Packing for a cruise

[rach912]

Hello
I am going on a caribbean cruise in 4 weeks, it's my first cruise. I am just gathering all my clothes together to make sure I've got everything wanted some fashion advice. I have spoken to a friend and she said that normal holiday wear i.e. shorts/skirt and t-shirt type thing is fine for the day. It's the evening's I am worried about, I know to wear a an evening dress for the formal nights but for the informal and smart casual what do I wear and how do I distinguish between them? So far I have got a few skirts and pretty/smart tops and also some black trousers but what sort of other thing can I wear? would some nice tailored cropped trousers be suitable or frowned upon?

Any help would be really really appreciated as I don't want to look out of place.

Thanks x
P.s. have also posted this on body and soul as there is no fashion category!

[Dassie]

Normally there are only formal and smart casual nights in the main dining room. There are normally other eating areas on cruise ships that are "informal". As you say evening dresses for the formal nights and then anything else that looks smart including cropped trousers for the smart casual nights. Items NOT to be worn in the dining room are beach wear, shorts, jeans, boob tubes etc.
It normally depends on the number of nights at sea and the cruise line but if it is 8 or less there are usually 2 formal nights. Also try and avoid wearing black - it is the sunny Caribbean and not dull boring England! Have a great time.

[sddsddean]

If its your first cruise, just a word of warning. Your cases will be delivered to your cabin through the afternoon/evening, but may not arrive until 8pm or later (Once one of ours arrived at 10pm!), so make sure you 'spread' your clothes through the cases or take one of those small hand luggage bags (which I think you can take on airlines again now) as hand luggage onto the ship with a few bits and bobs in and something suitable for the first evening 'just in case' (pardon the pun!). Have a great time! You will love it! For loads of info , browse through
http://www.cruisecritic.com/

[dannydingbat]

Woud help to know which cruise line as some are more casual than others

[lilacben]

have put my answer on the other thread. Brenda

[jno]

on Ocean Village you can wear what you like - no formal evenings at all. At the upper end of the scale, Princess say, dark suits for men and skirts/trousers for women are fine even for formal nights... nobody gets sent to their cabin for dress code violations that I know of. Colour is fine too, especially in the Caribbean. It's mostly a matter of not wearing beach clothes, as Dassie says; just pretend you're in a nice restaurant for casual nights and a really nice one for formal nights.

[auntiebertie]

Go to www.cruisecritic.com and click on the word 'Boards' at the top - then click on your cruise line [you don't say who you are going with] There are bound to be lots and lots of questions on the same subject, especially on what to wear on Formal Night. If you are going on an American cruise ship like RCCL or NCL then the mainly American guests tend to get very dressed up indeed.....!