Taltul

Hi,
My husband and I are going on a 12 day Baltic Cruise during the last 2 weeks of August (Royal Caribbean). We've travelled a lot in Europe, so I know what to bring for our days off the ship (layering, some rainproof gear etc, a warm top...). My question is on the ship and specifically in the ship (There are 4 sea days.). Is it warm, cool, air conditioned? At this time of the year - short sleeves and shorts during the day? In the evening, in the dining room, bars, entertainment - long sleeves? sweaters or an upper layer? I have no idea what the temperature will be on ship (not outside on the decks).
The only other cruise we were on was to the Caribbean in August and it was hot!
I'd be glad to get some input from anyone who has done this cruise sometime during the last few years.
Thanks!

RoamsAround

We cruised the Baltic in late July - daytime outdoor temps range from low-60's to high 70's F. On board ship interiors were fully air conditioned so on some days it was comfortable in short sleeve shirts, other days we were more comfortable in long sleeves. A lot depended on what outside temps were on any given day. We always felt more comfortable wearing long sleeves in the evening. bring a sweater or light cover up if you are prone to always feeling cold.

Likewise when outdoors on sea days some people wore shorts others found breezes made it seem a bit cool so long sleeves were the order of the day.

Taltul

Thanks. That's what I thought more or less but i wanted to check. I'm always cold in air conditioned rooms so I'll takQuick Replye that into account.

Taltul

Oops, what happened to my answer? I must have accidentally pasted something in.

NorenePalmer

For a Baltic Cruise, light clothes are the most appropriate and sandals for footwear.

Eschew

Definitely not sandals. Comfortable shoes, no heels.
Hot during the day, could cool off real quick in the evening, the temperature swing between day and night could be 10 degrees or more.
Carry a light wind breaker would be a good idea, if waterproofed, can double as rain jacket if needed.

Sassafrass

But, Norene, have you been on a Baltic cruise? Personal experience?

jacketwatch

We cruise the Baltic June 2007. The interior of just about any ship is climate controlled AC so actually shirt sleeves are fine. You will not need upper layers at all.

During the day on sea days it may be a little cool so be prepared for a light outer layer which you may not need. Leave the parka at home, .

Taltul

Thanks. I was wondering about the sandals. After all it's not the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.

jacketwatch

Sandals should be fine. Some day may be bit cool but unless you are unlucky with weather you should get good use from them.

Taltul

I guess you have to be ready for anything, even if it means packing a little extra. At least I don't have to drag our suitcases from city to city.

jacketwatch

Thats one of the selling points for cruses. You unpack once. We plan to go on a land vacation for the first time in quite a while. Its about 18 days, Beijing, Xian and Kuala Lumpur and I have to figure out a way to pack very lightly.

Cheers, Larry. .

Eschew

I personally have issues with sandals in the best of time, with the exception of maybe at home or at the beach, I have closed toe "barefoot" shoes that is comfortable but not fashionable. I wear those for walking or trail hiking if I am not wearing hiking boots.
For me, regarding sandals, it's a safety, sanitation/cleanliness and health issue. And I don't find sandals more comfortable than a pair of nice walking shoes, running shoes, hiking boots etc. And ideally, you wanted close toe shoe for safety.
Just imagine dirty street and germs associated with it, you have no idea what dirt or flirt are there. Debris on the street that may have broken glasses, sharp metals or other sharp objects. In a foreign country, that's a disaster waiting to happen.

Eschew

Larry, a small back pack and one carry one. That's all I had for 3 weeks for our trip to South America.
You may have to do laundry at the hotel, maybe hand wash and hang dry if needed,
Once you have done it once, then it's easy. With that said, Sue may want a full suitcase just for her shoes!

Taltul

Definitely closed shoes during our days off the ship. But I might slip in a pair of sandals (minimalist sandals, not heavy duty) for the sailing days - there are 4. I still can't figure out what it will be like inside the ship. I checked Accuweather for the possible temperatures at our ports of call and they're too low for sandal weather (17-20 degrees C).

aliced

I do not understand why you are fixated on temperature "inside the ship." Everything interior is air-conditioned. You have your own temperature controls for your cabin. Weather on decks will be the outside temps of your port cities but with a breeze! On our Baltic cruise late June few years ago, our port cities were HOT. 95 degrees Fahrenheit! But I wore the soft, cool and comfy walking shoes that I had picked for the trip. If you want to wear a comfy pair of Sandals (BeeZee, Clark, Ahnu, etc) for your walking, it'll be fine. When it is too cool in August for sandals? I usually travel to Europe with 5-6 pairs of shoes always that are comfy, cute, some for evenings, some for cities. So I would pick one pair of walking shoes, one pair of walking sandals, one pair of stylish pretty shoes (ballets, heels) and one pair of pretty sandals for the ship. Be sure the walking shoes are somewhat repellent to rain (not canvas or mesh). Oh, and one pair of Crocs for poolside, spa, etc. = 5 !! Crocs styles this year are awesome. Done!!

jacketwatch

No kidding! That will be the hard part. .

gruezi

Just back from a Baltics cruise. Weather was sunny and hot - 80s mostly. Summer layers. AC in the ship except pool and outdoor dining areas. Sometimes I used a sweater or large pashmina type scarf at night. This cruise was more Americans than Europeans so dress seemed less formal at night. Jackets for men - some ties - summer dresses for women. I wore palazzo pants as I don’t like dresses. Some nights dress khakis and a nice tee were more than sufficient depending on the restaurant we ate in.

Taltul

Hi, I'm back from the cruise and can give an up-to-date answer. First of all, on RC's Baltic cruise the evening dress is mostly casual. Except for 2 formal nights and a semi-casual night (where most people wore everyday clothes), everyone wore regular everyday clothes. Of course, there were plenty of people dressed up but it was a real mix. We sat in the My Time dining room every evening and even on the formal nights most men did not even wear jackets and many didn't wear ties. I wore a dressy top and black pants which were fine. Maybe it's different on a Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise.
Anyone who feels cold in air conditioning will feel cold on the ship. I ended up wearing a light sweater all the time, never wore sandals or even cropped pants. But if air conditioning doesn't bother you, plenty of people wore shorts, short sleeves, sandals.
We used our warm jackets (fold up) once in Copenhagen which was very cold, rainy and windy. It was worth taking them for that one excursion, as was the mini umbrellas that we took. Otherwise, I don't know how we could have left the ship.
Hope my answer helps future cruisers.

jacketwatch

"We used our warm jackets (fold up) once in Copenhagen which was very cold, rainy and windy. "
Sounds like our day in Helsinki.
I'm glad you had a good time and reported back.
I too see many passengers on formal nights dressed casually. Its just the way it is these days.
Cheers, Larry