Have not cruised in roughly 10 years - What to pack??

I leave this Friday for a 7 night Mediterranean cruise which will depart from Venice, and also hit Croatia, Montenegro and Santorini.

As a 40 year old man, I am a horrible packer. I know it'll be hot, so I've got my shorts, t-shirts, polos and bathing suits, but what else should I be packing? I've got a few pair of pants and button down shirts. Is there any reason to pack jeans? A sweatshirt?

Basically I feel totally unprepared, yet way over packed! I'm not any good at deciding in advance what I want to wear, so I tend to "bring it all."

Any tips from cruising pros? How many different things will I be wearing per day? Between being off ship, dinner on ship, and the pool, it could be 3 different outfits/day....or am I way over thinking this?

Help:o

Here's a suggestion for packing lists. The links I tried would not post, so you can Google Cruise Diva packing lists.

I hope this gets you started.:)

Comfortable walking shoes is a must. Do not overpack. Hauling luggage around Venice is not fun. Underpack and have laundry service during the week.

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Comfortable walking shoes is a must. Do not overpack. Hauling luggage around Venice is not fun. Underpack and have laundry service during the week.

 

 

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I do have a great pair of Merrells for all the walking.

Dining attire is much more relaxed than 10 years ago.

How about for walking around in these European cities? Can I wear an under armor tee and shorts to sight see in Santorini, etc?

A few pair of long pants...and you're good to go. The collared shirts are fine, too. It's gonna be hot...so what you've got is about all you'll need.

I'm not sure exactly what destinations are at each port, but if you want to see certain religious establishments in Europe, they have certain dress requirements. My sister went a few years ago, and found herself buying the proper clothes to be allowed in to her destinations.

None of your ports will require long pants or collared shirts. I find most European ports are OK with shorts, T's and comfortable walking sandals.

The only time you will need long pants and collared shirt is for formal night onboard ship and I can get away with a "zip off cargo pants that can do double duty as shorts".

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I'm serious.......only about 2/3 of what you think you need to pack. After that, suit your style. If you're casual, be casual. If you're more formal, then do that. Don't over think it or overpack it.

Some churches/religious areas in the med require knees and shoulders to be covered. I have been getting better at packing, so some advice is pick things that you can mix and match as well. Pick good, breathable fabric such as linen or 100% polyester. Polyester is pretty easy to clean, feels lightweight, and packs up small. Also, I find that if you pack light, and save money on checking a bag, if you need to, you can use that money to have laundry done on the ship when it's "laundry special day". I personally bought a travel laundry kit and will wash some of my polyester and linen shirts in the sink at night if I need to. Packing the right materials and the right clothing pieces make traveling light a breeze. I also find that some places on the inside of the ship can be cold/cool...like the main dining room and theatre, so you might want a pair of jeans or long pants to wear on the ship at night anyhow.

Rick Steves has a lot of good information on the Med. I got a book from Amazon, but you can also go to halfprice books and they have his stuff there. He talks about basic travel advice in the Med, but also good clothing choices, dress codes for sights, and how to avoid being pickpocketed by wearing a money belt and other such items.

And as others have stated, look what you have packed and then take 1/3rd of it out. and then after that, take another look and find another piece of clothing you can do without.

Don't bother bringing the alter lateral flash outfit.

How about for walking around in these European cities? Can I wear an under armor tee and shorts to sight see in Santorini, etc?

Absolutely. Comfortable. A few polo shirts for dinner is acceptable too. I usually only bring one pair of black pants that are wrinkle resistant and a few long and a few short sleeved shirts. 1 pair of shoes or I've worn black sneakers too. Have fun. Oh, a baseball cap or some type of hat will be needed too.

Thanks everyone. Now if only I can get the weather in Newark, NJ to cooperate Friday eve so I can actually take off :(

Same thing you packed 10 years ago except likely a few sizes larger... speaking for myself lol

Don't bother bringing the alter lateral flash outfit.

I had to come back to this thread. After this thread I went ahead and googled this term and cleared my search history :), but the link I clicked on was an amazon.com one, so the next time I went to buy something, guess what came up in my suggested items list?