I’m asking the same topic as someone else, but I especially focused on Alaskan cruises because the majority of responses were about warm-weather trips. At the end of May, we will embark on our first-ever cruise, an Alaskan cruise. I’m excitedly creating my Amazon wish list right now.
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I went the last week of May 2024. Water resistant/proof shoes-low ankle boots. I (59f) always get cold feet. And an ear/ head wrap to keep my ears warm while whale watching or anytime I was on the deck. The wind from riding on the top deck of the boat was a bit chilly. I had packed both, used the ear wrap a lot. But I don’t like my ears being cold, my bald fiancé (42m) was fine with no head cover. The boots I didn’t wear bc I didn’t think it was going to rain while on our excursion into town. It started raining when we got off the bus. Shoes/feet were soaked. The owner of a local bar we stopped at to enjoy a drink said Alaska is a rain forest, it rains the 70-80% of the time. It’s a beautiful cruise and we will go again. Enjoy!
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@Alain I suppose the benefit is that since it was raining nonstop, there weren’t any mosquitoes outside! 
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It’s difficult to choose just one. The air is so wet that tech apparel is in style rather than cotton mixes. Just one more raincoat. An additional T-shirt to wear following physically demanding outings. A blanket to lounge on while taking in the scenery from the balcony. Early in September, we made the trip.
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@Banice The blanket, or even a large Turkish towel, comes in second. My favorite thing to do on an Alaskan cruise is to sit on the lounge chairs at the back of the ship and watch the countryside pass by like it’s in a movie (far better viewpoint than a balcony). However, it can get cool (at least for me) in June. I tried the pool towels, but anything as simple as a small, soft blanket would have been ideal.
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@Camilla We wondered if we needed to pack some small throw blankets or if the ship would provide so thank you for this tip!
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@Adele We bought a couple from the gift shop, they were quite cheap. I assumed they would also make a lovely memento!
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Extra shorts. 
Even though I dressed for the cold, I ended up sailing in the 60s and 70s. There were plenty of pools and not a cloud of rain in sight the whole week.
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@Dacosta In this case, too. It was 73° and sunny, so even though I packed layers (long sleeve Ts, rain jacket, etc.), I ended up wearing the same T-shirt and shorts virtually every day. (I visited during the first week of July; May is perhaps when the weather is most unpredictable.)
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Bring cough medicines, cold remedies, and other typical prescriptions.
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@Gordon Without them, I never leave the house.
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I agree with the suggestion of rain pants. They would have been really helpful when we cruised through Alaska two weeks ago. We wore waterproof shoes and well-fitting rain jackets. Our jeans were saturated, but the problem is that rain soaks your thighs as it falls off the edge of the jacket.
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Not so much a packing tip as a lesson I wish I had known before my Alaskan cruise: make sure your passports are protected from the elements. It was pouring rain the entire time we were in Ketchikan, so I brought ours with me in a bag. It was a big error, but I didn’t think my backpack would get wet inside. Our passports were saturated when we returned to the ship, and everything else in my backpack was soaked or completely damaged.
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Too many videos to watch. never saw the need for much of it in the end.
I booked again for next year because it was my top 5 cruise out of approximately 40 cruises.
The only item I purchased was a coffee cup since I desired a bigger one.
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An excellent book. The ports were genuinely rather unsatisfactory. I ought to have scheduled trips inland.
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@Jordan We’re considering a train journey, some climbing and biking, and one of the more strenuous raft/float trips. Could you let us know if trying any of those was worthwhile if you have?
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Everything I required was here. It was 75 degrees and sunny outside. It would have been nice to go on some trips. The party I was traveling with was not interested in going on any outings.
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I wanted to see the northern lights but it never got dark enough
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Hat and scarves and gloves. A heavy cost, boots - and sunscreen
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I wish i had brought my walking sticks-im older and some -a lot of the terrain is uneven—great cruise though enjoy!
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