Escaping the holiday craziness by sailing to the Caribbean on Oceania Cruises

Once again the suitcase is on the bed and I am trying to figure out what to pack for our cruise that departs Wednesday.

You would think I would have this figured out by now but every cruise is different. Sometimes we are traveling in cool climes and sometimes very hot ones. Some ships are more formal than others. It is important to do your homework in this regard.

We will be sailing on Oceania Cruises from Miami on a 10-day cruise on the Riviera, the company’s newest ship. It is quite small – 1,250 passengers – which is our preference. We have booked a veranda cabin which they boast is one of the largest of this category at sea, 282 square feet. The layout looks comfortable, with the bed toward the door and the sitting area toward the balcony.

Oceania boasts that its cruises are luxurious yet casual. There are no formal nights so Chet can leave the tux in the closet here and no really glitzy garb for me. I think I will stick to a couple of simple dresses and an array of splashy tops to wear with white or black pants for the evenings.

We do know it is going to be hot…our itinerary is heading into the heart of the Caribbean islands and the outside temps will undoubtedly be in the 80’s and usually the humidity is high. So a couple of bathing suits for sure plus some light clothing for wearing ashore. But the air conditioning inside is always on the cold side so I have to add a couple of sweaters.

We are fortunate that we are driving to Miami to board the ship so we can add in a couple of straw hats that are often cumbersome to take on planes.

Our itinerary is as follows:

We have been to all of these island multiple times, with the exception of Cayo Levantado which in near the port of Samana in the Dominican Republic. We will plan to do some extra exploring there. Otherwise, we are going to be creative on the other islands, in most cases seeking out interesting lunch places that we can share with you here.

We always enjoy cruising at this time of year when prices are better and we can get away from the pre-holiday craziness here.

So, stay posted. We will be sailing soon!