What Packing method do you use?

[nickiford]

I put out everything I want to take, which is about twice what I need. Then I pair it down a little more, taking out similar tops, maybe one sweater instead of two. Then I pack everything in my 62" large as allowed by airlines suitcase and pack everything in there. I use the bundling method, which fortunately or unfortunately means no matter how much I take it will always fit!

 

Then I weigh my suitcase by putting it on my Wii fit (lol). At which point I discover it is at least 10 pounds overweight and I don't have my toiletries or make-up etc in there. I then unbundle everything and take out more stuff until I think I couldn't possible eliminiate one more thing and then repeat the process.

 

I generally come in about 5 pounds underweight which will allow for some shopping. I generally rely on the fact that my sister packs less than I do and they will usually let us weigh our bags together which means we won't go over. I've spent everything single trip I've taken worried that our luggage will be overweight and I've never been over. I've decided I'm done worriying about it, if it's over and I have to pay, no big deal, I will just pay.

[needabreakcanada]

Judging from things you have all said - I already have to revamp the packng list.

 

Shoes I should be ok - wear runners, pack flip flops, water shoes, dress shoes and birkenstock sandals.

 

Undergarments I might scale back a bit. (hubby will love that!).

 

3 dresses should be ok (two dinner one anytime)

One skirt with interchangeable tops

Shorts/capri's will need a second look

Shirts will definately need a second look

2 pair pants (one yoga one dress pant)

One over jacket for dinner

One yoga jacket for cold

One shell jacket for rain

 

What do you think?

[ccruisequeen]

Mix and match and remember that you will not see these passengers again so no need to dress to impress! Comfort, jersey or crushable materials, accessories like scarves to change an outfit, and two pairs of shoes (walking and dress slippers or sandles).

[Lisah101]

I do okay with the packing stuff, but when it comes to shoes OMgosh. I need 5 pr for me & 5 pair for dh. Yes we wear one pair each, but that's still 8 pairs of shoes. Beach/water shoes x2, sneakers for walking x2, dress sandals for me x2, dress shoes for him, casual sandals x3.

 

THats a lot of shoes! I take one pair of water/beach shoes, one pair dress shoes, maybe one pair casual sandals and wear my walking shoes which I love because they look like shoes, but work like sneakers. The beach shoes and casual sandals are so small, they pack flat into almost nothing

 

DH gets one pair walking shoes, dress shoes and flip flops for the beach which means he wears one and we only pack two.

[lucky13elec]

I used to roll my clothes until I saw this and it works even better than rolling.

 

 

Rolling still had some smaller wrinkles in my clothes, especially if they were linen. By the way.. I don't buy linen for travel clothes anymore. I've used the method above for work travel and even my suit came out unwrinkled.

 

Rolling does work, but be careful with your fabrics. It only seems to work well on certain clothes. I wear a lot of blouses and rolling doesn't work at all for those. I pack very light now and will throw in a extra shirt or so, but as long as I have a tide pen... I have never run out of clothes. Last cruise was 9 days in Europe along with an extra 4 days in Spain, a day in Lisbon and 2 nights in Orlando before coming home. All this was done with one 25 inch hard case roller suitcase along with the wine, olive oil and souvenirs I brought home.

 

 

Thank you. That is a great video I think I will try it.

[LizaMM]

Good thread!

 

I have gone back and forth in packing styles and honestly I am not sure which is best. It's not usually the clothes that I have issues with but rather the toiletries.

 

I am def going to re-read this thread before packing for my next cruise because my last cruise was from a home port and I was very spoiled not having to worry about flying! My next cruise is with my 22 y.o DD and her BFF and we will be flying to MIA and I am SURE that packing/weight/luggage fee avoidance will be an issue!!

[pcrum]

For women, there are the flip flops with the interchangeable tops. You buy one bottom and can change out the tops according to your outfit. They have some dressy styles that would be appropriate for dinner in the MDR.

 

This is one website that sells them, but I've also seen them in gift shops in FL. I read about them on another thread and it is one way to get several different looks from one pair of shoes.

 

http://www.solematessandal.com/

[needabreakcanada]

I have to wear the birkenstocks due to feet/knee/back issues.

 

I have one pair of dressy sandals by 9 west.

 

The flip flops and water shoes are standards but the runners have orthotics in them. Those i wear for touring and long walks for sure.

 

ergo the #of shoes

[needabreakcanada]

I purposely targeted downsizing my toiletries this time. Usually I have a small bottle of shampoo and another creme rinse that are the size of large shave gel cans.

 

This time I made a point to shop for travel size bottles and I don't mean the "airplane friendly 3oz type". I found one set at a drug store and one at a dollar store. I searched alot of dollar stores before I found one that wasn't spray bottle/pump bottle and palette jars. Those I find useless.

 

I prefer the ones that you pop one side of the cap down - other side pops up and that is where your stuff comes out when you squeeze the bottle.

 

I have done a test run on two of the bottles to see if they hold enough shampoo/creme rinse for the week I am gone. If not I will just fill two bottles each. That is still 1/4 size of my old travel shampoo bottles.

 

I will also use one for antiseptic wash, palmolive dish soap (for cleaning glasses/travel mugs) and for washing my cpap equipment I need one bottle of vinegar and one baby shampoo.

 

These are the places I will save alot of weight. Have also been shopping for travel size laundry soap, deoderant, shave gel etc. Every bit will help as we only have 44lbs each.

 

Now to figure out what to put the wet swimsuit from pre-cruise hotel in?

[RMLincoln]

I purposely targeted downsizing my toiletries this time. Usually I have a small bottle of shampoo and another creme rinse that are the size of large shave gel cans.

 

This time I made a point to shop for travel size bottles and I don't mean the "airplane friendly 3oz type". I found one set at a drug store and one at a dollar store. I searched alot of dollar stores before I found one that wasn't spray bottle/pump bottle and palette jars. Those I find useless.

 

I prefer the ones that you pop one side of the cap down - other side pops up and that is where your stuff comes out when you squeeze the bottle.

 

I have done a test run on two of the bottles to see if they hold enough shampoo/creme rinse for the week I am gone. If not I will just fill two bottles each. That is still 1/4 size of my old travel shampoo bottles.

 

I will also use one for antiseptic wash, palmolive dish soap (for cleaning glasses/travel mugs) and for washing my cpap equipment I need one bottle of vinegar and one baby shampoo.

 

These are the places I will save alot of weight. Have also been shopping for travel size laundry soap, deoderant, shave gel etc. Every bit will help as we only have 44lbs each.

 

Now to figure out what to put the wet swimsuit from pre-cruise hotel in?

 

For laundry soap I've been using the Purex 3-in-1 sheets - they are a flat sheet about 5" x 9" impregnated with laundry soap and softener, plus antistatic for the dryer. You add it to the washer and then put the same sheet in the dryer too. You can snip them into strips for doing sink laundry. The only downside is that when you first open the package they have a strong fragrance... but it does fade if you leave it opened for a few days before you pack. i take what I need and put the sheets into a ziplock bag and put them in an outside pocket of the luggage. m--

[CalaDragonflyLady]

I have been successful in using 2-gallon zip-locks to pack in (usually flat but sometimes rolling). I generally match up outfits I've tried on and deemed acceptable (learned that one the hard way!), and there's always a bag available for wet swimsuits (or taking dry clothing to change into after a beach or boat trip). During the cruise I use my suitcase as a laundry basket (no need to take a laundry bag).

 

I don't use one of the shoe organizers that many people love, but I have a small mesh one that helps organize toiletries (lots of skincare products, etc). My travel toothbrush container also has little suction cups on it so it can be attached to the bathroom mirror. My surge protector/power strip plugs directly into the outlet (no cord) and also has a USB slot. I bring my favorite fragrances in sample vials. If I think I may do laundry, I bring those Purex laundry sheets that you use in the washer AND dryer (a lot less weight that dry or liquid laundry soap). Finding an android app with white noise eliminated bringing my travel white noise machine.

 

I still overpack to some degree and I am not necessarilly wrinkle-free, but I streamline wherever I can :)

[sunshine002]

I used to roll my clothes until I saw this and it works even better than rolling.

 

 

Rolling still had some smaller wrinkles in my clothes, especially if they were linen. By the way.. I don't buy linen for travel clothes anymore. I've used the method above for work travel and even my suit came out unwrinkled.

 

Rolling does work, but be careful with your fabrics. It only seems to work well on certain clothes. I wear a lot of blouses and rolling doesn't work at all for those. I pack very light now and will throw in a extra shirt or so, but as long as I have a tide pen... I have never run out of clothes. Last cruise was 9 days in Europe along with an extra 4 days in Spain, a day in Lisbon and 2 nights in Orlando before coming home. All this was done with one 25 inch hard case roller suitcase along with the wine, olive oil and souvenirs I brought home.

 

Thanks for the link, will have to try it. Thinking of using just a carry on for my next 7 day cruise.

[LizaMM]

As I said, toiletries are usually my biggest issue.

 

As far as moisturizer and sunscreen it is possible to wait and buy that in the port area. I have no problem tossing/leaving the extras behind because this is still much cheaper than an extra bag of luggage!

 

I use travel size containers for my shampoo, conditioner, hair gel etc. I have bought the small (3 oz) sizes and would rather fill a couple of those each than a big one. This way if there is a problem with luggage being heavy I can always pull some of them and put them in carry-ons.

 

I am also a big proponent of packing everything in ziploc baggies. It helps to keep things organized, offers some protections and affords me with many bags which I do use throughout the cruise for various things.

 

My biggest issue that I have yet to find a way to avoid is my hair dryer! I can't use the ones in the cabin. I have very thick, curly hair and I need a diffuser. On my first cruise when all the luggage fees went into place I only packed a diffuser attachment with the plan of using it on the hair dryer in the cabin.....NOT!!!....It did not fit and the hair dryer in the cabin would have taken ages to dry my hair! I wound up going to dinner with damp hair pulled up into some sort of bun/knot/braid the entire cruise! So.....unfortunately, a hair dryer and diffuser is a must for me! If someone has a solution/tip for that I would sure appreciate it!

[sweetcurves]

I am totally going to test this bundling method with my carry on with the list of clothes I've made for my 6 day cruise (plus 2 days previous in Ft Lauderdale). This will be a fun experiment.

[KeithsKelly]

 

My biggest issue that I have yet to find a way to avoid is my hair dryer! I can't use the ones in the cabin. I have very thick, curly hair and I need a diffuser. On my first cruise when all the luggage fees went into place I only packed a diffuser attachment with the plan of using it on the hair dryer in the cabin.....NOT!!!....It did not fit and the hair dryer in the cabin would have taken ages to dry my hair! I wound up going to dinner with damp hair pulled up into some sort of bun/knot/braid the entire cruise! So.....unfortunately, a hair dryer and diffuser is a must for me! If someone has a solution/tip for that I would sure appreciate it!

 

 

Ugh...never even thought about that! I have the same problem with curly hair requiring a diffuser. Maybe I'll need that larger suitcase after all! :(

[cantwaittwogo]

no matter what we always end up with to much stuff.

[askimdog]

Keeping it simple is our plan. We cruise as myself (48) wife and daughter (8). We would never pay airlines baggage fees, so we each haul a roller suitcase that fits in the overhead and a backpack or beach bag.

 

The way we do it:

 

We wear our shoes and pack one pair of sandals ( 2 footware each)

 

We don't do formal clothes

 

I personally bring no long pants ( I am on vacation)

 

1 swimsuit each, we don't swim that often

 

Use soap and shampoo provided on ship

 

We wear clothes more than once, unless a spill occurs or dirt and sweat is profuse.

[kyrisong1]

I use the "my husband used to be a traveling computer consultant and he can pack better than anyone I know" so I throw what clothes I want to take at him, and I go make him dinner :D It's win/win.

He hates how I pack because I'm not as organized so he doesn't mind a bit!!!

IT Professionals = OCD neat

RNs = throw tape on it and hope it holds

[rferr]

We did the bundle method off utube and it worked great. The three of us all just took carry ons. Now we did not have a weight limit on the carry ons and they were all more than 11 pounds though. But we managed to get everything into a carry on each and saved 150 dollars in bag fees. In fact we did not even use everything we got into the carry ons. I did do one load of laundry during the cruise, tee shirts and underwear, but we probably could have done without it. My wife questioned whether we could acutally do it but once she saw the utube video she took it as a challenge. We will never check another bag on a cruise again unless its free.

[ComeSailWithME]

i used to roll my clothes until i saw this and it works even better than rolling.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdn9l20nlww&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

rolling still had some smaller wrinkles in my clothes, especially if they were linen. By the way.. I don't buy linen for travel clothes anymore. I've used the method above for work travel and even my suit came out unwrinkled.

 

Rolling does work, but be careful with your fabrics. It only seems to work well on certain clothes. I wear a lot of blouses and rolling doesn't work at all for those. I pack very light now and will throw in a extra shirt or so, but as long as i have a tide pen... I have never run out of clothes. Last cruise was 9 days in europe along with an extra 4 days in spain, a day in lisbon and 2 nights in orlando before coming home. All this was done with one 25 inch hard case roller suitcase along with the wine, olive oil and souvenirs i brought home.

 

this is amazing!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Zip lock bags ....

[gertiesmom]

We use the rolling method. But we also pack half of my clothes and half of his clothes in one suitcase, then the other half in another suitcase. This way if one piece of luggage gets lost, we still at least have half of our stuff!

[CRUZBUDS]

I use the DW procedure --- she does it all and I stay out of the way.

 

When finished -- I make her her favorite cocktail :)

[tomsuelaw]

To conserve suit case space, I try to be as creative as possible with my clothes. My problem is needing 2 outfits a day. Casual daytime clothes and nicer evening clothes. So, I bring 2 skirts that match most things and one shirt per day of cruise. On non formal nights, I wear a skirt and a clean shirt to dinner. The next day, I wear that same shirt during the day with a pair of shorts until dinner where I change again. With 2 little kids there is no way any shirt of mine will survive an entire day and still be acceptable to wear at dinner.

 

Also, if we fly. we pack some of each persons clothes in every suitcase so everyone has something even if one case goes MIA. Oh and we love water sports so bathing suits are always in the carry-on.

[Lisah101]

We did the bundle method off utube and it worked great. The three of us all just took carry ons. Now we did not have a weight limit on the carry ons and they were all more than 11 pounds though. But we managed to get everything into a carry on each and saved 150 dollars in bag fees. In fact we did not even use everything we got into the carry ons. I did do one load of laundry during the cruise, tee shirts and underwear, but we probably could have done without it. My wife questioned whether we could acutally do it but once she saw the utube video she took it as a challenge. We will never check another bag on a cruise again unless its free.

 

Glad you liked it... I travelled a lot for work and this method really surprised me. I'm a bit OCD and thought my rolling method was the best thing ever until I tried this. We also mix some of my clothes in his suitcase and his in mine and always one extra set in our carry on just in case a bag gets lost or delayed.