On my first cruise, I brought a carry-on and half of a big suitcase that I shared with my partner. And in there was a suit. I overdid it. Big time.

Fourteen cruises later, I pack very differently. In this post I'll tell you what to pack for a one-week cruise, how to dress for dinners and formal night, what changes on a northern cruise, what to keep in your carry-on on embarkation day, how to do laundry on board or in port, and what I never pack anymore.

Less than you think, and pieces that mix and match.

On a cruise you'll need comfortable clothes for the day, something a bit dressier for the evening, swimwear and, if you work out, gym clothes. A few pieces that go together are more than enough for a week.

And there's a reason it's so easy to overpack for a cruise: you don't haul your suitcase from place to place. You unpack on day one and don't touch it again until the last day. So you throw in "just in case" things you'll never wear.

I don't remember exactly everything I brought, but I do remember it was a lot. A carry-on for me and half of a big suitcase shared with my partner.

And a suit. I think I wore it one night. But I wouldn't pack it again today.

What I struggled with most at first was evening wear. I didn't really know how to put outfits together, so I brought too much to make sure I had something for every dinner.

Over the years I've found my formula. I bring two or three blazers, a pair of slightly dressier pants, and underneath I rotate a shirt, a polo, a sweater or a turtleneck. That gets me through the whole week with a different look every night, and it works really well.

I'm not one to get super dressed up at night. But this way I look put together without hauling half my closet.

I have a habit I repeat on every cruise. As soon as we get the cabin, I set aside some time on day one to take every piece of clothing out of my suitcase and hang it in the closet.

It's going to be one or two weeks, and it's much easier for me to have everything organized and in sight. When I choose what to wear, I can see it all at a glance.

My partner is the opposite: she leaves half her clothes in the suitcase and grabs things as she needs them. Both ways work. But if you like things tidy, like I do, do it on day one and forget about it. There's usually plenty of closet space.

It's not mandatory, but people dress up quite a bit in the evenings. Quite a bit.

The big night is formal night, the captain's night. That's when almost everyone brings out their best: suits, long dresses… And it's fun to see. Some people dress like it's New Year's Eve every night, and others keep it simple. That's up to you.

Like I said, I play with blazers, and some nights I just wear a shirt. If you love dressing up, you'll enjoy a cruise. And if you don't, long pants and a slightly nicer top will keep you from standing out.

For a seven-night cruise, this is my standard suitcase:

My approach is simple: one look for the day, one for the evening, and I mix and match.

Almost everything changes. On my last cruise, to Norway, I didn't bring a single short-sleeve shirt or pair of shorts.

There, clothes aren't about style, they're about being practical. I packed useful clothes for the cold and for walking.

I've hiked a lot my whole life, so I went with layers. The more layers, the warmer you are, the less bulky it is and the more you can mix. A thermal base layer always, a sweater or fleece on top and a good coat. I saved polos and shirts for inside the ship in the evening.

Gloves, a hat and a coat, no exceptions. And something I didn't bring but should have: thermal leggings. Watching the northern lights on deck at freezing temperatures, I would have appreciated them.

Two tips.

First: what you're wearing. Embarkation day is the day you take the most photos. Because of the excitement, because you're exploring the ship, because you're meeting up with the people you're traveling with, and because they take the official photo with the ship in the background when you board. I almost never buy it, but it's there. So my advice is to wear an outfit you love that day, one you feel good and comfortable in.

Second: what's in your backpack. Your big suitcase gets delivered to your cabin, but it can take a while. Once mine arrived around 6 p.m., and we'd boarded at 1. That's why I always pack my laptop, my toiletry bag, flip-flops and a swimsuit in my carry-on, especially in summer. That way, if you feel like it, you can go for a swim that first afternoon. And if not, no big deal: you have the whole week.

Yes, and it completely changes how you pack.

On this last cruise I used the ship's laundry service for the first time, halfway through. If the cruise is two weeks long, I'd book it without a doubt, because it lets you pack far fewer clothes. On Costa, your clothes don't come back ironed, but they don't come back wrinkled either. If you want them pressed, you can ask for an extra fee.

Another option is doing laundry in port. That happened to me in Split, Croatia, on a cruise where I'd miscalculated how many clothes I needed. I got off, found a laundry in the center where you drop off your clothes, they wash them and give them back folded in a bag. It cost very little. I dropped it off when I got off the ship, went for a walk around the city filming videos and picked it up before reboarding. Perfect.

That said, it's not the same everywhere. In Norway I looked for a place to do laundry and struggled: self-service laundromats aren't common there like they are in other countries. And something can always go wrong, so if you do laundry in port, be prepared for it not being ready in time.

Then there's the service that picks up your suitcase at home and delivers it to your cabin, Costa's Bag Express. It lets you bring a huge suitcase without taking it on the plane. But keep one thing in mind: they pick it up a few days before the cruise, and it can take a few days to come back afterward. During that time, you won't have those clothes at home.

Overly formal clothes and too many shoes.

I'm very practical. Comfortable sneakers, flip-flops and a slightly dressier pair of sneakers do the job. Sometimes I pack dress shoes and almost never wear them.

You also don't need two big suitcases. I believe the luggage allowance is usually generous, several bags per person, but one large and one small suitcase is more than enough.

If I had to sum it up in one sentence: choose carefully, don't overpack just because there's no strict limit, and pack clothes you feel great in.

Because on a cruise you'll take tons of photos and videos. And those are the clothes you'll see years from now when you look back at them.

On my first cruise, I even packed a suit. Today I travel with two or three blazers, gym clothes that weigh nothing and an umbrella that's always with me. I don't pack less because I care less about how I look. I pack less because I now know what I'll actually wear.

So which are you: an overpacker or someone who packs light?

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