What to wear on a cool weather cruise

[Baguetteandbrie]

We're heading on our first ever cruise in the summer. Weather will be like it is in the UK now in March -ish. Could be quite chilly. What sort of things would you wear - for sea days (we have 6 in total) and for evening?

Layers! And for the evenings it will be OK if you are inside. They have heating/air con so it should be a decent temperature inside.

Definitely layers. I’d take a warm jacket as well as a lighter weight jacket. Depending on where, on deck can be cool so a hat and a scarf for sea days. I’d take boots and trainers. Jeans, hoodies or jumpers. An umbrella.

For indoors, just what you’d have at home. We never bother with formal nights on cruises so don’t need to factor that in. If you do want to get semi dressed up, a dress or may be a trouser suit?

Thank you. I was a bit confused with the formal night thing - whether you had to be semi smart on 'normal nights'

@Baguetteandbrie , you should be able to join a Facebook group for your cruise line, probably specifically for your ship and even your sailing.
Different cruise lines have different requirements regarding formal nights.

Take a fluffy blanket for your balcony or sitting on deck

Formal nights, depending on cruise line will be suits for men, dresses for ladies so basically, no jeans, shorts t shirts, sun dressses etc. some men wear dinner suits, some ladies full length dresses. We don’t bother and just eat in the buffet.

Ooh thanks. Really good tips ☺️

I'm on a cruise at the moment. It was hot when we set sail but its getting progressively colder as we go further south. I have cropped jeans and a t-shirt on now and am relaxing in one of the lounges. It's pretty windy on deck but pleasanty warm inside. I have the full works with me for when we go ashore in a few days - hat, coat, thermal vest, gloves, woolly jumper and scarf! In the evening it's dress up as much as you want to. Tonight is the first "formal" night and I will be wearing long dress and eating in the nice restaurant.

I’m going to make a guess that you are going to Norway! And I will say, I have spent the day sunbathing on deck in the North Sea, not a bikini but definitely shorts and T shirt weather! So would say mix of shorts and light trousers and then layers up top, but the bottom layer should be short sleeved as you will want to soak up a sunny day at sea! Then I would take some light fleeces/gilets for layering and a light waterproof coat for the top layer. If you are going up some of the gondola’s pack an extra layer in a backpack as it can be significantly colder than ship level.

Regarding the evening wear, check out some cruise Youtubers for advice on this- EmmaCruises is a favourite. Some lines are anything you want on a normal night and then dress up for formal night. Other lines have rules about “smart” wear, even on a non formal night and this might be as simple as “no shorts, collared shirt for men” meaning jeans and a polo would be fine but some are a bit more prescriptive and it can change depending on whether you want to dine in the buffet or formal dining room.

For example on P&O I would take a cocktail dress for formal nights, either a more casual dress or black skinny jeans and a nice top for normal evenings but eating in the main dining room. My husband would wear a suit and tie on formal nights and chinos and a polo on normal nights. If I couldn’t be bothered changing for the evening meal we would head to the buffet where the rules are basically no swimwear!

Thanks this is really helpful and I'm glad it seems less formal than I'd imagined!!
I'll check out You Tube too. Layers it is 😄

Depends who you are sailing with. If cunard they are a lot more formal than some other lines.

Remember that if the boat is underway at 20 knots, that means there will be a 25mph wind blowing from the bow to the stern. That can be nice on a hot day in the Caribbean, but it can penetrate through a lot of layers when it's already not warm.

It's a Princess cruise. Good point about the breeze.

Oh you will be fine then. Smart/casual will be fine on Princess for most evenings. If you don't want to do formal night then Princess aren't too strict on the whole tux and cocktail dress etc...... or eat in the buffet. I really enjoyed the buffet on Princess. One of the better ones for me. The main dining room food was very American taste for me, but husband loved it. I just found the combinations weird sometimes.

Yes I'd read about the American slant. It'll be interesting. I'm seeming to think that Princess cruises are more the entry level type?!

I loved Princess cruises and their plus fare was a great deal. I wouldn't say its entry level, there are worse cruise lines! I have sailed Royal Carribean, P&O, Cunard and Princess. I have loved every cruise but always for totally different reason. Royal probably my favourite but they are quite expensive compared to other lines so we tend to stick to the others.

You will have a fab time. Which ship are you on? Is it Sky?

Carribbean Princess

You might want to pack a few warm weather things - I did Norway in May and it was sunbathing weather at times and I regretted not having shorts to wear. You’ll need plenty of suncream as the combination of sun and wind on deck can burn you terribly.
it was quite chilly in the evening and a puffer jacket was needed on deck at night but on this type of itinerary most of the evening entertainment was based indoors. They do provide plenty of blankets though for sitting outside, you won’t need to take your own.
Dress code apart from formal nights is pretty much the same as what you’d wear to a nice restaurant at home, some people were slightly more dressy than others but there are so many people onboard you see all sorts! Such a blissful holiday, are you going to Iceland?

I wear the same evening gear on warm and cold weather cruises as inside they keep the ship pretty cool wherever you are! Trousers and a nice top works for me. Even on a Caribbean cruise, I would freeze in the MDR in a summer dress.

Enjoy Norway, it's beautiful and Princess is a nice line.

Thank you for all the tips. We're off to Iceland and Greenland. Not Norway 😊

We’re on the same cruise, OP!

Wasn’t too happy to read about the re-eruption in Iceland today

☺️ @Mumsnut . I think these things are a regular occurrence. Hope it'll be fine by then .