Queen Mary II - What should I pack?

Question

I'm leaving NY in April going to St. Thomas and back. (10days). What should I pack? It'll be chilly in NY and then warm as we go south. What kind of clothes do I need to wear during dinner? And how fancy a dress do I need for the Captain's Ball ? I started packing but I notice I'm practically taking all my clothes... the shorts and the sweaters, the sandals, sneakers, and heels, my casual and party clothes. Can you please help me narrow it down? Specifically, what should I wear for dinner and the fancy captain's ball?

Also, are their activities on the cruise that I need to bring even more clothes for?

Answer 1

The biggest advice I can give for a cruise is to pack as lite as possible. For two reasons. First, cruise staterooms can be very small, depending on your room. You don't want to fill an already small room with luggage and all your belongings. Second, one of the biggest things to do on a cruise is to shop. So, you want to make sure you plenty of room for all the goods you get while you are gone, and avoid buying more luggage (trust me, I know!) So after you go through and pack everything you think you need, try to get rid of at least half ;-)

Cunard is one of the more fancy line when it comes to the passengers, so this is definitely not a line I would feel comfortable not following the dress code for. Some lines are a little more relaxed than others and some don't really enforce the policies all that much, so most passengers will go with a little more comfortable clothing than formal.

As far as your any time clothes, I would say smart casual type clothing would work. I would try to avoid sweat suits and things like that during the day, but if you will be exercising or something a jogging suit or something like that. For the rest of the day I would go for polo shirts and docker type pants or shorts. I would say the dress is similar to what you would see at a country club or golf course, comfortable, but not too many jeans and t-shirts around. Cunard is a more sophisticated line than some of the less expensive options.

It can get a little chilly on the ship as well, so bring a jacket or sweater along, just in case. It can get pretty windy and when you are on the water, it can be cool. But while you are in port, it tends to be pretty warm. If you want more comfortable clothes, you can pretty much where what you like in port.

For the Captains ball, this is when I always dress up, regardless of the line. I just feel it is the proper thing to do. For men, tuxedo or nice suit, and for women a gown or other formal attire. For the other formal nights, you definitely will want to follow the dress code at Princess Grill and Queens Grill, as well as in Britannia. For the other options, the dress code isn't as strict, so you will see people dressed nicely, but not quite formal. I would definitely where nice slacks or a dress, not jeans, shorts, t-shirts, etc. Bring clothes that you would wear to a nicer restaurant at home.

Shoes can be another problem, some people bring a suitcase just for all the shoes. If you can cut down on this, it will save you a lot of weight and space, but I would say three pairs is the norm.

I've included some links to help you with packing, as well as some info on the ship. Be sure to go to the second page of the About article, they offer a list for both men and women there, very useful.

Hope this helps! Have a great time, I love Queen Mary 2

Answer 2

In NY it's going to be cold but that won't last (maybe 2 days).  The clothes for cold weather use them on the way back.  Bring some shorts, tank tops or shirts remember that you can always mix and match as well as your formal wear.  Just 1 pair of dress shoes depending what u are wearing on formal nights, flip flops (1 or 2 pairs), 1 pair of sneakers, socks, jeans but don't take too much, don't overstuff your luggage.  Here's a link to the boards of cruise critic, you will learn a lot before you leave.

Cunard boards : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisp...

Cruise Critic boards:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

Bon Voyage!!!

Answer 3

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM when they request that you wear "sports casual" attire.  That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc.  You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc.  Most 7-day cruises have two formal nights when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain.  The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire.  But most people do dress up in a tux for men and a long dress (any color) for women.  Some men just wear a suit and tie and some women wear a nice dress but not a gown.  You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up.  (we usually take off the formal stuff after dinner and pictures anyway).

To help you understand what to bring I want to explain what activities you should expect on your cruise.  When you arrive at the port to check in you (each passenger) will receive a key card which will serve as your room key, charge card for anything you buy on ship (i.e.,drinks, souvenir) and its also your pass to get on and off ship in each port. When you first board the ship the security personnel will have you insert your key card into a scanner and then will take a photo of you that is included in the magnetic strip on the card.  Each time you get off ship you will need this key card and many times also a photo ID (passport or driver's license). This card allows them to keep an accurate track of all passengers entering and/or leaving the ship.

Each day of your cruise you will receive in your cabin a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of everything happening for you on ship. There are generally activities like demonstrations of ice carvings, napkin folding and towel folding, and cooking demonstrations. There may be organized games and other activities around the pools. In the evenings there are generally shows, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late.

All ships have a casino with slots and table games. Ships have movie theaters, generally small but nice, and you can also see movies in your room.  There is a tour and activities desk so you can schedule land tours and activities.

Ships have free morning exercise programs, stretching and walking, etc, and on some you can pay for other things like Spinning. All cruise ships have gyms so you can go workout, usually any time from 6:00 AM to late at night. There is usually a walking/running track on one of the decks also. Some ships leave the gym open all night. They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampered with things like wraps and massages with aroma therapy. They will also generally have a beauty salon to do hair and nails.

There are always pools. Some ships have more than one and the newer ships generally have an indoor pool as well as outdoor ones and all of these have hot tubs. There is generally a basketball court on the top deck, a place for scuffle board, and a mini-golf course.

There are places on ships to play cards and board games, and the cards and games are provided. If you want to just sit and read, there’s a library where you can bring your books or select one from the shelf.  Ships have internet cafes and some offer WIFI if you bring your prefer to use your computer in your cabin (some ships offer notebooks for rent).  There are cocktail lounges that feature a variety of music.  Some have a piano bar with jazz. There is usually a disco that starts after 10:00 PM each night and last until everyone leave.  On certain days ships will have special activities like a chocolate lovers buffet, or a midnight deck party .      

Most of the clothes that you take should be casual.  Take swim and workout clothes if you plan to do those.  Some evening you will dress casual for dinner, take in a show and maybe visit the casino for a while and then go to your cabin.  You may wear the same clothes the next evening.  I have found that I need to take more under clothes, especially to the Caribbean where it gets hot, than other clothes.  You may wear the same pair of shorts 2 or 3 times.  It will be cool and breezy on deck, especially as you leave NY City.  I usually take a warm up suit or sweat shirt or light jacket for those cool times.  Once you get further south you will not need it.  Or, wait until you are on ship and buy a sweat shirt with the ships logo on it.  To narrow things down, take one of each and/or plan to make things, like shoes, do double duty.  Sneakers will work for many activities (take just one pair), then some flat shoes and a pair of heels (well maybe two).  Remember that you can have laundry done for you on ship for a fee per item.

Pack in a soft sided duffel type bag because your luggage will likely be stored under your bed and it will get under better if its soft sided.