what to pack

[Bobbi48128]

Hi.  i’ve booked a TA sailing from Rome to Port Canaveral in mid october    i’ve been to rome in october so i know what kind of weather to expect in the mediterranean ports.  but what about at sea.  what kind of temps would you expect while out at sea should i pack fall clothing? summer clothing, or winter clothing. is it warm enough to swim in the pool?  i’m going on ncl and don’t plan on dressing up at all. just want to be comfortable. 

thanks for any advice. 

[TheOldBear]

The word is 'layers' - including a lightweight, windproof, outer 'shell' layer [jacket].

Your cruise will likely not be taking the northern 'great circle' route of a crossing, so the weather trend will be warm - but as always there are exceptions that cannot be forecast.

[CDNPolar]

I know that this is an old discussion but it may be of interest as there are many folks doing TA cruises in the coming months.

 

We are going mid-October from Barcelona to San Juan.  Similar situation.

 

We know the ports around Spain, Morocco, etc., what the weather will be - or hopefully be.

 

(Remember that typical weather patterns now are not as dependable.)

 

For this TA portion of the cruise we will have a few options in our luggage:

 

1) We have very light weight down jackets that pack down to a large ziplock bag and take virtually no packing room or add any weight.  (You are from Michigan so you may likely have the necessary gear.)

2) We pack a very thin water resistant, wind resistant jacket with a hood (Eddie Bauer) and this again takes no packing space.

3) We pack a couple (each) cashmere sweaters that are very light weight that can go under either jacket above.  Again very little space taken in the luggage and lighter than a typical heavy cotton sweater.

4) One neck scarf or neck tube each

5) We can often take one wool under-layer as well, but that is more for the colder destinations.

 

We anticipate that the weather - without storms and wind - may be very warm on the crossing, but we almost always travel with the above gear as we often cruise and travel in off seasons when the weather is changing.

 

There have been times we have been grateful to have this gear and other times we have not used it.

 

Last year my brother and wife went on a European River Cruise in early October expecting very mild temperatures.  They did not pack for colder temps or rain resistance and they were caught out and had to buy gear in port to survive.

 

[Bobbi48128]

thanks Polar and Old Bear   fortunately i do have all the suggested gear, which i used while visiting Rome in December, and Lisbon in December. Hopefully Oct wiill be a bit milder as Rome was quite chilly some days. Do people go one deck much during the crossing?  

[CDNPolar]

12 hours ago, Bobbi48128 said:

 Do people go one deck much during the crossing?  

 

Most cruises we "live" on deck.

 

We spent hours on deck in Antarctica every day.  We spend time on deck in rain, snow, and beautiful sun.  Now, with Antarctica there are icebergs and other beauty to see.  On the TA there is only water, but we will be on deck listening to music or reading.

 

This is one reason that we always have a secret stash of a down coat, or a wind/rain resistant jacket and a sweater.

 

We like the opportunity of a 360 degree view on deck - even if all you can see is water.

 

On our upcoming TA cruise, it is with Viking and we know their ships well.  There is always a corner of the upper deck you can snag a chair at that is wind protected.

[tcmagnum]

On 4/28/2024 at 1:10 PM, Bobbi48128 said:

Hi.  i’ve booked a TA sailing from Rome to Port Canaveral in mid october    i’ve been to rome in october so i know what kind of weather to expect in the mediterranean ports.  but what about at sea.  what kind of temps would you expect while out at sea should i pack fall clothing? summer clothing, or winter clothing. is it warm enough to swim in the pool?  i’m going on ncl and don’t plan on dressing up at all. just want to be comfortable. 

thanks for any advice. 

I think we are on the same cruise this October and are starting to think of what to pack.  We are thinking layers like OldBear and Polar both suggested.  We will be optimistic and pack a bathing suit just in case, but....

[CDNPolar]

16 hours ago, tcmagnum said:

I think we are on the same cruise this October and are starting to think of what to pack.  We are thinking layers like OldBear and Polar both suggested.  We will be optimistic and pack a bathing suit just in case, but....

 

We have gotten really good at packing for most any weather in one suitcase.  When we are going to an anticipated warm destination, the clothing represents that, but there is still one really good and effective windbreaker jacket and one cashmere sweater in the bag.  We may never need it but we have it.  

 

Some are worried about being seen in the same outfit - we don't care about that.  If cold strikes and you see me in the same sweater a couple/few times, sobeit.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Since you have written which ports you are stopping at it harder to giving a suggestion 

We did a TA mid October, Rome to Mia, on the Infinity in 2019 with a stop in Tenerife 

it was hot from Rome to Tenerife 

It was HOT HOT HOT once we left Tenerife