Have you ever looked in your closet and moaned, “I have nothing to wear!”
Well, that was my situation when I was getting ready to get on my first cruise in more than 25 years. It’s challenging to pack for a cruise!
There are so many wardrobe changes. Morning – nice, casual looks for trivia, ports and lunch in the main dining room. Pool deck – a flattering swimsuit, footwear and a nice coverup. Evening – dressing for dinner, formal night, tropical night and maybe 70s and 80s nights! Plus clothing for the gym…and nightwear…and just relaxing…it all seems rather daunting when you have to pack. And I didn’t have a big budget for new clothes or a model-perfect body.
But I wanted to look nice! I was able to pull together some clothes that made me feel good and were easy to pack.
Budget Tips
I was able to find most of what I needed for my son and myself at Walmart (including shoes!). I tend to buy cotton and those cotton knit, drawstring pants are among my favorite things to wear. They are certainly the most comfortable. I have them in three colors.
There are some ways to save money at Walmart. In August, or sometimes even earlier, swimsuits and coverups go on sale. I have bought good swimsuits for less than $10 that way. Dresses also go on clearance sale pretty often.
However, there are some things you should snap up as soon as you see them. These would include the mesh swim shoes and any clothing in the men’s department. As soon as spring and summer men’s clothing comes out (which should be any day now), snap it up. It goes really fast! These shirts are from Walmart…I love the seahorses!
You’ll want collared polos and cotton dress shirts for the main dining room for the man in your life, as well as swimsuits, cotton dress pants, shorts and t-shirts. And mesh swim shoes!
I also bought a few, very lightweight and easy to pack items at Shein that looked well on my plus-size frame. In addition to being inexpensive, they don’t wrinkle very much.
I was happy to find a big suitcase at a thrift store for $12. However, one of the porters broke the handle beyond repair. So I bought a new one at Marshall’s. Expect to pay between $80 and $110 for a rolling suitcase there.
Do you overpack?
As mentioned, I had a terrible habit of over-packing. I think it is more stressful to have too much rather than too little, now. And there are some items available for sale on cruise ships that are not too expensive, such as cover ups and t-shirts (when they have sales). So, I developed some rules of thumb for myself so I don’t overpack for my cruise vacations.
Mary’s Cruise Packing Rules of Thumb
- Bring one and only one checked suitcase (rolling), plus a purse, backpack or tote bag (per person). Anything more than that is too much to handle in airports, on rideshares and when walking on the gang plank. I tried two suitcases once. It was misery. It was even more awful when the porters broke the handle on my bag and I couldn’t roll it. Never again!
- For a weekend or four-day cruise, get by with just a carry-on bag 22″ or less in height, plus a purse, backpack or tote bag.
- The tote bag or back pack should ideally have a sleeve on the back that allows it to slip over the handle of your rolling bag. I bought my quilted black backpack at Walmart (about $25, Time and Tru).
- For a 5 to 7 day cruise, pack enough clothes for that week, factoring in that you may be able to wear a dress or dressy shirt twice for dinner, but that t-shirts may be a one and done deal.
- For cruises in excess of 7 days, pack a week’s worth of clothes and purchase shipboard laundry services.
- On the plane, wear your coat, raincoat or jacket and bulkiest shoes – typically, your fitness shoes.
- Don’t pack heels. High heels are pretty but ships sway and decks can be slippery. After dinner, you’ll want to step out on the deck. In addition, there’s a great deal of walking and stair climbing on a ship. So, it’s better to leave those kinds of shoes at home.
- I tend to roll my clothing to pack it and if it appears wrinkled, I buy pressing services the first day, since, of course, you can’t bring an iron on a cruise. A bag full of clothes can be pressed for about $18. I can generally get both mine and my son’s items in the bag. A perk is that it returns on hangers, so I don’t have to bug my room steward for extra hangers, and everything looks so neat and new! I don’t like the smell of Downy wrinkle release and don’t feel it works that well, so I don’t use it.
Clothes I pack for a week-long or longer cruise in the Caribbean
- One fine knit cardigan ($15, Target) for chilly evenings or mornings
- Two pairs of cotton knit long pants in black and navy, (Athletic brand $10, Walmart). These are great pants that can be dressed up or dressed down and are the right weight for cruising in the Bahamas or Caribbean.
- Two pairs of cotton knit shorts in black and magenta (Time and Tru, $12, Walmart)
- Five-six assorted cotton t-shirts and sleeveless swing tops in colors, stripes and designs that go with the pants and shorts (Walmart, Roaman’s, one worn on plane)
- Two over-sized cotton t-shirts for sleeping and gym. One is an 80s tshirt for 80s night (Walmart)
- One pair of leggings for yoga and stretch classses (Walmart; worn on plane).
- Two lightweight, dressy tops in tropical patterns (Shein)
- Three lightweight dresses in tropical patterns (Shein)
- Two one-piece swimsuits (Walmart)
- A dress that doubles as a cover-up at the beach or pool
- One pair of slip on, mesh swim shoes (Walmart, indispensable at the beach! Some of those beaches are very rocky. The best item I bought!)
- One pair of metallic, flat sandals (Ross)
- One pair of dressy black flats (Ross)
- One pair of white fitness shoes (Walmart, I wear them on the plane)
- Bras, underwear and socks
- Costume jewelry: earrings, bracelets and a couple of pendants
- Sunglasses and a hat or visor, scrunchies and pony tail holders
- A small, zipped cross body bag for exploring ports (Dollar Tree, $1.25), a small, cross body bag for evening (Target Dollar Spot, $3) and a mesh bag for pool and beach.
For my next cruise, I plan to add one of those long-sleeved swim shirts that acts like sunscreen. If you run or go to the gym everyday, you’ll probably want more items of fitness clothes. If you plan to tackle the Flowrider or water slides (and you are a woman), you might want that swim shirt and some swim shorts for coverage. If you’re going to try the climbing wall, you’ll need closed toe shoes, and from what I observed, shoes with a flatter sole seemed to work better.
Clothes I pack for a week-long or longer cruise to Canada and New England.
- Similar amounts of items as above but with longer sleeves; fall looks
- A very dressy dress (Shein, black with metallic gold stars) for formal night
- A lightweight, longer black raincoat with hood that I wear on the plane, it’s like windbreaker fabric (Walmart).
- A zip up, Time and Tru hoodie ($15, Walmart)
- One or two pair of jeans (Walmart)
- Leggings instead of the shorts
- Two or three sweaters
See my post on how to make your cabin cozy for non-clothes items I also pack, along with my passport, cruise documents, chargers, planner and coloring materials. Happy cruising!
#BESTLife Workshop 