What to pack

One of cruising's biggest advantages is that you only have to unpack once, even if you are visiting several countries. No need to live out of your suitcase. But storage space is somewhat limited in ship cabins and most airlines now charge for checked baggage — and hit you with overcharges if your bags are heavy.

The golden rule: pack light

That's not as difficult as you might think. People often freak out about what to pack for a cruise, but the reality is you probably already have everything you need. If for some reason you forget something it's likely to be easily at hand in the ship's store — or at shops in the ports.

The two biggest considerations when packing for your cruise? Where you're cruising  and on what ship you're sailing.

Shipboard Dress Codes:

The good news is that most cruise line dress codes have gotten decisively more casual in recent years. During the day anything goes — T-shirts, shorts, jeans, bathing suits (with cover-ups) — pretty much anywhere on the ship (except if you decide to do a sit-down lunch in the main dining room, where there may be restrictions). On the luxury lines this relaxed ambience may translate to polos and khakis, sundresses and designer-wear, but the casual concept is the same.

What you wear at night varies by ship and where you want to dine — the rules apply to the main dining room and dress-?up alternative restaurants, but not more casual eateries. Formal nights, held twice on many but not all weeklong itineraries, are not strictly formal — more like semiformal. Men can get away with a dark suit and women a cocktail dress, but check your cruise brochure for advice. Some of the ultraluxury lines still stick to the formal tradition, men in tuxes and women in either long or short finery. For those who want to dress to the hilt (you won't be alone), say to pose for a family photo, many of the bigger cruise lines still offer tuxedo rental (and there's nothing wrong with being overdressed), which you can arrange through your travel agent or once you get onboard. Conversely, even on formal nights you can choose the option of dining more casually at the ship's buffet, where a Hawaiian shirt is suitable day and night.

Sundries:

Most ships offer laundry service and some also have dry cleaning, with about a 24-hour turnaround. There will be a price list in your cabin. Expect to pay about $1.50 per pair of socks, $3 per T-shirt (it's not cheap), and $7 to dry clean a shirt. Many big ship lines also offer self-service industrial washing machine and dryers.

Your cabin will have soap, shampoo, and often conditioner and lotion but quality varies (you may, for instance, only have liquid soap). If you're fussy about products, bring your own. Most ships will sell you anything you forget — toothbrushes, razors, sunscreen, etcand so on. If you like a powerful hairdryer you may want to pack your own, as those in cabins tend to be weak.

All American-operated ships are equipped with 110 AC current (both 110 and 220 on many). But if you are traveling internationally, on a non-American cruise line, you may want to check if you need an adapter for your electronic devices (cell phone, laptop, et al). Note that most cruise cabins have only a couple of outlets, so if you're bringing numerous electronic devices, you might want to bring along a small power strip.