2 Carry-on Bags

[1937olds]

All of you posters that claim you only take 2 carry on bags for a 10 day, 2 night formal cruise, PLEASE :confused: tell me exactly what you pack for clothing. I for the life of me can't figure out how you can do it. I do not like paying extra for the bags on the airline, but if you send your clothes out to be washed daily, where is the savings? How many pairs of shoes, underware, pj's, shorts, shirts, swim suits, socks, etc.

[cb at sea]

There's no way I'd even try....my mother can do it, but I have no desire to wear the same color pallette for the entire cruise.

If you're on a 10 nighter, you'll need at least 1 pair of underwear a day...maybe 2....for women, that takes no space at all (at least, with my undies!)...

shoes....3-4 pair should do it...flip-flops for the pool and can be worn with shorts...1 or 2 dress shoes (for women) and either sandals or athletic shoes (which I've NEVER brought on a vacation!) I've never brought socks on a cruise! Hubby has, for formal night. No pj's at all. (You're on vacation!)

Folks who do the 2 carry-on thing are NOT bringing formalwear...at least, not tuxes and gowns!

[456ZOEY]

Personally I find it hard to believe you can pack enough in a carry on for 10 days, I've managed to pack it all in a 26 inch and that's just the bare minimum. I like my clothes, shoes, sandals, jewelery etc. and the joy of being dressed up on a cruise is what its all about. I'd rather pay the extra and be comfortable and happy with what I got to bring along.

[greeneg]

One trick that saves weight and space is to take only travel underwear that dries overnight with you. A little expensive, but all you need is three pair, one drying, one on the body, and one in reserve. Of course, if you are on an S-Class ship, you also have to take your own clothesline since they removed those from the shower......

 

My wife and I spent a week in Italy prior to our TA on the Equinox. We each took a 25" bag and a carryon; most of my carryon was my photo stuff, my reader, meds, that sort of thing. We sent out laundry twice ( it was a 15 night cruise) and I rented a tux and shoes for formal nights, but it worked just fine. I thought that my wife was lovely as always.

[Booyakasha]

Airlines don't allow 2 carry ons. They allow one carry on and a personal item, like a purse or brief case. I don't see how it is possible. Who the heck wants to wash their underwear in a sink on vacation???

 

B.

[greeneg]

I think that you misread what I wrote: My wife and I each had a carryon and a 25" bag, the latter being checked luggage. My wife uses a roller board, my carryon is a photobackpack. It's easily possible, we've done it for years. It is easier where there are no formal nights, but I took my own vest, suspenders, bow tie, studs, and pocketwatch to wear with the rented tux. No problem at all. Another trick that I didn't mention was the use of compression packing bags-- I actually us 2 1/2 gallon ziplocks for a lot of my things, saves space. We also manage to stay within the weight restrictions.

 

As for washing underwear, not beneath my dignity, don't mind it at all, takes very little time, hey, I'm already in the shower anyway.

[NnJ2010]

I think the OP was referring to couples who claim they only take 2 carry-on bags. One 21" bag per person.

 

 

No idea, I couldn't do it. I can do it for short trips but not longer than 7 days. And a cruise would be pushing it. My carry on usually consists of things like, electronics, a book or two, etc. But if I'm only going out of town for 4 days or so I can pack 4 days worth of clothes plus my laptop and such into a computer.

 

But for a cruise...I want convenience. I also bring speakers for music, a laptop, booklight, multiple books (no ereader yet) etc etc and on a cruise - shoes are a killer I need at least 3 pair - minimum. Business trips one or two no problem.

[Lois R]

I sail solo and feel like I am low maintenance but not that low:eek:;)

I bring 1 checked bag and 1 carry on~2 pieces of luggage whether

its a 7 night or 10 night cruise.

I could not do a cruise with only a carry on and never intend to:)

[kitty9]

If you don't do formal nights, if you only wear a bathing suit and cover up during the day, and if you wear the same two pairs of slacks and tops every evening, then you can do it, but WHY??????

[kathcoll]

All of you posters that claim you only take 2 carry on bags for a 10 day, 2 night formal cruise, PLEASE :confused: tell me exactly what you pack for clothing. I for the life of me can't figure out how you can do it. I do not like paying extra for the bags on the airline, but if you send your clothes out to be washed daily, where is the savings? How many pairs of shoes, underware, pj's, shorts, shirts, swim suits, socks, etc.

 

For last year's 12 day (November) Mediterranean cruise with 3 days pre-cruise and 1 post cruise in Barcelona I traveled with one 19 inch carry-on that weighed 17 pounds and a personal item (about the size of a laptop bag).

 

I actually pack basically the same for 4 days or 4 weeks.

 

Before I learned to travel light I had luggage show up on various trips

-after I returned home,

-with 3 days delay,

-after spending the night "lost" on the tarmac during a heavy rain

-permanently lost

 

Once I realized that I usually wear my work clothes at least twice between dry cleaning I started feeling better about wearing the same thing twice in one week. And no one really cares what I wear but me, so as long as I'm comfortable, why should anyone else care that I wore something before?

 

A black skirt or even docker type pants will be okay for formal night with a glittery or dressy top. Guys wear the same tux twice - why can't I wear the same thing twice?

Silk scarves take no room and can totally change the appearance of an outfit

 

To wash your hand laundry use a large zip lock bag with a laundry sheet or powdered detergent.

 

Wear your coat, sweater, jeans and heavier items when boarding. I'm always cold on a plane, so even in warm weather I bring a jacket or heavy sweater.

 

Take small electronics (ipod, camera, cell phone, chargers, travel powerstrip, kindle e-reader) in your pockets.

 

Wear your heavier walking shoes, pack light weight sandals that can work for evening and leave the rest of your shoes at home

 

Those little containers that you get with make-up purchases are just the right size for a 1 - 2 week trip - never take full-sized cosmetics!

 

I appreciate this is not the way everyone likes to travel, but it certainly works for me!

 

Sticking to a packing list is essential to prevent cramming last minute stuff in.

Here's mine:

 

IN CARRY-ON:

Wrinkle-resistant CLOTHING

4-5 shirts/blouses/tops

2-4 pairs slacks/skirts/shorts

2 pairs socks; 2 pair knee-highs

6 pairs underwear

gym shorts and tank top

nightgown

2 swimsuits

beach cover-up

pashmina

3 silk scarves

1 pair dressy sandals

flip-flops

Travel kit

safety pins, rubber bands, duct tape wrapped around pen

travel sewing kit

Ziploc plastic bags -sandwich and quart sizes

X-large ziplock bag for laundry

toothbrush, cap, tooth cleaner, floss

razor, nail clippers, tweezers

comb and hairbrush

eyeshadow, powder

First aid pouch

Excedrin migraine, Imodium, Zantac, vitamins, meds

insect repellent wipes

SPF15 lip balm

bandaids, moleskin blister protection

spare glasses,

lens cleaning wipes

TSA liquids

makeup (travel size, samples, "gift-sized"),

lip gloss, lipstick

3 oz tube of sunblock

travel size shampoo & conditioner

travel size deodorant

detergent sheet, spot remover

hand sanitizer

 

In PERSONAL ITEM and/or POCKETS:

flashlight or night light

inflatable travel pillow

antibacterial wipes

travel mug

eye mask.

ear plugs

pen, small notebook

KINDLE with books, maps, guidebooks, phrase books, restaurant lists, telephone access numbers

camera, extra cards & batteries, charger, cable to view on TV

cell phone and charger

travel powerstrip, plug adapter

ipod, earphones

umbrella

snorkle and mask

Security Passport Pouch and wrist wallet

passport, extra passport photos

copies of important documents, (international?) driver's license

health and travel insurance information

travel tickets

charge & ATM cards,

cash

All this really does fit in one bag and weigh less than 17 pounds.

 

I eliminated a shopping bag sized second bag when I got my kindle - I used to bring 4 or 5 books plus travel guides and maps, and copies of all kinds of papers that I now load on the kindle.

 

I agree with those who complain about people with too large or too many carry-ons. The rules should be applied equally to all. But it is personal choice to determine what you need to enjoy a vacation. 2 to 4 outfits a day with shoes to match each outfit does not make me happy.

[SusieV]

Personally I find it hard to believe you can pack enough in a carry on for 10 days, I've managed to pack it all in a 26 inch and that's just the bare minimum. I like my clothes, shoes, sandals, jewelery etc. and the joy of being dressed up on a cruise is what its all about. I'd rather pay the extra and be comfortable and happy with what I got to bring along.

 

This exactly!

[ORV]

If nothing else it explains those funky smells along about day 7 or 8 of a 10 day cruise.

[Canadianhey!]

I get so proud when I pack because i use a medium size suitcase and everything is in there until I have to pack my formal wear, shoes, and toiletrys. I then pull out the big suitcase

[Shelbs97]

I went on a cruise with friends a couple years ago and they ALL packed in one carry on except me. I have no idea how they did it. Now that we're doing a 12 night Mediterranean, we'll probably each have a rolling carry on, a backpack and a large suitcase. I hope we can fit it all in. (taking into consideration that we're going to be in Cancun for a week prior to the cruise.)

[petrakae]

Packing is my biggest nightmare. We fly from Australia and can only have one checked case (30kg) and one cabin bag(7kg),p/p, and when we plan to be away for 8 weeks it is difficult.........for me anyway..... We will be cruising for 6 of those weeks and heading your way Greeneg in NC to visit the son & family.

[Pilot70D]

The number of bags is immaterial. The War Department's (a.k.a. Mrs. B's) luggage is measured in tons not bags. One can do the math to determine how many bags are required to contain multiple tons of stuff.

:):cool::)

[iancal]

I take a 20" carry on. I use it for a one week business trip of a 5 week European vacation. It works for me. DW has a 24" that she has to check. She is trying to get down and sometimes uses mine when she travels alone to see if she could do it. DW has a very small carry on bag with a book or two and medication that she takes on the flight(s)-often they just end up in her cavernous purse.. We are moving away from attending formal evenings. They have lost their glow for us and dragging along what is needed is too much trouble for what amounts to 4-5 hours in a 7 day cruise or 12-15 hours in a 10/11 day cruise (we always change back after the formal dinner). If we want to dress up we can do it much more conveniently at home. This has nothing whatsoever to do with paying for bags or extra bags. Our idea of a good vacation does not include formal wear and when we travel we do not like to be encumbered by lots of luggage.

[CathyCruises]

I did five days in Rome with a backpack: an extra pair of shoes, two pairs of pants, five tops, jammies, undies, socks (middle of winter), light sweater, laptop, and toiletries. But not a cruise. . .but I bet I could do a 7 nighter if I had to using just a carryon, but why? We were taking the train around Italy and it was too hard to handle real luggage. Oh, and always a book!

[iancal]

CathyCruises.....travelling extensively in Europe is what moved us, and continues to move us, towards packinhg less. Jumping on trains, pulling luggage over cobblestones, or humping it into buses, taxis or rental cars convinced us to travel lighter. And after a few trips, we found that the less luggage we hauled about the more we enjoyed the experience.

[Project_gal]

If you don't do formal nights, if you only wear a bathing suit and cover up during the day, and if you wear the same two pairs of slacks and tops every evening, then you can do it, but WHY??????

 

Exactly, WHY???? Holidays are to be enjoyed.

 

Sue

[dragonlady2411]

My husband and I have travelled around the world twice (4 months and 3 months) and are planning another 4 monther next year. We begin with one suitcase each of 20kg maximum + a carryon each. Each trip begins in hot climates (Asia/Middle East in summer) and ends in cooler places (England, USA in November/December) so we have cooler/warmer clothes. I handwash every night (it's a pain but doesn't take long) and by the end of our trip I'm usually pretty sick of the limited outfits I've had to wear.

But...

we are able to fly home from the USA with 2 cases each of 30kg (business class) so we do a LOT of shopping in the USA. Your clothes are so much cheaper and with our dollar much improved I am so looking forward to our trip next year (which will include our first cruise - in the Southern Caribbean).

With us departing from Australia, excess weight is an issue, especially when we may have lots of little economy class flights throughout our trip. Plus, we're getting too old to lug around heavy cases and more than one would be impossible at some destinations.

So please don't be too critical of those who may not have matching sandals, a different outfit for each day or who will not be able to go to formal nights due to the lack of appropriate clothing or even the desire to do so. As long as you're clean and neat, no one should be offended.

[islandgirlejfan]

I used this system the last time I cruised for a week and found it worked great! I actually had a little more in my carry on than this gentleman. I was a serious overpacker because I would try and overthink every possible situation I could be in as far as my needs. I now make a list, look at it and decide what I really can live without. What I found is Woolite is amazing, samples are amazing to hold on to, I wear my bathing suit and cover up a lot and I did too much changing of clothing....3 or 4 hours in an outfit is not long enough to get it dirty....it's not like being at work all day in the same thing.

 

By the way, wrinkles doing it this way are minimal....it beats the old way I did it which was by rolling.

 

[msrizzo]

islandgirlejfan, that video is INCREDIBLE! :eek:

[cruise kitty]

We were able to drive to the port for our last cruise, & took way too much, a full suitcase each, for Europe we'll pack much less, has nothing to do with airline fees, as we'll travel in a class that allows us plenty, it's because pre & post cruise we'll be traveling using trains & buses & it's just better to travel light, we won't just carry on, but we will probably just have a small to medium suitcase & a carry on each. We will use the ships laundry service all through our cruise. I have a feeling that the heavy packers probably mostly do caribbean type cruises.

[islandgirlejfan]

islandgirlejfan, that video is INCREDIBLE! :eek:

 

I can't take credit for it....one of the long time NCL posters has it on his page. I watched it and was blown away by it....decided on our last cruise to give it a try. It really worked very nice for me....I had enough clothing for the week to include my dress clothing.

 

We personally have suffered through lost luggage, so I do like being able to deal with my own items if at all possible. Gets us out of BWI that much faster! Did you notice that he really doesn't force the suitcase closed? It really is incredible. Pair that with using your front compartments for small items and you're good to go!