Cruise Outfits

Q: What do you wear on a cruise?

Think holiday wardrobe, but with a few dressier nights built in. Days are all about easy resort-wear, sundresses, linen sets, cover-ups and sandals for deck lounging, port days and lunch on the water. Evenings step it up: a nice dress and heels for dinner, and something with a bit of glamour for the formal and theme nights most cruises throw in. The smart approach is to pack pieces that mix and match, plus at least one outfit that looks great at sunset. Layers help too, boats get breezy.

Q: How dressy is cruise formal night?

More of an occasion than you might expect, but not scary. Formal or ‘elegant’ night is when everyone glams up for dinner, cocktail dresses, a slinky maxi , sequins, satin, the works. You don’t need a ball gown; a chic midi or a satin slip with heels absolutely holds its own. Some cruises do a few formal nights across a longer trip, so pack accordingly. Basically, it’s your excuse to bring out the sparkle you never usually have somewhere to wear.

Q: Cruise theme nights, what do I even pack?

Ah, the best bit. Most cruises run themed evenings, and a few come up again and again. White party (or white night) means head-to-toe white, so a white dress is your hero. An 80s night loves bold colour, metallics and anything a little over-the-top. New Year’s Eve at sea? Full sequins, obviously. If in doubt, pack one white outfit, one sparkly one and one bright or print piece, and you’ll be ready for whatever the itinerary throws at you.

Q: Can you wear the same outfits for a day cruise and a dinner cruise?

Some of them, with a little styling sleight of hand. A maxi dress that’s beachy with flat sandals by day can go full dinner-cruise with heels, gold jewellery and a bag at night, same dress, whole new mood. Day cruises, lunch cruises and sunset sails lean casual and breezy; dinner and evening cruises want you a notch dressier. The trick is packing a couple of switch-hitter dresses that work both ways, so you’re not lugging a separate outfit for every hour of the day.

Q: Where’s the best place to shop cruise outfits?

You’re looking at it. From breezy day dresses to formal-night sparkle, our cruise edit covers every moment on board, in sizes 4 to 20 with plus size included. Not sure on sizing before you sail? The Size Guide has the numbers. Left it late? Shipping does same-day dispatch across Australia, so you’ll have it before you pack. And if something’s not right, Returns are easy. Bon voyage, basically!