Cruise Clothing – What to Wear on a Cruise

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Due to the spontaneous nature of travel blogging and press trips I rarely have solid plans for my future travel. However, the one thing that I am planning for next year is a cruise! But it’s so hard to know what to wear on a cruise?! 

SO, when J.D.Williams* asked me to think about what I’d wear for a cruise, I thought I’d better do some serious retail research. Here’s everything you (and I) need to know about cruise clothing and what to pack for a HOT WEATHER cruise.

CRUISE FASHION – Top Tips

1) DRESS CODE

Make sure that you check the dress code for your cruise. There may be certain restaurants that require formal wear (not something I usually pack). So get those heels and dresses ready! For example, a Silversea cruise will always require a nice evening gown. However, you don’t have to change your style just for a cruise! Cruise fashion can be your own fashion! If you rock a stunning evening suit, pack that. It doesn’t have to be a bedazzled dress. 

2) Don’t OVER pack

Some cabins can be quite small and the last thing anyone wants is to be tripping over a massive suitcase. Laundry facilities will be available on board. No one is going to crucify you for wearing the same outfit twice. If you’re not 100% sure you’re going to wear it, then don’t bring it. Be ruthless, you’ll thank me later. Plus, half the fun or a trip is seeing what fun and fabulous clothes you find when you go shopping in foreign lands. You need to save room for those purchases!

3) CARRY ON CLOTHES

If you’re wearing jeans or warm clothes for travelling to your port of embarkation, make sure you pack warm weather clothes in you carry on. Sometimes it can take a while for your check in luggage to reach your cabin and you don’t want to be standing around sweating on deck while everyone else has changed into shorts and sandals. Make sure you have some light, airy, cruise clothing close at hand so that you can kick off your trip in complete comfort.

4) WARM LAYERS

Cruise ships can have some serious air conditioning and the wind at sea can be cutting. So pashminas and a cardigan are ideal. They don’t usually come to mind when people are thinking about what to wear on a cruise but they are ESSENTIAL. Cold weather cruises will provide parkas or fleeces, but it can get chilly on a hot weather cruise too! SO, make sure you have at least one hoody packed away in your case.

5) PLAN AHEAD

Make sure to take into account in-port activities when packing. If you’re planning on doing a lot of walking and sight-seeing then runners/trainers will be much better than sandals or flip flops. You don’t want to be unable to participate because you brought the wrong attire. For example, in Mauritius and Jamaica there are a couple of waterfall excursions that would require sturdy footwear. 

J.D Williams have even written a blog post dedicated to examples of their best cruise wear, which you can check out here.

What do you think? What would your cruise fashion style be? Let me know in the comments! I hope my tips have helped to give you an idea of what to wear on your next cruise.

Thanks to J.D.Williams for inspiring me with their stunning cruise wear. 

*This post is a collaboration with J.D.Williams. 

Want to read more about cruises? 

Make sure you check out my article about how to choose the perfect cruise for you.