At the outset let me make a confession. I don’t always have the knack and skill needed to pack for a cruise. Nearly always, I tend to overdo the packing.

I totally agree that around a century ago it was all the rage to board an ocean liner with enough steamer trunks and luggage to sink it. Fortunately in the present scenario, fashion fatigue is forfeited due to the occurrence of one-class ships.

A small fortune can be saved in giving tips to porters (about a dollar per bag) if you pack smartly. You can also prevent an aching back. As you will not have to wait for your surfeit of suitcases, you will save on time at the airport. Also, most cabins don’t have enough space to store what you bring along.

Even though cruises are a fun opportunity to dress up and look your best, how can you look fresh every single day and also refrain from carrying along your entire closet?

Firstly, think of the nature of clothing you will need. Will you be dressed in casuals through out the cruise? Or will you also be present at fancy dinners? Would you like to attend a theme party on the cruise? Will you be dancing in your best dance dress from evening till dawn? A few of these will require you to bring along special clothes. Make sure you set aside room in your luggage for this.

One manner of including dresses for dinner in your cruise wardrobe is to coordinate separates. Have only 3 coordinating colors like tan, white and black. By mixing up you pieces of clothing and getting 1 pair of slacks, 1 skirt, 2 good shirts, and 2 pleasant jackets you can create 8 absolutely new outfits. For instance, one outfit can be the slacks paired with shirt 1 and jacket 1 and make a whole new look by replacing shirt 2 with the same slacks and jacket. Substitute the skirt in. Voila! A new look! You can also reinvent your clothes by using scarves and accessories.

Apply a similar method for your casual wear. You can get more out of each piece, if you stick to a coordinating color scheme. When it is paired with a different bottom or top, it will tend to look different.

The hardest decision is selecting which shoes to carry. If you and I are similar, then you will want to take all the pairs of shoes which you have coordinated with each outfit. You must choose and discard what you will bring on the cruise as you may not have room in those suitcases. My suggestion is to wear on the ship your bulkiest shoes like sneakers. As a result, these heavy ones will not occupy precious luggage space. Also carry a pair each of dressy shoes and casual ones. Keep the colors of your clothes in mind while packing shoes. White sandals are definitely a bad idea if you are bringing only black dressy slacks!

Finally, to get more space in your suitcase for clothes, find out if the ship will be supplying beach towels and hair dryers. If they are then you can leave yours at home and free up some suitcase space for more clothes!