It’s that time of year. Spring and summer are almost in view. And, you are starting to say to yourself, “I wonder if I can find a good cruise deal?” Well the next thought is often, “What would I wear?” Here are some good online sites for women's travel cruise wear and nautical clothes for day or night at sea.
Cruise wear can be divided into three groups: Daytime cruise wear, night time cruise clothing, and excursion outfits. Many ships have ditched formal nights but that’s no reason to wear old grubbies aboard ship.
Best Cruise Wear for Daytime
One color combination, which always looks great on a cruise ship, is blue and white, with red, yellow, turquoise, or other accent colors thrown in. And, even if you would never wear red-white-and-blue on land, you can pull this off and look hip at sea.
Navy:
While you should not overdo it to the point where the crew starts saluting you, a few blue and white pieces can make you look like you grew up around yachts. And, hey, there’s a reason why dark blue is called “navy”, though navy is not the only good shade. Blue or white shorts, capris, and slacks look sophisticated at sea, even on ladies who would normally toss white shorts overboard. Most daytime cruise outfits are meant to be worn with white (or navy) sneakers, or boaty shoes with good traction.
Black:
Another option, if you don’t do navy, is to wear black pieces with a nautical feel, like the black and white jacket shown below.
The proper combination of sweaters, polos, and tee shirts depends on where the cruise is going. You should bring a windbreaker, even for tropical climates, and add something warmer for Alaska, the Baltic (even August), New Zealand, and most sailings in the open sea. While large cruise ships have small clothing stores, the selection will be limited.
Lots of women walk laps around the promenade, in the morning, so you should bring a cute jogging suit or two.
Night Time Clothing
A black or navy dress is great for dressier nights and if you are on a budget (like me) you can wear a simple style more than once, with different jewelry or accessories to tart it up. Your evening dress can be long or short as long as you don't look like Cinderella on her way to prom. Any outfit with elegant slacks works in lieu of a skirt or dress and you need to make sure your shoes are steady enough to carry you around on stormy seas.
On casual nights you can dress in whatever you would wear to a decent restaurant back home, though you will never be made to walk the plank for over dressing. On most ships, your cruise clothing can be dressy or smart casual. (Smart, as used in the UK, means sharp, stylish, chic, or fashionable.)
Excursion Outfits
While it’s fine for you to wear the same clothing that you wear aboard ship, sometimes nautical clothes don’t translate well on land. Have some options like dresses or skirts for Europe, resort wear for Hawaii or the Caribbean, jeans and jackets for Alaska, and so on. And, make sure that your excursion shoes are well broken in.
Good Sites for Cruise Wear
- Nautica.com: Almost anything at Nautica is good for cruises. Their striped tops are great.
- NormThompson.com: See their nautical striped tees in their new Travel System Knits.
- SoftSurroundings.com: Getaway Gauze Dress - you could live in this off-shoulder cotton maxi dress. I like it in aqua.
- TimeForMeCatalog.com: Look at their cute black (with white edging) jog suit.
- Bloomingdale's and other stores: Splendid Oversized Zip Hoodie.
- TravelSmith.com: Try any of their stretchy knit dresses. Mine have been with me through huge weight swings (up and down) from fun medical issues. I can wear any stretchy Travel Smith dress from S to XL, as long as I have a gauzy tie-wrap cardi to camouflage my tummy.
It might sound strange to women who don’t cruise, but things that look great on land can look odd aboard ship, and things, like white shorts which look tacky on land, can look perfect at sea. You should consider bringing some dance outfits, as cruise ships often host line dances. However, while it’s nice to have some cute nautical style clothes (try Target or Old Navy) it’s not a requirement. The only requirement is for you to get on that ship and have a fabulous time!
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Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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