En route to London (Greenwich), United Kingdom. Arrive 18-May.

More packing lessons.

Bring More Informal Options

I posted months ago, Silversea has three dress codes: Casual, Informal and Formal. Formal = suit/tux, Casual = decent tourist. Informal typically means a jacket. (Sidenote: no shorts after 6:00pm)

I’ve gotten by with polo shirts and a jacket for informal nights, but I’d like more options. If I were to take another long cruise (over 14 days) I’d need to put some thought into it. I’m not a fan of ties (altho I still have my Jerry Garcias), but there has to be something.

Glasses

I’m near-sighted, so for the last two years I’ve been wearing progressive bifocals. It took a while, but I’m used to them. However, I wear a dedicated pair of glasses when I use my computer. The thin slice of lens on the bifocals that a good for the two-foot distances is a bit annoying to keep aimed.

This brings up the topic of eyesight supplies. I stopped using contact lenses when I stopped playing competitive spots over five years ago. So, if you use things like sun glasses or are concerned about sitting on your glasses so want to carry a backup pair – the number of glasses rapidly increase. Then which ones do you carry when you take a field trip from the ship.

I have prescription sunglasses (near-sighted only for driving), but only used them for pool volleyball. I saw another guest with a set of magnetic “clip on” sunglasses. I may look into that.

I’d also have to think about how into photography I will be. Swapping glasses and camera gets old fast.

Understand Laundry

Now that I have over 100 days with Silversea I get free laundry on future cruises. Since I was on the whole world cruise I got free laundry this time, but I did not realize that at the beginning. I need to be more aggressive getting that locked down as it directly impacts how many outfits I need to pack.

Brought but Never Used

• I packed a sweatshirt and two nice wool sweaters – I never wore the sweaters. Maybe I’m a bit hot blooded, but I became known as the guy always touring sites in shorts and polo shirts. As long as I keep moving, I don’t need more (but I carry the sweatshirt in my back pack).
• Canvas trousers – kind of like the sweaters, I never wore them. I had wool trousers for wearing in the evening, so I used those on those days when we needed them (like we were visiting a religious site that did not allow shorts).
• Sandals – I had great clip-on Tevas. Didn’t use them. I prefer closed-toe shoes for hiking and walking.

Side Story

We were in Shanghai in early March, so it was a bit chilly. There were construction workings on the dock wearing full long sleeve jackets when I left the ship wearing my standard short gear. They looked at me and made “Aren’t you cold” gestures. I gave them a good “Welcome to the Gun Show” gesture back, and we all laughed. Over the next two days, every time I walked by, we would pose for each other.