Monday, April 1, 2024

What to Pack for a Cruise: A Beginner's Guide

best clothes for a cruise

You can dress up a simple sundress with the right accessories. If you’re going on a tour or sightseeing shore excursion, there will likely be a lot of walking involved. Dress comfortably for the weather and make sure to wear comfortable shoes.

Clothing for Onboard Activities

New luxury cruise ship requires loose-fitting clothes - Sydney Morning Herald

New luxury cruise ship requires loose-fitting clothes.

Posted: Wed, 21 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Your perfect daypack for on-ship activities and off-ship excursions. There are several pockets, each secured with a zipper, so you can separate your belongings into various compartments — one is even big enough for a bottle of water. The ultimate space-saving solution in your suitcase becomes the ultimate organizational tool in a cramped cruise cabin. Make sure everyone in your cabin chooses a different color set of cubes, and you will always know which ones are yours in the dresser drawers at a glance. And never underestimate the importance of great accessories, such as hats and jewelry, to really jazz up a casual outfit and make it evening-ready. “Accessories can change the look of an outfit, which I try to build around just a few mix-and-match components,” says travel writer Theresa Russell, who has cruised six continents so far.

What to Wear in the Evening on a Cruise

This can cut down on your bar bill or fuel your Diet Coke obsession should your ship carry only Pepsi. You can sweeten your cabin bathroom by bringing a bathroom spray to mask unpleasant odors. A small inflatable kiddie pool or tub packs down small and can be used to give your little one a bath. Once you've packed all the clothing, it's time to accessorize.

What to Wear on a Mediterranean Cruise Excursion

Or, skip the tech and bring a few books, as many cruise ships no longer offer onboard libraries. Not all of us are lucky enough to live an hour or two from a cruise port. Many cruisers have to fly or road trip to their departure port and need to pack for this travel as well. Make sure your cruise packing list accounts for your pre- and post-cruise travel needs, as well as items useful for your time on board. For beach stops, you can repurpose the same outfit you wore around the pool on your sea day. But if you’re planning to stroll through town or take a ship-sanctioned shore excursion, you’ll want to wear something a with a little more coverage.

Cruises

Another easy way to switch from daytime casual to nighttime chic is with a jumpsuit, like this soft and adorable strapless number from ZESICA. It runs true to size, comes in Caribbean-inspired colors or more subdued shades, and the matching waist tie is a cute touch. Did we mention it has pockets handy for holding your ship card and lip gloss? This garment is especially great if you’re on the shorter side, but will also hit above the ankles for a cute cropped look if you’re a bit taller. Nisolo’s woven huarache sandals come in numerous neutral shades that make them easy to mix and match with cruise outfits.

best clothes for a cruise

A good guideline is to dress as you would at a nice restaurant at home. For men, this can include dress pants or khakis and a nice polo, short or long sleeve buttoned shirt. For ladies, a casual dress or pants with a pretty top is perfect. While you definitely can still wear an evening gown and tuxedo, most popular cruise lines have relaxed their dress codes over the last few years.

best clothes for a cruise

Daywear Onboard: Overview

Moving away from dresses, here are some of my fave separates fit for a cruise to any destination. Then you can lay everything back on the bed, and decide what to take out or if you have room, which extra cruise clothes to add. After you’ve packed underwear, footwear, swimwear, cosmetics, vanity bag and any medicines you want to take, pack everything and weigh your suitcase.

So think crinkle cut fabrics that you can twist and knot after washing and then just hang out, or fabrics which naturally look pretty much wrinkle free after washing. If you don’t have to fly to your departure port then you don’t have to worry about the weight of your suitcases. Some of the world’s most beautiful scenery gets that lush shade of green for a reason; the occasional rain shower.

For formal nights, men will want to bring a collared, button-down shirt at the bare minimum. For something a little more snazzy, bring a jacket to wear over your shirt, with or without a tie. For women, pantsuits and dressy pants outfits are a great choice, as are party dresses or even ball gowns. Regardless of where you're cruising, make sure you pack comfortable clothes and shoes -- especially if you plan to do a lot of exploring on the ship. Pretty much anything casual goes for daywear onboard, but there are a few exceptions. Generally, men aren't allowed to wear sleeveless shirts in the main dining rooms.

The benefit to this is keeping organized, which makes unpacking so much easier, on the first day of your cruise. There are a couple of exceptions out of the mainstream cruise lines, that fall on either end of the cruise dress code spectrum. In our experience, family oriented cruise lines are understandably much more “casual” than “higher-end” cruise lines. Cruise casual, resort wear or country club casual are all terms used by the cruise lines as a recommendation.

We would love to help you work out exactly what to pack or hear your own ideas about what gear you use on your cruise. On my first cruise with RCL I did note that Royal Caribbean cruise attire was slightly dressier in my experience than what we observed on our second cruise with Norwegian. As mentioned above, we just went on a Carnival cruise too so I have put together a packing list for that also. With these few items and a few well-chosen accessories you can create so many outfits to wear on a cruise!

These offer three-zone comfort with arch support and the built-in orthotic can help treat plantar fasciitis. The ultra-light, minimalist Aqua X Sport has mesh to shed water and an all-terrain traction sole, which will keep you dry and on even footing. Men have their own version of day-to-night clothing, in the form of convertible pants — like this breathable pair from Columbia. This pair is made of nylon, offers UPF 50 sun protection, and there are nearly two dozen colors to choose from.

Jeans are not allowed in the main dining rooms on formal nights, and cut-off shorts, baseball caps and flip-flops are banned at all times during dinner in the main dining rooms. For a week cruise, we’d suggest bringing 3-4 outfits, two swimsuits, plus something to wear for formal night. During a 7-night cruise, there are usually two formal nights, which means that the majority of your nights are considered casual when it comes to what you wear to dinner. That said, there are some guidelines we suggest you adhere to. If you're cruising in Alaska or run into a rainstorm in the Caribbean or Europe, you'll probably spend most of your day inside. Keep a rain jacket or fleece handy in case you want to soak up the scenery from outside.

Ideally, bring a pair that you don’t mind getting wet– especially if you plan on going to the resort pool deck or any water excursion. I find that a little black dress is a perfect item to bring because it’s dressy and easy to pack. Now in the early evening after lounging on the resort deck, I like to wear a nice sundress or something a little dressy to have a sunset cocktail in. Thankfully for us ladies, I can usually wear the same dress to dinner without a problem. I always like to bring a larger tote bag so I can stick in all my essentials that I would need for a full pool day like sunscreen, a book, a water bottle, and extra clothes if I decide to swim.

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