One of the most popular seasons for cruises is the time between Christmas and the start of spring. For many vacationers, it’s all about escaping the snowy and gray winter months. As you begin the planning process for your winter cruise, you may begin to wonder what the weather will be like. Sure, you may be headed to a tropical location, but it’s still January, right? In order to help you figure out what to wear during a winter cruise, let us give you a few things to remember.
Remember Warm Clothes for the Journey to Your Port of Departure
You may be thinking about which bathing suit you want to pack or the linen pants you’re going to wear to dinner, but don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Before you ever make it to a tropical climate, you’re going to have to leave the cold city from which you live. Whether you mean to take an airplane or drive a few hundred miles in the car, you’ll need some warm clothes to get you where you’re going. The same can be said for your journey home. You don’t want to arrive back home with only a pair of shorts to get you through the snow-covered city.
Destinations Are Key to Knowing What to Wear During a Winter Cruise
For most people, a winter cruise means hitting up the Caribbean or some other warm destination. That’s not always the case, though. Depending on where you are traveling throughout the world, the attire you need to be packing for a winter cruise can alter dramatically. Each part of the world can have its own kind of climate, even if some areas share certain tendencies during the winter months. Research the area you’ll be visiting on your cruise and see if you can come up with specific suggestions on what to wear from people who have been there before.
The Temperature Difference Between Night and Day
No matter where you are traveling on your winter cruise, remember that temperatures can sometimes vary wildly between night and day. During a Caribbean vacation touring the Cayman Islands, you may wear a t-shirt and shorts during the day but throw on a windbreaker at night. On that same vacation, you’ll likely find daytime temperatures over 80 degrees with the night coming in around the upper 60s to low 70s. In other parts of the world, you may not be quite so lucky. A trip to Baja, Mexico, for instance, might be in the mid-70s during the day, while dropping down to 50 degrees at night.
Formal Nights on a Winter Cruise
As you pack your outfits geared toward fun in the sun, don’t forget to pack something nice for dinner. Dress requirements have relaxed somewhat over the years, so you may not need that fancy tuxedo. Be sure to check with your cruise company to see what its suggested attire is for night-time activities or themed dinners. Even if you think it’s safe to keep things fairly casual, pack at least one nicer outfit, just in case.
Layers Are Your Friend
Warm-natured? Cold-natured? Somewhere in between? Regardless of how your body temperature affects you, our best advice is to dress in layers. One reason for this is due to the differences you may feel between staying inside the ship and walking around the deck outside. Your cruise company knows what season it is, so the A/C is going to be set to something accommodating to that indoors. It would be nice for you to bring a few accessories that can help you easily transition from hot to cold temperatures and back again. Scarves, vests, sweaters, and light jackets are all good ideas for a winter cruise.
Hope for the Best, Prepare for Whatever Can Happen
In conjunction with our encouragement toward dressing in layers, we also think you should pack a little variety into your suitcase. If you don’t know what to expect, think of ways in which you can be ready for whatever can happen. Worried about the cold? Bring a hoodie. Don’t want to get soaked in the rare occurrence of rain? Roll up a light rain jacket and keep it in an easy to reach place. You can also pack an extra pair of jeans or shorts so that you’ll have something ready for an unexpected day of weather.
Check Weather Reports Online the Week Before
No matter what we say here, people who are worried about what to wear during a winter cruise are going to want to check the weather the week before they depart. For people traveling through the Caribbean during a winter cruise, you can reasonably expect the temperature to range between 60 and 80 degrees each day. Anomalies, however, are possible. It’s unlikely for the weather to change drastically enough for you to revolutionize your planned wardrobe, but the weather report will give you a better understanding of what to expect.
Balance Weather Expectations Against Your Home Climate
Have you ever had a relative from Florida visit you in Chicago during the winter? Chances are that person was much colder than you despite both of you braving the same cold weather. Our home turf influences how our bodies react to extreme temperatures on either end. During your winter cruise, the couple from Wisconsin might feel like they’ve found perfect beach weather, while the woman from Southern California could be a little cold at the same temperature. Keep that in mind when you’re planning what to wear during a winter cruise.
Don’t Forget About Sun Protection
We can go back and forth all day about whether you should pack a sweater or not, but one thing you won’t want to forget is sun protection. The sun and its rays can be plenty dangerous for your body, even if it’s 60 degrees outside. Sunglasses, sunscreen, and anything else SPF-related you use to block out the sun is a good idea to pack. Want to know what to wear during a winter cruise? A little sunscreen never hurts.
Short of picking out your clothes for you each morning, these tips are the best way to know what to wear during a winter cruise. We also suggest you browse the information available to you from your cruise company. This will offer key details on dining attire and more. Don’t get caught with a week’s worth of the wrong outfit or you’re going to need a second cruise to destress you from the first!
At Premier Cruises, we offer some of the best family vacations and faith-based retreats you can imagine. Each year we travel through the Caribbean and other exciting places on a series of unforgettable excursions. If you’d like to find out how you can enjoy a cruise with Grammy-winning Christian musicians or your favorite reality show entertainers, click on the link below.