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How much do you pack for a 7 day cruise?


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I have a cruise coming up soon (under 40 days until we leave!!!) and I'm starting to make a list of clothes to pack. I think I'm an over packer. I plan day vs night clothes. I have a shirt for every day and then my night time stuff. Given that there are excursions and pool time, is that too much? How much do you pack for a 7 day cruise?

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If its your first 7 day cruise, you'll most likely over pack.

 

A lot will depend on how formal you want to get. Taking a suit and tie for 2 nights will take up some space, along with all the accessories (Socks, shoes...etc). To tell you the truth, I don't bring a suit anymore, and haven't for a long time. But when we first started cruising we did bring suits all the time, and enjoyed the formal nights. I still dress nice on the formal/elegant nights, but not suit and tie nice...lol

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A backpack and 20" roller is all I need. I take 3 pairs of shorts (nylon so can be washed in sink), a fresh t-shirt for each day, a few sundresses, a pair of slacks and 3-4 blouses for evening, a pair of yoga pants for the gym (reuse previous day t-shirt for gym/track), a couple of swimsuits and a cover up and a sweater/sweatshirt. I wear on my tennis shoes with another pair of yoga pants and t-shirt. Pack flip flops, water shoes and 1 pair of black sandals for evenings - so they go with the dresses and the slacks. Minimizing shoes is a key to space savings and also make sure everything goes with black.

 

I am Platinum now, so send out laundry, but I really wouldn't need to with this list. DH and I get a huge chuckle everytime we walk the halls the first and last night with the massive suitcases of stuff that people bring.

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I have a cruise coming up soon (under 40 days until we leave!!!) and I'm starting to make a list of clothes to pack. I think I'm an over packer. I plan day vs night clothes. I have a shirt for every day and then my night time stuff. Given that there are excursions and pool time, is that too much? How much do you pack for a 7 day cruise?

 

I am very minimal for packing nowadays--1 suitcase per each my daughter and myself and 1 rolling backpack for us to share for toiletries.

 

I bring about 3-4 outfits and do laundry in between. We each just have 1 swimsuit and 2 pairs of shoes--casual sandals and tennis shoes.

 

My dd is 12 and neither one of us has any fashion sense--so its just shorts and tops for our outfits :)

 

You will be amazed at how many suitcases you see people bringing on a cruise, but I have learned each time to slim down the packing :) We are pros now.

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Still too much. Alaska was tough because denim and flannel replaced shorts and polos to a certain extent. For 7 days my wife and I had 2 checked, a 'max' carry-on and a duffle. (The duffle became necessary relative to the Caribbean where we do the first 3.)

 

Here's the thing. The reality is that most of us can get two wearings out of most 'evening' outfits. So be careful not to overpack the clothing you'll wear to dinner. No one remembers if I wear the same Tommy Bahama shirt on Friday that I wore on Monday. And it's certainly not dirty after wearing it 5 hours earlier in the week.

 

Do note that we don't do laundry. And we still bring actual 'dress clothes' for the 2 elegant nights by choice. So we're not trying to get below the 3 pieces we typically bring. And we do normally fly SWA so our luggage cost isn't a factor. We have successfully managed all carry-on for a very casual 7 day sailing trip.

Edited by jsglow
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I live 3 hours from the port so am not limited on how much I can bring. Which is a good thing because I always pack 4 outfits per day while on vacation (Exercise outfit/Pool outfit/Afternoon lounging outfit/Dinner outfit). Sounds like alot, but I do exercise daily even on vacay, and if the weather is hot/humid, I feel uncomfortable wearing the same clothes for more than a few hours. And I do wear everything that I bring! I know...I have issues!

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For a 7 day cruise we don't do laundry on board. We each take 1 rolling suitcase in which we pack clothing. I have daytime outfits and nighttime ones. The key is to color coordinate your outfits so you don't need too many pairs of shoes. Wear the clunkiest ones on board.

Then we each have a backpack or large tote for the extras, like electronics,meds,etc. We don't check luggage so we like to be able to easily handle everything. DH does not bring a suit for elegant night-just slacks and a nice shirt.

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We drive to port and I take everything but the kitchen sink! I am not one to brag on doing a 30 day cruise with 2 changes of clothes. To each his own. Take what you want (or can afford if you fly). Just be comfortable and have a good time!

 

I live 3 hours from the port so am not limited on how much I can bring. Which is a good thing because I always pack 4 outfits per day while on vacation (Exercise outfit/Pool outfit/Afternoon lounging outfit/Dinner outfit). Sounds like alot, but I do exercise daily even on vacay, and if the weather is hot/humid, I feel uncomfortable wearing the same clothes for more than a few hours. And I do wear everything that I bring! I know...I have issues!

 

Exactly. We only sail out of ports we can drive to, as we do not fly, so we bring whatever we think we'll need, and don't care about getting chuckled at for my massive suitcase. I tend to sweat just a bit more than the average person, so I need extra shirts, and since I'm not platinum yet, unless I really need to, I don't do laundry on-board. Combine that with the fact that DH is a fashionista, there's no bringing anything less than 2 big suitcases and a few carry-ons.

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On sea days, I wear shorts to breakfast, and then I'm in my bathing suit until time to get ready for dinner...I can wear those shorts a couple times to breakfast! Pretty much same with hubby....

 

I do bring all my own toiletries, and hairdryer, and electric curlers...that takes up space!

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We drive to port and I take everything but the kitchen sink! I am not one to brag on doing a 30 day cruise with 2 changes of clothes. To each his own. Take what you want (or can afford if you fly). Just be comfortable and have a good time!

 

Sent from my VK700 using Tapatalk

Ditto. The only thing I cut down on over the years is shoes. (my weakness)

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For 7 days in the Caribbean;

2 pairs of black pants and 3 nice tops for evening.

1 pair capris, 2 pairs shorts.

5 t-shirts. (The nice tops for evening wear get rotated into my daily wear - they aren't dirty after being worn for just a few hours in the air conditioning)

Hiking shoes, nice looking sandals I can walk long distances in, flip flops. (Wear the hikers on the plane)

A light cardigan or wrap.

1 swim suit and cover up.

 

I am prone to eczema, so I bring my own soap, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner. I also bring a sheet from home because I react to detergents sometimes.

 

I don't mind wearing clothes more than once between washings. And I don't mind re-wearing items in the evening. On longer warm weather cruises, I add laundry detergent to my packing list, and do laundry once or twice.

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I have a cruise coming up soon (under 40 days until we leave!!!) and I'm starting to make a list of clothes to pack. I think I'm an over packer. I plan day vs night clothes. I have a shirt for every day and then my night time stuff. Given that there are excursions and pool time, is that too much? How much do you pack for a 7 day cruise?

 

Here is what we generally do, we pack for our trip no matter how many days what we think we need. Then when we get all done, and just before zipping the suitcases up we take out "HALF";). In fact, we sometimes even still have to much...LoL

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depends on where you are going & if you use the laundry onboard

 

 

We take 1 x 21 " rolling carry on each & 1 carry on tote with electronics. meds & paperwork

 

Next cruise 14 day to Norway I have a 21" rolling bag & a 24 " rolling bag plus one small carry on with electronics

I have a light weight jacket & rain jacket

 

No formal wear needed on our cruise just smart casual for evening

Plus i do use the laundry facilities

worth it to me to take less baggage

 

YMMV

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On 7 days cruise hubby and i each take one rolling suitcase, large one for me and med size for him. I also take one small carry on bag for 2 bottles of wine , any meds, makeup and electronics we have. I bring 2 swim suits, shorts and a t for each day , 3 nice outfits that i can mix match with each other for nights, 1 pair of flip flops, 1 pair of sandals and 1 pair of slip on like toms or bobs. Hubby takes just about the same, except for shorts. He wears his swim trunks most of the day so he doesnt take as many pairs of shorts as i do ,

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they always say to pack and then remove half of what you are packing. I find I run out of underwear. Think about your activities. We would eat breakfast, have an excursion, come back to the pool and then dinner and evening activities. That was a lot of clothes changing (and I changed underwear with every outfit.) So I've done my own laundry or paid for it. I'm attaching a few things I've saved about packing to help you.

Packing list Cruise.pdf

Tips For New Cruisers.pdf

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they always say to pack and then remove half of what you are packing. I find I run out of underwear. Think about your activities. We would eat breakfast, have an excursion, come back to the pool and then dinner and evening activities. That was a lot of clothes changing (and I changed underwear with every outfit.) So I've done my own laundry or paid for it. I'm attaching a few things I've saved about packing to help you.

 

The first tip on “The tips for new cruisers” made me chuckle. Specifically the part where he says, “Don’t stress about wardrobe—No one cares what you wear”. Ummm...I care what I wear and if I don’t feel good about my wardrobe and feel like I have a lack of choices, I will feel stress. Just the idea of wearing something multiple times or switching tops to wear with the same black slacks/skirt, or bringing the same pair of shoes to wear with multiple monochrome outfits...all causes me stress! LOL! There are some good tips on the doc, but some of it is just personal preference.

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Here's our packing lists (for a 7 day cruise) you can adjust them to your circumstances as everyone does not have the same priorities as we do. (Items with a * must be "on hand" while in the terminal though.)

Carry-on (we use 1 14-16" roller bag per 2 people in our boarding party):

* 2 x 750ml bottles of wine (1 per each adult, we do not always take this)

* 6-12 x 12 oz cans of soda (allowed 12 per passenger, we do not always take this)

Medications (Rx and OTC)

Jewelry

Electronics (except our phones)

Charger cords and batteries

A complete change of clothes for 2 people.

Swimsuits for 2 people

Trail sized toiletries (the ones we use different brands than each other)

wide brim or large billed hats for sun protection

a windbreaker or hoodie (if not worn to board, it can get cool/cold on the outside decks at night)

In my purse:

* Print-outs and copies of everyone's boarding passes

* My Passport (if no passport - government issued IDs, Birth Certificates, & name change papers)

Mine and my husband's phone

Cash, debit/credit cards, and DL basically a pared down wallet

Car and house keys

Copies of everyone's important papers (like DL or insurance, in case the card gets lost)

A pen and highlighter

Some feminine products

Checked Luggage (this is per person and we usually only need 1 rolling garment bag and 1 20-22" roller for the 2 of us):

1 pair sandals

1 pair water shoes

1 pair sneakers or docksiders (if not worn at boarding)

1 pair dress shoes

2 dressy outfits (we like lots of pictures on Elegant Evenings)

6-8 shirts

4-6 shorts or capris (this depend on our excursions ex. beach day 1 less but add to swimwear)

1-2 pairs of long pants (for me depends on excursion types & departure port weather, DH needs them for the MDR)

underwear for 7 days

another bathing suit or 2

cover-up or 2 (in DH's case a plain tee-shirt)

full sized bottles of toiletries including sun protection & bug spray (these we share)

an extra backpack for souvenirs

When traveling w/ other family members we add in 2 PJs

Just to note many females will wear a maxi or sundress almost the entire time on board instead of shorts and a shirt. I'm petite so it's hard to find ones that don't sweep the floor.

If you have plans to utilize the gym for exercise you may want to add in work-out clothing.

So all in all even when we drive to port we usually have the 3 bags (small, medium, & large) and my purse total.

Edited by maryred
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I try to get more than one wearing out of some things. For instance, the polo shirt I wear in the evening to dinner and the show can be worn during the day a few days later. I usually take just two pairs of slacks and alternate wearing them to dinner. Other items include two pairs of shorts, two swimsuits, underwear and socks for every day, several T-shirts, a dress shirt, sports coat, two ties, and tropical shirt.

 

 

We take two checked bags--one a large suitcase and the other a rolling garment bag. The large suitcase can come close to the 50-pound limit when we are flying to the port.

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I have a cruise coming up soon (under 40 days until we leave!!!) and I'm starting to make a list of clothes to pack. I think I'm an over packer. I plan day vs night clothes. I have a shirt for every day and then my night time stuff. Given that there are excursions and pool time, is that too much? How much do you pack for a 7 day cruise?

 

It really varies based on your activities and preferences. I personally can't stand the "twice the $ and half the clothes" advice - I'd have way more cash than I'm comfortable carrying (since we already allow a generous emergency fund) and would run out of clothes. I've already had a few trips where trying to pack exactly what we need for clothing has required hand washing a few items in the sink:o

 

The only hard and fast rules for me are: enough underwear for each day plus one extra;); everything must fit in the luggage and I have to be able to handle the luggage. We do re-use some outer clothes and others are one-time use only. I do like having 2 swimsuits - don't like putting a wet one on if I don't have to. Wearing your bulkiest shoes to the ship can help.

 

Itinerary makes a difference too. We pack both warm & cool for Canada, but aim for layering pieces.

 

I live 3 hours from the port so am not limited on how much I can bring. Which is a good thing because I always pack 4 outfits per day while on vacation (Exercise outfit/Pool outfit/Afternoon lounging outfit/Dinner outfit). Sounds like alot, but I do exercise daily even on vacay, and if the weather is hot/humid, I feel uncomfortable wearing the same clothes for more than a few hours. And I do wear everything that I bring! I know...I have issues!

 

We usually drive to the port, but our packing tends to be the same. I probably have 3 outfits per day (exercise, day time activities, dinner and evening activities). We don't spend much time at the pool:eek: but are often doing water based excursions (once we had a spa balcony and used swim wear everyday).

 

We wear almost everything we bring - I don't think that's having issues, but rather having my packing down to a science;)

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