Brad and I just returned from our Alaska Inside Passage Cruise with Holland America along with some of our best friends. Before heading out, we did a bit of research to make sure that we packed everything that we might need (and more). I’m sharing with all of you some of my packing tips for your Alaska Inside Passage Cruise.

I’ve also shared about our ship, the Nieuw Amsterdam, and the different stops along our cruise – Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and Ketchikan. Each of those posts talks about the different activities we did in each port

Packing Tips For Your Alaska Inside Passage Cruise

Of course you will need to pack the essentials – clothes, pajamas, passport, toiletries; however, you probably know all of those so this post is about the things you might not think of (and also a few tips for what type of clothes to pick).

• Wristlet – you aren’t going to walk around the boat carrying your purse, but still need a place to put your room key and cell phone (for photos – there isn’t much cell coverage out of the ports)
• Clothespins – we wanted to keep our curtains open as much as possible, and the clothespins helped keep them open, if you are wanting to keep the curtains closed, they can also help with that. We liked waking up to the gorgeous sunshine (yes, we had sunshine) and views.
• Sunscreen/Sunglasses/Lip Balm– We were on the final cruise of the season and expected to get rained on every day so I didn’t pack sunscreen. That was a mistake as we had clear skies for both Glacier Bay and Ketchikan. I was also constantly looking for my lip balm as my lips always felt dry. I do recommend polarized sunglasses to help with glare off the water and overcast skies.
• Substantial Slippers – Evenings and days at sea tend to be relaxing and you will want to get cozy. I have a pair of UGG slippers which were perfect, they were cozy for in the room, but they didn’t necessarily look like slippers so I could also walk around the boat in them.
• External Battery – Some days at port can drain a cell battery, especially if you are using it for photos. I was glad to have the external battery so that I could charge it in my backpack as we walked along.
• Rain Boots – I had planned on wearing these pretty much every day of the cruise; however, when we woke up to bright sunny skies on a couple of the days I thought that they might be a bit overkill. I was glad to have them on the days that it did rain, especially as we walked out to the Mendenhall glacier. Make sure to check out my outfit ideas for styling your rain boots!
• Extended Length Lens – Alaska is full of beauty, sometimes you want to take a wide landscape and sometimes you really want to zoom in (especially to see if the blob in the water is simply a log or some exciting wildlife). I picked up this lens last year when we went to Arizona and it is perfect for traveling.
• Extra Camera Battery & SD Card – I took over 1100 photos on the cruise, and Sarah took over 2000 so we used a lot of battery and SD power. I forgot to charge my battery one night and was sad when my battery died part way through our flightseeing tour.
• Gloves/Scarf/Hat – It can get cold out on deck and on excursions. Blanket scarves are perfect for bundling up as you walk around (and using as a blanket when sitting out on the balcony).
• Rain Jacket – So, I packed this, and the day that I really needed it (Juneau) I left it on the boat so we bought $1 ponchos at the Mendenhall glacier.
• Nano Puff Jacket – I was so glad to pack this jacket. It easily collapses into itself for easy packing, but kept me warm (without feeling like I was sweating when it got a little warmer). One thing to note, there is absolutely no stretch to this jacket so you might need to size up.
• Vacuum Tumbler – I made all 6 of us matching tumblers for the cruise (which I will show off later in another post) and they were awesome. I used it for my morning mochas, as well as our evening cocktails. We pre-purchased a bottle of rum to be left in our stateroom so we just had to get some mixers at the bar (like pop or juice) then mix them together in our tumblers.
• Selfie Stick & Case – Sometimes it is just easier to take a selfie than rely on strangers to take your photo. We used our selfie stick a few times, especially when we wanted a group photo of all 6 of us. In the evenings, the boat tends to have dark lighting, and the lighting it does have is quite yellow. The selfie case was great for these scenarios to give a little bit more light.

Depending on the length of cruise, you will also want at least one fancy outfit for Gala nights. The items above are things that you might not think about packing for your Alaska Inside Passage cruise.

Have you been on an Alaska Inside Passage cruise? What items did you consider must-haves?