As I mentioned yesterday, Kyle and I recently got back from an absolutely wonderful 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. I've done an Alaskan cruise and a European river cruise, but this was my first cruise down south! We had a blast, and really enjoyed having a break and some time to ourselves before Christmas. You can read more about the details in yesterday's post, but today I'm sharing what and how I packed for this amazing trip!
When I was packing to leave Tallahassee, I was packing for the cruise, warmer Daytona weather, and cold Colorado weather. Overwhelming to say the least! To make things easy on myself, I pre-packed a smaller suitcase just for the cruise, which was filled with a set amount of outfits. I took an afternoon and tried each outfit on, making sure I knew what undergarments to pack, what jewelry to pair, and what shoes I needed.
Since the ship had nightlife, I wanted to pack a nice outfit for each night that would work for both dinner and going out, if we wanted to. I packed a different outfit for every day, keeping in mind what we might be doing both on the ship and off. I also packed a couple extra tops, an extra swim bottom, and a couple different things that would work as a swim coverup.
I definitely overpacked. I didn't wear one of the outfits I brought for night (which was an extra one more for going out, which didn't happen really). There was one of my "day" outfits I didn't wear, as well as two unused extra tops. We didn't end up working out, so my workout outfit and tennis shoes never got used. My black heels never got worn (too dressy after a day in the sun!) and my spare swim bottom didn't get worn either (to be expected). There were some jewelry items that went unworn, but again I knew, being the jewelry-loving lady that I am, that that would happen!
Even though I over packed in some regards, I was missing a couple key things, namely in the form of outerwear. Both Kyle and I didn't really think about it being windy up on deck at night, and so I was really happy I brought a maxi dress for dinner on the first night! I certainly could have used a wrap or cardigan or something for walking in and outside at night, as it was a little chillier than I thought. Next time!
Do you cruise in the wintertime? Any packing tips?
--Caroline
