Packing for a cruise

Oh my! Your cruise is quickly approaching and it's time to think about what to pack. You've torn out your kitchen sink to see if it will fit in your suitcase but alas, it just won't go. Let's talk about what you should be planning to take and perhaps the things that can be left behind.

Like other vacations, one day often becomes two with respect to what you'll wear. First, you have your daytime activities of either an excursion or lounging around the ship. Then, you have evening for dinner and a lot of the entertainment, such as crew productions and live music, happening around the ship. Occasionally, those parts of the day will be separated by a nap!

Most cruises will have at least one elegant or formal night for which the dress code will be elevated in the dining rooms and often in most of the common areas. For cruises of 7 days or more, there are usually two elegant nights. Many people choose to have pictures taken in their elegant outfits, which makes for a nice memory. Confirm with your cruise line if you aren't sure since the number of elegant nights will impact your packing list.

The other complexity of packing for a cruise is that the temperatures you experience are likely to vary pretty significantly. The interior of the ship is generally kept comfortable but cool, while outdoor day time temperatures in tropical destinations can climb quite high. To further confuse things, outdoor temperatures can drop quite a lot once the ship gets out to sea. Despite these variations, resist the urge to over-pack. Layering will be your best friend!

Everyone

It probably goes without saying, but all cruisers should pack the clothing essentials that they would take on any trip such as socks and underwear. With that out of the way, let's talk shoes. They are biggest contributor to the weight and bulk of your luggage. Try to minimize the shoes you bring by coordinating outfits to re-use pairs. You'll want comfortable walking shoes, casual shoes for most evenings, dress shoes for elegant evenings, and for warm destinations, sandals or flip-flops. If your casual shoes can double as your walking shoes, all the better. If you want to work out during the cruise, you'll also want your gym shoes. If you're flying, wear your comfortable but bulky shoes on the flight and pack one pair in your carry-on to help with the weight of your larger luggage.

Sweaters or jackets are always a good idea, even for warm weather cruises. At sea, temperatures can dip and nobody wants to be cold. A rain coat or poncho and a warm hoodie or wind-breaking jacket is usually enough. For Baltic or Alaskan cruises, heavier outerwear is suggested. Depending on the time of year you're sailing, a winter coat might be overkill, but at minimum, a heavy fleece will be necessary. Gloves can also be a life saver for colder cruises. Take a look at the average temperatures for the time and place you'll be cruising and plan accordingly, remembering that it will be noticeably colder at sea.

Whether in cold or warm weather, a hat is also suggested. A toque in cold weather and a ball cap, fedora, or other hat in warm weather will help protect your head from the cold or the ferocious sun, respectively. Hats are a fun way to accessorize on a cruise in a way that you might not do in your day-to-day life.

Women

For excursions and lounging around the pool during the day, your normal "summer wear" will do the job. Swimsuits, shorts, jeans, and a t-shirt are perfect for spending time outdoors in warmer climates. Take a minimum of two swimsuits but take three if you can. Swimsuits can take time to dry, especially if you are in an inside cabin and you don't want to get stuck putting on a wet suit. If you want to be a bit more breezy with your daytime wardrobe, skirts and sundresses look great and transition well into indoor spaces and evening activities.

For cruises in colder climates, you'll want layers. T-shirts under sweaters are an easy starting point, but scarves, ponchos, or other warm accessories are usually a good idea and are a good way to express your personal style.

Shorts, some dresses, and outer layers can often be reused, so resist the urge to pack one of everything for every day. Be strategic and realistic about how much you will really want to change things up.

In the evenings, you'll find that most people dress up a little more for dinner and beyond. A rule of thumb for evening attire on the more casual evenings would be to plan to wear something like you would to a date night on land. Patterned skirts or dresses or nice jeans and a top are common examples.

On formal nights, plan to wear more elegant attire. You can choose to be as formal as you like, but plan on wearing a minimum of a pant suit or a classic dress. If you're cruising with a partner, it's fun to talk ahead of time on what you each plan to wear for an elegant evening.

Men

As with the wardrobe for women, for excursions and lounging around the pool during the day, your normal "summer wear" will do the job. Shorts or jeans and nice t-shirts make for a simple uniform that is also space-conserving in your luggage. Some excursions do have dress requirements such as closed-toe shoes, so keep an eye out for those. For cruises in cooler temperatures, a long sleeve shirt or a hoodie on top of a short-sleeved shirt will work nicely. Be realistic with yourself; you're probably going to wear the same shorts or jeans more than once, so don't feel like you need to pack a full casual outfit for every single day. In fact, don't! The same is true for top layers such as hoodies.

If you enjoy using the pools, include two swimsuits in your wardrobe.

In the evenings, you'll find that most people dress up a little more for dinner and beyond. On non-elegant nights, a safe go-to would be what is usually referred to as business casual. Nice jeans, khakis, and a polo or collared shirt make a nice outfit. You can "cruise it up" with boat shoes and bolder colors than you might normally wear. On formal nights, plan to wear a shirt and tie with dress pants as an absolute minimum if you're planning on eating anywhere other than the buffet. While elegant nights are getting more casual than in the past, many men will bring a full suit and some may kick it up a notch with a tuxedo. The safest bet is to plan to wear a suit. If the cruise has more than one elegant night, think about bringing one suit jacket and changing out the shirt and tie.

All that being said, this is your cruise. If you want to wear the same clothes all day, that's totally fine. As long as you meet the dress code for the restaurants and activities you want to partake in, do what you'd like.

Non-clothing items

If you thought the urge to over-pack clothing was strong, it's even more so in this category of suitcase-bound items. Resist the urge to try to account for every scenario. Ships are small floating cities and while some things may cost a bit more, you can get most items that you really need on the ship if you do happen to have an unexpected situation. You should pack:

• Medications (in your carry-on)
• Toiletries
• Make-up
• Hairdryer (the ship-supplied hairdryers are notoriously weak)
• Sunscreen
• Books
• Tablets
• Phone/Tablet Chargers
• Photography equipment (DSL, GoPro, etc.)
• The items in our Crew Collection of essentials

In the next article, we'll talk specifically about what to take in your carry-on but do be aware that, as with airports, luggage handlers aren't always gentle with your bags. Pack delicate items in your carry-on if possible, or ensure that they are well-protected in your larger bags.