Curiosity question - what do you pack/wear for cruises?

[PrincessShmoo]

Basically, what I wear everyday. But I'm fond of dressing up, also, so I bring formal wear for formal nights.

 

[ichoose2believe]

I tend to bring a lot of comfortable items like dresses (sun and maxi), rompers and jumpsuits.

 

[CarolynFH]

For Palo and formal night, black slacks and a dressy top, probably the same one for both. DH slacks and button down shirt, probably a jacket but not a tie.

The rest of the time I’m in Disney t-shirts and jeans/capris depending on ambient temperature (we sail in January from Galveston, and it’s chilly!).

 

[71 Truck]

Daily ship attire, shorts, t shirt, regular sox and hiking shoes.
Port attire, shorts, t shirt, hiking shoes, regular sox and a hat. The hat is a must.
Cabin in the evening, gym shorts and t shirt.
Non Formal night dinner , shorts, t shirt, regular sox and hiking shoes.
Formal night dinner, nice jeans, nice button down shirt, dress sox and dress shoes.
Palo Brunch/Dinner, sports jacket , dress pants, collard button down shirt, dress sox, Disney tie and dress shoes.
Then of course undergarments.
No swim suite because I don't usually go in the pool.

I also usually pack at least an extra day or two of each item in case we are delayed returning to port so I do not have to do laundry on the ship.

My wife and I also bring on two carryon's with all our stuff we do not want to pack in our checked luggage that also includes at least one days clothing.

Two checked suitcases with our clothing evenly divided between the two suitcases. We pack the clothing in vacuum bags to compress them and keep them dry just in case the luggage gets caught in the rain.

 

[JM_97]

I enjoy wearing slightly nicer clothes at dinner (and embracing formal night) but other than that, it's very casual!

 

[CamColt]

I like to dress for dinner, meaning something nicer than shorts and a tshirt. Usually Ill do capris and a top. I do however like to dress up for formal/semi formal/dress up optional nights as I don't dress up much at home, so I go somewhat fancy for those nights. Day time clothing is just regular stuff, mostly bathing suits actually.

I will say after 7 nights (and at least 1 morning for Palo brunch) of having to do hair and makeup, I'm done with it!

 

[kiford]

It very much depends on the cruise. If it's a 3 or 4 day cruise, it's largely cruise casual. If I plan to go to Palo, I'll pack something slightly nicer. If I'm going to Remy, it will be something at least semi-formal. If it's a 7-day or longer cruise, I'll usually have at least semi-formal, if not formal, clothing.

 

[MsChristy12]

I'm somewhere in the middle for sure. It's mostly shorts, tanks/tees, sandals during the day. I do like to bring a few light dresses, just because they're so easy and versatile when you're on a cruise. For non DCL cruise, I would definitely bring a nicer dress for formal night. Even if we don't go to the MDR, we might still go to one of the specialty restaurants, and I want to be prepared.

I'm not one of those people that go shopping specifically for vacation, because I know I wouldn't find anything if I'm looking for them specifically. So sometimes when I'm out I might see something that's cute and great for travel, I'll just buy them. Ladies, I'll share some of my faves here with you!

Max Studio Floral Short Sleeve Tiered Maxi Dress
These Max Studio maxi dresses at Nordstrom Rack are my absolutely favorite! I found my first one couple years ago and now I have 3-4 of them. Good thing they are available all year around in different colors/prints/patterns. They are affordable, lightweight, NON-WRINKLE and the most important of all...it fits petite women like me! I'm 5'1" and don't need to hem any of them! I mean, it will fit even better if I chop off a couple inches, but it's not needed like all other maxi dresses. (I always drown in them!) I wore one of mine to dinner at Enchante and the Aladdin show after.

Ultra Stretch AIRism Sleeveless Mini Dress
I just found this dress at Uniqlo couple weeks ago and after I tried it on, I immediately knew this would be a good travel dress! It's so simple and it can be dressed up or down easily, especially the black one. It's Airism so if you need to wash it, it dries fast. The best thing, it has POCKETS!! yay!! I ALMSOT bought all 4 colors but held back, bought them in grey and black! It's perfect for walking around the ship anytime. Then pair with some nice flats/sandals, and a statement necklace, voila!! You look very put together going to dinner!

 

[Travel60]

Dress up for dinner - long or short nice dress (not a gown) or dress pants with nice top (not a T-shirt). Dress sandals.

Nice shorts (or capris) for daytime with nice T-shirt or polo shirt. No big baggy shirts with characters (personal thing). Sneakers or walking sandals.

On cold-weather cruises (Alaska, Norway) I add jeans/quarter zips or sweaters to daytime mix. Heavier shoes

 

[Snowwhyt]

I wear some of my favorite cotton decorative shirts. I wear my lanyard at the appropriate length to cover whatever spot doesn’t seem to wanna leave. And then I throw out the spotted shirt to make room for souvenirs!
It’s a win-win for me because sometimes I hate giving up some of my favorite shirts that I can’t seem to remove spots from.

 

[cwis]

To me, the convenience factor is key in choosing how I pack. And unfortunately, “too many clothes, too many shoes” is becoming one of my mottos.

 

[Louise97]

Somewhere in the middle, mostly depending on luggage space.

Our first cruise was 3 nights and we had limited luggage space so I just packed some casual Disney clothes themed to the MDRs, with a nice dress for Palo.

Second cruise was 7 nights and we had a checked case each which gave me more room so I had several Disneybounds and a change of dress for every night, along with several pairs of shoes!

Next time is likely back to limited space so I'll probably be back to casual.

 

[Carohs]

One pair of either flats or heels, and one dress for if there's an elegant night, otherwise I'm in flip flops. Yes, even at dinner. Usually 1 pair of jeans for port days, leggings for sea days. 1 tee for each day. One light jacket and/or cardigan depending on the weather. All the essentials, toiletries, etc. Oh and a couple of ears if there's space.

 

[SeanSD]

Guy here, casual either bathing suit and T shirt every day and dinner usually pretty casual but maybe polo or linen shirt with collar couple nights. I love being comfortable and maybe someday will dress up for formal photos but not yet I wore suit and tie for 15-20 years that was plenty. And now enjoy business casual for work.

 

[holula]

I love dressing up and either Disneybounding or matching my ears to my outfit.

However I also live in flip flops on the cruise. I always bring other shoes and never wear them.

 

[CarolynU]

When I first started cruising with DCL shorts weren’t allowed in the dining room and no jeans in Palo, so I’ve just kept to that. Also formal night was quite dressy, so I still keep to that too. I don’t dress up at home so I like to distinguish home from a cruise.
That having been said, most evenings are just a nice cotton dress. Palo is a cocktail dress, and that often doubles up for semi formal. Formal is still a long gown. As many sparkles as I can cram on ha ha!

 

[LaraValentine]

For me a big part of getting excited about my cruise involves planning what to wear. I love bringing pieces that fit the themes of each day, and with a Disney cruise of course I love bringing my favorite Disney looks to wear and feel extra joy in! As a result, when I wear those pieces at home I feel like I’m back on the ship!

I also travel with my daughters, and they all love dressing up, too. And it makes all the pictures we take extra fun!