Packing advice for Windstar Costa Rica cruise 3/10

Hi -

We are taking the Costa Rica cruise that begins on 3/10. I jsut got my cruise materials today and was a little disappointed that they didn't include some more specific info about what kind of clothes to pack. I know what the land temps will be -- can get that from weather.com etc -- but what I'm wondering if how much cooler it might be on the ship. Should I plan on packing some sweaters etc? or is that unnecessary? Also, I notice that some of the excursions that we hve booked mention a et landing followed by hiking. Do we need to carry out wet foot wear on the hike? Or will there be a place where we can leave that for safe keeping until our return?

I'm trying to pack as absolutely lightly as possible... hence the questions.

Just got back from the Windsurf, although we didn't have any wet landings I've done some before. No big deal just wear some flip flops. A small light back pack is a good item to bring along. That way if you need hiking shoes you can pack them along with other things that come in handy like the bottled water from your cabin.

I would advise to pack something that will keep you warm in the lounge area. Tha air conditioning on the ship works quite well and my wife always gets a little cold in certain areas of the ship.

Hope this helps, let us know how your cruise goes as we want to do Costa Rica next year.

I would suggest a light sweater or two for evenings. During the day it will be warm, shorts and tshirts weather. At night it's resort casual, very comfortable but neat.

For footwear, Teva-style shoes were most common, although I brought my hiking boots for Corcovado which has the most uneven terrain of the hikes we took.

I don't recommend flip flops for wet landings. They won't give you secure footing. They are great for hanging around on board, though.

In San Juan del Sur and Quepos we docked at a pier, no wet landing.

In Playas del Coco, Curu, and Tortuga Island we had a wet landing on a soft beach. You can go barefoot, carry your shoes and a towel in a backpack, and dry your feet after the landing. Or you can just wear Tevas and have wet feet.

At Bahia Drake there are several excursions offered, and they all leave directly from the ship. We hiked Corcovado, which is a little more complicated if you take both halves of the hike. The first half is fairly flat and stays in the jungle near the beach. Tevas are fine for that. The second half is a bit harder and you cross water a couple times, so I was mildly annoyed that I had to keep taking my boots on and off, and wish I had had Tevas for that. However, I was glad to have the ankle support and good traction. We got to swim by the waterfall so we wore bsuits under our clothes. People who didn't want the second half stayed by the ranger station on the beautiful beach, where they had refreshments for us.

A small light backpack is great for wet landings because you'll have your hands free for clambering in and out of the zodiac.

Thanks for the responses. This is very helpful.