If you’re having trouble figuring out what to wear on a cruise, don’t worry, we’re here to help. Packing a suitcase for your upcoming vacation onboard shouldn’t be difficult—in fact, it’s all part of the fun.
The key is to know exactly what to expect onboard and to familiarize yourself with Celebrity Cruises. Here are some tips that will help you decide what to wear on a cruise to get ready for smooth, stylish sailing.
What clothes should you wear on a cruise?
What to wear on a cruise depends on where you’re sailing. While many of our cruises sail to warm beach destinations such as The Bahamas and the Caribbean, we do offer cooler weather cruises to places like Alaska and the Mediterranean during shoulder season that require warmer clothes like jackets and waterproof wear.
If you’re traveling to a warm and sunny destination, here are some things you should wear on your cruise:
Swimsuits
While onboard, you’ll be spending a lot of your time in the pool or lounging nearby on the sun deck. You’ll also be sporting swimwear at many of the ports you visit during your trip. Therefore, it’s a good idea to pack a handful of swimsuits in your bag. Aim to bring at least three if you’re going on a seven-day cruise.
Swim coverups
While it’s perfectly acceptable to stay in your swimsuit while lounging beside the pool, you’ll need a cover-up to walk from your stateroom to the pool, and vice-versa. Keep in mind, depending on where your stateroom or suite is located, you may go through other common areas of the ship (in addition to the elevators) on your way to the pool. Make sure your swim cover-up is something you will feel comfortable in while walking around others.
Read: What to Pack for a Mediterranean Cruise
Sweater or fleece
Even if you’re taking a cruise around the Caribbean, it’s smart to take a light sweater or fleece to wear at night when the temperature tends to cool down. After all, you won’t want to get chilly while enjoying the starry sky from your stateroom veranda or on one of the ship’s decks.
Scarf or pashmina
This is an easy clothing item you can drape over your shoulders to dress up an outfit, or to warm you up if you’re outside and there is a chill in the air. You may also be required to cover your head and shoulders if entering a mosque, or bare arms if visiting a church, so pack something that enables you to respect the local culture.
Jewelry
Bring some fun pieces to accessorize your outfit. You may also want to buy some new items while shopping in the ship’s boutiques, so remember to leave a little extra room in your suitcase just in case.
Sunglasses and sun hats
Aside from lathering up on the SPF, protect yourself from all that sunshine by bringing a sun visor, baseball cap, or wide-brimmed straw hat on your cruise—ideally, one that won’t blow away in a sea breeze. You should also bring at least one pair of sunglasses on board.
Read: What to Pack for a Caribbean Cruise
Watch
Even if you typically use your phone as a clock, bringing a watch on board will help you keep a more accurate eye on the time throughout the day. You’ll want to get to all of the ship’s daily activities on time, and a watch can be extra helpful during your port stops to make sure you get back to the ship on time before it departs.
Casual, comfortable attire
T-shirts, tank tops, shorts, sundresses, and skirts are all perfectly fine clothes to wear on a cruise ship to have lunch in the Oceanview Cafe and other restaurants with a casual dress code. You can also dine in casual pool clothes at the snack bar located next to the pool deck.
Dinner or “smart casual” attire
If you’re having dinner in the main restaurant or any meal at one of the specialty restaurants, you’ll follow a “smart casual” dress code on most nights. This means long pants, jeans, a dress or skirt, a stylish top, or a button-down.
We want our guests to feel comfortable, so Celebrity Cruises’ dress code for smart casual is fairly flexible, though there are some restrictions. T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurants at any time. In addition, shorts and flip-flops are not permitted during the evening hours.
The smart casual dress code works for all areas of the ship in the evening, including in bars and lounges and during shows and events at the ship’s theater.
If you’re headed for Alaska or northern Europe, or the Mediterranean in the cooler months, think about packing these items:
Layers
Wicking tops, lightweight fleeces, and even pants that zip off into shorts are all a good idea for Alaska, especially if you’re out hiking.
Waterproofs
Some of the world’s most beautiful scenery gets that lush shade of green for a reason; the occasional rain shower. Bring a waterproof that folds down small, and a waterproof cover for your camera.
What kind of shoes should you wear on a cruise?
Footwear should not be an afterthought when packing your suitcase for a cruise. While you might have the urge to throw in a pair of flip flops and call it a day, there are a few other essential shoes you’ll need to bring along on your trip.
Flip flops, sandals, or waterproof slides
These shoes will take you back and forth from your stateroom to the pool and vice versa. They also come in handy if you choose to visit the onboard spa. Lightweight water shoes are great for some ports in the Mediterranean, where beaches tend to be pebbly.
Sneakers or comfortable walking shoes
If you’re planning on doing a lot of walking around the ship during days at sea, it’s a good idea to pack a pair of sneakers or other comfortable walking shoes. Sneakers will also be useful if you try out a fitness class or use the gym equipment in the ship’s state-of-the-art fitness center.
Boots
If you’re headed somewhere like Norway or Alaska where hiking is one of the most popular activities, it’s worth packing a good pair of walking boots.
Shoes or sandals for dinner
Since flip flops are not allowed in the evening, make sure to bring comfortable shoes or sandals to wear during dinner in the main room.
Do you have to dress up on a cruise?
While of course you’re welcome to stay in your swimsuit almost all day long on a cruise, there are certain occasions when Celebrity Cruises dress code requests otherwise.
If you’re wondering what to wear on a cruise during dinner in the main dining room, meals at specialty restaurants, or shows in the theater, the Celebrity Cruises dress code for these occasions is usually “smart casual”. This means a dress or skirt, stylish pants, smart jeans, a stylish top or button-down. We’d prefer that shorts, tank tops and flip flops were kept for the pool.
What do you wear on a dressier night on a cruise?
Our more formal nights are called “Evening Chic” nights because they’re all about guests looking their absolute best—and loving it. These are the nights when you want to dress up in your most fashion-forward and stylish clothes, while also being elegant and sophisticated.
The Celebrity Cruises dress code for Evening Chic nights is cocktail dresses, skirts, pants, or designer jeans with an elegant top, or dress shirt, button-down shirt, or sweater, and an optional blazer. There’s no need to wear a tie unless you want to.
Our Evening Chic dress code leaves a lot of room for you to show off your personal style, although we’d ask you to leave your ripped jeans or favorite college sweatshirt in your stateroom. You can wear anything from designer denim paired with a blazer to a cocktail dress with a killer set of heels.
If you were looking forward to wearing a tuxedo or formal gown on Evening Chic nights, you can absolutely do that as well. There is no such thing as being overdressed on Evening Chic nights.
All cruises that are seven nights or longer will feature two Evening Chic nights. Shorter cruises feature one Evening Chic night. On all other nights of the cruise, guests are asked to wear smart casual attire.
If for whatever reason you choose to skip Evening Chic nights, you can always dine in one of the specialty restaurants (in smart casual attire) or at the snack bar located next to the pool deck.
What do you wear on cruises during the day?
On Celebrity Cruises, we want you to feel as comfortable as possible while onboard. During the day, we encourage you to wear casual attire such as t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, sundresses, and skirts.
If you’re spending the day at the pool, you can also have lunch or dine in casual pool clothes at the Mast Grill located next to the pool deck.
Just remember that while walking from your stateroom to the pool and vice versa, you’ll need to wear a swim cover up.
You’ll also be required to wear appropriate clothing in the Fitness Center; suitable shoes for the treadmills and exercise bikes, for example, just as you would in the gym at home.
If you plan to use the spa, which we would encourage, don’t worry about bringing a robe; these are provided for you.
Now that you know how effortless and stress-free it is to choose what to wear on a cruise, book your cruise and start planning out your perfect cruise vacation outfits. Browse itineraries on our website and book your next luxury getaway with Celebrity Cruises.
