Packing Tips for Your Next Cruise
As much as you would like to bring along a good portion of your closet for your cruise to have your whole wardrobe is at your disposal, you are simply not going to have room to pack or store your clothes in a cruise ship room. To get the most of the space that you have available, take advantage of some of these packing tips before heading on your next cruise.
1) Plan in Advance
While it may sound simple enough, planning your packing and suitcase out in advance is really the key to having a successful cruise experience. Get a pen and paper and start writing out everything that you know that you want to bring. Once you have that list, lay everything out in piles before you start putting it in your suitcase and then cross those items off your list one by one as you organize them into the suitcase.
2) Know the Dress Codes
On a cruise there are going to be situations where you will need to have specific clothing. Cruises put on fun events that require formal or business-type wear and you can usually expect there to be at least one formal night. Before you pack, check to see what kind of dress code the ship has and what you should be prepared for.
3) Know the Destination
If your cruise has a destination included on the trip, as most do, you definitely need to pack and plan ahead for that location. Check out what types of activities you will be able to do there and what kind of clothing you will need to do those activities comfortably. Also dress for the destination in general – light clothing if it is a hot environment and tons of sunscreen!
4) Pack Smart!
Mixing and matching your outfits and re-wearing a sweater or two on a cool night is definitely going to help keep your baggage fees down when you go on a cruise. Pick a color theme or some key clothing pieces to form your entire wardrobe around to make it easy to figure out what you will want to wear each day.
5) Your Carry-on is Key
Your checked luggage and your carry-on are also extremely important to plan out when you are packing. In your carry-on, you will need to pack the items that you will want in the first six or so hours that you are on your cruise. A bathing suit, important medications, a change of comfortable clothes or shoes are just some of the items that you should consider bringing into your carry-on luggage.
