a couple of dressy separates (black skirt or pants and a couple of tops) will be more than adequate for Captain's night, etc or if you go to one of the fancier specialty, on-board restaurants/steakhouse

For day to day you want something warm, layers, water proof, fleece, good shoes, socks . . . but especially layers since you could have warm days. On deck when the ship is moving you could freeze your buns off

The coldest summer day (actually end of Aug/first week of Sept) I ever experienced anywhere was our time in Glacier Bay (on board)
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 01:28 PM
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hats/gloves/scarves/long underwear/sunglasses/sunscreen and a waterproof layer (even a cheap parka will do).

There really is no reason to use REI if you have these things already. It's not like you'll be trekking.

For Glacier Bay the best views are on the top deck but it is raining you can watch from inside, out of the weather.

I went on September 1 (when all the experts said not to) and it was clear and sunny!

Cold at night but I was inside then.
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 02:16 PM
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We have been on several warm water cruises and to Alaska on Princess 6 years ago in mid-June. Like night and day how people dress and act.

Alaska was all about practical. Layers. Waterproof windbreaker. Comfortable shoes or heavy sneakers. No need to spend a lot of money on exotic outdoor gear. I dressed as I would on a raw, rainy early spring Saturday running errands in New England. During the day fleece ruled.

At night there was a huge difference between warm water and Alaska cruise. Dressy pants, casual skirt/dress. Many men did not wear ties with their collared shirts. Saw several guys with shirt, tie and windbreaker.

And it was not a late-night group. We were there over our son's 21st birthday and thought it would be fun to buy him his first legal drink at midnight. Had a difficult time finding a ship bar still open - and the one we did had last call soon after we arrived.

If you will wear it again, the only thin I might put some money into is perhaps a 3-layer jacket with zip-out lining. North Face usually has jackets that can be worn as is in cold weather, the fleece "lining" worn as a fleece jacket, and the shell worn as an unlined wind breaker. The mid-weight one, not the one designed for Everest. I love these things.
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 02:51 PM
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Or you could buy a fleece vest.

Hopefully you already own some kind of rain jacket, rain parka or rain coat. If not, and you have no further use for one, I'd geta cheap rain jacket or rain poncho (Coleman and Totes makes some sturdy ones that you can find easily, even places like Target and Walmart, or online). The advantage is they fold up and fit into a pocket when not in use.

Rain jackets are a bit more useful if it will be windy, as it often is on a moving ship.
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Old Jul 15th, 2016, 07:34 PM
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Million thanks for all the replies.
I feel little relieved to read that I have all the items listed.

Thus, most probably do not have to buy anything. Need to figure out some shoes that may be more appropriate than what I possess in my collection!

I even have a sturdy rain poncho that I had to buy in an emergency while in Cancun.

We had booked a tour and it just poured and poured that afternoon. Umbrellas were not enough and a poncho was bought at the tiny store.

Once again thanks to all of you wonderful experienced travelers. I am so glad to get all this help.
Have a great weekend.
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Old Jul 16th, 2016, 07:02 AM
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I’d recommend checking the weather a few days before you go. Alaskan weather can be warm/cold/wet/dry.

On our August Alaskan cruise we brought along waterproof windbreakers and one fleece top, a knit hat, gloves and a scarf. We brought long and short sleeved t-shirts for daytime layers. That was sufficient for us and we purchased really nice fleece tops as souvenirs (even the souvenir version was a heavier fleece than we could buy at home).

The temps in Alaska when we were there were the in 70s. Barely wore the windbreaker except on deck. Wore the fleece one evening. Never wore the hat/gloves/scarf.
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Old Jul 16th, 2016, 10:50 AM
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Fortunately hats/gloves/scarves don't take up much room in the luggage!

If it's sunny, you'll be glad to have a hat with a brim.
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Old Jul 17th, 2016, 09:18 AM
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You don't need REI quality outdoor wear for a single use cruise trip to Alaska.

I would first "shop" your own closet, sounds like you are already on that.

If you do need something I'd look at Land End, Macys, Old Navy, that kind of store if you need to add a few more practical, casual pieces.

What do you wear at home on the weekends in the fall or winter?

(You don't need to answer -haha- but I assume it's not formal/dressy attire!)
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Old Jul 17th, 2016, 12:59 PM
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Any kind of shoes you can walk in. Sneakers/gym shoes are fine. If they can get wet that's a bonus. Much of your walking will be on city streets and well-groomed trails.
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Old Jul 17th, 2016, 01:17 PM
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We cruised Alaska the first week of August. The temperatures ranged from 84 F and sunny to temps in the 60's and rainy.
As stated before, layers are important. Bring a lightweight waterproof jacket with a hood. Most of the time we wore jeans during the day. We wore sneakers/athletic shoes for our excursions.
The only time we wore gloves was while walking on a glacier.
It was chilly on the deck in Glacier Bay but still only needed a cotton pull over sweater and the lightweight jacket.
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Old Jul 18th, 2016, 07:47 AM
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Thanks for so many helpful tips.
We are booked on Royal Caribbean for 7 nights in Aug.

I spent the weekend pulling items from my closet. Surprised to see I have everything I might need. Thus, really no shopping to do before the trip.

That is a good feeling!

That also means I can spend extra on some excursions.
Your advice was very helpful to me. Thanks for your input.
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Old Jul 18th, 2016, 08:00 AM
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What cruise line are you with? We went with Celebrity cruises to Alaska and my sister was turned away from the dining room when she showed up in a black yoga pants and a top (she forgot it was formal night....)

I wore casual dresses to dining room dinners although on formal night a handful of women were in cocktail gowns (they looked fabulous!). I never saw a single person in the dining room with a windbreaker for any dinner -- men all seemed to wear casual collar shirts or at least polo shirts.

I live in Chicago and I didn't bring any of my REI/North Face stuff. For excursions, I wore jeans and brought a pair of wool tights to go underneath if I needed them ( I never did). On top, I wore a couple of thin Icebreaker and Smartwool wool shirts but honestly any warm wool sweater would have been fine (with a shirt underneath so you have the option to take the sweater off). I wore a fleece wrap coat with a hood which was great -- the large hood came in handy. Waterproof leather boots that I wear around the city all the time -- they don't look a bit outdoorsy. If it rained, I would have thrown a poncho over everything. Definitely bring gloves and scarf -- if your coat doesn't have a hood, bring a hat. These come in handy when viewing the glaciers on deck and when heading out.

On the boat, I wore leggings and boots, knit tops and sweaters, and long-sleeve thin knit dresses.

We did a quick hike to Mendenhall Glacier, a floater plane to a lake, White Pass train ride in Juneau and these clothes were fine in late July. Have a wonderful time!
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Old Jul 18th, 2016, 09:22 AM
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Fishee--Thanks for all your tips.Looks like you had a great time and were dressed to enjoy the sights.
Hope to use your ideas as I get ready for my trip.
Have a fabulous day.
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 05:43 AM
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I would like to offer a dissenting opinion. Two different issues here: what to wear in port/on deck while viewing glaciers etc., and evening wear.

As an REI member who has learned a LOT about gear, I can tell you that going on excursions in jeans is far from optimal. Of course you can, and obviously many people do. But jeans are the worst outdoors option. They are heavy and if they get wet, you're toast. (We are hikers, also some biking, but not outdoors fanatics. I'm going camping for the very first time two weeks after our Alaska trip w/my daughter in Israel)
We are bringing lots of tech clothing because it's very light, has great features like zip pockets, quick dry etc. We are bringing our regular Salomon hikers, which are waterproof. Our raincoats are waterproof (nope, not all raincoats are!) and totally breathable, which makes an unbelievable difference in your comfort. Proper hiking/walking socks? Priceless.
I'm not arguing with anyone; if you are going on non-athletic excursions, this doesn't matter to you. But even an hour in the rain in jeans, sneakers and a poncho? Guaranteed miserable. We are doing at least a few hours of hiking in 2 ports, and Denali post-cruise.
That said, I'm curious about the idea that people don't dress up for formal nights on AK Cruises. Really, less than on other cruises? I'm bringing 2 cocktail dresses anyway because I have them, and they're smaller than anything else I'll be packing.
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