Planning What to Wear on a Cruise

I’m heading off on an Australian cruise in just three weeks time. I will be boarding Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth luxury ship with two girlfriends for a week of fun and frivolity. The cruise is themed “Sporting Greats and Wellness Voyage” and features a few sporting greats.  

Planning what to wear on a cruise of this calibre has been a challenge. I want to look classy and well dressed, without looking too over the top. For those who know me, I am not a high bling type of woman. So I decided to plan my wardrobe surrounding what type of activities I would be undergoing on the cruise.

How to Pack for a Cruise

The greatest advantage of cruising is that you have your own stateroom for the entire journey and only need to unpack once. From previous experience there is plenty of wardrobe space in these staterooms, so you can go crazy and bring a lot of clothing if you want. But I recommend not to go too overboard (excuse the pun!)

For a summer cruise where the weather is going to be warm (hopefully), it makes packing a lot simpler. Arguably, you could get away with a couple of swim suits and a coverup if you intend spending a lot of time around the swimming pool. But if you’re going to get off the ship to go on onshore excursions then shorts/pants, blouses/t-shirt tops and walking shoes are the best option.

For daytime dressing when you’re on the ship, shorts/tops or maybe some summer dresses are a good choice. However, nighttime is your time to dress up and shine. So pack a couple of evening/cocktail dresses for the gala or formal nights and maybe some nice pants and blouses for the other nights. Otherwise smart dresses are also acceptable to wear out of a nighttime.

Cruise Packing List

For my upcoming week-long cruise this what I’m going to pack:

• 5 sets of underwear – bras and pants (these can be rinsed out in the bathroom daily)
• 1 set of gym clothes –Tights and a tank top (in case I want to do a yoga class at the gym)
• 4 pairs of shoes – thongs, sandals, high heels and runners.
• 2 cocktail dresses for the formal evenings.
• 2 swimsuits and coverups/sarong.
• 3 pairs of shorts & 3 tops.
• 2 sundresses for daytime.
• 3 smarter dresses for evenings.
• 1 pair of jeans (just in case)
• 1 jacket.
  

I am going for a black theme to make it easier to coordinate tops with bottoms and also with shoe choices. I recommend this to reduce the amount of clothing you need to take. However, I will be throwing in some colour as well.

Cruise Itinerary & Daytime Activities

My cruise is seven days in length and we only stop at three different ports:

Day 1. Sydney departure
Day 2. At sea.
Day 3. Hobart, Tas – Hop on/Hop off bus tour and bus trip to Mt Wellington.
Day 4. Port Arthur, Tas – Lavender and Wine of Tasman Peninsula tour.
Day 5. At Sea.
Day 6. Melbourne, Vic – Melbourne Highlights and Yarra River Cruise tour.
Day 7. Return to Sydney

We have organised shore excursions for all three days that we’re in port, so we are going to be busy and being in the southern part of Australia, we could cop any type of weather.

This will be my first time cruising as a single woman, so I am looking forward to the freedom of doing exactly what I want, when I want. I can assure you it will be fun! Watch this space for my cruise rundown and photos.