Stylish Ideas for What to Wear on a Cruise

Are you planning to escape on a glamorous cruise? Soon, you’ll be soaking up the sun, island hopping, and eating gourmet meals every night.

If you’re scratching your head over what to pack, don’t worry! Most cruises these days are very relaxed, so you need to look casually brilliant. Here are some cute ideas for what to wear on a cruise.

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What to Wear on a Cruiseship Vacation  – Daytime Dressing

During the day, you’ll spend time by the pool, visit the spa, take a fun wine-tasting course, enjoy lunch at the buffet, and engage in many other relaxing, casual activities. You don’t need to be dressed up! You’re on vacation, so resort wear is just fine.

Shorts, sundresses, casual skirts and tops, jeans, capris, cropped pants, and pretty or sporty tops are all perfectly acceptable cruise clothes. You’re even fine in your bathing suit, with a lovely kaftan that covers your bottom if you walk around.

Sneakers, sandals, and flip-flops are the typical daytime shoes for a cruise ship. Comfort is the key to dressing on board during the day.

Excursions

Once you reach your port, there are always plenty of fun excursions. There’s shopping, snorkeling, biking, hiking, visiting local tourist attractions….you name it! Layering your clothing is the best way to dress for one of these excursions. This way, you are prepared for anything.

For example, if you plan to swim with the dolphins or hang out at the local beach, wear your swimsuit with shorts and a T-shirt over the top. You may also want to tuck a stretchy athleisure wear jacket into your backpack or an oversized canvas tote bag.

Remember, if you plan to do a lot of walking, flip-flops or sandals are not suitable. Wear sneakers or perfect walking shoes, so you don’t have to worry about blisters or even a twisted ankle.

What to Wear to Dinner on a Cruise

Traditionally, the cruise line hosts three types of dinners in the main dining rooms at set times. Each has its dress code:

Casual Dinner Dress

The casual dinner is usually the first night of the cruise since everyone is tired from boarding and settling. It’s often the last night, too, as everyone is busy and packing up. For a casual dinner, you can wear resort-style clothing, such as a summer dress, relaxed pants, a top, dark jeans, or a nice blouse. It’s the type of thing you would wear to your local neighborhood restaurant for dinner. You may prefer a sweater if you opt for a sleeveless style. Sometimes, it is chilly with the air conditioning.

Men would wear pants, jeans, nice shorts, and a bright short-sleeved t-shirt, polo, or printed shirt. You can also wear a casual dress to the ship’s evening buffet every night of the cruise if you don’t like eating in the dining room.

Smart Casual Dinner Dress

Think of smart casual as one step up from casual dinner. Most nights on a cruise, the dress code is smart casual, which means a little dressier than straight informal. Think of it as a little more upscale – what you’d wear to a classy restaurant for a special occasion.

For example, cruise outfits for a brilliant casual dinner could include a lovely dress, a skirt, a blouse, or a classy top paired with long pants or sporty, cropped pants. (White pants always look fabulous with a pretty top on a cruise). You can even wear your favorite little black dress or a cocktail dress (but avoid those with excessive glitz).

Men should also look more polished and wear casual pants and a collared top, such as a polo or a shirt, paired with a sports jacket – no tie required.  *Smart Casual is required if you want to eat in one of the specialty restaurants, too.

What to Wear on Cruiseship – Formal Night

Often, there is one night during the cruise: the formal night. This is the night you meet the captain and crew, and there’s a lot of excitement and festivities. This is when you can pile on the glitz and glam. Women can wear fancy cocktail dresses (or just a dressy dress) and long dressy maxis or evening gowns. Remember the jewelry and fancy accessories. Men should wear a dark suit and tie or even a tuxedo!

If you prefer not to dress up, consider skipping the formal dinner and instead visiting a restaurant or buffet that night. But if you do want to go, remember that the level of dressiness varies depending on the formality of the ship, so an adorable dress, pretty shoes, and lots of jewelry could be considered delicate. Check with your cruise line before you depart.

NEW! Freestyle Dining

Nowadays, some cruise lines, such as Norwegian, have adopted a type of dining called Freestyle dining. This means no set dining time, relaxed attire in the dining room, and flexibility to eat at one of the many onboard restaurants, cafés, and grills.

Smart Casual is the typical dress code for freestyle dining. This includes the following clothes for a cruise: dresses, casual pants or jeans, skirts, and tops. For men, consider wearing jeans or slacks with a collared shirt and closed-toe shoes. I’ve been on lots of these cruises, and the Freestyle dining code makes dressing much less stressful. You think “nice restaurant” every time, and you have intelligent casual down pat.

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Meet the author

Deborah Boland

Deborah, a former Fashion & Lifestyle TV host and Image Consultant, understands the style challenges women face in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. As the founder of Fabulous After 40, she helps women tweak their chic and embrace fashion with confidence—so they always look and feel amazing.

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