How do you pack????

[dollfan]

I am always being accused of packing too much for a cruise but there are alot a wonam has to pack for, sandals, shore exursion tennis shoes, formal shoes, etc.... Also curious how do you pack your formals? any tips from the women out there????

[SANDY BEACH]

I have just packed my bags for our Sunday cruise on Millennium. I use a garment bag for formals, informal and whatever casual clothes I can fit in it. I try to use as many dry cleaner bags as possible which helps prevent clothes from wrinkling. I have checked out the prices for pressing and decided if anything is too bad, I'll just send it out to be pressed. Can't imagine my bill would be more than $15.00. Well worth it to me.

[Boo's Mom]

dollfan ~

 

I ususally plan to wear a few things twice. This concept, times 4 people....and I have just eliminated a suitcase full of clothes!

 

Really, though.....I have a few things laundered. Just a few dollars...and it really simplifies things.

 

I just pack the formal stuff....(ladies)...and then have it pressed when I get onboard. My DH rents a tuxedo. Easy.

 

Yes, we do have so many types of shoes. I bring only one pair for each category. No exceptions. One dress pair, one casual beach pair, on pair for the non formal dinners, etc....

 

We buy t-shirts for my DH and children while in ports/on the ship...so, we take that into consideration when packing for the cruise. I'll bring a pair of shorts for my daughter...with no t-shirt, knowing that I will buy one for her...and she will wear it while on the cruise.

 

Princess and Carnival have self serve laundry facilities....and this is very, very helpful. Especially with sandy swimsuits.

 

That's all I can think of at the moment.

[L11]

I make sure to pick a couple of colors and bring clothes to coordinate with that 'scheme'. For example for evening wear on our last cruise I mostly went with black and red. I had a pair of black evening pants, a red top, a black top, a red dress, a black dress, a red jacket and a black jacket and a red and black shawl. With a few accessory changes and a couple of scarves, That pretty much took care of all 14 nights (I used the laundry as necessary). I had a couple of 'extra' pieces, but really did not need them and won't take them next time.

 

For daytime stuff, I bring twice as many tops as bottoms (coordinating again) and layer if necessary. Again, just plan to use the laundry service on the ship (self service is a nice idea, but I'm on vacation, so I let them do it). I plan to do our 14 day Hawaii cruise nxt year with one rolling suitcase and a carry on. At last that is the PLAN--I am not as disciplined as I sound, but I try! :D

 

Linda

[sassystyxfan]

I too fit everything I can in the garment bag (formal wear, blouses, men's shirts, slacks, etc.). But did you ever notice it's the hangers that don't all fit? So I put more than one pair of slacks on a hanger and then hang 3 or 4 shirts on the same hanger as the slacks and top it off with a jacket (like a small jacket that matches more than one pair of my slacks for informal nights) all on the same hanger. Now there are about 7 or 8 things on one hanger. I never have a problem with wrinkles because I put a little tissue paper in there too. Oh yeah - we have zippers and little compartments in our garment bag. I put my shoes in the little compartments and my husband's larger shoes fit in the large zipper compartments. Then we have one large suitcase for all the other stuff.

[FreesiaE]

I would describe myself as a "stacker with a border" packer. Meaning, I fold my clothes, stack them on top of one another, and make a border around my suitcase with shoes. I use two suitcases--one medium, one small; and try to split clothes between them in case one gets lost/delayed. I usually only take one pair of dress shoes (black) and clothes, including formals, that do not really wrinkle. I too, am also known to wear the same jeans on arrival/departing day, as well as some black pants/khaki's more than once.

[masterbaker]

I pack mix and match stuff. I don't need so many shoes that way. Everything gets thrown in a suitcase now formal wear and all. I send all the wrinkled stuff out to be pressed when the luggage is delivered to the cabin. No more pre cruise ironing and special packing any more for me. I start my vacation early. ;)

[boubster1]

Between my husband and myself, we take I large suitcase, 1 small suitcase,and 2 garmet bags. I fit as much as I can in the garmet bags 1st, that way I am sure to have enough hangers for the closet. And I use the pockets in the garmet bags for belts, shoes, odds and ends. The large suitcase has the rest of our clothes and the small suitcase has our toiletry and other misc. items. I also try to mix and match. I try to wear shorts and or pants more than 1 time, and have different tops to go with those bottoms. BUT......I always end up packing more than I need. I'm working on that.

 

Nancy

[tuggers]

How do I pack? Usually, poorly, and at the last minute! LOL!

[idssms]

Advice from last 3 cruises:

 

Put all your clothes into plastic garbage bags first then in the suit case.

 

We traveled in heavy rain and the bags and contents on the first cruise got soaked. Suitcases especially the new canvass ones are not waterproof. The airlines unload and load outside and the rain will get in so beware.

 

idssms

[lmmn]

Silk dresses are the best. They weigh nothing and take up very little space. I press them and pack them in ziplocks. They unpack wrinkle-free. I don't do as well with shoes. I pack LOTS of shoes.

[Perki]

Great idea with the multiple items per hanger cause that is always my problem, only so many hangers can fit on those pegs and allow them to click shut (tee hee) We always have one large garment bag on wheels, one LARGE wheeled suitcase and one carry-on wheeled suitcase with some clothes and bathing suits in case the rest of the luggage doesn't make it to the room in a timely manner and we want to go by the pool. We of course always overpack, too many t-shirts for my hubby, too many pairs of shorts for me, etc. Always have about 4 different pairs of shoes for me, try and have 1 pair that goes with all my evening casual outfits, 1 pair that will go with the formal/informal outfits, 1 pair for port walking/shopping and 1 pair for pool/beach, hubby has 4 pairs as well - dressy, casual, pool/beach and tux rental shoes. We were just under 70lbs on the large piece of luggage last cruise, boy were we sweating it hoping we weren't going to get charged extra for extra heavy luggage (LOL) Trying to keep it lighter this time, not so many shorts and t-shirts this time around!

[critterchick]

I pack as little as possible, and for any trip over a week, plan on laundry being done (not by me, I might add:D ). I bring no more than 4 pairs of shoes - I wear Land's end all weather mocs for the trip and for shore excursion, I gym shoes and one pair of shoes that I can wear both for regular dinners and for formal night (they're a little dressy for regular and a little clunky for formal, but I really don't care). Sometimes I bring a pair of sandals or flipflops to wear up to the pool. DH's feet are way bigger than mine, so his shoes take up a lot more room than mine do.

 

I also travel with a lot of black & then change it with colored accessories.

[dmk]

I pack most of my clothes on the wire hangers that you get from the cleaners. I just slide the hangar lower down in the garment. I then seperate as many layers as i can with the plastic covers from the cleaners. I save them .

 

When we get to the cabin we take out the wooden hangars from the closet. They take up too much room. Then we just hang up our clothes right from the suitcase. We're unpacked very quickly.

[claud925]

Formal wear gets packed last so it's right on top. First thing upon arrival of my suitcase is to open it, take out the gown(s) and hand it to my butler for pressing. :)

[CruisingChick]

How do I pack? Usually, poorly, and at the last minute! LOL!

 

I'm the same way, so you are not alone. If I pack too early I keep throwing more things into the suitcase.

 

Anne Maria

[katiel53]

I usually use 2 large suitcases. I also send my clothes to the cleaner to be pressed before the cruise. (I don't iron anything ever--the cleaner does that) I keep the clothes on the hanger and in the plastic bag the cleaner provides. I pack my suitcase only about half full so the clothes don't get squashed and they all come out fine. If on the off chance a formal outfit is wrinkled, I send it to the ship laundry to be pressed. I also pack way too many clothes! I think I might have to try to wear pants/shorts more than once. I need to take some clues from my husband. He could go on a vacation for a month with 4 pairs of shorts and many shirts and a couple of pairs of long pants along with a jacket and suit. I pack two outfits (at least) for everyday and end up bringing some home that haven't been worn. I also take way too many pairs of shoes and I only end up wearing a couple of pairs. Hopefully, I am learning and won't pack as much for next time.

 

Katie

[dollfan]

Advice from last 3 cruises:

 

Put all your clothes into plastic garbage bags first then in the suit case.

 

We traveled in heavy rain and the bags and contents on the first cruise got soaked. Suitcases especially the new canvass ones are not waterproof. The airlines unload and load outside and the rain will get in so beware.

 

idssms

 

What a great idea! The last thing I want to do is have wet clothes hanging all over my cabin to dry.

[dollfan]

I pack most of my clothes on the wire hangers that you get from the cleaners. I just slide the hangar lower down in the garment. I then seperate as many layers as i can with the plastic covers from the cleaners. I save them .

 

When we get to the cabin we take out the wooden hangars from the closet. They take up too much room. Then we just hang up our clothes right from the suitcase. We're unpacked very quickly.

 

another good tip...thanks....I also like the fact that not only does the plastic separate the clothes but you can hang them right up in the wardrobe and be unpacked in no time.

[trudzie]

We started using Packmate bags a couple of years ago. They have several advantages: 1. DEFINITELY more space in the suitcase 2. If opened by airport personell, they are see through so there's no need to open. 3. They actually keep things well enough that we usually don't need to iron. 4. They keep you organized i.e. slacks in one bag, undies in another, tops/blouses in another. Easy. You can find various sizes on QVC for a reasonable price. http://www.qvc.com/asp/frameset.asp?nest=%2Fasp%2FIsItemNumberRedirect.asp&search=SQ&frames=y&referrer=QVC&txtDesc=packmate&SearchClass=&Submit4=Go

 

Try them, I think you'll like them. Doesn't change the weight of your bag, but you can definitely fit more in!

[andrea63]

On our 15 day cruise packing for 3 I took 2 behemoth sized bags. I scotchguarded them before we left. Luckily because it was pouring that day. I left my clothes all on hangers so it was a breeze unpacking. I felt like I took the kitchen sink! Brought 2 over the door shoe organizers. One did hold shoes and the other odds and ends. I packed ahead of time and did well.:D DH packed the night before and forgot a lot! :confused: When I think of something important that I will need i write it down and keep a running list. Seems to work every time!

[brigittetom]

another good tip...thanks....I also like the fact that not only does the plastic separate the clothes but you can hang them right up in the wardrobe and be unpacked in no time.

 

I finally figured out this trick a few years ago and it's great. I can unpack in 10 minutes flat and the same with repacking. I just swish the dresses back and forth across the suitcase on the hanger and they have always arrived wrinkle free. :)

[LovetheSea]

After 20 cruises, I am still learning. Each time I pack I do it differently. You really have no idea how it will work until you get to the ship. I try and pack with a little more than needed, but not too much. One of the tablemates on a cruise was really late for dinner. Turns out her formal gown split the zipper and she had no dress. She ended up buying one at the gift shop on the ship. She said to save room in her suitcase she only brought one formal dress and was going to wear that both nights. She said she had a closet full of dresses she could have brought. Once my hubby brought one pair of flip flops. Of course they broke the first day and we searched all over San Juan trying to buy him a pair. Every place we went was sold out. There was the time my white crop pants got ruined when I sat on a bench on a dock. They got this black grease on them and even the ship's laundry couldn't get the stain out. I had a heal get caught in a little grate thing in a doorway on a ship. It broke the heel off of my only pair of black dress shoes I brought for the cruise! One time my husband went in the hot tub on a ship and when he came out , all the dark blue dye came off his trunks! Luckily he had another pair. So I am a firm believer that it is better to be safe and over pack a little. I now always take an extra formal dress. And two pairs of flip flops and two pairs black shoes.

I also use zip lock bags a lot. I separate all my nylons and label the bags (knee highs, pantyhose etc.) so I can put them in the drawers and easily find what kind I need. We leave for our cruise in 7 days so I am at the point where I need to try and remember what the best way is. I always section off. swimwear, day time and evening. My husband usually ends up with all my shoes. The last few times we have flown, our bags were searched. I told the guy , you can go ahead and search but YOU have to get it all in again. I am always very interested in new ideas! :)

[brigittetom]

LovetheSea, I've learned that the hard way also. I always have back ups even if it means packing a little extra. Here is a tip I learned in Curasao when we got drenched by a typhoon and I was wearing my only pair of keds. Put on dry socks and the wet canvis shoes and walk up and down the hallway. Repeat twice, hang up the socks to dry and you are ready to go. :D I got tired of trying to pack too light and wishing I had access to the things I left at home. :)

[debjac]

After 8 cruises I've finally gotten the packing down to a good level. My shoes are small so I put them inside my husband's shoes. I bought very dressy wide leg pants and I bring different dressy tops for formal nights (I look all year long and pick these up on clearance). Same thing for informal - I pair dressy black pants w/different tops. Have a pair of strappy sandals that I wear for formal and informal. Everything goes in a zip lock bag that I sit on to get the air out. As mentioned above, I put multiple shirts on one hanger with my husband's sport jacket over them. A few years ago I read the dry cleaning bag hint and use them on all the garment bag stuff.

 

My downfall is flip flops - I pack at least 4 pairs and sometimes buy a pair while on the cruise :o