Don't bring the house with you
By: Fred Shaw, Cruise Weekly

Pack only the essentials on your next cruise.

We were onboard Seabourn Pride in Singapore Harbour, which was running 30 minutes behind her scheduled departure - waiting for a passenger who had contacted the ship, advising them she was running late.

Time stretched as we stared into the thick atmosphere from the deck, and then suddenly there they were, apparitions solidifying out of the condensation cloud- two porters trailing a woman. One porter was pushing a trolley loaded with a Louis Vuitton sea trunk and the other porter struggled to keep up, carrying two similar suitcases. Madam of course was dressed in elegant clothing - awash with jewellery. The whole display was reminiscent of a scene from a novel by E.M. Forster.

Soon after she had joined the vessel, we set sail out of Singapore harbour. It was fascinating to watch this woman emerge each day - never twice in the same outfit during the entire 14 day cruise.

How much is too much?

Realistically, all you'll need to take on your cruise is one suitcase, a suit bag - holding a suit or formal attire if necessary, and an in-cabin bag per passenger.

Before you start to pack, consider what you will be doing on the ship, the ports visited, and the weather you are likely to encounter (knowing that most cruise companies follow the sun when planning their itineraries, you will usually require light summer clothing). Remember also, if you do forget to pack something, you can always purchase it from the stores onboard or at the next port (which can be a fun adventure in and of itself).

For day time dress, expect to pack lightweight summer clothing and some swim wear - if you plan to luxuriate around the pool. Special thought also needs to go into planning evening wear. There are several options for evening dress code; casual, informal or formal.

Prior to cruising you should check which category your cruise requires its passengers to adhere to. Casual for men, means trousers and shirt (with sleeves), informal means the addition of a jacket, and formal - either a dinner suit or dark lounge suit. For women, casual can be slacks or a pant suit, informal wear is slightly dressier - while formal wear is an evening or cocktail dress.

Being an old fashioned romantic I always enjoy dressing up for these formal events. However if you prefer casual dress on a formal cruise, cruise ships are introducing a range of alternative dining experiences, held in conjunction with formal dining, but in a separate restaurant.

One of the biggest tips I was given by a passenger on a cruise was, if you take several pairs of slacks and one jacket and mix and match these items throughout the cruise then you will appear to be constantly wearing something different. The same goes for a ladies wardrobe.

A hint for ladies: don't bring a lot of jewellery as most women don't wear much jewellery onboard and there can be customs problems when you re-enter this country (you could be asked to prove that you didn’t purchase these items overseas while on your cruise). It is best to play safe and leave the valuables at home.

See you onboard.

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