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The One Perfect Outfit to Wear to Dinner on a Cruise

Wind through your hair, the big blue ocean stretching for miles into the horizon, even bluer skies above you—and a piña colada in your hands. A cruise vacation is the stuff dreams are made of. Seriously: you sail the seas to new ports while lounging by the pool (there’s almost always at least one pool on a cruise ship). Come evening time, there are romantic dinners to linger over, live shows to catch, dancing to be done, and gentle ocean waves to lull you to sleep. If that doesn’t good, we don’t know what does.

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Another fun part about going on a cruise is packing for it. While swimsuits and port of call looks are obviously important, it’s the dinner evening wear that requires the most serious planning. Most weeklong cruises host black-tie dinners at least once a week, where the dress code is formal and guests are encouraged to glam up—think suits and ties for the gents, and cocktail dresses and gowns for the ladies.

So you should pack the perfect cruise dinner outfit—just don’t overthink it. For Tara Povey, an Irish-Kiwi travel and lifestyle blogger who recently took a cruise vacation with Princess Cruises, comfort is what guides her sartorial choices. “A formal evening on a cruise is a chance to wear your most show-stopping outfit, but that doesn’t mean you have to be uncomfortable,” she says. “If you don’t love heels, don’t wear them. A dressy pair of sandals, booties, or flats will work just as well.”

On the ship’s swankier evenings, she often wore chic jumpsuits with sandals as the perfect cruise dinner outfit. “Jumpsuits are so easy and a bit different,” she explains.

Go for a sleek, silky one in a bold color, then add a pair of statement earrings for a bit of wow factor, and an embellished simple heeled sandal you can dance in once dinner is over and the after-party kicks off. “You shouldn’t need a large bag, because you won’t have much to carry apart from your phone and your cabin key/medallion,” Povey adds.

Don’t forget to pack a light shawl in case you end the evening star-gazing on the pool deck. With this cruise dinner outfit, you’re all set to look like the queen of the ship.