I'm going to be in Vancouver for three days before taking a seven day Alaska cruise. I'm worried about overpacking. Does any one have any packing tips? Are there some good laundry facilities close to either the cruiseship terminal or the Executive Inn Downtown on Howe Street? Thank you so much for your help.

Over 80,000 people live in the downtown peninsula so I'm 100% certain that there are many laundromats and laundries within easy walking distance of the Executive Inn.

There may even be a laundry room on your ship. I didn't need that many clothes when we went to Alaska in August but was glad I took a couple sweaters, a hooded Gortex jacket and a pair of light-weight gloves. I took one dress and one skirt. In our case, the shorts and t-shirt could have stayed home - it was too chilly to wear them - although I did wear some long-sleeved t-shirts onboard. Try rolling your clothes. I get small containers from a camping store for creams, shampoos, etc., so they take up less space.

Katriean, I was going to suggest taking a wardrobe based on 2 or 3 colours so that everything mixed and matched, but then I realised that you were the person who had mentioned she was getting married on the ship in May. So that means you'll have to adjust your wardrobe on at least two counts.

One, I presume you won't care if your wedding outfit doesn't fit in with the rest of the mix and match scheme.

Two, if you're going in May the weather will likely be cooler than it was for April (April the poster, not April the month) when she went in August. An extra layer, perhaps even long underwear, might not go amiss. I've never been on an Alaskan cruise, so someone else may be able to give you more precise advice from personal experience.

To read up about mixing and matching (except for your wedding outfit, of course), you could do a Google search for Travelite FAQ.

Another useful website on packing is the Universal Packing List at

http://upl.codeq.info/