Written By Carrie Finley-Bajak Friday, July 02, 2010 16:04
Packing for a family cruise vacation requires some advance planning to maximize suitcase space and to make sure that nothing is left behind. Now with strict airline baggage fees, every outfit that is selected for the cruise should serve multiple purposes.
Try to pack clothing that is re-usable on the cruise. Think in terms of layers and stick to a neutral color palette to mix-and-match. Bring some scarves or buy a new one on the ship to refresh an outfit.A typical cruise offers active days and fun-filled nights. Keep in mind that many ships have self-serve laundry which can be used to help lighten the packing load.
Most cruise lines maintain the tradition of dressing up for dinner. However, what qualifies as "dressing up" has evolved over time. Many cruise lines now designate some evenings for "casual" dress, some for "informal" dress and some for "formal" dress.
Informal - "smart casual" or "resort casual"
Casual dress means open-necked sport shirts and slacks for men; and sundresses, slacks or capri pants with coordinating tops for women. In general, jeans, shorts and baseball caps are not allowed. On luxury cruise lines, casual may take one more step toward formal, with jackets (but not ties) required for men and women expected to wear dresses or skirts.
Formal
On a 7 day cruise there will most likely be 2 formal nights. Formal nights are not necessarily extremely formal. Men can get away with just wearing a tie with their dark pants and dress shirt. Ladies can wear a dress or pantsuit. If children want to get dressed up they can, or they may opt to eat with the Kids Club program, which will give parents some time to enjoy the evening.
On some cruise lines, formal dress means dark suits, dinner jackets or tuxedos for men; evening dresses for women. On luxury cruise lines, it's not unusual to see women in full-length gowns on formal nights.
It's quite possible to avoid getting dressed up during a cruise. How? Simply plan to eat your evening meal in the Lido restaurant during formal nights, or have room service that night.
Have fun on your family cruise vacation by not over packing. If in doubt, leave it out.
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