We just got back from our Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas cruise! It was heaven on earth to be away! I’m now considering myself a “seasoned” cruiser, so I wanted to share a post on What to Wear on a Cruise. There are so many different options to wear, but I’ve got the fashion thing down now for cruise wear. I remember the first cruise we ever took with Carnival back in 2009, I didn’t know what to pack and brought just about everything and the kitchen sink! This last one? I had a plan in place and I packed perfectly! You need to know what to wear and I’m happy to share my advice!

What to Wear on a Cruise

I love cruising, it’s one of the most relaxing vacations and trips you can take. Everything is taken care of for you. The food. The activities. The nightlife. It’s all there on the ship. You literally just need to read the program for the day, and off you go! It can’t get much simpler than that, right? The tough thing comes into play when you’re packing because 1) you have limited space in your cabin 2) you do have a ton of stuff at your disposal, so you must plan accordingly 3) you want to make sure you look your best.

These are my rules for What to Wear on a Cruise for all the ladies to remember:

1. Pack easy dresses that don’t need to be steamed and/or ironed because you can’t bring these items on a cruise.

2. Pack by day, this is what I always do. I look how many days I’ll be cruising for and I pack for those days. I also make sure I pack multiple items for the day because there are multiple things to do.

3. Pack in 3’s… morning, noon and night. That’s what I think when I’m packing.

4. Pack items that can be worn multiple times. For example – black tank can be worn a variety of different ways, pack like this for yourself!

I’m going to showcase some of the items that I’ve worn on cruises to have you get an idea as to what I like to wear because these items are easy to pack (they’re lightweight and I can jam a ton in my suitcase). I’m going to work through each item and explain why I bought it and why I brought it! My husband couldn’t believe that I stuck to my packing plan. I’m all about the easiest and stylish items I can find in my closet. I love loose dresses because they can be dressed up and dressed down!

Look #1 What to Wear on a Cruise – Breezy Maxi Dress. I bought this at Mostata. Here’s the thing with this company, they take forever and a day to arrive to your house. As much as I was annoyed, when I put the dress on I fell in love. I actually went back and bought the yellow and pink options, too. That’s how much I ended up loving this dress. This one is just an easy on and easy off option. If you can find long maxi dresses that are loose and breezy and that you can dress up, go for it! I wore this 2x on the cruise – once walking around the Bahamas (pictured here) and once out to dinner on the ship.

Look #2 What to Wear on a Cruise – Basic Essentials. You need to make sure you pack some essentials. Are you ready for my list? I pack 2 black tanks, 2 white tanks and 2 white tees because I know I can mix and match these in a variety of different ways. I can wear them with shorts, skirts, jeans and over my bathing suit to the pool. I love to think like that while I’m on a cruise. How can I push a look a few different ways? You also get super hot on a cruise, so you want to make sure you bring a couple so they don’t stink!

Onto Look #3 What to Wear on a Cruise – Fancy Attire for the Win! There is always one night that is fancy as can be! You want to make sure you amp it up and look fabulous for the night. I bought this Runaway with Me dress at Free People for my birthday (which is May 23rd) and I couldn’t help but give it a little but of a debut on the ship! The second I saw this dress at Free People, I knew I needed it. I knew it needed to be mine PRONTO! When I tried it on, it was everything to me! If you’re looking for some fun and beautiful and carefree dresses, check out Free People for some options!

Ready for Look #4 What to Wear on a Cruise – Bathing Suit! This is the definite go to essential for every single cruise, right!? You need to make sure you’re feeling confident and beautiful in your bathing suit. I can’t do bikinis for the life of me, so I wear one piece suits now. I adore them because they just work for my body now, especially after having 5 kids. I mean, enough said, right? I found this suit at JCPenney, it’s a Liz Claiborne one piece with ruching in this stomach area. I have a size 6 for reference. Go up a size. I love this suit because I was able to do water slides, wave pool and even FlowRider with it on! Find a suit that works for you because you will be wearing it all the time!

What else should you wear on a cruise? Here’s my little checklist:

1. Shorts (3 pairs)

2. Sneakers (closed toe shoes – at least one pair!)

3. Flip Flops and/or sandals

4. Jeans (one pair)

5. One pair of espadrilles (or heels)

6. PJ’s

7. Flowing pants

This is basically my hit list. If you’re into working out, bring your workout clothes. I didn’t workout at all during this trip. I wanted it to be all about just chilling, not working! You might want to bring a couple different sports bras and pants if you’re going to be at the gym because you might not want to wear something that’s sweaty from the day before and honesty, who wants to do laundry on a trip?

Check out my other WHAT TO WEAR stories, too!