For those of you that follow or have read my blog posts you will know at least two things about me: 1-I had a rough 7 year stretch that began with a school shooting and ended with a divorce, and, 2-I don't have a bucket list. But if I did have a bucket list a cruise to Alaska would be near the top of it!  I have wanted to take an Alaskan cruise for many years but my former spouse actually forbade me to take a cruise without him and he refused to go on a cruise (being a former Navy Officer and avid water-skier his reasoning was that if you  "can't drive it, ski behind it, or shoot at it what's the point?"), so alas although he and I had visited Alaska I never got my cruise. Until recently.

The cruise was magnificent, dare I say magical.  For many years a dear friend of mine, of almost 30 years, and I wanted to do a girls trip but we could never make it happen. As soon as my divorce was final in 2020 we discussed trying to travel in 2021, because surely COVID would be under control and travel would open back up, but shortly after 2021 began she experienced not one but two tragic losses and I decided to leave my beloved Colorado and move a few states away to be closer to my adult children, so that was a non-starter. When things began to smooth out in 2022 we began planning a trip, originally we thought about going to Iceland but quickly agreed on the cruise to Alaska aboard The Majestic Princess and we booked our tickets through Susan Pretkus-Combs at Dream Vacations . I had absolutely no idea what to pack or how to pack it, I used The Google for ideas but came up short so I thought that I would need A LOT of clothes and a very large suitcase for a 10-day cruise-tour. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

Here are some  Do's & Dont's (not an exhaustive list):

DO pack your patience and unless you plan to bring a lot of that with you DON'T bring a huge suitcase. Don't pack the cat!

DO bring hats-for sun protection as well as warmth, trust me you may need both. Also, add a pair of gloves.

DO bring a camera!  Cell phone cameras have come a long way as far as quality and a good photographer can take a great photo with just about anything, but don't rely entirely on your iPhone, you will also want a "good" camera with a zoom lens.  You DON'T need to spend thousands of dollars on a pro or pro-sumer camera, but I highly recommend a decent camera with good glass (lens) for those once in a lifetime photos of a breaching whale, bald eagle, or anything else you think you might want to enlarge and hang in your home.

Speaking of cameras- I suggest a low key bag for the camera, a high end bag screams, "Steal me, I have good stuff inside!" and bring a monopod as opposed to a tri-pod, it's much easier to pack and some placed so not allow the use of tripods. No matter what camera you bring DO include a a rain sleeve, a cleaning cloth designed for cameras, a soft brush designed for camera lenses, battery charger and backup battery, and extra SD cards.

DO bring an all-weather coat, I purchased one with a zip-out lining and was glad I did.

If you plan on attending the formal nights DO bring one outfit for each night but one pair of shoes you can wear with both (to save space).

DO bring good walking shoes that fit right, as well as several pairs of socks (pack them in the shoes to save space).

A good rule of thumb is to pack 2 shirts for every one pair of pants/shorts.  DON'T bring too many pairs of either, the ship has a laundry room on each level.

DO pack both long and short sleeved shirts.

Did you know that Alaska has LOTS of mosquitoes? That being said, DON'T wear perfume/cologne if you plan on taking any shore excursion where you might be outside for more than a few minutes or you will be covered in bites!

Shore excursions can be a lot of fun as well as pricey; DO plan the ones that you know you don't want to miss but also be willing to get off the ship and see what's offered in town.

Cellphones (again)- To prevent roaming charges DO put them on "airplane mode" when you are at sea, the ship has WiFi so you can still post on social media if you choose.

DO explore the ship, you won't see it all but you may find some fun things to do.

Skagway, Alaska

Packing:

DON'T bring a huge suitcase, rather bring something larger than a carry-on size but leave Big Bertha at home-this will save your arms and back as well as unwanted charges for overweight luggage.

To save space you DON'T need to bring a hairdryer-there will be one in the room as well as a clothes iron in the laundry room.

DO purchase Compression Bags to aid in condensing space.

DO purchase a Passport Wallet, this is the one I chose and was very pleased with it because of the zippered inside pockets as well as the zipper around the whole wallet. 

DO consider bringing a daypack/backpack for excursions, a tote bag is just not that practical.

Electronics- DO bring an extension cord for your room, and although there were USB ports for charging I brought a multiple USB charger which came in handy.

The cruise we were on was at 55% capacity thanks to COVID precautions, and the staff was a bit pared down as well which meant they were working double time to accommodate everyone so please DO consider a cash tip for your room steward at the end of the cruise.

DO bring a sense of humor...you'll have a great time!