I am going on my first cruise. We are leaving on the Diamond Princess in March. What should I pack for a 15 day cruise? What kind of weather should I expect?
Boy, you picked a great first cruise: beautiful ship, beautiful islands, beautiful weather.
It will be cool your first few days out and your last few days coming back so you will need some light jackets or sweaters for when on deck; and the public rooms can sometimes be a little too cool for some tastes. But the islands are balmy year-round--shorts, T's, light cottons, whatever you are most comfortable in. Expect occasional light showers. They don't usually last long except in Hilo, where it rains a lot.
You will have 3-4 formal nights but what is "formal" is entirely up to you. Some like to really do it up, as it is a great opportunity to get some good professional photos; for others, what you would wear to a nice restaurant on land is fine.
Hope this helps a little. Have a great trip and stay in touch.
Rick
Posts: 3377 | Location: Costa Mesa, California | Registered: November 16, 2006
Hi gerk77, welcome to Cruise-Chat. F-mattox summed it up really well. Just wanted to add a note, don't over pack. Try to bring one pair of dress shoes that will match all your evening wear. I bring a pair of black heels and a black purse, it goes with everything. Bring a pair of water shoes, you can find them at Wal-Mart for around $10, and a pair of tennis shoes. There is a washer/dryer on board and they also have laundry service and dry cleaning service available. If you're like most people, you'll be buying t-shirts and various items in ports, so you'll need room in your suitcases to bring stuff back. Best wishes for a wonderful cruise, I hope you enjoy Princess as much as we do, they're our favorite cruise line, so far. Once again, welcome aboard!
There are three formal nights (not four). Also there will be an island night, and it is fun to bring something Hawaiian to wear, such as an aloha shirt if you have one. Other than that, packing light and doing laundry is a the way to go. I did laundry several times on the Regal to Hawaii this summer, and really kept what I packed to a minimum. You will have a great cruise!
Make it a point to get to the show lounge early (45 minutes). For some reason the lounge fills up earlier on the Diamond faster than other Princess ships.
