What to Pack for Your Gay Cruise

Gay Cruises and Gay Friendly Cruises to various destinations, specifically approved by Travelocity for gay and lesbian travelers.  They also offer gay tested hotels.

Let’s face it, the worst part of traveling anywhere is packing.  Making sure you have everything you will need, plus extras just in case, is always a tedious task.  So as you prepare for your cruise, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Do I have everything?” 

I recently returned from a cruise, and wish I could have read this article before I left for my cruise.  There are a few things you should make sure you take along with you as you prepare to embark on your vacation.

The obvious applies as you pack for your cruise: enough underwear, the correct amount of shirts, etc.  However, your time on the cruise will most likely be split up in two:  day and night.  With my experience on the cruise, the day was split up like this even more so than normal vacations.  There’s always something going on at night that seems to call for nicer clothes.  Be sure to bring clothes for the day, whatever you may want to wear, a t-shirt and shorts, or whatever your usual attire is.  Be sure to bring your bathing suit so you can go swimming or so you can lie out and get a tan.  The days usually are usually much more relaxed and call for a more relaxed clothing style.

But as night falls, the party begins.  It’s a good idea to bring an extra change of clothes for the evening’s activities, even if it’s just a nicer shirt.  Spending all day out and about on the ship, especially in the  Caribbean, will get you a little musky.  For your evening’s events, it’s a good idea to shower up and change into some fresh clothes.  If you plan on going out to the club or the bars, then this is an especially good idea.

The ship will also provide your dinners in a fine dining restaurant, and while it’s not mandatory, it’s always fun to dress the part.  I only brought one “nice” outfit along with me and felt somewhat out of place at times in my shorts and t-shirt eating this fancy meal.  It’s a good idea to bring a long a few of your “Sunday best” outfits, whether it be a shirt and tie, or even a suit. 

Dressing warm doesn’t really cross your mind when you think about your tropical paradise vacation.  It certainly didn’t for me.  That is, until it started to rain.  It’s a good idea to bring along a jacket or a sweater for your late evening on the ship.  You never know what the weather is going to do as it gets later.  For the most part, the weather was beautiful.  However, there was one day, in which we sailed through a little storm patch, in which the temperature dropped and it began to rain.  I, in my shorts and t-shirt, got a little wet and very cold.  While bad weather isn’t usually expected, it certainly happens, and its always safe to pack for the worst case scenario. 

Packing is a stressful task. You don’t want to bring too much, but you don’t want to find yourself packing too light either. We’re all different; some pack light, some pack a lot, but as you prepare for your upcoming cruise, keep in mind my few suggestions. But always remember this: it’s a cruise; you could pack nothing,  and you’ll still have a blast!