Blog Post – Cruise Control … Sailing Into The Sunset One Wave At A Time!

Sunday afternoons in my family home in the late 70’s/early 80’s always involved watching ‘The Love Boat’ on TV which was an American romantic comedy series set in cheesy fun style about the crew of a cruise ship and how with a bit of not so subtle matchmaking they helped their various single passengers on their cruises to find love.

Our family had never been on a cruise and at the time we had never even travelled outside the UK either so I guess the allure of the programme was being introduced to the concept of a different kind of travel and the romantic notion of life at sea.

In the world of cruise ships, things have moved on from the ship of that era depicted in the show. Not just food, sunbathing on deck and dinner at the Captain’s Table, the cruise ships of today are a floating colossus of cinemas, gyms, beauty salons, pools, spas, activities, climbing walls, shops, theatres, casinos and much much more. The cruise itineraries take in many more destinations with disembarking to visit the tourism hotspots, keeping local economies going in the countries visited and providing jobs both onboard and off.

So, with the huge range of activities and destinations as part of your trip, and just one modest suitcase what on earth do you pack?

The starting point is to check out the activities onboard and work out which activities you are most likely to use. No point taking gym kit with you if you have no intention of using the gym - save that all important space in your suitcase for something else! On the other hand with so much food on offer, you may want to factor in a brief spell in the gym daily to work it off so packing a pair of trainers and something to exercise in may not be such a bad idea after all!

With the vast array of beautiful food available on board we recommend you take loose fitting clothing especially anything with an elasticated waistline!!!!

Our Macrame Detail Trousers are a good option here. Available in aniseed or aqua blue colourways. Both colours can be teemed up with neutral accessories and dressed up for dinner or dressed down for daytime with a cami, flip flops and a sunhat if you are going ashore. The macrame cut outs at the bottom of the wide legs add a little touch of class plus being crafted from a linen viscose mix breathable natural fabric they will help you keep your cool in tropical climates.

Alternatively if you prefer to wear a skirt our Satin Skirt in Ivory with midnight blue floral detailing is a good option. Whilst made from polyester this fabric is soft floaty and literally feels like silk! The floral patterns elongate your stride with gentle flowing movements.

This is a great dress up/dress down piece that works particularly well with our Long Sleeved Twinset Top in Midnight Blue. The top is actually two tops (hence twinset), one being a vest and the other a long sleeved top with a twist detail front wrap effect. The ultra fluid and extremely fine knit means you can wear both pieces together without any bulk or wear as separate items. The long sleeve top can be work backwards with the twist at the back instead of the front too so giving you that all important flexibility in creating different looks in a capsule wardrobe looking especially lovely worn with the macrame trousers too!

Look at the itinerary of destinations for your trip and what the disembarkment day trip options are. Its worth checking out TripAdvisor to get the lowdown of real experiences so that you know what to expect and sometimes you can book the same trip for less money by booking direct.

Our team (and our customers) love the versatility of our Jumpsuit in Ink Blue. You can elevate your style by wearing it with some statement jewellery and a wrap or jacket, or dress down with trainers to go exploring when you go ashore. Its fluid silhouette and deep V neckline exudes glamour whilst the fancy twist and pleat detail adds an artistic touch that flatters every body shape. The jumpsuit hugs your curves for a flawless fit in super soft jersey fabric. Stunning and chic as it is, or add a colour pop with your accessories or pashmina and again this can take you from day to night dressing casual or formal styles.

Its very easy to get carried away with clothing with many cruises offering formal dining every evening as well as the range of daily activities so focus on some key pieces that you can easily mix and match as part of a capsule wardrobe – especially useful are pieces that can be worn in more than one way to create different looks. A pair of plain black or navy trousers/skirt as a base can be ideal as you can take different tops to co-ordinate with them to create different looks for formal dinners. You don’t need a different outfit for every evening but you will want to take a few options depending on the length of your cruise.

Our Limited Edition Loose Trousers in Black are flowy and chic featuring a jewelled braid and little stud detail along the pockets and little pleats before the ankles of these cigarette cut trousers. Available in a dark green colourway too they make the ideal base for your evening wear.

For ultimate luxury pair with our Black Silk Camisole for exquisite elegance in a timeless classic delicately crafted with lace on the neckline and armholes, a swimmer style back, small side slit and a straight cut. It will take up barely any room in your suitcase and look stunning worn with some sparkly or statement jewellery.

For cooler climates, add a jacket, knit or wrap or for warmer climates wear as is for WOW factor!

We recommend packing some sparkly jewellery and a sparkly evening bag to dress up your outfit. A wrap or pashmina is a good idea too incase the air con is turned up in the restaurants.

For non formal evenings just wear the kind of clothes you would normal wear to go out to dinner. Dark denim is ok as are smart fashion trainers but no sweatpants. A brightly coloured loose fitting dress can be a good option to pack as you can also dress this down to wear during the day or wear as a swimwear cover up too!

Our Batik Print Maxi Dress is stunning in poppy red slightly crinkled viscose or maybe opt for our Drape Dress available in bright green or fuschia pink knee length with an effortless twisty/drape effect too!

The Limited Edition Chalk Juliette Jeans areas the ‘must have’ denim of the season inspired by the iconic90’s ‘mom’ jeans, These have a relaxed cut at the thigh and a high waist for ultimate comfort. The chic ecru colour is perfect for summer and a neutral base to pair with most colours as part of your capsule wardrobe for your cruise. Again, dress them up for dinner or dress them down to explore during the day too!

The jeans look fab with our Striped Off-The-Shoulder Jumper featuring a round neckline and asymmetrical off the shoulder design. Even better the pattern on the jumper is different on both sides so can be worn either way round giving you 2 different looks from the one garment. If you get chilly or the weather is cooler the jumper can be worn over the midnight blue jumpsuit or paired with the loose fit trousers as part of your capsule wardrobe.

Take a travel washing kit with you and some fabric spray to keep things fresh. A small retractable camping washing line is handy to use in your cabin bathroom too even if just for drying off your swimsuit or airing your clothes between wears.

Take a mini bag just big enough for tissues, lipstick and your cabin key. Our Phone Holder Pouch in Midnight Blue is perfect for this. Just big enough for these 3 key things and can be worn cross body. Its great for day excursions too as you can comfortably wear it beneath an outer layer/jumper giving you a little peace of mind if you are concerned about being vulnerable to pickpockets in tourist hotspots.

Other “Top Tips” from seasoned cruisers are:-

· Book a sea facing cabin with a balcony so that you can escape to chill out in the privacy of your own room

· It can be windy so take a hat with chin straps, hair ties and a strong hairspray!

· Take chair clips to stop your towel blowing off your sunlounger on deck!

· Pack a little battery operated night light as the cabins can be very dark at night.

· A highlighter pen is handy to keep in your bag for when the cruise news activity sheets pop under your door. Book in advance for restaurants and shows as soon as they are available. The buffet is good but the restaurants are even better and are usually included.

· Take a day bag (a thin cotton tote bag that you can roll up in your suitcase is ideal) with a micro towel, flip flops and a dry bag (or plastic carrier bag) to put wet clothes in. You can also use those flip flops when you visit the onboard spa!

· You never know if you are going to encounter any rough seas so it is handy to pack something to help combat any seasickness, some people like naturopathic medicines but my secret weapon is ‘SeaBands’ that look a bit like thin wrist warmers from the 80’s. They have a plastic “button” on them that sit on your acupressure points on your wrist. Personally I find they work for travel sickness and other forms of nausea too.

· Take your own mini medical kit of Imodium, painkillers, cough medicine etc. you can get these things on board from the Medical Centre, however, you will probably be charged £100 and then confined to your cabin for 2 days!

· Finally, pack some binoculars to spot the wildlife in the ocean!

Overall you need a capsule wardrobe that you can mix and match into 2 or 3 outfits per day. This will massively reduce the amount of clothes that you need to pack so that you can leave a little space in your luggage to bring home any souvenirs.

When it comes to footwear, pack shoes that will stay on your feet going up and down the many staircases onboard and steer away from stiletto or high heels. The ships are huge and it can be a long way to walk between the venues onboard.

Apparently those corridors are even longer after midnight when you may have had a few drinks too!

Opt for a pair of neutral wedge shoes – they strap onto your feet and can be dressed up or down to suit your outfit. Our Wedge Sandals in Sand feature contrast black ankle straps and embroidery with a macrame edge that helps soften them against your feet when the weather is warm. They look fab with our Asymmetric Shirt Dresses available in Beige or Black. This dress is another great option as you can wear as a dress, or wear open as a long flowing jacket over trousers (the black dress in particular looks fab worn this way with the macrame trousers mentioned earlier). Being crafted from a lightweight linen mix, it will help you keep your cool and looks great as a swimwear cover up or pop on your trainers with your Asymmetric Dress to go and explore ashore. So versatile!

If you are a regular customer of Tortue there will be many more pieces from seasons past that will tie in with those mentioned in this newsletter. Our collections are designed so that you can build up your capsule wardrobe season upon season so don’t forget to take a look at what you already have in your wardrobe too!

Maybe you have been on a cruise already and if so, why not hop over to our Tortue social media pages on Facebook or Instagram to tell us about your voyage and pass on your “top tips!” If you wore Tortue please share your pictures with us as we would love to see your outfit choices!

Finally - remember, cruise calories don’t count – your diet starts when the cruise ends.

Angela x