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Updated in 2024: If you’re wondering what to pack for a cruise vacation, check out this awesome cruise packing list put together by Emma with Emma’s Travel Talesand Heather from Wanderlust Wayfarer.dedicated for travelers that love to cruise! Find out what to wear on a cruise vacation!
Written by: Emma Gray
Whether you’re island hopping in Greece or sailing the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, figuring out what to pack for a cruise vacation can be a daunting task, especially if you’ve never been on a cruise before. Cruising is unique because you may find yourself in a variety of situations and climates all in one vacation.
Packing for a cruise always involves taking more clothes than you would for a normal holiday. On most cruises there are certain dress codes for evening wear and different dress codes for different nights of your trip.
Start by reading these general tips for packing for a cruise:
- 10-Step Guide to Packing for Any Trip
- Understanding the Cruise Dress Code
- 7 Things to Bring on a Cruise (and What to Leave Behind)
- 10 Unexpected Things You’ll Experience on a Cruise
- What to Pack for a Cruise for Women Over 60
Make sure you plan out what to pack in your travel capsule wardrobe for a cruise vacation to be prepared for the diverse destinations, activities, and weather you may encounter. For most moderate to warm-weather itineraries, follow these packing tips for what to wear on a cruise, and you’ll be well prepared.
Tip: Want to pack light, use packing cubes to compress your clothing as shown in this video!
Hat | Earrings | Cover Up | Maxi Dress | Tee | Swimsuit | Shorts | Scarf | Shoes | Sunscreen | Sandals | Sunglasses
What to Wear on a Cruise: Daytime
During the day, the main thing is ensuring your cruise clothes are comfortable for relaxing on board or exploring ashore. Normal resort wear is perfectly acceptable during the day.
Cruise daytime wear is typically broken up into two categories:
- Sea days, where you’re on the boat all day
- Port stops, where you are exploring the latest destination at which you’ve arrived
Sea Day Outfit
On most cruises, you’ll have at least one sea day. This means you’ll be on board the ship all day while you sail to the next port.
Deep V-Neck Cover-Up Maxi Dress
Typically, these are the most relaxed and casual days. Be sure to pack a swimsuit and cover up or sarong. You’ll also need a hat, flip flops, and sunscreen if you plan to sit by the pool all day.
Quince 100% European Linen Shorts
No matter what you plan to do on your sea day, there’s no need to dress up. Shorts and a tank top or t-shirt are ideal if you plan to spend more time taking part in activities inside the ship, such as cooking classes or art auctions.
Often the air conditioning is cranked up pretty high, so be sure to bring wrap sweater or kimono to keep from catching a chill.
Taken In Colombia when TFG editor took a two week cruise across the Atlantic Ocean!
Port Stop and Shore Excursion Outfit
For beach stops, you can repurpose the same outfit you wore around the pool on your sea day. But if you’re planning to stroll through town or take a ship-sanctioned shore excursion, you’ll want to wear something a with a little more coverage.
A maxi dress is an ideal choice for many warm weather destinations. They’re comfortable and cool and perfect for a range of activities, from shopping to dining at a nice restaurant.
Quince 100% European Linen Pants
When planning what to wear on a cruise, consider if your excursion takes you off the beaten path. If so, you may opt for a pair of lightweight pants, joggers or shorts.
Skechers Go Walk 5 Womens Comfortable Sneakers
You’ll also need a sturdy pair of walking shoes, such as Skechers Go Walks or Birkenstocks, depending on your level of activity. It’s also a good idea to take a scarf or light sweater in case there’s a cool breeze.
Dress | Blouse |Maxi Dress | Necklace | Scarf 1| Flats | Jeans | Earrings | Scarf 2 | Bag
What to Wear on a Cruise: Evenings
How much to dress up will depend on the type of cruise.These days, there’s no need to bring formalwear on most cruises, unless you want to. However, there are still some that have formal dinners.
Some people also really enjoy dressing up. If that sounds like you, a co*cktail dress and heels is about as dressy as most women get. But if you prefer to keep it casual, dark wash jeans and a pretty blouse are perfectly acceptable.
Take one or two white or solid-colored blouses and a variety of scarves and necklaces you can use to make different combinations each night. No one will even notice you’re wearing the same thing.
Yosi Samra Samara Ballet Flats
Pair your outfit with ballet flats or bejeweled sandals that are easy to pack and versatile. I like Yosi Samra because they come in lots of fun colors and patterns, fold up to fit better in your bag, and are super comfortable.
TFG Editor’s casual evening outfit: Drape Top (Similar) | Minnie Flats
Casual Dinner Outfit
On most ships for casual dinner it’s acceptable for ladies to wear a casual resort wear summer dress, pants or dark jeans and a nice top. You can even make it dressier by trading in jeans for trousers or adding a dressy scarf or necklace to your look.
TFG Editor’s formal evening outfit:Encircled Chrysalis Cardi
Formal Dinner Outfit
co*cktail dresses and full length gowns are appropriate cruise dresses. Formal pant or skirt suits can also be worn as acceptable cruise wear options when in dressier fabrics.
Blazer | Blouse | Tank | Tee | Dress 1 | Dress 2 | Dress 3 | Dress 4 | Jeans | Shorts | Skirt | Swimsuit | Sandals | Shoes | Flats | Cover up
Cruise Packing List
This cruise packing list is based on what I (Emma) would take for a week long cruise in a warm climate:
- Three sundresses that can be worn both for casual dinner and during the day
- Two pairs of shorts for daytime – one denim and one classic
- Three tank tops for daytime – solid colors
- One smart-casual skirt that can be worn for casual dinner and by day
- One long sleeve shirt of light material
- One tunic – perfect for relaxing by the pool on board or by the beach ashore
- One light jacket
- Two bathing suits
- A Little Black Dress – this never goes wrong for evening wear and would be perfect to for a smart-casual dinner
- One co*cktail dress – co*cktail dresses can be a little more fun than formal gowns but are still suitable for formal dinner.
- One formal gown – a full length gown in a solid color always looks beautiful. Opt for classic elegance and it’ll never go out of style.
- One pair of fancy heels – stick to a neutral color that will match multiple outfits
- One pair of nice sandals – perfect for smart-casual evenings
- One pair of tennis shoes or any comfortable walking shoes
- Complimentary jewelry and bag to match your formal outfits, as well as a practical bag for daytime
- Mascara, foundation, sunscreen and lipstick for a touch of glamour
How to Pack for Cruise
Once you’ve chosen all your cruise essentials, use packing cubes and other luggage organizers to organize and compress your clothing tightly to make the most of less space.
Delsey Chatelet Carry On Luggage
Tip: For cruise trip, we recommend choosing a suitcase with brake system lock like the Delsey Chatelet to prevent it from rolling away.
There are a variety of packing organizers ranging from compression sacks to packing cubes to ziplock bags. Personally, we like using these packing cubes and our readers agree. They’ve helped millions of our readers travel carryon only!
Watch the packing tutorial here or on our YouTube Channel!
We put together a five-part YouTube series showing the different methods to use packing cubes for travel. If you use this specific packing strategy, packing cubes can also compress your belongings. This is the secret to traveling carry-on only!
More TFG Editor’s Summer Outfits
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A post shared by Alexandra Jimenez (@travelfashiongirl) on
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A post shared by Alexandra Jimenez (@travelfashiongirl) on
Thank you to these two ladies for showing us how to pack for a cruise and for creating this cruise packing list!
What are your tips on what to pack for a cruise vacation?
For more vacation packing tips, please read:
- What to Wear on a Cruise to the South Pacific
- What to Pack for a Mediterranean Cruise
- What to Pack for a Sailing Trip in the British Virgin Islands
- Caribbean Cruisewear Essentials
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Author Bio:Emma Gray is a Scottish girl, with a serious passion for cruising and travelling in general. She’s lucky enough to have already been on 13 cruises, with 6 different cruise lines. Emma On Board aims to share tips, advice, information and personal tales on all things cruise, from a young person’s perspective. Her other blog Emma’s Travel Tales shares her general travel stories from around the world. Emma is always busy making memories around the world.
Jackie Hickson October 1, 2023 at 2:03 pm
Love, Love, LOVE ALL of the help you dole out! Your experience help people like me So very much!!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the help to this elderly woman!Reply
Kristen Kierseyon September 18, 2023 at 11:24 pm
This list was so helpful for my very first cruise!!! Thank you so much!!!💕
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Annaon September 18, 2023 at 9:12 pm
This is so helpful! Going on my Caribbean cruise in a few weeks, no idea how I can put everything in 1 luggage))) When it comes to dresses and formal dinner, how many dresses should I pack? Thanks
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Alexon September 19, 2023 at 1:33 am
Hi Anna, A good place to start is to take a look at TFG’s Four Signature Packing Lists for ideas for a capsule wardrobe and how many clothing items you could pack – then depending on your preferences, you can choose more bottoms, fewer dresses, more tops – you can adjust the combination based on your needs: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/functional-and-fashion-packing-list/
Start with 10 items focusing on the absolute essentials – the core – and then decide if you need additional items or if you could do with less. If you carefully select your travel clothing choices and, for example, pack 6 tops and 4 bottoms, you’d have 24 ensembles on rotation. That’s 3 weeks’ worth of travel outfits with just 10 pieces of clothing!
We have more tips for packing for a Caribbean cruise here: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/caribbean-cruise-wear-essentials-cruise-dresses-and-more/
Have an amazing time!
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Laurelon September 18, 2023 at 8:03 pm
We just booked an anniversary cruise trip to Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Greenland for next summer. Great to have all these wonderful Packing tips. I’ve been enjoying your blog for years. Thank you.
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Jaclyn Jacquardon September 6, 2022 at 8:23 am
These packing lists are so helpful.
Thank you 👍🏼Reply
Cathion September 6, 2022 at 5:46 am
I am headed for a Hawaiian Cruise this week. Your blog posts have been very resourceful. Thank you for all of the information!!
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Alice Vedderon August 26, 2022 at 12:25 pm
Having a capsule wardrobe is a game changer! I packed way too much for our last cruise and didn’t wear half of what I brought. Even my husband said that we will pack differently for the next cruise!
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Louise Brownon February 12, 2020 at 10:22 am
We are going on a cruise round America the last week in October, Boston, New York, Halifax etc. Any recommendations on what to pack????
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Alexon February 13, 2020 at 5:19 am
Hi Louise, thank you for reaching out.Have a look at TFG’s signature packing lists for ideas for a capsule wardrobe and how many clothing items you could pack: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/functional-and-fashion-packing-list/ The packing lists show you how to pack light and have the right clothes no matter the destination or the length of the journey. Then for North America, we have a range of articles that offer tips to help you create your packing list: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/north-america-packing-lists/ Hope this helps. Have an amazing time on your cruise! ?
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Mon February 1, 2019 at 1:17 pm
What about footwear for the pool?
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Alexon February 4, 2019 at 12:43 am
Hi, women’s flip flops are the ideal water shoe for many trips where you’ll spend most of your time around pools, beaches, and boats. For some recommendations for flip flops, have a look at this article: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/womens-flip-flops/ Hope this helps answer your question! 🙂
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Irene feaston February 12, 2020 at 6:03 pm
Thankfor let me know what to bring on the cruise I Will be leaving out in April
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Alexon February 13, 2020 at 5:16 am
Hi Irene, so pleased you found this article helpful for your packing. You might also find this post interesting for some things you might not be expecting for your cruise: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/ten-unexpected-things-youll-experience-on-a-cruise/ Have an amazing time! ?
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Sharonon July 30, 2018 at 12:56 pm
Hi,
going on a 7 day western mediterranean cruise Early Oct./18 its going to be casual dressing, what to I need to bring; have a habit of over packing.Thank you
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Alexon July 30, 2018 at 2:36 pm
Hi Sharon, for some ideas for what to pack for your Mediterranean cruise have a look at this post: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/what-to-pack-for-a-mediterranean-cruise/ You may also find this article useful, five things to add to your packing list:https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/mediterranean-cruise-packing-list/ Hope this help! Have a fantastic time on your cruise!! 🙂
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Julie Knowleson July 26, 2017 at 8:01 am
I don’t know how I missed this when looking for help on my last cruise?!! I’d love to see packing lists for “over 50” women! 😉
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Christinaon March 24, 2018 at 2:11 am
I think the items would be the same, just the style might be different depending what you’re comfortable with. For example, the skinny pants might be swapped for a more classic cut and the short short demin shorts for a slightly longer pair. Or not, depending on what you like.
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Susanon January 11, 2017 at 9:14 am
Upcoming Mediterranean cruise leaving Barcelona April 1, preceded by 10 days in London then Paris, followed by 3 days in Venice. Trying so hard to visualize packing less, less, less…
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alexon January 23, 2017 at 2:56 pm
Wow that’s quite the European adventure! This 10 Step Packing Guide should help 😉 https://travelfashiongirl.com/10-step-packing-guides/10-step-packing-guide-europe/
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Nancy Breweron June 27, 2018 at 6:04 am
Susan, for many European cruises, the itineraries are pretty port intensive and formal nights may not be your thing. On our last we were lucky to get back and eat dinner in time before collapsing into bed to prep for the next day! A simple piece like a long skirt (maxi or midi) that can be dressed up or down with tops or accessories has always worked for me. It saves space to not have to pack a formal dress ( or suit for husband) you are only going to wear 2-3 times. Plus it doubles for coverage if you are going to places that require more modest dress.
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Sandyon January 10, 2017 at 8:45 pm
Would love pictures of casual & smart casual. Not sure that I know the difference!
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alexon January 23, 2017 at 2:53 pm
Casual wear, I’d define as jeans, tanks, shirts, sundresses, etc. While smart casual has a slightly more polished look. Think what you’d wear to casual Friday in a formal office. Slacks, blouses, put together but not quite business attire. This post: https://travelfashiongirl.com/business-trip-packing-list-for-minimalist-fashionistas/
In the bottom-most graphic, the casual look could even be considered smart casual, but the after-work co*cktails look and work attire are definitely smart casual! Hope that helps Sandy!
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P.on July 29, 2014 at 6:36 pm
Can you update the photos? I don’t see the photos any more. I love your site so so very much!
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alexon August 4, 2014 at 4:11 am
Thanks! I’ll have to write another post as the photos have been removed by their original source. Thanks for reading!
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Rachel Bellon October 14, 2013 at 12:05 pm
Thanks for showing pictures with your examples! It can get so tricky knowing what clothing falls into what categories.
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alexon October 15, 2013 at 5:05 am
great! glad to help 🙂
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ashleyon April 24, 2013 at 10:03 am
Hi i was just wondering where to find the outfit with the white top and green skirt. thanks 🙂
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