Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Part Five: Ten Packing Tips

Part Five is short and sweet!  This is a list of our Top Ten Packing Tips!

10.)  Shoes, shoes, shoes:  You will definitely want to pack rubber-soled shoes!  A non-slip shoe is perfect while aboard the boat and when you are in port!  Women will want to bring at least one pair of slightly dressier shoes.  We don’t recommend high heels unless you are planning to wear them to dinner and then change.  Gentlemen will want to pack a nice pair of sandals, dress shoes, or loafers.  No beach flip flops will be allowed in the dining room.  And tell the kids to leave the Heely’s at home!  No shoes with wheels will be allowed onboard.

9.)  Cruise Casual for the Ladies:  You will want to pack plenty of shorts, tank tops, polos, and sundresses in addition to your beachwear!  Comfortable, casual clothing is recommended throughout your cruise.  Don’t forget to take into account the activities you’ll be taking part in during excursions.  If you’ll be doing physical activities like hiking or a city tour, you will want to dress accordingly!

8.)  Cruise Casual for the Guys:  Gentlemen, you will want to pack a combination of athletic clothing and casual clothing.  Remember that your number one priority on board is to be comfortable.  You will have to pack some nicer khaki shorts (or other dress shorts) and collared shirts for dinners in the dining room.  But otherwise, we advise you to stick to your favorite “Saturday Out” clothing!

7.)  Cruise Elegant:  For those of you on a 3-5 day cruise you will have one elegant evening in the dining room (There will be two elegant evenings on cruises lasting longer than 6 days).  For the guys, this means slacks or khaki pants.  No shorts will be allowed.  You will also want to wear a collared shirt.  Don’t be afraid to go all out!  Suits and tuxedos will also be sported on these evenings, but they certainly aren’t required!  For the ladies, you will want to wear a cocktail dress or skirt or slacks and blouse.  Again, don’t be afraid to take advantage of this opportunity!  Formal dresses and ball gowns are perfectly acceptable!

6.)  Watch out for water!  You will want to include a waterproof pouch or pocket insert to hold things like cell phones or cameras that you don’t want wet.  We also recommend putting your wallet or items of a personal nature, like I.D. and your Sail & Sign card inside.  These pouches are found anywhere camping supplies are sold!

5.)  Think compact!  (This one is mostly for the ladies since men tend to wear clothing with functional pockets!)  We recommend that you carry a compact wallet or wristlet purse as opposed to a large hand bag.  There are many times while onboard that you will use your Sail & Sign card.  We find it to be a hassle to carry a purse everywhere on the ship.  For the guys:  many men choose to wear a lanyard with an ID holder to carry their Sail & Sign card, ID, and money.  When you board the boat you will be required to show your Sail & Sign card and occasionally I.D.  It is handy to have these in an easily accessible place.

4.)  Don’t forget the towels!  Although you will find plenty of towels in your stateroom, we recommend bringing a beach towel for each person.  This way you will have a towel to bring along on excursions or while lying out on the beach or on deck.

3.)  Don’t forget the sunscreen!  We cannot stress this enough!  You will need sunscreen no matter what skin type you have or how much time you usually spend in the sun!  The sun is more intense in the Bahamas and Caribbean than most of us are accustomed to.  You’ll also want to pack lip balm to prevent your lips from chapping.

2.)  Swimwear!  We recommend that you pack at least two swimsuits.  So many activities are water-based while onboard or ashore.  You should feel free to bring along more than two but we think two is adequate.  You can always send your bathing suits in the ship’s laundry service where, for a nominal fee, they will wash and press it!

1.)      Wrinkles Beware!  This is the number one packing tip that we have for you!  For all of your dresses, pants, slacks, skirts, etc, roll them in dry cleaning bags!  We aren’t sure why this works but it does!  If you place each article of clothing in a dry cleaning bag and roll it before packing, it will greatly reduce wrinkling!    

No comments:

Post a Comment