Which clothes to pack for a cruise is simpler than you think. Dressing with comfort and style is important for any cruise trip! Cruisers look forward to relax, enjoy and take part in hundreds of activities available on today's major cruise lines. It’s important for the guests to know what to wear on board a cruise ship & here are some tips!
Day wear on board: Resort casual cruise wear is the primary suggested attire aboard most major cruise lines as cruise ships today have very informal environments. Resort casual wear is perfectly acceptable during the day as well as during informal evenings.
Casual day wear can include anything from your bathing suit and a t-shirt to a pair of Bermuda shorts and a polo shirt. Shorts, t-shirts, slacks, trousers, casual skirts, blouses and sundresses are all perfect during the day.
For lounging by the pool, the guests need to pack bathing suits and a pair of flip-flops or sandals. They will also need some casual shorts and a couple of t-shirts or a cover-up for getting to and from the pool areas.
Day wear on shore: For warm weather cruises to destinations like the Caribbean, the Bahamas, South America, Hawaii, etc, guests will generally need all of the typical summertime essentials including swimwear, shorts, short-sleeved shirts, sandals, sneakers, etc. Guests will also need comfortable walking shoes, as well as a hat and sunscreen for protection from the sun. For touring any museums, cathedrals or churches it's always wise to dress conservatively.
For cruises to destinations with cooler and varying weather conditions from day to day like Alaska, Europe, and Canada/New England, guests will need to consider bringing at least a pair of long pants, a jacket, a raincoat and a warm sweater.
Dinner Attire: The evening dress standards aboard cruise ships are classier than in most resorts. The evening wear in the main dining could be formal or informal / smart casual.
Formal: Depending on the length of the cruise, there will be at least 1 or 2 evenings that are designated as formal nights. The cruise documents will have exact details on how many formal nights there will be so the guests can be prepared.
A typically cruise formal wear is anything that you would wear to any fine dining restaurant. Most men opt to wear either a tuxedo or nice dark suit and tie. Tuxedo rentals are available aboard most cruise ships. Women will generally wear anything from a simple cocktail dress, to an elaborate, glittering ball gown. The degree to which you choose to dress on formal nights is entirely up to the guests.
Informal / Smart casual: Informal also called smart casuals sometimes. This is the dress code on many ships on the days that are not formal nights. The evening dress code is informal except for formal night. For men, informal is a jacket and collared shirt / slacks, perhaps a tie. For women it could be any attractive evening outfit, a dress or a pant suit.
There are guests that are not interested in getting dressed up on formal night. It is important to remember that formal cruise wear evenings are always optional. Most major cruise ships today offer 24-7 casual dining options that are always available for all those anti-formal night guests.
Many cruise ships may also have one "themed" night especially on longer itineraries & participation in these special nights is entirely voluntary.