TassieTwo

We are doing a short Alaska Cruise in June 2010 towards the end portion of our "round the world" trip. I am reluctant to take jackets and warm clothing with us, carrying all the way through Europe for weeks if we can easily and cheaply buy when we get to either Vancouver or Anchorage. Does anyone have any ideas of what we'd need and where we could buy?

abram

We were in Alaska for 17 days. Occasionally, it was warm enough for shorts, but we usually wore jeans or khakis. If we were spending the day at a glacier, I wore silk long underwear--it takes up very little room in a suitcase. A hooded rain jacket long enough to cover my butt was helpful. I also liked having an ear band and thin gloves.

gail

Nothing is cheap in Anchorage. We did Alaska-Vancouver cruise June 2008. Outer waterproof layer (windbreaker) and a couple of warmer inner layers - fleece, turtleneck and some sort of head covering and light gloves should be fine. Even dressy wear - just throw a sweater over a lighter weight dress for dinner on the cruise - should be sufficient.

Since cruise is at end of trip, that means you were in Europe in cooler months - so you should be able to get along without purchasing things in Alaska.

Gardyloo

<i>Nothing is cheap in Anchorage.</i>

Meh. In the (highly unlikely IMO) event the OP needs to buy an article or two of clothing there are plenty of inexpensive places in Anchorage to do so - Fred Meyer, Walmart... Or for higher end goods, Nordstrom's prices in ANC are usually very close to those in the lower 48, plus there's no sales tax.

Dayenu

The only day we needed something warm on our June cruise was the day of scenic cruising - can you bring an old blanket and toss it?

Eschew

June is warm enough that you don't need heavy clothing except for a couple times, maybe. A wind breaker is a must though. You can buy a wind breaker on board for about $35 - $50. The ships generally have blankets by the pool decks. Grab a couple of those and wrap yourself around it. You may look funny but nobody cares. My DW took 3 blankets, one wore like a wrap around skirt, one like a shour and the last one like a scarf. Looks funny as hell and she won't let me take pictures but did the trick and kept her warm.
The only time you need to be that warm is at the glacier scenic cruising. If you can stay away from the wind, you might not even need that. Save your packing and your money.
However, weaather is unpredictable so "be aware" and "be prepared". In general, at that time of year, spring or fall attire is suffiicent.

TassieTwo

Ok... thanks for all that. Might just pack a few layers and bincluding a set of silk long underwear that should be easy to rinse out and dry overnight. I could look for windbreakers in Vancouver. I'm not sure that Cruise West would have a large shop on board for purchases such as these.

CruiseDiva

Dress in layers (as needed). A windbreaker on top should do the trick. Equally important as warm clothing is an umbrella. You can wrap yourself in a deck blanket, as many people do on glacier days, but if it's raining, you'll get wet without the umbrella.

Linda
http://cruisediva.com

Eschew

If you are on Cruise West, outfit yourself in Vancouver. Your attire will be different from the mass amrket ships.

Definitely dress in layers and waterproof. It should'nt be too cold in June in Alaaska but you will definitely feel the wind on the opne area with Cruise West ships. Also, the blanket idea won't work either. I don't remember blankets. Cruise West is a very good small operator and you can call them and ask for proper attire.

Couple small items you can bring along: wool gloves, neck warmers and head bands. They are all small and light weight. We bought the stuff at a dollar store and if it get wet, dry it. After the trip, toss it.

TassieTwo

Thanks Eschew!
Had a lovely wander around our local Salamanca Market (Tasmania) this morning...lots of woolly hats and scarves but it was such a beautiful morning I couldn't bring myself to buy such things. I think I'll try for shopping in Vancouver for last minute items. As long as I have a warm fleecy jacket and my long thermal underwear, I should be able to get a lightweight waterproof windbreaker in Vancouver. I know Cruise West say they have umbrellas in the cabins so I won't need one of those.
So glad I don't have to pack fancy dress up clothes for dinner etc.....the main reason we chose Cruise West.
Only 185 days until we leave home.

Lordy

Hi TassieTwo,
I have been reading your post with interest, as we also faced this problem some years ago. I ended up taking layers, spencer, skivy, thicker skivy and 1 polar fleece jumper. I also took a water proof long jackert for our Alaska cruise.
I took the jacket on the plane and then put it in one of my hand luggage bags for the rest of the trip.
We were in the US for Summer time too and didn't need any warm clothes until the cruise.
I was glad I had the warmer clothes and they didn't take up too much room.
We will be in Tasmania over Christmas time and I am looking forward to going to the Salamanca markets.
Vancouver has lots of great shopping and you will be able toget something there if you don't want to roll up a jacket.
Donna
Melbourne

TassieTwo

Thanks Donna. I'm sure you'll enjoy Salamanca, especially on an nice summer day. We didn't buy much today. Our annual donut, some flowers and fruit and veg!
I'm afraid I lack the shopping gene so I have real trouble gtting motivated to look in earnest for our holiday. Might make a quick trip out to the local Anaconda store to get some prices for jackets and try and check prices in Vancouver online stores for comparisons.
We'll be in your neighbourhood in Feb for the weekend (to see Cliff and the Shadows) so I can also look around Melbourne shops.
185 days to go before we start off....plenty of time!

Lordy

We are going away the end of June next year and are still tossing up between Europe or US / Canada. We have done both before and have cruised to a few places in both.
Still tossing up where and what cruise we will do.
The way the time is flying, it won't take too long to come around.
Have fun in Melbourne
Donna