I: Daytime on Board

Cruise brochures usually show people on board a cruise ship wearing perfect, stylish clothes all the time. However, you do not need to worry because you will not be seeing women wearing a sweater set, skirt and high heels and walking around the pool, and neither will you see men who wear a suit and tie in the video arcade. You can wear your swimsuit with shorts and a t-shirt or tank top over it. This is the basic dress code during the day on board a cruise ship.

You can also carry a long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt as it can get quite cold in the air-conditioned lounges and restaurants.

II: Dinner (Non-Formal Nights)

Even on non-formal dinner nights, you cannot go to the dining room with the t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops you wear during the day, unless you decide to not eat in the main dining room. Cruise lines usually expect the guests to dress up a bit for dinner. Teenage guys usually wear nice trousers such as khakis or Dockers and some button-down or polo shirt. Girls have a lot more to choose from. Girls can wear anything from black pants or khaki pants to short or long skirts to dresses. If you love to dress up, you can carry different sundresses and skirts for every day of your cruise. You can also take different bottoms and tops and wear them on different days. This is easier to do and also saves a lot of space in your suitcase for other stuff.

III: Formal Dinners

People about to go on a cruise have the most number of questions regarding formal nights and there is a lot of alternatives for these. Men generally wear pants and a sports jacket, though some men wear tuxedos. You can bring your own tuxedo for the cruise or you can rent it from the Formalities shop on the ship. Some guys do not like attending the formal dinner nights as they feel awkward in tuxes. You may or may not like wearing a tux, but girls love guys who dress nicely for dinner. You might think you look silly, but girls think you look very cute!

Girls, once again, have a lot more options regarding what they can wear. I would recommend that you can take your former prom and homecoming dresses with you. You never thought you’d get a chance to wear those again, but a cruise formal dinner is the best place to wear them. You can go to the salon on the ship and get your hair styled on a night you will be wearing your prom or homecoming dress. Cruises are all about pampering yourself, so why not go that extra bit?

IV: Shore Excursions

You first have to figure out what you’ll do on a shore excursion to know what you’ll wear. You’ll just need a swimsuit if you’re going snorkeling, but if you plan to do something which does not involve swimming, wear comfortable clothes. If you wear sandals for walking around and shopping, be ready for blisters and a sandal tan line through the straps. You can wear tennis shoes and put on a lot of sunscreen to avoid a sock tan.