I took an Alaska cruise on Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas and it was a fantastic first foray into this region of the world.
For my seven-night cruise to Alaska, I spent a considerable amount of time planning and learning what I should do and bring with me, and I was glad I brought things like a raincoat, swim suit, and binoculars.
Despite all my research, I still forgot a few items that I had to buy and pay top dollar for in tourist markets.
Raincoat
When you learn about the importance of layering for how to pack for an Alaska cruise, a waterproof outer layer is one of the key points and I was glad to have brought this with me.
It's not a question of if it will rain on your Alaska cruise, but when and for how long.
While the rain is usually short lived, having a rain coat made it much more enjoyable during and after the rain. I saw so many other soaked tourists trying to make the best of it.
Binoculars
You're going to see so much wildlife, and binoculars are so helpful.
You'll be able to spot whales, seals, eagles and other animals from your cruise ship. Having my own pair of binoculars made it so much easier to spot them.
This is especially helpful with whale sightings, because humpbacks can be seen on sea days quite often.
Bathing suit
A lot of people think it will be too cold to swim, but it's actually warmer than you might think.
When the sun is shining on a summer afternoon day, the pool is plenty fun and enjoyable.
Plus, Royal Caribbean's Quantum Class cruise ships have an indoor pool!
T-shirts
Just like bathing suits, you'd be surprised how warm it gets in Alaska and having a t-shirt made it much more enjoyable outdoors.
While in Sitka, the temperatures were into the 70s, and I loved having a t-shirt on to stay cool.
Knit hat
It never occurred to me to bring a knit hat to keep my head warm, but I was so glad to have one when I bought it in Juneau.
A hat really keeps you warm on the ship during sea days, and while I have a nice souvenir, I would have been find with a much cheaper yet equally warm knit hat from home that I already owned.
Blanket
We booked a balcony cabin for our Alaska cruise, and it was worth every penny. But it got cold out there!
The ship offered blankets to borrow on the pool deck, but they're more like glorified towels. Plus, my blankets from home would have been more comfortable and we could have shared them.
An extra suitcase
After two port days, I realized I had a problem because I bought so many souvenirs and didn't have space to pack it all later.
I wanted to be as light as possible to make getting through the airport, airplane, and to the cruise ship as easy as possible. But having an extra suitcase would have been worth it not to have to worry about shoving everything in at the end of the cruise.
Plus, I could have brought more outfits!
