Footwear for light packing

[kaymoz]

This summer, we'll be circumnavigating Ireland, traveling more for a week afterwards.  My packing dilemma is footwear, since I want to limit myself to a carryon bag, which will a first for me on a cruise.  I'm struggling with the dress-for-dinner aspect of shipboard life.

If I didn't have to "dress up" for dinner on the ship, I'd simply wear my hiking shoes on the plane and pack a pair of Chaco sandals, which are super comfortable and supportive -- enough for light hiking! (see the photo), plus some cheap, minimal flip-flops for the spa, etc. 

We like to have dinner in the formal dining room and I clearly can't wear the hiking shoes there.  While I hate to devote precious suitcase space to dress-up shoes I won't use for anything else, I'm not sure my trail-worthy Chacos are gonna cut it at the MDR either, even if I try to color coordinate my outfits with them.  The cruiseline is Azamara which describes its onboard environment as "friendly yet sophisticated, and encourages guests to "follow a 'resort casual' dress code."

[Too bad we can't just rent dress-up footwear for the cruise, like we can rent ski boots at the slopes or men can rent tuxes on Cunard!]

Anyway, I appreciate any practical thoughts to help me work through this situation.  I know many of you have been there!

TIA

Edited June 13, 2022 by kaymoz

[lissie]

I'm taking  a pair of these Allbirds Tree Breezers (Navy Night) | Sustainable Flats for Women | Reviews & Sizing Info - dark colour you can dress them up or down - take very little space as you can basically pack them flat 

[awhfy]

Throw a pair of Rothy’s flats into your carryon. Very light & flexible but do well for dinners 

[kaymoz]

Oooh, these are good suggestions!  Cute shoes, both of them.  Trouble is my foot is narrow and typically if I buy a "regular" width shoe without any straps or laces to secure it, then I basically walk right out of it.  But maybe I can go try them on to check -- I found there is an Allbirds store downtown!  (I'm in a DC suburb.)

Of course, the most pocketbook-friendly and time-efficient solution would be to simply use something I already have on hand.....photo below shows my candidates.  The tan ones are probably the most minimal space-wise (and are also Chaco!) but don't feel as lightweight as the black shoes.

[ams1130]

I feel either of the black pairs you posted would be absolutely fine in any dining room. The black sandals on the far right are probably the dressiest, but whatever you prefer. 

[jsn55]

Any of these 3 would be just fine for dressing up.  Several years ago I found a pair of black velvet slippers that are weightless and look just fine in the evenings.  Perfect for cruises, since they would do for going outside. 

[Lois R]

Hi, are you looking for a sandal for evenings? Or a closed toed shoe? 

I own these.......they are Vionics and even though they are a a ballet flat they have wonderful arch support.  Something like this could be definitely dressed up for evenings.

[Anita Latte]

I have an ACL deficient knee so most heels are out for me. I’m also fighting off certain foot ailments related to having a long second toe. I struggled trying to find a happy enough shoe that I could dress up for formal nights and the MDR. Ultimately I went with a black pair of Vibram V-soul shoes. When wearing them, they look like like ballet flats with angle straps across the foot. When we went to Wonderland, when the host warned me about the stairs and then saw my shoes, he was highly complementary. People see what they want to see unless they look hard. 
 

Not me:

 

[Mary229]

On my upcoming cruise I am only taking my tennis shoes and my Clark’s.  I will have the cruise line keep the Clark’s polished so they are presentable for the dining room.  I wear slacks or long skirts for dressier occasions so if the leather is polished it is presentable.   I wear short casual skirts otherwise and either shoe would be fine with those.  (I don’t wear tennis shoes in the dining room)
 

my Clark’s are leather and can hold up to the cobblestones of Europe.  My tennis shoes are for exercise and outdoor hiking. 

[jsn55]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

On my upcoming cruise I am only taking my tennis shoes and my Clark’s.  I will have the cruise line keep the Clark’s polished so they are presentable for the dining room.  I wear slacks or long skirts for dressier occasions so if the leather is polished it is presentable.   I wear short casual skirts otherwise and either shoe would be fine with those.  (I don’t wear tennis shoes in the dining room)
 

my Clark’s are leather and can hold up to the cobblestones of Europe.  My tennis shoes are for exercise and outdoor hiking. 

You're lucky! 

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

On my upcoming cruise I am only taking my tennis shoes and my Clark’s.  I will have the cruise line keep the Clark’s polished so they are presentable for the dining room.  I wear slacks or long skirts for dressier occasions so if the leather is polished it is presentable.   I wear short casual skirts otherwise and either shoe would be fine with those.  (I don’t wear tennis shoes in the dining room)
 

my Clark’s are leather and can hold up to the cobblestones of Europe.  My tennis shoes are for exercise and outdoor hiking. 

Hi Mary, what is your itinerary?

[Mary229]

24 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi Mary, what is your itinerary?

I am only on a short one to Quebec but I sailed this way transatlantic plus Med this spring.  The shoes still look great 

[Mary229]

On 6/13/2022 at 10:18 AM, jsn55 said:

Any of these 3 would be just fine for dressing up.  Several years ago I found a pair of black velvet slippers that are weightless and look just fine in the evenings.  Perfect for cruises, since they would do for going outside. 

That is what I look for in a cruise shoe, dual purpose.  Many places visited while on shore require a nice looking shoe anyway.  I am not walking into an Italian church without looking presentable but comfort is necessary to get there 

[kaymoz]

I confess I've become obsessed with the Tree Breezer suggested early on in this thread.  It's something about the knitted texture that's intriguing to me, along with the idea that a shoe in that style could have good arch support, stay on my foot during vigorous movement, and maybe be totally comfortable!  It will all  be settled when I can stop in to the store to try it on, hopefully this week.  The reviewers say it's high maintenance, but that seems like a reasonable tradeoff for the advantages of comfort and functionality (to include visual acceptability!).  

[kaymoz]

7 hours ago, Mary229 said:

On my upcoming cruise I am only taking my tennis shoes and my Clark’s.  I will have the cruise line keep the Clark’s polished so they are presentable for the dining room.  I wear slacks or long skirts for dressier occasions so if the leather is polished it is presentable.   I wear short casual skirts otherwise and either shoe would be fine with those.  (I don’t wear tennis shoes in the dining room)
 

my Clark’s are leather and can hold up to the cobblestones of Europe.  My tennis shoes are for exercise and outdoor hiking. 

Ooooh, I love Clarks.  I have good luck with them, so well designed for good looks AND function, so many with wonderful shock absorbing soles.

< Mary229, Which ones are you taking?

[Mary229]

22 minutes ago, kaymoz said:

Ooooh, I love Clarks.  I have good luck with them, so well designed for good looks AND function, so many with wonderful shock absorbing soles.

< Mary229, Which ones are you taking?

It is a discontinued style that I really loved so I bought 4 pair when they discontinued 

[Mary229]

31 minutes ago, kaymoz said:

I confess I've become obsessed with the Tree Breezer suggested early on in this thread.  It's something about the knitted texture that's intriguing to me, along with the idea that a shoe in that style could have good arch support, stay on my foot during vigorous movement, and maybe be totally comfortable!  It will all  be settled when I can stop in to the store to try it on, hopefully this week.  The reviewers say it's high maintenance, but that seems like a reasonable tradeoff for the advantages of comfort and functionality (to include visual acceptability!).  

That’s cute and looks like it is easy to wear for many occasions 

[kaymoz]

44 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

It is a discontinued style that I really loved so I bought 4 pair when they discontinued 

Smart move!!!  There are many times I wish I had done that.

[Lois R]

On 6/13/2022 at 12:50 AM, kaymoz said:

This summer, we'll be circumnavigating Ireland, traveling more for a week afterwards.  My packing dilemma is footwear, since I want to limit myself to a carryon bag, which will a first for me on a cruise.  I'm struggling with the dress-for-dinner aspect of shipboard life.

If I didn't have to "dress up" for dinner on the ship, I'd simply wear my hiking shoes on the plane and pack a pair of Chaco sandals, which are super comfortable and supportive -- enough for light hiking! (see the photo), plus some cheap, minimal flip-flops for the spa, etc. 

We like to have dinner in the formal dining room and I clearly can't wear the hiking shoes there.  While I hate to devote precious suitcase space to dress-up shoes I won't use for anything else, I'm not sure my trail-worthy Chacos are gonna cut it at the MDR either, even if I try to color coordinate my outfits with them.  The cruiseline is Azamara which describes its onboard environment as "friendly yet sophisticated, and encourages guests to "follow a 'resort casual' dress code."

[Too bad we can't just rent dress-up footwear for the cruise, like we can rent ski boots at the slopes or men can rent tuxes on Cunard!]

Anyway, I appreciate any practical thoughts to help me work through this situation.  I know many of you have been there!

TIA

The one thing about going to Ireland, even in the summertime is weather. Ireland, Scotland, etc......they can be cool to cold even in the middle of summertime.  So you might check on line before you leave for packing........there is a possibility you would need a closed to shoe----just for the warmth.  Just thought you might not have realized........those are cute sandals but I am not sure they will work. But if you are ok with cooler weather and sandals, by all means go for it. 

[kaymoz]

31 minutes ago, Lois R said:

The one thing about going to Ireland, even in the summertime is weather. Ireland, Scotland, etc......they can be cool to cold even in the middle of summertime.  So you might check on line before you leave for packing........there is a possibility you would need a closed to shoe----just for the warmth.  Just thought you might not have realized........those are cute sandals but I am not sure they will work. But if you are ok with cooler weather and sandals, by all means go for it. 

Oh, don't worry -- I'm wearing some serious hiking shoes on the plane and will probably use them most  days when we are exploring.   I'll take them (and wool socks!)  even if the weather predictions are for warm weather because those shoes are the best great for solid footing on rocky places, etc., and weather is so changeable near the coast anyway.

[lissie]

13 hours ago, kaymoz said:

I confess I've become obsessed with the Tree Breezer suggested early on in this thread.  It's something about the knitted texture that's intriguing to me, along with the idea that a shoe in that style could have good arch support, stay on my foot during vigorous movement, and maybe be totally comfortable!  It will all  be settled when I can stop in to the store to try it on, hopefully this week.  The reviewers say it's high maintenance, but that seems like a reasonable tradeoff for the advantages of comfort and functionality (to include visual acceptability!).  

I'll be interested to hear what you think of the fit. I have several of their sneaker style lace shoes and normally buy a man's 12 as I have wide feet. I always hankered after these ballet flats - but I've always wanted ballet flats and never found a comfortable pair -as I have a bunion and wide bit feet. 

 

Well I had the chance to try these on in store too - and to my absolute amazement the women's 10.5.  I'm not sure why people think they are high maintance - I throw them in the washing machine - like all Allbirds

[Mary229]

As a person who lives an active life including backpacking, hiking and underground mining I think hiking boots are overrated.  Many athletic shoe makers have a perfectly good hiking sneaker, Merrell comes to mind but there are others, and they are much lighter too.

[slidergirl]

7 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

As a person who lives an active life including backpacking, hiking and underground mining I think hiking boots are overrated.  Many athletic shoe makers have a perfectly good hiking sneaker, Merrell comes to mind but there are others, and they are much lighter too.

Even some of the "mids" that are made now are very lightweight, if you want more than the hiking shoe for ankle support.  My Merrell chameleon mids are as lightweight as my traik runners.  

[kaymoz]

I finally went to try on the Tree Breezer today.  It was just as handsome as in the photos, maybe even a bit more charming, especially in the navy!  But the shape of the toe was wrong for my foot/toes, sad to say.    So I looked for alternatives and found what looks like Clarks' knockoff of it:  https://www.clarksusa.com/c/Carly-Hope/p/26165109