Deciding what to pack for a cruise is difficult. Your first port of call for advice is your cruise brochure or website, where you’ll find guidelines as to the number of formal nights scheduled for your cruise. These days, the trend is for cruise ships to have a more relaxed dress code, but some operators still require black tie for gentlemen on formal evenings. Other cruise lines will be happy for you to wear a suit or dinner jacket and tie.

You should always bear in mind your itinerary, be it transatlantic cruise or otherwise. You need to have enough clothes for all your engagements, but not to be weighed down by a load of items that you’ll never wear. Extra luggage also means extra cost on any flights you have planned, so streamlining your wardrobe is the keyword here; ladies can base their evening wear around black pants or skirt in a dressy fabric, worn with a selection of sparkly tops. The pants can be recycled for day wear later in your vacation.

If a formal evening is on the agenda, a long dress in a vibrant color will look beautiful. For gentlemen, hiring a tuxedo on board is a good space-saving option. It’s best not to take valuable jewelry on a cruise; although the cabins have lockable safes, it’s just an extra responsibility to think about. Lavish costume jewelry will dress up any outfit just as well as the real thing.

For deck walking, you can keep it casual. Choose outfits such as trousers and shorts, or casual skirts, which you can wear with tops and sweaters according to the temperature. A sun hat is a good idea, and a beanie for windy weather. Don’t pack too many changes of underwear and nightwear; cruise ships have laundries, so you might wash a load during your crossing (but you might be having too much fun to think about all that!). Take two swimsuits; it’s uncomfortable to put on a swimsuit still damp from the previous day. A coordinating kaftan or cover up is an excellent idea and will take you from poolside to grill.

For trips ashore, a pretty dress can be dressed up with heels or down with flat sandals. A cardigan is a good idea; even in hot weather you may sometimes feel a sea breeze. Pashminas, scarves and shawls are versatile items that will help you style your look as well as cope with changes in temperature.

Relaxing on holiday isn’t just about taking it easy. You want to feel your best too. If you don’t look good, how can you relax? Of course, that’s not going to happen now!