Questions on clothing, and help keep me from over packing.

[LovesTimone]

I am a serious over packer, and so is my DH...just not as bad. We are going on a 7 night for our anniversary . We decided to do a beach day stay over at the cape the night before .
So... That's 8 nights.

DH wants to wear shorts to dinner some nights, he has really nice dress shorts.. Can he do this?, and which dinning rotation restaurants would this be best for ?

So if he can wear shorts, I want to wear shorts as well, I also have very nice dressy shorts, would this be okay?

Swimwear, I was thinking about 2 swimsuit each, that would be enough... Right? I can't stand putting on a damp swimsuit... ewww.

Also we will be doing Palo for Brunch and Dinner, DH really wants to skip a jacket if possible, but I know him at the last minute he will bring one. Would he be alright at Palo for dinner without a Jacket? Tie?
Also for Brunch at Palo can shorts be worn? again the dressy kind.

How can I minimize the clothing, I started making the list and checking on what we will be taking, So 8 nights, that 2 outfits a day, plus swimwear, shoes, under garments, and toiletries. That's a lot of stuff.
Help... .. Oh and I will not do laundry, just can't bring myself to do it, when on vacation.

Any suggestions would be great.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

It's worth checking DCL guidelines.......


Q:
What should I wear to dinner?

A:
The dress code for dinner varies by the venue or theme night of your cruise. In general, most meals are "cruise casual"—no swimwear or tank tops. Most cruises also have special theme nights with optional opportunities to get dressed up for a special family photo. Here's a breakdown of events by cruise itinerary:

On 3-night cruises:
•One cruise casual night—No swimwear or tank tops
•One pirate or tropical night (deck party)
•One "optional dress-up night"—jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women

On 4-night cruises:
•First night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops
•One pirate or tropical night (deck party)
•One optional dress-up night—jacket for men, and dress or pantsuit for women
•Final night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops

On 7-night cruises:
•First night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops
•One themed night (pirate, tropical or other themed deck party)
•3 additional cruise casual nights—no swimwear or tank tops
•One formal and one semi-formal night—two great opportunities to dress-up and take advantage of the onboard photography services. Though optional, we recommend: Dress pants with a jacket or a suit for men, and dress or pantsuit for women

Dress code at Palo:
•Men: Dress pants and dress shirt (a jacket is optional)
•Women: Dress or pantsuit
•No jeans, shorts, capri pants, flip-flops or tennis shoes

Dress code at Remy:
•Men: Dress pants with jacket (sports or suit jacket) is required—ties are optional.
•Women: A dress, cocktail dress, pantsuit or skirt/blouse is required
•No jeans, shorts, capri pants, flip-flops or tennis shoes




DH wants to wear shorts to dinner some nights, he has really nice dress shorts.. Can he do this?, and which dinning rotation restaurants would this be best for ?

Yes he can on anything other than I suggest Formal, semi formal nights

So if he can wear shorts, I want to wear shorts as well, I also have very nice dressy shorts, would this be okay?


Yes equal rights!

Swimwear, I was thinking about 2 swimsuit each, that would be enough... Right? I can't stand putting on a damp swimsuit... ewww.

Agree.

Also we will be doing Palo for Brunch and Dinner, DH really wants to skip a jacket if possible, but I know him at the last minute he will bring one. Would he be alright at Palo for dinner without a Jacket? Tie?
Also for Brunch at Palo can shorts be worn? again the dressy kind.

See guidance above.

How can I minimize the clothing, I started making the list and checking on what we will be taking, So 8 nights, that 2 outfits a day, plus swimwear, shoes, under garments, and toiletries. That's a lot of stuff.

Yes.

 

[mmouse37]

Shorts can be worn in the dining rooms on every night but you might want to dress up a bit on formal night and semi formal night. Palo has a no shorts at anytime policy. Jacket is not required.

I always bring at least 2 swimsuits as I also hate putting on a damp swimsuit. We usually fill a LLBean's Medium Size rolling adventure duffle each and find that holds all we need. We usually also bring a carry on sized bag for the cameras and other electronics.

MJ

 

[lisamarie12]

See if you can mix and match some of your clothes, especially your dinner wear. I always manage to drop something on me but I still managed to rewear some of my dinner outfits. I usually take a couple of pairs of capris (I don't wear shorts myself, I am not a fan of my knees or legs). Those can double for day wear and evening wear many days. And a couple of dresses and couple of light sweaters. I like the sweaters because I think it gets cold at night. Plus if I have a black dress and purple cardigan and coral cardigan, then its like I have 2 (or 3) outfits. For sea days my clothes do not get that dirty, because there is a lot of nothing going on for me if I am indoors or hanging out. Or I may be in a bathing suit if I decide to be in the sun all day. So some of those things could be reworn if needed. Port days get sweaty though because you are out in the sun. It seems like most of the time shirts cannot be reworn (unless its a dressy blouse like I would wear to work and most of them are the type of fabric that could be rinsed in the sink if need be).
Also, minimize the shoes. I usually have a pair of dress shoes, flip flops and if we are going to be doing something that involves walking or I plan on going to the gym, walking shoes. Sometimes I will through in a pair of $1 flip flops for the beach, just so I don't get my nicer (everyday) flip flops dirty.
Minimize the toiletries to what you will actually need. I don't wear much makeup normally, but I condense my make up bag down before I travel.
And I pack a lot, do not get me wrong. But I don't come home with clean clothes either (unless I do laundry, which I have done).

 

[Bruiserknits]

Google (or search Pinterest) for vacation packing, vacation wardrobe, and core wardrobe. Also look for Project 333 and Vivienne Files for ways to expand your wardrobe options without over packing.

I do like lisamarie12 does above and have 3-4 bottoms and 3-4 tops and 1-2 cardigans that all mix and match so that even though I have limited pieces, I still have a pretty extensive wardrobe. My problem is that I see myself changing often as I like to dress up and plan on running the Castaway 5K so I have 4 pair of shoes I'm taking (normally I take 2 when I go on vacations).

 

[crafty91]

1st pass, pack everything you think you'll need. On your 2nd pass, remove 25% of what you packed. Now you are ready to go! We always over pack and come home with at least one suit case of clean clothes. Now to forward this thread to my wife!

 

[MUN]

I am a serious over packer, and so is my DH...just not as bad. We are going on a 7 night for our anniversary . We decided to do a beach day stay over at the cape the night before .
So... That's 8 nights.

DH wants to wear shorts to dinner some nights, he has really nice dress shorts.. Can he do this?, and which dinning rotation restaurants would this be best for ?

So if he can wear shorts, I want to wear shorts as well, I also have very nice dressy shorts, would this be okay?

Swimwear, I was thinking about 2 swimsuit each, that would be enough... Right? I can't stand putting on a damp swimsuit... ewww.

Also we will be doing Palo for Brunch and Dinner, DH really wants to skip a jacket if possible, but I know him at the last minute he will bring one. Would he be alright at Palo for dinner without a Jacket? Tie?
Also for Brunch at Palo can shorts be worn? again the dressy kind.

How can I minimize the clothing, I started making the list and checking on what we will be taking, So 8 nights, that 2 outfits a day, plus swimwear, shoes, under garments, and toiletries. That's a lot of stuff.
Help... .. Oh and I will not do laundry, just can't bring myself to do it, when on vacation.

Any suggestions would be great.

Is your cruise stopping in St. Maarten? Some of the beaches there are clothing optional.

Also, my experience is we wear swimsuits a lot during the day while on the ship, and cover up when heading to lunch.

Enjoy your cruise!

MUN

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

I'm known for over packing too, but I've learned to do better with each cruise. You truly need MUCH less than you imagine you will. I also will not do laundry on my cruise, so I understand completely! I agree with a few PPs - best tip is to bring a few mix and match basics in coordinating colors and non-wrinkle fabrics and 2-3 pair of shoes. Other than excursion days when you're out in the heat and sweating, you'll be able to rewear things. There is a laundry line in the tub/shower in your room, so if you need to hand wash a few undergarments in a pinch that is helpful. Keep in mind too, you may find you spend more time in swimwear with a coverup and shorts than in actual outfits. It just ends up being easier and cooler, as well as saves even further packing space. I also try to opt for putting almost everything in a folding garment bag (even tshirts and underwear in the pockets) to keep the nicer things as pressed looking as possible, and it's easy to just pull your stuff out and hang it in your room - makes unpacking and repacking a breeze! Don't forget your wrinkle remover spray so you can avoid the ironing board lines, and you'll be all set. Have a great trip!

 

[bumbershoot]

I see no problem with overpacking. But DH generally gets some sort of airline status so we've travelled with an airline allowance of up to 3 bags per person and the bags could be 75 lbs each. We've never hit that (we can't lift a bag once it's gone over 50lb so that's a self limiting thing) but it means we don't have a financial worry about overpacking.

I bring two swimsuits each and while the guys never have a damp suit, I generally do. Once I get a third suit I will be happier.

My DH doesn't wear shorts to dinner (being Seattle casual for work mean that he likes dressing up...wearing khakis to work means they think he has an interview) but he only brings two pairs of dockers style pants and rotates them for normal dinners. After dinner he generally changes and the pants get put back on the hanger.

 

[LovesTimone]

1st pass, pack everything you think you'll need. On your 2nd pass, remove 25% of what you packed. Now you are ready to go! We always over pack and come home with at least one suit case of clean clothes. Now to forward this thread to my wife!

 

[LovesTimone]

Thanks for all the great tips.

I am thinking of sticking to a color pallet of sorts, to help with the shoes, accessories, sweaters/shrugs so that I can mix and match them.

 

[Passholder]

The ships have laundry service. On our last cruise I only packed one pair on dress pants for my teenage son, thinking he could wear the same pair to dinner each night. He got something on them the very first night. I decided to let my cabin steward take it to be laundered. They came back super quick. I don't remember the exact charge, but I remember thinking it was comparable to the cleaners at home.