Clothes for cruise:Which clothes can you take for a cruise vacation?

Many first time cruisers often ask about what clothes to pack for their cruise vacation. Should you bring formal clothes on a cruise? Do you want to feel comfortable? If you are like me you may not want to feel out of place. I am sure you do not want to appear like a bum when everyone is all dressed up or over dress with tuxedo and black tie when the rest of your dining group are in T-shirts and shorts.

Good clothing advice
Most of life requires that we apply common sense. We should aim to travel as light as possible but bring in all our essential stuff. Clothes that we can mix and match will make sense. So we can create multiple outfits. Accessories such as ties, scarves, hats, belts purses and jewelry can do wonders depending on how we pair them with the main clothes. Light washable clothes that are quick dry and reversible clothes can throw in some magic too. The big Cruise ships have dry cleaning services that can help reduce the amount of clothing that we bring onboard. Pack comfortable, sturdy shoes with good traction that prevents you from slipping.

Mind your luggage
Nowadays airlines have started to charge fees for each checked in luggage. Cruise lines generally have not got to that point yet. Cruise ships do not typically limit the amount of luggage you may bring onboard. But you may want to take into account the cabin you have booked. Cruise closets are not very spacious. If you are flying to your port of embarkation do you want to pay the extra airline fees. If you travel as a couple a good idea is to put some essential stuff in a carry-on and into each others baggage just in case one of the luggage gets missing or goes astray. That way can cope a little better.Save 75% Off Designer Luggage at LuggageGuy.com. Free Shipping. Click here

Dress Code onboard cruise ships are changing gradually. As more people now take cruise vacation, the trend is more towards a casual style. You should however consider several factors when deciding which clothes to pack for your cruise trip.

Most important to consider are what type of cruise, time of year, duration of trip and destination and activities that will be available, and those activities you will participate in. Check with your travel consultant, the cruise line or even cruise vacation forums like ours to learn from those who have been on the particular cruise ship of your choice.

Type of cruise
Adventure cruises may put more emphasis on the expedition and not require formal attire, whereas certain luxury cruises may require formal wear during certain evenings. Cruise lines may have formal evenings or formal dining rooms. It is not unusual to find long cruises, where they hold special parties, and ball room dances.

You may therefore want to bring formal attire. In such case you can bring one or two formal clothes which for men may be tuxedo and ladies long dresses and gowns. Be sensible. Ladies can bring jewelry to compliment their clothes but use common sense. Why will you want to travel with expensive jewelry unless you can guarantee its security?

Cruise lines publish their itinerary of events and will inform you of suggested special clothing they require of their guests. The usual trend is casual during the day and at the buffet area. Cruise dining rooms generally have basic dress codes they expect guests to follow especially during evening meals. Most cruise ships will not tolerate swim wear, tank tops or cutoff shorts during the evening meals.

Many Cruise lines are coming up with creative ideas to solve the issue on dress codes. Some vacationers do like to dress up in formal attire and eat in elegant settings. On the other hand, there are some who would rather relax and dress casually during their vacation. They do not want to deal with neck ties and high heel shoes. So some Cruise Lines work around that and do offer several dining choices to satisfy everyone.

Duration of trip
Usually for a 3 to 4 day cruise, you should expect to have one formal night. This is usually on the second night out. It gives you time to unpack and relax a little. 7 day cruises may have two formal nights which may typically be the second and the fifth night out. With 10 day cruises you may expect 3 formal evenings.

For most cruise formal events you can plan on bringing formal wear. Enquire with the cruise lines or with your travel consultant, some cruises do offer clothing rental services. In some big cruise ships you can even buy formal wear and other clothing such as swim wear, casual souvenir clothes. You will not be out of place in a semi formal such as a dark suit for men with dress shirt and tie and dress or pant suits for ladies. You can get a good selection of travel accessories and clothes from Magellan's Web Specials

Time of year
If you are traveling during the peak of summer season obviously you will pack a lot of light loose fitting clothes and hats and sunglasses. Winter you will carry sweaters, jackets, gloves and clothes to keep you warm. However the rest of your clothes will depend on the activities that you plan to engage in.

Activities
Of course if you plan to use pool facilities, or jog and engage in work out you will pack swim suits and work out clothing. If you are going on shore excursions, scuba diving or snorkeling or want to dance and party you should bring along your dancing shoes and gym shoes. And sandals or hiking boots and dress shoes. Shorts and comfortable shoes are a must also thing security deep pockets which can keep your personal items and wallets secure

Destination
There are so many interesting destinations one can choose to plan and experience a cruise vacation. Cruise lines operate in all the continents, Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America and Africa. The most popular year round cruise destination is the Caribbean Islands because of the warm tropical weather.

Caribbean
Caribbean is warm and summers are hot. This is an all year destination.
Traveling in the Tropical areas like Caribbean cruises call for loose and light clothing whereas an Alaskan cruise requires you to dress more warmly.

Alaska
When you make a cruise to Alaska remember the winters are very cold. Though cruise lines are extending their sales to encourage trips starting March to November. A good time to go there will be between May and September. These are more favorable period outside of that the extreme weather condition may not be ideal for a pleasant vacation. Summer days temperature ranges between 40 and 70 degrees F and the evenings may drop down to 30 degrees. They experience lots of sunshine and rain.

Your clothing choice will depend on your choice of activities and land excursion you are going to make. We do recommend that you have clothes that will enable you to dress in layers. Remember the boys scout’s motto “be prepared”. Pack waterproof clothing and rain gears. Include long sleeves since you will have to protect yourself from the glaring sun and insects. You will be venturing into the wilderness. We do recommend Insect Barrier Shirt and Insect Barrier Pants

Bring wool and fleece materials as clothing made with these materials would keep you warm. You should include Jeans, sweaters, T-shirts, swim suits, gloves, waterproof hats, hiking boots, and outdoor walking shoes suitable for rain and sunshine, scarves, sunglasses, umbrella, backpack, sunscreen. For those Kodak moments do not forget your binoculars and cameras. Don’t forget to pack some patience, sense of humor and bring plenty of smiles and great expectation. Have fun and return to share your stories with us.Dont forget to check for your travel clothes and accessories at Magellan's Web Specials