Creating a Trendy Canada New England Cruise Capsule Wardrobe
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Do you have a cruise coming up this fall to Canada and New England? I’ve been planning to book one for a while, so I thought I’d design a Canada New England cruise capsule wardrobe for you and for me.
What Is A Capsule Wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe is a minimalist way of dressing that involves putting together a small number of mix-and-match items in a limited color palette. When you are on a cruise, your clothing and outfit choices are limited to how much you can pack in your suitcase, so a capsule wardrobe is the perfect way to approach packing for your trip.
Parameters Of The Cruise
These trips are in the fall, traveling between Canada and New England, and their duration is usually between seven and eleven days. Let’s look at an eleven-day cruise and choose early October for our time frame.
Length of Trip: 11 Days
Type of Cruise: Canada/New England
Season: Early October, autumn
Temperatures Expected: Low 40s to low 70s (a wide range like this means LAYER)
Itinerary
The cruise I am looking at is on Celebrity Cruises, their eleven-day Boston, Maine, and Canada cruise in early October that begins and ends in Boston.
The cruise ports for this trip are:
- Rockland, Maine
- Saint John, New Brunswick
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Quebec City, Quebec (overnight)
- Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
- Portland, Maine
Check The Weather
The first step is to check the weather for New England and eastern Canada. By early October, autumn is in full swing, which means that days can be as cold as in the 30s and as warm as the low 70s. Rain is likely. It is much like traveling to Alaska in the shoulder season, so layering will be a must.
In the days before you leave for your cruise, check the weather again, just to be sure before you actually pack. Forecasts can change, so being prepared is important.
Create A Color Palette
For this type of trip in autumn, I’ll go for a traditional fall combination. I’ll need two or three neutrals and a pop or two of color.
Make A Plan
Lightweight items that can be layered will be ideal, allowing you to easily transition from cool weather to warm as the day progresses. Simple pieces of clothing that can be dressed up or down will be perfect. So I will look for:
Tops: A variety of lightweight short- and long-sleeve tops. Button-up shirts to layer with. A sweater or two.
Bottoms: Darker slacks, slim or flared leg. Casual cargo-style pants. A pair or two of jeans.
Dresses: Two dresses that can be worn with the same shoes.
Outerwear: A rain jacket. A lightweight coat or jacket.
Shoes: I will look for a couple of pairs of casual shoes, one for onboard and the other for excursions. For the evening, we will need a dressier pair of shoes and one pair of heels.
Accessories
Accessories are where you make a simple outfit like these your own. Choose something that reflects your personality.
Jewelry: Simple, elegant jewelry. A statement necklace or two.
Handbags: A tote or shoulder bag or tote for touring, a clutch, and a small crossbody for onboard.
Sunglasses: Something in a tortoise shell would work well for this wardrobe.
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Creating a Canada-New England Cruise Capsule Wardrobe
For this wardrobe, we’re going to try to stick to 20 pieces that can be worn multiple times. You will need up to 22 outfits for an eleven-day trip, one for daytime and one for the evening of each day of the cruise, plus a couple of travel outfits.
The items I chose are from Banana Republic, Banana Republic Factory, Amazon, and Columbia Sportswear.
Color Palette
Let’s go with black, white, and cream for our neutrals, and olive and camel for our primary pops of color.
Store inventories are fluid, so you may click on an item to shop it and find it’s no longer available. In any case, you can see the look I was going for.
Tops
For tops, I chose four dressy sleeveless or short-sleeve tops, two casual short-sleeve tops, three long-sleeve tees, and three button-up shirts. We will be doing a lot of layering during this cruise, and we will need enough choices. I also added two sweaters for layering, both cardigans.
Bottoms
I chose five pairs of pants: two casual pairs, a pair of jeans, and two dressier pairs of slacks. The slacks can be dressed up or down.
Outerwear
For outerwear for travel and excursions, I chose a lightweight puffy jacket, a fleece vest, and a lined rain jacket. What you would take would depend on the weather forecast you check the week before your cruise.
Shoes
I tried to keep footwear to a minimum, so chose a hiking sneaker for excursions, a lighter-weight pair of sneakers for sea days, a pair of loafers for casual dinners, and a strappy pair of heels for dressy dinners.
Accessories
Normally, I would choose a scarf, but since this is a very casual cruise, I decided not to. So, for accessories, a shoulder bag for excursions, and a clutch with a long strap that can go from daytime to nighttime with ease. A nice belt and a pair of sunglasses help round out your outfits.
Outfits You Can Make
This capsule wardrobe was more fun than usual to put together because of all the layering potential. The ones shown below are merely scratching the surface; there are many more possibilities available that I didn’t show.
Sea Days
On this cruise, there will be three or four sea days. The ship is climate-controlled, so layering isn’t necessary, and short sleeves will probably be comfortable. The exception might be the casino and restaurants; they can sometimes be chilly.
Excursions
This cruise has six ports, so I came up with six outfits employing layering that run the gamut from simply chilly days to a colder one. Just in case you go on an active excursion, I chose a shoe that is perfect for hiking or just for walking long distances.
Casual Dinners
Most dinners will be casual, and you will simply take your day outfit into the night. But sometimes you will want to dress a tad nicer than during the day, so I put together three outfits for those occasions.
Dressy Dinners
There will be two or three dress-up dinners during the cruise; plus, you might want to dine at a specialty restaurant for a few nights. On those occasions, you will want to look your best, especially in the evening when the captain and other senior officers are available to take photos with the passengers.
Travel
You will need two travel outfits, one for traveling to the port, and another for heading home. You will want to layer, and most of all, you will want to be comfortable.
Other Clothing Needs
Of course, you will need pajamas, bras, underwear, and socks. You might want to pack a couple of camisoles to help with layering. Also, bring a swimsuit and coverup for use onboard the ship if it has an indoor pool, or maybe just for the outdoor hot tubs if you’re adventurous.
Other Packing Essentials for a Canada-New England Cruise
Fall can be rainy in New England and Canada, so carrying a compact umbrella is smart. You may get a peek at sea life while the ship is en route to Canada, so a pair of compact binoculars will enhance your experience. And a passport cover to protect your passport is a good idea; we always travel with ours.
Cruise Capsule Wardrobe Checklist
Would you like to have a FREE Cruise Capsule Wardrobe checklist to help you with packing for your next cruise?
Final Thoughts On Creating A Canada New England Cruise Capsule Wardrobe
Taking a cruise to Canada and New England is on many bucket lists, so when you go, you want to be sure you’re dressed for the weather and comfortable. Creating a cruise capsule wardrobe like this one can help you accomplish that.
If you want a way to take your outfit plans on your trip with you, check out our Outfit Planner. It is part of our Ultimate Cruise Planner.
Are you planning cruises to other destinations? We probably have a capsule wardrobe for those that you will want to check out as well.
Happy cruising!
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