Cruise wear
Cruising is an adventure which is hardly unforgettable. Who wouldn't be allured with simply a glance at those glossy brochures of cruise liners? Who would mind being amongst sophisticated people clad in chic designer stuff? Besides the opulence associated with fine wining and sumptuous dining, there is an additional ecstasy of exploring exotic places and the glamour of sailing. However, in addition to the electric excitement, which comes in anticipation of taking a cruise vacation, there is a good amount of groundwork that one needs to put in before embarking on the voyage. With all bookings and other formalities in place, the next most important task is that of settling on the wardrobe.
A word of caution! Do not be lured into stuffing all your suitcases with haute couture and designer footwear, costing a bomb. On the contrary, sanity lies in segregating the clothes according to the following three categories: casual, informal and formal wear. More help can be taken from the daily information sheet, which specifies each day's dress code of the cruise liner. Here are a few guidelines to help you zero in on the most suitable range of clothes for the much-awaited cruise.
Casual
As the name suggest, clothes that fall under this category are those that one feels most comfortable in. These can be divided into daytime casuals and evening casuals. The time of the day, as well as the season, will decide what is included in each kind. For summer time daywear, a comfortable pair of shorts, coupled with a tee shirt, and comfortable walking shoes are indispensable items. These are essential for your day out on the shore, while shopping.
For slightly colder climates, a pair of jeans or slacks, along with a neutral-colored sweater would suffice. Mix and match is the buzzword here. One pair of regular blue jeans can be paired with different tee shirts or tops. Another point to be remembered is that, whichever place you visit would offer a variety of souvenir tee shirts or other items of clothing. Keeping this in mind, pack those many less when you do the initial packing. Comfortable sneakers, for both men and women, are a good option.
For evening casuals, the gentlemen may pack a pair of slacks or khakis with a couple of casual collared shirts, which can be kept open at the collar. For the ladies, evening casuals may include a skirt of reasonable length, a couple of pants and some comfortable tops or shirts. Here again, the idea is to travel light. So, take care to choose pants and skirts in not more than two basic colors, which can be teamed off with most of your tops and footwear. Remember that the right accessories can really make a seemingly dull attire come to life. Take advantage of this and it is worthwhile to invest time, money and effort in planning the accessories.
Do not forget beachwear or swim wear, with a cover-up robe, and a pair of flip-flops.
Informal wear
Deciding informal attire is always a tricky decision to make. Informal wear normally means clothes for the evening. It is neither as casual as a sporty dress that one would wear to daytime trips to the market, nor is it as showy as a cocktail dress.
For the ladies, informal wear could include a (not too flashy) dress. This could be knee length or longer, depending on one's personal choice and comfort level. From the point of view of utility and space management, carrying reversible dresses can be the most sagacious of decisions. One could also include pantsuits as a part of informal attire.
For the gentlemen, an informal outfit could mean a combination attire of trousers and a sport coat or a blazer. Whether or not a tie is expected to be worn depends on the cruse liner.
Formal wear
This part of the wardrobe draws maximum attention and requires the maximum effort in planning. For some people, there's nothing more exhilarating and stimulating as designing a fashionable dress that makes them look stunning. It is an opportunity to bask in the attention of fellow travelers. For others, it could mean hours and hours of preparation resulting in zero results. Irrespective of individual responses, deciding on formal wear forms an integral part of cruising. But, with a little bit of planning, it doesn't really have to be as daunting a task as it is made out to be.
For the females, anything from short cocktail dresses to long, flowing and exquisite evening gowns can make them look stunning. These can be either plain or studded with stones or glittering crystals and sequins. Which one you choose is completely up to you. (But remember that elegance is more charismatic than ostentation. And there's nothing more stylish than the color black. Of course, here also personal choice takes precedence over everything else). Carrying a pair of silky black cocktail pants is also a sane idea. Classy long skirts can also work wonders for your looks. Teaming it up with different formal and fitted blouses / tops can help create a different look each time. The look can be made complete with a pair of dress shoes, elegant strappy sandals or stilettos. However, if one is not too comfortable in high-heeled footwear, one must carry flat-heeled shoes or elegant open sandals.
A word of caution here too. More often than not, the scrumptious cuisine onboard can make us gain weight sooner than we can anticipate. Therefore, it is always a good idea to put aside one's most loose-fitting formal outfit for later than the first formal occasion, unless, of course, you want to spend your evening sulking and lamenting about not being able to adorn yourself in your most stunning attire. For the gentlemen, a black suit, or a jacket, and a tie are adequate. Sometimes, cruise liners expect the passengers to be equipped with Tuxedoes. This attire can be paired with a pair of formal shoes, with or without laces. A common faux pas here is to wear a pair of black shoes with a brown suit! Well, nothing can be more unpardonable than this.
To make things a bit easier, formal attire, for both men and women, can be rented on the cruise ship. Of course, advance planning and booking is mandatory to save yourself the disappointment or avoidable last-minute hassles.
All things considered, travel light is the refrain here. A wise man once said, 'He who would travel happily must travel light'.
With cruise vacations becoming reasonably common and, more importantly, now that you are equipped with the required information about cruise wear, get ready for an experience that you will cherish forever. The pleasure has begun!
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