Packing for a Multi-Climate Cruise (A Shout Out to Overpackers Everywhere)

Amy Westlake
May 3
9 min read

This one's for you, Colleen.

Colleen is a legendary overpacker. The woman took a one-week trip from California to Washington and arrived with a suitcase so large it earned its own name - the Beast. For a week. In Washington.

So to all of those out there who have had their Beast experiences, I'm writing this with love. We recently spent 17 days on a Viking Ocean cruise through Chile, the Falkland Islands, Uruguay, and Argentina, and I want to share everything I learned about packing for a trip where the weather can swing from 90 degrees and blazing sun to 40 degrees and winds so strong I genuinely worried my phone was going to fly into the South Atlantic. Yes, really.

Start with what you're walking onto the boat with

Here's something nobody warns you about on embarkation day: you're going to be wandering around the ship for hours before your cabin is ready, and whatever you packed in your carry-on is coming with you. We each had a carry-on roller and backpacks plus a shared checked bag. While we checked the large suitcase when we checked in for the cruise, lugging that carry-on around while we explored the ship and ate lunch was annoying enough to make me rethink it for next time.

Same goes for disembarkation. On this trip, we got off early but had to wait nearly an hour in a very bare-bones terminal for our big suitcase to come out. We have an early flight on our next cruise, so we're keeping everything with us the night before so we can leave on our own timeline (assuming the ship is already in port!). Think through both ends of your trip before you decide how to split up your bags.

The climate swing is real and I only planned for half of it

When I was packing for South America, I was laser-focused on the cold. We were going to the Falkland Islands. We were going around Cape Horn. I did not want to be underprepared for that.

What I didn't fully think through was that we were also stopping in Uruguay and parts of Argentina where it was pushing 90 degrees with zero shade. I had the cold covered. The heat almost caught me off guard.

The fix isn't packing for every possible temperature — it's packing pieces that work across a range and layer well together. Here's what actually worked for me:

T-shirts as the base layer for warm days and under everything on cold ones
Long-sleeve shirts that could stand alone or disappear under a jacket
A pair of long underwear that turned out to be genuinely great (not just "nice to have")
A medium-weight jacket and a rain jacket — two different tools, both earned their place
A knit cap that I wore constantly on deck and in colder ports like Ushuaia and Stanley
A lightweight cap for nicer weather
A couple pairs of joggers for sea days and quiet evenings — comfortable enough to wear in the cabin but not so sloppy I felt weird wandering the ship

And shoes. I brought three pairs: something nice for dinner, hiking shoes, and everyday tennis shoes. Most days I wore the tennis shoes, but the hiking shoes came through exactly once — at Volunteer Point in the Falklands, where the path to see the penguins can turn into a full mud slog depending on recent rain. It wasn't raining when we were there, but I've seen the videos. If I hadn't brought those shoes, Murphy's Law would have kicked in and it would have been an absolute mess.

The hat moment was Punta Tombo in Argentina - a long bus ride to a penguin reserve that is completely open, completely shadeless, and genuinely hot. I wore my lightweight hat the entire time and was grateful for it. Read up on your excursions before you pack, and watch YouTube videos to really understand what you're walking into. Think about what the weather will be like, how exposed you'll be to sun and wind, and yes - how cold the bus might be, because A/C is real and I get cold.

Have a backpack or day bag with enough room to carry a shirt, hat, or layer that might come in handy. I used a simple, medium-sized travel backpack - not a laptop bag, but not one of those tiny ones either. Keep it understated. A plain black backpack says "traveler." A bright orange one with seventeen pockets says "tourist, please approach me." Mine has a flat pocket on the back panel where I can slip my passport in, and I always keep my wallet and valuables close. Pickpockets are real. Think about where things are before you need them.

Cape Horn deserves its own paragraph

If you've ever watched a weather reporter doing a live shot in a hurricane, struggling to stay upright and shouting into the camera - that's what standing on the deck at Cape Horn felt like. It was around 40 degrees, which sounds manageable, until the wind hits you. I couldn't hold my phone up long enough to take a picture. I was genuinely afraid a gust would catch it and send it off the side of the ship. I had on every layer I'd brought and I was still cold.

Pack for Cape Horn. You will not regret it.

Viking's laundry situation is legitimately a packing strategy

This is the part where I tell any overpacker that you do not need to pack a fresh outfit for every single day of a 17-day cruise. Nobody cares if they see you in the same shirt three or four times. In most cases you'll never see these people again anyway.

What you need is a plan for laundry, and on Viking, you have options.

We were in a Penthouse Junior Suite, which comes with included laundry service. I'd hand a bag to our cabin attendant, and about 36 hours later it came back clean and folded. We did that three or four times over the trip. The only thing to know is that you need to plan a little ahead - if you wait until you're completely out of clothes, you're going to have a bad day.

If you're in a lower cabin category, Viking still has self-service laundry rooms on each deck, and they supply the soap. It's free. On our Caribbean cruise a few years ago, we used it once, and I'd figured out the trick: go right after returning from an excursion, before everyone else gets back on board. We walked right in, no wait, and since it was just down the hall from our cabin I could check on it every 15 minutes or so. On a sea day, those machines will be busy. Time it right and it's painless.

And don't forget that most cabins have an iron and ironing board available. You don't need to bring one from home. I'm looking at you, Colleen. Steamer... ahem...

Between mixing and matching pieces and using laundry (whether they do it for you or you do it yourself), you can pack light for a long cruise and never feel like you're wearing the same thing twice.

Dinner - and what "dressing up" actually means

A lot of first-time cruisers stress about dinner attire. Let me save you some anxiety, at least for Viking.

During the day, Viking is relaxed. Shorts and t-shirts are completely fine everywhere. At dinner, things shift slightly - but "dressing up" on Viking is a very loose concept. For men, a nice pair of pants and a polo shirt is perfectly appropriate in the main dining room or the specialty restaurants. For women, nice pants and a blouse, or a simple dress, is all you need. I wore the same summer dress to two different dinners and nobody issued a citation. We saw people in shorts in the main dining room. It's that kind of vibe.

Check the dress code for your specific cruise line before you pack - it's always on the website. But unless you're sailing on a line that explicitly requires formal nights, leave the tuxedo and the gown at home. They take up room and you almost certainly won't need them.

Clothes sorted. What about everything else?

This could be an entirely separate blog post, but let me drop a few tips here.

The bathroom situation

Every cabin has a hair dryer - use it, it's fine, leave yours at home. Viking cabins do have a bathroom outlet, but it's shaver-only and won't power a hair dryer or flat iron. For styling tools, you'll be working at the desk area, which has a mirror and proper outlets. It's not the same as your bathroom routine at home, but it works. I was not used to straightening my hair while sitting down.

Before your cruise, look up your specific cabin category - most cruise lines publish photos and outlet information. On Viking, both US and European outlets were available, which is helpful if you're traveling with a mix of devices.

Electronics and power

Pack a power strip. Seriously. Cabin outlets are limited, and a power strip instantly multiplies what you have - everything charges in one place instead of you hunting around the room for an available outlet. Don't forget any specialty charging cables you might need. That watch charger or other non-standard cable is easy to overlook and impossible to improvise.

Also bring your own entertainment. The cabin TVs on Viking have plenty of options, but I cannot function without my tablet and my games. Know the internet situation for your cruise line before you leave - Viking included free internet on our sailing, but many lines charge for it. If yours does, pre-load whatever content you want before you board.

If you're traveling to hotels before or after the cruise, don't forget any necessary plug adapters. You may not need them on the ship, but you might absolutely need them on land.

Medications

Bring everything with extras, keep it all in your carry-on, and never put prescriptions in a checked bag.

Beyond the basics, cruises call for a few specific additions. I always bring Dramamine and ginger chews for motion sickness - this applies to rough seas and long bus rides alike. On our South America cruise I also used Sea-Bands, which apply pressure to specific points on your wrist and worked amazingly well. They're absolutely coming on our next cruise.

If you're traveling somewhere with food very different from your usual diet, Pepto-Bismol and Imodium are quiet heroes. You'll thank me later.

And pack something for a basic cold - DayQuil, NyQuil, whatever you normally reach for. My husband came down with the flu mid-cruise, and while anything serious warrants a visit to the ship's doctor (which can get expensive quickly), a mild cold is much easier to push through when you have your own supplies on hand.

Be honest about the gym

Are you actually going to use the onboard gym? If yes, bring workout clothes. If the honest answer is probably not, leave them at home. I walked the promenade almost every day (four laps is a mile) and got fresh air, some exercise, and spotted a couple of whales along the way. I did that in my knit cap, a long-sleeve shirt, and regular pants. No gym clothes required.

We're doing it again in June

We have another Viking cruise coming up - Norway, Svalbard, and Iceland. Bergen in June will be pleasant, maybe the 60s. Svalbard will be in the 30s. Different excursions, different terrain, same basic principle: layers, versatile pieces, shoes that match what you're actually doing, and a hat you won't want to be without.

I'll pack the same way I did for South America, just calibrated for a different set of extremes. And I'll think about both ends of the temperature range this time, not just the cold half.

The mindset might matter more than the packing list

Here's the thing nobody puts in a packing guide: you're on vacation. You are not on display. The other passengers are not judging your outfits - they're looking at the same glaciers and penguins you are. The people you're traveling with have seen you in real life. Everyone else you will almost certainly never see again.

The pressure to have a different, coordinated, Instagram-ready look for every single day of a 17-day cruise is entirely self-imposed, and it is the number one reason people show up with the Beast. Let it go. Wear the shirt again. Do the laundry. Spend that mental energy on enjoying where you actually are.

The list

A few principles I'd apply to any multi-climate cruise:

Pack for layering, not for individual temperatures. One good base, one mid-layer, one outer shell goes further than three separate outfits for three different weather scenarios.
Research your excursions before you pack. Watch YouTube videos to really understand what you're walking into - you'll know immediately if you need mud-worthy shoes, a sun hat, or serious wind protection.
Bring two jackets if the climate calls for it. A rain jacket and a warmth jacket are not the same thing.
Know your laundry options before you leave home. It changes how much you need to bring entirely.
Look up the dress code for your cruise line. On Viking, "dress up" means nice pants and a blouse. Leave the formal wear at home.
Pack a power strip and all your specialty cables. Cabin outlets are limited and a watch charger is not something you can borrow.
Know the internet situation. Pre-load content if your cruise line charges for Wi-Fi.
Think about embarkation and disembarkation day. Whatever's in your carry-on is your companion for hours. And if you have an early flight home, keep your luggage with you rather than handing it off the night before.
Pack your medications in your carry-on and don't skimp. Dramamine, Sea-Bands, Pepto, Imodium, cold medicine — a small pouch of the right stuff can save a day that would otherwise be miserable.
Be honest about the gym. If you're not going, leave the workout clothes at home.
Nobody cares how many times you wear that shirt. Pack light, do laundry, move on.

Leave at home: Formal wear. Unnecessary appliances. Ten versions of the same t-shirt in different colors. The full makeup collection. The steamer. The Beast.

Overpackers, you've got this.