Tips on packing the right Caribbean cruise wear

Your choice of Caribbean cruise wear is important as here in the Caribbean we have a tropical climate which makes our temperatures warm all year round, even when it rains.

The only time it gets a bit chilly is when we experience inclement weather such as a cold front or storm- which is not very often.

Because of the Caribbean’s really warm temperatures, your Caribbean cruise wear should consist of clothing items that are mostly light and breezy .

Try to avoid silk or polyester fabric, they stick to your body’s perspiration and can become quite uncomfortable if the day is particularly hot. Cotton is good for soaking up excess moisture or perspiration and overall is the best material to wear in the Caribbean.

For onboard ship wear; casual shorts, t-shirts, slacks, casual skirts, sundresses, trousers, slacks, blouses, bathing suits, flip flops, sandals and sneakers are appropriate.

I usually pack a sweater as well. Why? Because air conditioning can become chilly in the evenings, especially when dining in specialty restaurants, so taking along a sweater is very useful for keeping me warm. Just a thought…

When packing your Caribbean cruise wear, do consider using most of your mix and match clothing, that way you cut down on the amount of pieces that you need to carry with you.

The reason is, space is always an important consideration for me because I usually see lots of things to buy at ports of call and my suitcase must be able to hold all these extra items so the more I mix and match, the better it is for me to hold all these extra items in my suitcase.

Don’t worry about not having enough clothing for a fresh change every day of your cruise; most, if not all ships have a laundry service.

I highly recommend using the ship’s laundry service, as that stops you from packing a full suitcase to begin with, leaving you with that extra space for anything you may want to collect during your cruise.

As the Caribbean is also a duty free shopping hub, you can rest assured that you will encounter several opportunities for shopping that you simply must capitalize on!

Even though casual is the theme of Caribbean cruises, most cruise lines usually host at least one formal night dinner .

As a guide, you should pack one formal wear for a three nights cruise or two for a seven nights cruise. I always pack one, because I do use the ship’s laundry service which is more convenient for me.

If you wish to, you can opt out of formal night on most cruise liners but that means that you will also miss out on the exotic meals served on that night. You won’t go hungry however, as buffet dining will still be available on formal night.

As it regards your footwear, consider wearing your heaviest shoes for both embarkation and debarkation; that way you won’t have to pack them in your suitcase, therefore saving you that well needed space. However if you plan to undertake a strenuous shore excursion, your hard boots may just come in handy.

I hope you find this article on Caribbean Cruise Wear useful. For more ideas of what else to pack, do take a look at my Packing Tips page.

Cruise Well!

Karrie

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