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I have been to Alaska twice, once in June and then on a cruise inside passage and land tour in May. What you need to pack is not that much different from any other cruise or trip. The weather in Alaska on land can be very pleasant; maybe in the 70's during the day, in June. It will likely be rainy in a couple of your port stops like Juneau and Ketchkan. Not a downpour but like showers.

It will be pleasant on ship while you are in inside area but breezy and chilly on open decks. When you get near the icebergs and glaciers it will be cold. And I mean like hat, coat and gloves cold. But the way to dress is layer your clothes so you will be warm enough when its cold but not too hot when you are in warmer areas. Instead of a ski jacket, take a lighter one that you can wear comfortably over a sweater or hoodie. Take some long sleeved shirts and slacks. Take a cap or hat and even gloves. Think underclothes, shirt, sweater, jacket for your dress each day.

Most ships that do the Alaska cruises have areas where you can see things without being outside. If you are going on RC's Radiance of the Seas I have been on that ship and you'll have plenty of places to see the sights without being outside. Ships generally have a solarium, a glass covered pool and hot tub area; I know the Radiance does. And of course the ship will have a gym. So you can take things to enjoy these activities on ship.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM. So take:

- swim wear,

-sun glasses and sun screen, lotions,

-a warmup suit or sweats to relax on ship in,

- a hoodie and a jacket that you can wear over it,

- a hat and gloves for when you get near the glaciers and ice fields,

- a rain poncho because it will likely rain in Ketchakan and/or Juneau,

-a book if you are a reader,

-your music player,

-sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, -good walking shoes,

-your camera, its charger or extra batteries and binoculars,

-other personal toiletries.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool towels. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand. They do not provide tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions. They DO provide a hair dryer.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc. Don't over pack , take clothes that you can mix and match tops and bottoms and plan to wear each piece twice. RC does have laundry service for a fee.

Your cruise will have a formal night when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. You will not be denied entry to the main dining room or any other venue if you decide not to dress up, as long as you are at least sports casual. But most people do dress up; a suit or tux for men and a gown or party dress for women. Women should take a shawl or other wrap for the formal dress.

Some other packing tips:

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage.

-Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer and/or hand wipes. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

- Take a can of air freshener for your cabin bathroom; it has no exhaust fan.

Royal Caribbean is one of a couple of cruise lines that cater to young people and families. So there will NOT be a ship full of senior citizens; they will be on a Holland America ship somewhere. There will be plenty of activities and fun for you.

Royal definitely does not cater to the elderly crowd. I am a cruise specialist and have been on over 30 cruises on 8 different lines. There are lines that tend to have an older crowd such as Holland America. Next to Carnival, Royal will have the youngest crowd and a lot of families. Bring clothes that you can layer and don't worry about wearing clothes more than one time. Almost everyone will. It is necessary to do that to minimize luggage, especially when having to pack warmer clothing.

By the way, the sheep the other poster mentioned are dahl sheep and they are the most plentiful of all the animals you see in Denali. Be sure to buy an ulu knife. They are fantastic and stay sharp for years. Just make sure it is authentic, not just a souvenir type. A good one should cost around $18. I don't think you will be doing much laying out, but you should throw in a suit anyway. You might want to do the hot tubs or even swim in the enclosed pool. Temps won't be as cold as you might expect. We did river rafting to the glacier and it was a fun trip and an awesome sight.

I agree with rick. I take long pants, t-shirts. sturdy shoes,plus a knit hat(ski type hat), gloves, and for June, long underwear(a top is good enough). My coat is really a jacket like a fleece one, not a heavy parka. Don't bother with bringing shorts or tank tops. One swim suit will do. Everything is pretty casual on an Alaskan cruise, so except for formal night fancy clothes are not needed. I sure don't understand why anyone would tell you that you will be bored. I have not sailed with Royal Caribbean, but with Princess and boredom is the last thing I would say about a Alaskan cruise/tour, no matter what your age is. I also did a cruise tour and loved it so much, I'm going again this summer, but just doing a cruise this time. A cruise/tour is the absolute Way to experience Alaska. You will love it.BTW, my favorite 2 tours were going to Jeff Kings place in Denali. Princess calls it the husky homestead tour. And I loved going on the White pass railroad tour out of Skagway. A good tip is go to cruise critic and sign up(it's free), then go to boards, then to Royal Caribbean, your ship, then the date of departure. You can then talk via the internet to others that will be on your ship. Plus cruise critic is a great site for all kinds of info from tip to shore excursions.

Young Lady;

ALASKA is Amazing. I do not see how anyone could be bored. I have been on over 20 cruise/tours there. From the moment you depart until you depart to come home there are Amazing things to see, Wildlife, Beautiful Scenery, Meeting people from all over the world.

As for clothes I am from upstate New York & our weather is very similar. I only wear jeans, T-Shirts & a lite weight jeans jacket. Do not over pack. Take comfortable clothes that you can remove in layers.

If you are going to Denali by train you will see the real Alaska & as you near Denali National Park you will see alot of white dots on the mountains & you will see they are the Dahl Sheep.

Swim suit - each line is different but, many have a poll inside where the temp is 70 degrees. I have not sailed with Rc but, from the different lines in any one port I have seen people of all ages. Go Enjoy your cruise that you will be talking about for years to come.

Type in the name of the ports of call & it will show the weather & averages.

ENJOY.

Princess Cruise Lines invented cruises to Alaska during the Seattle Worlds Fair over 40 years ago. They are the innovators and they are the best in this market. As a past guest with Princess your grandmother will likely qualify for past guest discounts. In the caribbean markets, many of the people will travel on rccl or pcl interchangeably. I book just as many people young and old on both cruise lines. Great food, fun, service. They are kid friendly. Ships like the Diamond, Sapphire, Grand Princess are awesome for kids!!