What to Pack for your Disney Alaska Cruise

6/17/2018

By Jennifer Stuart

An Alaska Cruise varies considerably in many ways from a warmer weather cruise, including what you will need to pack. Read on for our advice on what to pack for your Disney Alaska Cruise.

Vancouver

Just about to leave. Docked at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver, Canada.

Disney Alaska Cruises depart from Vancouver, Canada. The weather in Vancouver is similar to that of Seattle. Think mild and rainy for much of the year but can also have beautiful sunny summer days. What you will want to pack for Vancouver for any pre or post cruise days will vary depending on when you will be there. The height of summer can be warm and you might want to pack shorts and sandals. If you are travelling in May, however, it is unlikely that you will need to pack these. A rain jacket and umbrella are always a good idea.

Prepare for the weather

Tracy Arm, Alaska -- up close to the glacier

Most of the time we found that the weather was quite moderate and we were comfortable with just a light sweater or hoodie. But when the wind picks up it can feel much cooler. This is especially true on excursions and on deck when the ship is moving. Keep in mind our cruise was in the middle of summer (late July). Closer to the start or end of the season you will definitely want warmer clothes and outerwear. We suggest a lightweight "packable" down jacket. It is great for colder weather and layering under a rain jacket/waterproof shell and will keep you warm in most situations. A "packable" jacket will often stuff down into a tiny pouch and take up very little room in your suitcase.

The exception to this was when we passed the Tracy Arm glacier. In this area it was cold. Jackets were a must and for those more sensitive to the cold a warm hat and light gloves were appreciated.

It rains in Alaska. It rains A LOT. Expect rain at least one of the days. We highly recommend a good rain jacket. This is especially true if you are planning any of the more active shore excursions. A good rain jacket will also act as a windbreak and make you feel warmer as well. If you don't pack a rain jacket consider packing a number of disposable ponchos. You may want to bring an umbrella as well if you are going to be walking around on shore (they are not particularly useful on deck). See below for a link to both adult and kid sized ponchos available through Amazon.

Clothes

Meeting Tinkerbell --- at last a character the same size as me!

On Board

When you are inside on the ship, you can dress like you do at home because you are in a climate-controlled environment. We found most people dressed fairly casually. Mostly jeans or pants, with a t-shirt or sweater.
At night in the theaters we sometimes found it a bit chilly and a light sweater was nice.
On deck a jacket or sweater was appreciated most days (the wind made it colder).
When sailing close to the glacier it got quite cold (and this was in the middle summer). A jacket or a windbreaker over a warmer layer was the way to go -- any earlier or later and a warm hat or light gloves would be appreciated. A lightweight packable down jacket is our favourite.
For dinner -- I like to change for dinner and wear something that I would wear out to a nicer restaurant (mostly just a skirt and top or a casual dress). Doug wore mostly a nice polo shirt or other collared shirt with casual pants. The kids wore pretty much the kid versions of what we wore. Not everyone will change for dinner and there were certainly people who wore jeans and a t-shirt to dinner.

On Shore

Good walking shoes (closed toe). Most excursions, and even just walking around town, will have uneven pavement at best and likely a lot of gravel paths and roads.
Keep your shore excursions in mind. If you are going to be doing lots of active shore excursions, like kayaking or hiking or dog-sledding, you will want to pack more active wear.
Our biggest tip is to dress in layers, especially if you are going to be off the ship for awhile.
Mostly we found we were wearing jeans and shirts with a jacket or hoodie that we could put on or take off as needed.

Formal and Semi-formal night

Formal night is as formal as you want to make it. Many people love an excuse to dress up. If this isn't you, don't panic. We saw everything from "nice" to formal and everything in between. I don't remember seeing anyone in tuxedos or ball gowns but there were certainly a lot suits or at least blazers on men with ties. Women ranged between nice dresses and cocktail dresses. A lot of people used this as an opportunity to have the photographers take nice family photos.
If you are planning on dining at Palo restaurant for either dinner or brunch you should be aware that there is a dress code.

Other handy items

Think about what you might need for spending several hours outside. Do you usually wear a hat? Sunglasses?
It can be sunny and reflection from water or snow can give you a bad sunburn -- don't forget to pack the sunscreen.

That Disney Style

This is the time to pack your Disney wear. You will be surrounded by people who love Disney. Have a favourite Mickey Shirt? Want to Disneybound everyday? Have fun and show your Disney love.
Pack your ears. I don't recommend wearing them on deck when the ship s in motion in case the blow off but otherwise have fun! Mickey or Minnie ears can be a fun accessory for a character meet and greet or a character breakfast.
Don't forget the princess dress -- if you have a little princess she may want to wear her favourite princess dress to dinner or to meet her favourite princess -- it is also a lot less expensive to bring your own dress to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique than buying a dress on board.
Have fun with it -- we met a family that everyday had different Disney themed co-ordinating outfits and I have to say that they were adorable!

Palo is the adults only restaurant on the Disney Wonder-- It has it's own dress code.

Stuff

A beautiful evening on deck! Cruising Alaska.

Purse or bag to carry items on board ship -- I usually carried a purse with me so that I had somewhere for my camera/phone etc... Doug was fine with just his lanyard for his Key to the world car and his phone in his pocket.
Purse/backpack for shore excursions. It all depends on how active your shore excursions are. Purse? Backpack? Travel Bag? you all definitely want something for at minimum your camera/wallet and water bottle (don't forget to take your Key to the World card with you)!
Water bottle - whether this is a refillable water bottle --- you can refill at the beverage station on Deck--- or a single use. Cabin tap water while fine for brushing teeth or washing hands is not intended for drinking. Bottled water is available at an extra charge but you are allowed to carry on your own bottled water providing it is in your carry on rather than your checked luggage.
Reusable cups--- we used these a LOT -- see our post on How to save money on Drinks on your Disney Cruise for more information.
Camera--- whether you use your phone or you have a separate camera --this is a must pack item.
Extra SD card -- you may be surprised at how many shots you end up taking. It is always wise to pack an extra card (cards in tourist locations or onboard are much more expensive).
External photo/video storage -- out new favourite item is an external storage drive that loads into the lightning port (charging spot) on your phone. Given the amount of photos (and videos) we take on our phone a week long trip can eat up the storage space very quickly (see link to these on Amazon below).
Binoculars -- we brought one pair to share and they were a hot item anytime we were close to shore. The kids especially loved sitting on deck with them).
Night light or flashlight -- it can be VERY dark in your cabin at night -a small flashlight or a nightlight can make the cabin more navigable. Our kids are school-aged so we each had a small flashlight from the Dollar Store that we kept under our pillows. This way if anyone needed to use the bathroom (or got a little scared) it didn't wake up everyone else.
Lanyard -- this is great to hold your Key to the World card. You can buy Disney Cruise Line lanyards on board or bring your own from home. We are a mix - the boys like the DCL ones, I brought my one I wear at Disneyland and we bought our Stitch-loving daughter one online.
Magnets -- most doors on board are metal and using magnets to decorate your door is a fun way to show your Disney Style (and make it easier to find your room). These are easy to make yourself or to find on Etsy if you want someone to make them for you. Check out our Pinterest board for ideas (see below).
Ziplocks -- I never travel without them -- there are 101 uses for ziplock bags. Everything from holding wet bathing suits to making sure that phones/cameras don't get wet in the rain. Even carrying a few snacks as needed. We usually have a few of both medium and large.

Toiletries

Disney provides H2O branded toiletries for your stateroom (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and moisturizer). These are lovely and smell really nice in our opinion. So unless you absolutely must use your own kind of toiletries don't pack them and enjoy these instead. The one exception we would note is that these are adult products so if your small child regularly uses a baby or child friendly shampoo you will want to bring it from home.

Insider Tip: If there is not a travel size of your favourite shampoo you can make your own. We use and recommend GoTube --they are a food grade silicone and come in several sizes. We also use them to take travel-sized kids toothpaste.

You will want to pack whatever you wold normally travel with in terms of makeup and hygiene items (i.e. toothpaste etc.). Two items you may not have considered packing are sunscreen (it may be Alaska but it can still be very sunny) and insect repellent. This area is known for its mosquitos.

Carry On Tips

Carry on items will be screened prior to boarding. Your bag/suitcase will go through an x-ray and you will be asked to open it if security has any questions about what you are bringing on board. Treat your carry on the same here as you would for an airline.
Things you should pack in your carry on:

prescription medications
glasses/sunglasses
important documents such as your cruise papers and passports
wallet and money
any wine/beer you are bringing onboard (read more about Disney Cruise Line alcohol policy here)
electronics (phones/tablets etc..)
cameras
jewelry and other valuables

*** anything you may need to prepare for your first night's dinner --- especially if you have the early seating for dinner.

Remember you will have to keep your carry on with you until you can get into your room. That will most likely be around 1:30- 2:00. Your checked luggage will be delivered to the hallway outside your stateroom. It most likely will not be there when your room is first ready. Don't panic if your luggage does not all come at the same time as it can get separated. Some of it may not arrive until right before dinner. For example we all had our bags but my sister-in-law didn't get hers until MUCH later than the rest of us.

We can not say this enough--- Make sure that ALL checked luggage is tagged with the airline style Disney Cruise Line luggage tags that are provided with your cruise documents. This is how the crew will match your luggage to your stateroom.

What NOT to pack

power strip or extension cords -- this is an item on many cruise packing lists that is prohibited on Disney Crise Line ships-- don't pack it!
door hanger organizers -- this is an item that many cruise packing lists will tell you is invaluable---but DON"T pack it. These are prohibited on Disney Cruise Line Ships -- they will be confiscated if found and you will be charged if you use one and it damages the paint on the door.
lifejackets or pool toys -- pool toys are not allowed on ship and there are plenty of child Lifejackets available by the pools (and real life jackets for everyone in your stateroom)
candles/insense - these are considered to be fire hazards on board and are prohibited items
magnetic whiteboard -- most cruise packing advice will tell you to pack one-- we found we really didn't use it as the Disney Cruise Line app was so convenient for chat/text with not data charges. See our Post on Why you should download the Disney cruise Line app --coming soon

Here is a link to the Disney Cruise Line List of Prohibited Items

Towel or blanket? Chances are you will use both.

My Packing List

I decided to include our packing list, not because I think it is what you should pack but so it gives you an idea of where you can start for your own list. See below for a downloadable pdf.