Overpacker Anonymous

[crackycruiser]

This will be my first cruise with NCL so when it comes to packing I know that I will be saving some space not needing DH to bring a suit or me a fancy dress. On my other cruises I must confess to overpacking and would love to learn some tips to help me with my quest to become a light packer. I usually take two large suitcases plus carryons and would like to cut it down to one. I'll be leaving in two weeks on the Epic and keeping my fingers crossed that the weather getting out of New England will cooperate.

[duckfan80]

Oh, good luck!!! I don't bring quite as much as you've mentioned, but I, too, am trying to cut back. My idea was that on my last cruise, I would keep track of what I actually wore and what I did not. It was a great idea, and had it happened, I'm sure it would have been quite useful! My biggest problem is shoes...I'm sure I'll need all of them!

 

I hope someone has a grand idea :)

[CapeCodCruiser]

Mix & match is key. Also, check for duplicate outfits - do you really need 2 _____? Believe it or not the folks around you are not even going to notice your wardrobe - its OK to wear the same sundress to dinner twice in a week.

 

If you plan on taking similar things that you took on your last cruise try to remember what you didn't wear last time - you know there was stuff you didn't!

Don't pack it - you won;t miss it.

[nikex]

My husband and I will be on the same sailing of the Epic as you for our honeymoon! If you haven't checked in on our roll call you should!

 

In any case, there's a lot of great threads on this down in the Fashion and Beauty sub folder, but I'll list my tips and tricks!

 

- Pick a color scheme and stick to it. Try to keep most of what you're packing stuff that fits within this scheme. This is vital for the next bit to work:

 

- Choose items that do "double" or "triple" duty! A sundress can be worn one day, then a few days later wear a top over it and it looks like a cute skirt. A tank top will give you a different look than a knit dolman top.

 

- Accessories are a really simple way to change up a look without packing lots of extra clothes. A good example would be, say, a simple knee-length jersey skirt. If you wore that with a shirt that's tucked in, a thin belt, and high heels it's going to look a lot different than if you wore it with a loose shirt (not tucked in), some gladiator sandals, and a funky necklace. Your hair style can play into this too- a tight bun will make something look more elegant and chic, waves and curls or half-up or braids will make something look more boho.

 

- For accessories that aren't small or easily packable, i.e. scarfes, thin belts, certain types of shoes, stick with neutrals that will match multiple outfits (i.e. purses and bags) rather than anything flashy and colorful.

 

- Actually sit down and write out what you're doing each day while on vacation and try to plan out what you would wear, using the above guidelines. It's easy to fall into the trap of "maybe I'd wear this" but sitting down and mapping out the various outfits may quench the temptation to throw a lot of "extras" into the bag that you likely won't end up wearing.

 

- Wear your "heaviest" items on the airplane/for travel. My yoga pants, my long sleeve shirt, my blazer, and my pashmina will all be on me and not in my bag while flying down to Florida, because compared to the other items I'm bringing made of lighter and more compact material, those items are bulkier and it makes more sense to wear them rather than pack them.

[Love my butler]

Just dress like a slob. You will pack light by default!

[kollegekreed]

I got to the airport for my flight a few weeks ago and the bag weighed 56 pounds :-(. Cost me $50. I managed to leave some of it on the epic (used toiletries, etc). But let me tell you, my "carryon" (backpack) for the plane ride back couldn't have fit anything as big as a thumbtack coming back. Weighed in at 49 pounds on the main suitcase. Wouldn't you know I got selected for random screening? I was horrified my dirty underwear was going to be all over the airport...thankfully they didn't check the bag!!!

[DMLyons]

This will be my first cruise with NCL so when it comes to packing I know that I will be saving some space not needing DH to bring a suit or me a fancy dress. On my other cruises I must confess to overpacking and would love to learn some tips to help me with my quest to become a light packer. I usually take two large suitcases plus carryons and would like to cut it down to one.

 

I don't tend to re-wear clothes (besides jeans and shorts) unless I wash them between, because I sweat. Shrug. I'd rather not be grungy. Some things...like halter tops and sun dresses wash well in the sink with a small bottle of Woolite and hang dry over the tub/shower. A little bottle can save you a lot of packing.

 

My husband and I will be dressing up two nights (our anniversary cruise), but I've decided not to bring a suit for him. Dress shirt and tie on a summer cruise is dressy enough. ;) And I won't be going for the heavy, beaded dresses. Everything light and easy to pack. My dress for one night takes up the same amount of room as a t-shirt does.

 

Space saving ideas are easy enough to come by. Packing items in 2.5 gallon or 1 gallon Ziploc/Glad bags and drawing out the air will save a lot of room. So will tightly rolling clothing. A friend of mine buys these lightweight shirts that are made of a silky material and are gathered, so they look like the size of a child's shirt when packed but stretch to XL women's when worn; if you don't mind skin-tight, go for that route. And they wash well in the sink!

 

But remember that packing more into a single suitcase means the suitcase will be heavier. If you're already flirting with overweight bags, that might not be a good choice for you. Better to move to two smaller suitcases than one large but overweight one.

 

You don't have to bring full-size toiletries for a 7 day cruise, unless you have a full family with you. If you don't mind what the ship provides, use those. If not, use the travel sized bottles and save weight and room.

 

Aside from things like glasses, don't bring doubles of the same thing. Do a lot of mix and match...wearing the same jeans or shorts two days with different shirts. I tend to stick to base colors that play well together...dark blue, gray, black, white, occasionally cream.

 

While it's convenient to have your medical needs aboard (cold meds, stomach meds, etc.), if you don't get sick often and don't mind paying shipboard prices for them, leave them at home and buy them if you need them. I bring them along, but that's me. Oh, and I mean OTC here. OF COURSE, bring your Rx meds. :D

 

Invest in a good backpack. If you can squeeze all the clothing into one suitcase and take a backpack with the toiletries and such (which are heavier), you can get yourself down to a very manageable load of luggage, and the backpack will make it more comfortable to carry it. Also weigh the convenience to weight ratio. Most rolling suitcases weigh 8 or more pounds JUST for the suitcase. By comparison, I have a lightweight but durable 26" duffel without wheels that weighs in at less than 2 pounds. If that extra 6 pounds is important to you, consider which is more important.

 

Of course, since this is a big anniversary celebration cruise, I'll be "overpacking" this time. I'll probably take two big suitcases and the backpack this time, which I don't usually do.

 

DML

[hill6]

Pack items that will go with multiple outfits.

 

I pack black or white pants. They go with everything. A lot of days you only wear for a few hours and can rewear them another day with a different top.

[Cruisin&Relaxin]

This will be my first cruise with NCL so when it comes to packing I know that I will be saving some space not needing DH to bring a suit or me a fancy dress. On my other cruises I must confess to overpacking and would love to learn some tips to help me with my quest to become a light packer. I usually take two large suitcases plus carryons and would like to cut it down to one. I'll be leaving in two weeks on the Epic and keeping my fingers crossed that the weather getting out of New England will cooperate.

 

You have made a great first step in admitting the problem.

 

Do yourself a favor if you can set aside an hour and view the video on http://www.packinglight.net where the owner of this packing light store teaches you some great principles in how to pack a months worth of clothing in a carry on suitcase/backpack. My wife and I have taken his system to heart. We can easily pack for our upcoming 17 and 27 night cruises in a small backpack and carry on bag for each of us.

 

Whatever you end up doing, remember that the ship will have laundry bag specials during your cruise. Count on using it and you can reduce your clothing load even more.

[Twinkstarr]

I travelled for years on business, so I have the packing down to a science.

 

Invested in a heavy duty wheeled duffle suitcase. Did my Epic trip and my bag only weighed 33 lbs and that included 3prs of shoes(which is alot for me).

 

As a family we just went on a ski trip last month(driving distance) with the old standard 26" suitcase, fondly called Big Red and the duffle. DH did the packing and was amazed at what he could get in the duffle(weighed the bags) and wasn't anywhere near 50lb. Not so with Big Red. We decided it needs to be replaced(we travel as a family 4-5 x per year, DH is on the road more frequently, but uses a carry-on).

 

Got an email from ebags over the weekend for 30% and bought one of their 29" motherload duffles. Only 12 lbs and it is huge.

 

Also will give a shout out to ebags' packing cubes! I thought it was a bit much until I tried them. Started out with the starter set, and have been adding to the collection.

We have an Eagle Creek item that looks like a big envelope(forget what they call it) but it is great for dress shirts. DH laughed until he used it for the 1st time and he is 6'4" 210lbs and we still could get 3-4 shirts in it. Shirts come out looking great and it fits well in his 20" wheelie.

[Irishwhiskey]

To cut down on overweight bags put your heavier items into your carryon bags,especially shoes,sandles,sneakers and some toiletries.You've probably seen it at the airline checkin window people pulling everything out of their luggage to cut down the weight.Get yourself a luggage scale and bring it with you if your flying.We weigh our bags before leaving the hotel or our house that way we can balance out the weight.We also use medium size luggage that are light weight.The very large bags can weigh as much as 18 lbs before anything is packed( some of the older luggage is heavy) Weigh your luggage before and after you fill them.As far as shoes remember to count the ones that you are wearing.If you are bringing clothes to only wear for one night or a couple of hours consider leaving them home.Mixing and matching is the best way to go with clothes everything gets worn more than once.When we cruise we also mix both bags with each others clothes.Should you find that one of your bags is missing or late coming to your cabin at least you have something else to put on until it arrives.We've seen this happen more than once on every cruise.The bags are usually onboard but the tags were missing.You have to go locate your bag in a room full lost bags when you should be at dinner.Happy sailing John

[DMLyons]

To cut down on overweight bags put your heavier items into your carryon bags,especially shoes,sandles,sneakers and some toiletries.

 

Absolutely. When I have to pack books for a signing or dealer table, they go in my rolling carry on. My laptop, power cords, and essentials (Rx meds, glasses, etc.) go in my backpack. Can't agree more.

 

DML

[CapeCodCruiser]

Regardless of where we are going we travel light, we'll be doing an 11 nt TA followed by a month traveling in Europe - all in a carry-on and back pack each.

 

It is not very difficult to pare a wardrobe down - weed out the "I might wants" - that alone cuts down a lot.

 

As with anything - the more you do it the better you will get at it.

 

It is really easy to bring WAY too many pairs of shoes - I take one comfy, cute walking sandal, 1 pr of black strappy kitten heels and sneakers.

[flechette]

I understand the overpacking- really I do~

 

This is a post from me on a Disney Board in 2011 - we had a 5 day cruise followed by 5 days at Disney... Clothes weren't the problem as much as the shoes...

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I do generally overpack a little but I'm really having trouble figuring out shoes this time:

 

1 - sneaker/ closed walking shoes

2 - sport sandal/open walking shoes

3 - resort casual shoes/ for most dinners

4 - Dress shoes: formal pics/ Palos/ and Victoria & Alberts after cruise

5 - Pirate night footwear

6 - pool shoes

 

x 2 people is alot of shoes even for 2 weeks of vacation... 12 pairs

 

2 pairs of walking shoes is a must, we both get alot less blisters and sore feet by swapping out.

 

We both change to resort casual for dinner... possibly sports sandals could cover this, but he just got some new loafers that he loves and wants to bring and they do go better...

 

Dress shoes a must... we get dressed up formally on semi formal night, it's worth it for a year of silence from my MiL on pictures, + dressing up for Palos and then V&A after the cruise.

 

Pirate night footwear... I'm giving serious thought to saying we're wearing sports sandals and be done w/ it - but given we're bringing decent outfits.. <sigh> we'll see...

 

Pool/beach shoes- these take up so little room there' s not point not to bring em..

 

gah!

 

What's everyone else carrying shoewise? I know we didn't bring this much last cruise but I'll be darned if I can figure out what didn't come

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LOL - This next cruise is already better; no dress shoes, no pirate boots definitely :D Also no dress clothes and no pirate costumes means there's alot more space already in the bags:rolleyes:

 

I love eagle packing sleeves!

 

Another thought to help with weight if not the number of items... weigh your clothes on a kitchen scale. It's really amazing how much more jeans weigh and the variance in weight between different styles of pants can be astounding. Generally speaking, the lighter clothes do take up less room... there are always exceptions;)

 

Admittedly, for a Caribbean cruise, you're probably not looking at heavy clothes :p

[DMLyons]

Do yourself a favor if you can set aside an hour and view the video on http://www.packinglight.net where the owner of this packing light store teaches you some great principles in how to pack a months worth of clothing in a carry on suitcase/backpack.

 

Great site for things we need or want for traveling (including those dry packets of Woolite...wahoo...haven't seen those in a long time around here!), but keep in mind, he's trying to sell things from his store. You can do some of the things he suggests with items from the Dollar Tree rather than the ones he sells. For instance, he shows the Baginini (sp?) organizer and shows how it squeezes out the air to compress the clothing. You can do that with Ziploc/Glad/whatever brand zip bags you purchase at the dollar store. I tend to put underwear, bras, and nylons in a single gallon bag and 6 or so short-sleeve shirts or 4 long-sleeve in a 2.5 gallon bag, for instance. Since you can get 5 of the 2.5 gallon or up to 15 of the gallon sized for a dollar, it's a really good way to compress what you pack. But whatever works for you, does.

 

Thanks for sharing that site. I found a couple things I'd been looking for elsewhere there.

 

DML

[DMLyons]

I travelled for years on business, so I have the packing down to a science.

 

Nodding. The Navy did it for us. I learned to pack a sea bag with an amazing amount of stuff, and since the submariners have VERY limited space to store things aboard, my husband learned to translate everything I'd fit in the sea bag/s into his coffin locker and the tiny work locker he had.

 

DML

[DMLyons]

 

1 - sneaker/ closed walking shoes

2 - sport sandal/open walking shoes

3 - resort casual shoes/ for most dinners

4 - Dress shoes: formal pics/ Palos/ and Victoria & Alberts after cruise

5 - Pirate night footwear

6 - pool shoes

 

x 2 people is alot of shoes even for 2 weeks of vacation... 12 pairs

 

gah!

 

What's everyone else carrying shoewise? I know we didn't bring this much last cruise but I'll be darned if I can figure out what didn't come

 

LOL! I typically pack one pair of dress shoes, one pair of sandals, and one pair of tennis shoes per person (one pair of which the person is wearing aboard). Period. The sandals are usually fairly enclosed and able to double as casual shoes, and the dress shoes I wear aren't stiletto heels or even narrow heel (can't wear them since I injured my ankle), and platforms or flats can double as casual shoes as well.

 

This time, I have two pair of dress shoes for myself, since my dresses are (sigh) vastly different colors. :o Bad planning on my part, but I prefer flats, so it's not hard to stick in another pair of flats. If I plan on doing my water workouts (I do this time), I bring a pair of water shoes, but those fold flat and take up less room than my sandals do, so that's nothing for space in the luggage.

 

IF I'm doing a convention with costuming involved, it's possible to see me bringing cowboy boots or my costume buckle boots along. If possible, I tend to wear those on the plane or other conveyances, so they aren't PACKED and taking up space in the luggage. They just take up room in the suite. I'm not taking them on the cruise. No reason to. And I obviously have no need of snow boots or work boots on this vacation, since it won't be winter when I leave home. So that helps keep my shoe collection light.

 

DML

[Quincella]

I travel extensively for work and I almost never check a bag. I say "almost" because I have before when going a couple of weeks in a row, in different climates. But then I arrived in my cold-weather destination, but my bag did not until about noon the next day (4 hours after I was to be with my client). Lesson learned.

 

I am a woman and I usually travel with a few pairs of shoes, accessories, my own hair dryer, business and casual clothes, and so on, all in a carry-on. I carry a backpack, too, but that's for my computer, power cords, purse (since they only allow 2 carry-ons) and stuff like that. I'd never heard of the site referenced above (packinglight.net) so just for grins I clicked on the link and ended up in their packing tips section.

 

Guess what I found? They suggest packing exactly like I pack! I used to use the roll method but I think it's a pain and I could never get much in the bag. I also found it wrinkled the heck out of my clothes, so clearly I may have been doing it wrong.

 

At any rate, I strongly suggest using the method outlined there. I think there are videos on YouTube, too, which is how I originally found this method. You can fit a ton of stuff in there this way, and I never go over the limit.

 

Good luck!

[flechette]

LOL! I typically pack one pair of dress shoes, one pair of sandals, and one pair of tennis shoes per person (one pair of which the person is wearing aboard). Period. The sandals are usually fairly enclosed and able to double as casual shoes, and the dress shoes I wear aren't stiletto heels or even narrow heel (can't wear them since I injured my ankle), and platforms or flats can double as casual shoes as well.

 

This time, I have two pair of dress shoes for myself, since my dresses are (sigh) vastly different colors. :o Bad planning on my part, but I prefer flats, so it's not hard to stick in another pair of flats. If I plan on doing my water workouts (I do this time), I bring a pair of water shoes, but those fold flat and take up less room than my sandals do, so that's nothing for space in the luggage.

 

IF I'm doing a convention with costuming involved, it's possible to see me bringing cowboy boots or my costume buckle boots along. If possible, I tend to wear those on the plane or other conveyances, so they aren't PACKED and taking up space in the luggage. They just take up room in the suite. I'm not taking them on the cruise. No reason to. And I obviously have no need of snow boots or work boots on this vacation, since it won't be winter when I leave home. So that helps keep my shoe collection light.

 

DML

 

<chuckle> so if I count right - you're doing 2 dress shoes, 1 sandal, 1 sneaker, and 1 pool shoe? 5 pairs? Or are you dropping a sandal for the dress shoe?

 

Plans for this cruise shoe-wise (the quote above is for a past cruise in 2011)

 

1 closed sport shoe/sneaker, 1 open sport sandal, 1 resort casual, 1 pool shoes. For us, that's a decent balance.

 

We're still getting flack from friends and family for wearing the Teva sports sandals with the pirate costumes:rolleyes: I do ask if they want to pay the freight for the boots on our next eventual Disney cruise - haven't had any takers yet:p

[Warmer Climes]

I understand the overpacking- really I do~

 

This is a post from me on a Disney Board in 2011 - we had a 5 day cruise followed by 5 days at Disney... Clothes weren't the problem as much as the shoes...

--------------------------------------------------------------

I do generally overpack a little but I'm really having trouble figuring out shoes this time:

 

1 - sneaker/ closed walking shoes

2 - sport sandal/open walking shoes

3 - resort casual shoes/ for most dinners

4 - Dress shoes: formal pics/ Palos/ and Victoria & Alberts after cruise

5 - Pirate night footwear

 

 

Pirate night footwear... I'm giving serious thought to saying we're wearing sports sandals and be done w/ it - but given we're bringing decent outfits.. <sigh> we'll see...

 

 

You made me laugh so much with the pirate footwear! I have to tell my husband there is a fellow cruiser out there who has taken even more shoes than I have on a cruise!

 

I bet you and your husband looked outstanding on pirate night!!

[DMLyons]

<chuckle> so if I count right - you're doing 2 dress shoes, 1 sandal, 1 sneaker, and 1 pool shoe? 5 pairs? Or are you dropping a sandal for the dress shoe?

 

For me this time? Five is correct, though my husband will have his normal 3 pair, so it's 8 between us instead of our usual 6. That's really unusual for me though, mainly because it's the anniversary cruise, so I'm packing heavy. On a typical trip, we have 2 pair of packed shoes each and one we're wearing. ;)

 

DML

[auducky2]

I admit I overpack. I always think about "what-if" and "I might wear this." It's bad. I'm going to try really hard to get it down for this upcoming cruise, especially since we're going to Europe. I did buy the ebags packing cubes so I'm looking forward to using them. We usually dress-up for one night but even still, the other nights I still change into a nicer dress. Luckily they're a type/style that are wrinkle free, so I should be able to just roll them. I will probably still overpack when it comes to DD2. Because what if her diaper leaks, etc. I will definitely try harder though. ;)

[jdvmd]

Roll everything. You won't have wrinkles and you can get more in your suitcase. Been doing carryons now for several years using this method.

[flechette]

For me this time? Five is correct, though my husband will have his normal 3 pair, so it's 8 between us instead of our usual 6. That's really unusual for me though, mainly because it's the anniversary cruise, so I'm packing heavy. On a typical trip, we have 2 pair of packed shoes each and one we're wearing. ;)

 

DML

 

 

Hmmm - actually I just realized: our last cruise in 2011 wound up as his "pre-deployment cruise" (we booked it on our 2009 cruise not expecting him to deploy before 2012, he deployed Oct 2011) and this cruise will be his "post-deployment" cruise (expected him back Jan 2013, got him back Oct 2012):D

 

Doesn't add anything to the thread, but I thought it was a worthy "hmmm" moment.

 

Okay - adding to the thread:

 

UnderArmour style fabric and microfiber fabrics dry very quickly so you can do some basic and easy laundry in your room if you desire. I find my shampoo works fine as a detergent :p it can cut down on underthings and some T-shirts if you can/ are willing.

 

For a week long vacation: ask yourself if you will use it twice (clothing or any other item) If it's not for a special occassion or rain gear, think hard about whether it should get packed.

 

Good Luck OP!

[negn]

Used to pack way too much but have cut back considerably. Realized noone knew what you wore to dinner the night before and noone cared! You are on vacation !!! Sea days have a bathing suit on all day and how dirty do you get from dinner to bed?

I also coordinate all the clothes Usually black and white and a couple of colored accessories or ts. A black cardigan is a must. This also cuts on shoes, black sandals, pumps and a pair of flip flops.

and if all that fails, theres always the laundry. Usually $25 a bag at one point in trip (unless platinum) Cheaper then $50 extra for luggage