Tips for not overpacking

[janetz]

Oh gosh, at one time my shoes had their own suitcase! We bundle pack and can fit most into a carryon. We also do this with a regular suitcase for longer trips and you can fit so much more. Hardly any wrinkles. Check out the video.:)

http://www.packinglight.net/travel_info_depot.aspx

[Beth C]

I'll raise you 6 full size "post cruise" adults, 8 28" suitcases, 9-10 carry-on's and a Chrysler Minivan... Luckily I was the driver so I had tons of room... Those in row 3... Not so much lol

 

 

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[erin_cruisers]

To me, overpacking means taking clothes that don't get worn.

 

I'm happy when on the last day, I might have one or two spare shirts, unders or socks, and thats it.

There is nothing wrong with paying baggage fees if thats what it means to travel comfortably.

(We're not going to change our dressing habits just because of an airlines policy.) ;)

For us, its about 5 suitcases for the average 7 - 9 day cruise, (plus a couple of pre- or post-cruise nights) - 3 checked, and two carry-on.

 

We travel with one very large folding garment bag for my suit, 4 or 5 long gowns for DW, plus her fancy blouses and my dress shirts.

She brings half a dozen dress shoes, a few sandals, and me - 5 pairs shoes total.

I have enough casual shirts to change twice a day, and never wear the same shirt twice. Thats just what I do to feel comfortable.

 

So for those that can travel months with just three shirts and a change of underwear, bully for them. :D

Everyone is different, and there is nothing wrong with that. :)

[earlmarie]

I have 3 suitcases already packed for our cruise in 9 days and I don't have any hang up clothes in a suitcase yet. I have one suitcase that just has water/beach stuff in it. Chaise lounge covers, clips, water bag (to keep water cool), snorkle stuff, etc. Another suitcase has misc. stuff in it. The third one has purses, shoes, tux stuff and who knows what else. I did try and colsolidate and took out a pair of binoculars!

 

I am laughing so hard! But I have the same problem. Your last sentence, about taking out the binoculars was hilarious! I'd put those back in the bag though.

[holden0301]

E-bags packing cubes have allowed us to fit much more into a suitcase! Having said that, I always wear some things more than once. For 7 days I would pack 3 bathing suits/cover ups (with Woolite packs to wash in the sink) - these I will wear most days. Maybe 2 shorts/t-shirts, 3 dresses and 3 skirts/shirts, underwear, 2 gym outfits, etc. I do usually overpack on underwear. Shoes: wear sneakers to board, flip flops, and ONE pair of dress shoes that can go with all dresses/skirts for dinner (a nice wedge sandal).

 

That's it for clothes for me!

[Ambiverol]

To me, overpacking means taking clothes that don't get worn.

 

I'm happy when on the last day, I might have one or two spare shirts, unders or socks, and thats it.

There is nothing wrong with paying baggage fees if thats what it means to travel comfortably.

(We're not going to change our dressing habits just because of an airlines policy.) ;)

For us, its about 5 suitcases for the average 7 - 9 day cruise, (plus a couple of pre- or post-cruise nights) - 3 checked, and two carry-on.

 

We travel with one very large folding garment bag for my suit, 4 or 5 long gowns for DW, plus her fancy blouses and my dress shirts.

She brings half a dozen dress shoes, a few sandals, and me - 5 pairs shoes total.

I have enough casual shirts to change twice a day, and never wear the same shirt twice. Thats just what I do to feel comfortable.

 

So for those that can travel months with just three shirts and a change of underwear, bully for them. :D

Everyone is different, and there is nothing wrong with that. :)

 

Hell yeah Erin! I could not have said it better! I love the freedom and mobility of packing (relatively) light. It works for ME. I don't do formal nights, and enjoy being warm in clothes that are comfortable to ME. The thought of wearing a tux/suit in the caribbean is not MY idea of fun.

 

However, many people love the idea of dressing up for the special occasion and that works for THEM. That is the beauty of cruising--that I find myself constantly explaining to friends. I too thought that cruising may be a little too stuffy and structured, until I tried it. Then I realized one can participate in as much or as little as they choose. And it's fine.

 

Jewelry is another example of different tastes. My fiance secures the expensive stuff at home and brings nice, but low cost stuff on vacation. Many people cherish the opportunity to display their prized jewelry on vacation, and that's FINE!

 

If the cruise is 7 nights, I probably bring double that in t-shirts and underwear. Maybe 4 pairs of shorts, a few bathing suits, some khakis, jeans, running shoes (worn on the plane), flip flops, some button down shirts, and so on. It fits in a carry on and backpack with room to spare. It works for ME. If someone wants to bring a van full of luggage on per person, and that makes them happy, DO IT!

[Virtopia]

I'm also trying to reduce my packing for my upcoming cruises. I use to seriously over pack, but I've gotten better over the past 3 cruises.

 

For my Enchantment cruise, I was going to try for a carry on and a oversized handbag, but I doubt that will work. I will try it though as it would be great not to check any luggage.

 

My Jewel cruise is going to take more work to organize; it will be a 11 day, 10 night trip overall and I already know the big suitcase is coming out. What I like about this cruise though is that it's port intensive, so I'll only really need two outfits for the day - one for exploring the port and one for dinner.

 

Thanks for the tips; will definitely try and utilize some of them.

[Dulciana8]

This thread underscores yet another reason why I appreciate CC!

 

I can't cruise without at least three suitcases. However, my husband is worse at packing than me-- he tends to wait until the morning we are set to fly or drive to port, and then never uses half of what he takes. I at least use about 80% of what I drag with me on board!

 

Maybe I should get DH on these boards?!

[JimAOk1945]

This is a great thread. Thanks to the OP for starting it.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I agree that packing ahead of time is important. If you wait untik the end--you just throw it all in. It is ALWAYS too much.

 

For our Alaska cruise I made a list before hand [about 2 weeks]. Then I pared it down to the bare bones. I used all of it except second pair of shorts.

[Mykitteh]

Oh gosh, at one time my shoes had their own suitcase! We bundle pack and can fit most into a carryon. We also do this with a regular suitcase for longer trips and you can fit so much more. Hardly any wrinkles. Check out the video.:)

http://www.packinglight.net/travel_info_depot.aspx

 

Did he say 2 pairs of shoes!?

[Guest maddycat]

Here is a problem I ran into on our last Trans-Atlantic in November 2012. We were on Lufthansa. Lufthansa limits your carry-on to 20 pounds! I packed DH's suit, ONE of his size 12 shoes with my shoe inside it (other shoe was going into other carry-on) a dress shirt, a tie, my black silk pants, one glitzy top, jammies, change of underwear, essential toiletries, one set of fresh clothes for both of us and guess what? Suitcase was half full but weighed 23 pounds! I ended up carrying my toiletries in my purse (it's a large one) and put his dress shoes in the checked bag praying it would take the same itinerary we were taking. Of course, his suit was seriously wrinkled when we got on the ship because it rattled around the half filled suitcase. Thank goodness we had free pressing.

 

And, yes, they did weigh it at the airport. So check with the airlines because Lufthansa isn't the only one doing it. Mostly foreign carriers. Also, their "box" is smaller than the ones in the US. Some 22" suitcases won't fit because of the wheels.

 

Tucker in Texas

 

That's funny. You can afford to fly to Europe and do a Trans-Atlantic cruise and yet you're concerned about paying to press a suit.

[Tucker in Texas]

That's funny. You can afford to fly to Europe and do a Trans-Atlantic cruise and yet you're concerned about paying to press a suit.

 

I would have paid in a NY minute and did every cruise before I could get it free. Just happy I didn't have to pay this time.

 

By the way, my flight to Europe was $5 and 20K frequent flyer miles (lol). I won't bore you with how cheap the TA was when all was said and done.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Kat196]

I guess my thought is........after spending thousands of dollars on airfare and cruise, why worry about $25 for luggage?

[KKB]

I have not tried "bundling" but have rolled clothes; took 10 tops, 4 bottoms, 6 pr shoes plus undergarments & toiletries to Vegas for 4 nts...

 

We are either going to have to pay for luggage or figure out how to do it in carry ons for our Oct. cruise...I CAN pay...I just don't WANT to!!!

 

After all our cruises I have figured out some things:

1--I DO like to dress up EVERY night--BUT I can to it with 2 bottoms & asst tops; I do like to have a few different pairs of shoes, but I certainly don't HAVE to

2--I only wear shorts for a few hours/day--so I only need 2 pr for a cruise.

3--I can wash undergarments in the bathroom; wear one/wash one

4--We have determined there are very few extra items we need beyond basic toiletries & meds. I did forget my mineral foundation on our last cruise; I did have regular foundation, but knew it would sweat off my face in the Caribbean...THAT was an expensive mistake (mineral foundation is NOT cheap on the ship...)

 

SO I need 3 tees, 2 shorts, sandals, 7 dressy tops, 2 dressy bottoms, heels, swimsuit & cover up plus undergarments, toiletries & meds. Yep, that's it. That's even less than I took to Vegas for 4 days. (Hey, I don't shop while on cruises, so I WILL fill up any empty space:p)

[genegri]

Best way to ensure not to overpack? Let your husband do it for you! :D

 

Anyway, if you are going on a one week cruise in the tropics it should be very very doable. But again, I am one of those who have trouble fill up a carry-on for a 10-night cruise so I might be an odd case.

 

What I do is I take a medium sized backpack and put the more valuable and essential stuff such as camera, laptop, iPhone, all chargers, wallet, etc, in it. In the carry-on there are a pair of shoes, toiletry and clothing, which are all made from wrinkle-free materials and go with each other. That's it. I honestly can't think of anything else to take.

[PH]

I always bring an empty nylon duffel bag. I use it to keep dirty things separate in the closet. If I buy something that I just have to have because I will never, ever see it again, I have an extra bag. Going home I can put my new wonderful one of a kind got to have item in a hard side suit case and pack clothing in the duffel. Most of the time I never need it. I learned this trick when I was in Hong Kong and had to buy and extra bag after an all night flea market. Just never know.

[Stags14]

We usually take advantage of the laundry service mid-week as well. It sucks to carry all that luggage around and spend an 90 minutes packing again at the tail end of the trip.

[Emmee D]

I am notorious for overpacking no matter where I'm going. We are leaving on a 10-day cruise next week and I have been reading lots of tips for packing light because I am determined not to come home with half the stuff I packed untouched yet again.

 

The biggest change I'm making is bringing less shorts/capris, no 2-piece outfits for dinner and instead packing several sundresses. I figure these will work for walking around ports and can easily transition to dinner-wear on non-formal nights. I'm also limiting myself on shoes (my biggest weakness). Formal wear will remain the same (I have a long black gown that I can wear for both formal nights by using different accessories).

 

1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of capris and a few t-shirts should suffice for wandering around the ship and visits to the fitness center. 2 bathing suits, flip flops and a coverup should be plenty for the pool.

 

I plan to use the laundry service if needed and not worry about wearing the same thing twice during the course of the cruise, especially since I'll probably be the only one to notice.

 

Here's hoping that I can stick to my plan and come home with a suitcase full of clothes that have all been worn instead of only half of them! LOL

[mellygo]

We went to Europe for 2 weeks with only one backpack each. - Now, they were Rick Steves convertible backpacks, but still, I felt pretty darn amazing since the last time we cruised the Mediterranean, we each took a large suitcase, a small carryon, and I took a large ;urse/bag!! after toting those through Paris and Barcelona, I was DONE!!! Rick Steves has a travel show on PBS, if you aren't familiar with his name, and he gives great ideas for packing light!! I don't cut out everything he says to cut out, but it was VERY helpful!

[carumba7]

Thanks for all the great tips~! We are taking a 12 day out of Barcelona in June but will actually be traveling for a total of 23 days!! Packing smart is a high priority. While we "can" bring 2 suitcases each I really want to bring no more than 5 total plus a large gym bag to use for purchases / extra room on the way back. I've already purchased laundry sheets and know we will be using the bag laundry service a few times as well. Now getting 3 people with 5 suitcases to and from airport / hotel / ship will be the fun part!

[pcur]

Going on our 6th RCCL cruise next month. Determined that this cruise will be different and I will not overpack. My DH just smiles when i say that. However, it will be an 8 day cruise with 2 per cruise days. Things I will change for this cruise will be:

 

- Will not bring full size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant.

- Scheduling specialty restaurants on formal night to avoid bringing formal clothes.

- Coodinating outfits better to cut down on the amount of shoes I bring.

 

Not sure this can be done but I will try. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

I agree with you about travel size containers. I have a pre-packed toiletry bag that I take anywhere, and it's got everything I use at home, just in tiny containers. If we need larger, then we find a Walmart or drugstore before we get on the ship, and buy large sizes to take on the ship.

 

I pack too many clothes for both of us, so this is how I make it work:

 

What I have done over the last several years since airline luggage requirements have changed is to assemble a large number of chiffon and very lightweight knit clothes. This is primarily for hot weather cruises. I take a slinky knit jacket/pants outfit in black, and another in brown. These separates can be worn with virtually any of my tops. I take 2 pairs of black knit capris, and 2 pairs of white capris. With a few tank tops underneath I have a large mix and match wardrobe to go with me, and I can wear the tops either in the evening or during the day. I have a few sparkly tops, also chiffon or very lightweight knit, and a long open black chiffon jacket that makes anything dressy. A black chiffon skirt for formal nights.

 

One cotton windbreaker and a black knit zippered vest. These can be added or subtracted depending on the weather, and together they are very warm.

 

All of my clothes weigh about 10 lbs because the tops weigh about 8 oz each. My cosmetic bag weighs more than my clothes!!

 

One pair of day sandals; one pair of evening sandals; one pair of athletic shoes. One of these is on my feet, so I only pack the other two.

 

DH wears a lot of tropical weight shirts during the day, but his clothes weigh more than mine.

 

Together, we can get it all in a single large suitcase, and miscellaneous in the carry-on, which is a large canvas purse for me and a backpack for him. We could go for several months if we had to!

[cruzinlady1947]

Oh gosh, at one time my shoes had their own suitcase! We bundle pack and can fit most into a carryon. We also do this with a regular suitcase for longer trips and you can fit so much more. Hardly any wrinkles. Check out the video.:)

 

http://www.packinglight.net/travel_info_depot.aspx

Thanks for this video. I am ready to pack for a 10 night cruise next week. I will definitely try this, but maybe a little bigger suitcase. :p

 

Gwen :)

[Sequim88]

Biggest break through I've had in packing lighter (warm climates) is to avoid cotton items. By packing lighter weight synthetic (polyester mostly) golf shirts and dress shirts as well as similar fabric for shorts I can take fewer and sink wash them. Cotton takes forever to dry but the synthetics are dry in an hour or less and ready to re-wear. Mix & match helps too. We also take thin hooded nylon shell windbreakers and zippered fleece sweatshirts to use in combo as the weather dictates.

 

I usually pack the oldest/worst underwear and dump it at end of cruise to help make room for souviners. Did same with dress shoes that I bought for $4.95 at shoe store DIL works at on her employee discount. Told cabin attendant they would be left intentionally and maybe would fit a crew of staff member. Would not have taken dress shoes at all except for wife insists we dress up.

 

But last cruise when we did our usual "buy toiletries at the port city" we got hammered by prices in Miami. :eek: We could have paid airline for an extra suitcase for what we overpaid there. Won't do that again.

[mickeymouse12]

Thanks for this video. I am ready to pack for a 10 night cruise next week. I will definitely try this, but maybe a little bigger suitcase. :p

 

Gwen :)

 

Wow.I just watched the video and I'm going to try this for our 14 night cruise in March. Thanks for the link:)