There are a few subject areas that I could go on and on and on about, and packing is one of them! So I will try my best to keep this on topic and abbreviated!
After 12+ cruises, we have learned that you can bring very little and make it go a long way, if you plan accordingly. What do I mean about this? Well, if you have clothing that you can mix and match, then you can pack less and have more outfits. We can take a 7 day cruise and both bring only a carry-on and a backpack or tote bag!
First, bathing suits…..you will find you spend a good majority of your time in a bathing suit if your cruise is in warmer climates. This is true for on or off the ship. So bring two at least – one will need time to dry. So I alternate days of use. One cover-up for the ship can also be used for ports of call, but I prefer to wear shorts and a tank top over my bathing suit when in port. So I bring knit style shorts and a tank top for that. Or you could consider a nice simple knit tank dress for in port. My husband also brings two bathing suits, and we have since purchased swim shirts to match. So he has two outfits that he will wear whenever we’re headed to the pool or beach.
Although we never used to bring them, water shoes have become important. The reason being, shoes take up A LOT of room in suitcases, especially men’s shoes. So we finally purchased good quality water shoes that are similar to sandals/sneakers. This eliminates the need for separate sneakers or sandals. I bring one pair of shoes for evening that match ALL my outfits (basic black usually fills the bill), and one pair of shoes for my husband for evenings (black or brown depending on his outfit selection). I also love flip flops, so I generally bring one pair. Now keep in mind, one pair of whatever shoes you’re bringing can be worn to your destination and don’t need to be packed.
For me, my basic rule of thumb for myself is two bottoms and three tops give me 4 outfits for casual nights. How? Well, basic black and khaki bottoms, whether pants, capris or skirts are your foundation (or any other colors you would choose that would work with your wardrobe). Now you need one top that matches only the black, one that matches only the khaki and one that matches the black and khaki. This also holds true for your significant other. Again, the colors are up to you, but follow these guidelines to minimize clothing needed.
This is what it looks like: one black bottom – one top matching only black (1 outfit)
one khaki bottom – one top matching only khaki (1 outfit)
one top matching both black and khaki
(2 outfits)
There are usually two formal nights on a 6-8 day cruise. For this I got myself a black maxi skirt. I bring two more dressy looking tops to go with it. Long past are the days of long gowns for me, but yes, we did do this at first. Full gowns for me and a suit for my husband. It was fun, and it was nice to have a couple formal portraits. We have found that we no longer need that, so we have simplified. For my husband, instead of bringing a full suit, one of his pant selections for the list above are his suit pants. Then we bring one long sleeve white dress shirt and two ties. This gives him two formal night options and utilizes the suit pants for the other nights, as well.
We have found that having two pairs of shorts is handy for downtime when not around the pool or on the beach. I found the simplest thing to be denim shorts for me and cargo for my husband. I bring only two additional tank tops. He brings 4 light t-shirts, but generally he’ll go home with one or two clean ones. Sometimes I will bring a couple very casual dresses instead of the shorts/tanks. I can use these for dinner, too.
Socks and underwear……well one pair of underwear for each day, of course, unless you’re okay with re-wear based on the fact that a good portion of your day is spent in a bathing suit. Socks are pretty much only going to be used for the man at dinner time, unless you are an adamant socks and sneakers wearer and don’t like the water shoe idea. For dinner, you can get away with 3-4 pair and just re-wear. Same goes for gym socks that you would wear with sneakers.
Here’s what a basic packing list looks like for husband and wife (change according to your needs):
For Her: For Him:
2 bathing suits 2 bathing suits
1-2 cover ups 2 swim shirts
2 capris/skirts 2 pants (1 being suit pants)
3 dinner tops 3 casual dinner tops (polos/Hawaiian shirts)
1 maxi skirt 1 white long sleeve dress shirt
2 dressy tops 2 ties
2 shorts (or 2 casual dresses) 2 shorts
2 tops 2-4 t-shirts
underwear underwear
flip flops 3-4 dress socks
dress shoes 3-4 white socks (if needed)
water shoes dress shoes/water shoes
Obviously this would need to be adjusted depending on destination. Cruises to Alaska, European river cruises etc. would perhaps not require as much clothing for swimming and more clothing for keeping warmer, like a jacket. Adjust accordingly. And again, ASK if you have any questions or need any advice!
Other things that need to be packed, like toiletries, sundries, bags, other personal items will be discussed in a separate post.
Until then…get packing…….and cruise on!
Just Cruisin' 