Not only will the destination and weather factor into what you should wear on your cruise, but you'll also want to know if formal nights require black-tie attire, themed dress parties need ...

Men can wear a suit or tux - but they can ... This is one of the most important 12 Things to Know Before Your First Cruise!

If I had known it wasn't necessary to wear, I would've left it at ... a bar of laundry soap to hand-wash a few things. Though it was a Caribbean cruise, I got chilly, so bring some warm clothing.

Most of these cruise pitfalls are preventable ... there's never a shortage of things to do. Plus it's nice to have a day or two of downtime in between busy port days crammed with sightseeing.