A one week cruise with only a carry on?

[mdcrim]

I wanted to get opinions on whether it's possible to take a week long cruise with only a carry on size rolling suitcase each. We are flying in the day of the cruise and I am terrified a checked bag will be lost in transit. We are two adults and an 11 year old. Has anyone else managed to cram in enough stuff for a week in a carry on size bag? We don't do the formal nights so we don't need any formal clothes. The cruise is in March leaving out of Puerto Rico and visiting the Southern Carribean.

[lady_cruiser]

I wanted to get opinions on whether it's possible to take a week long cruise with only a carry on size rolling suitcase each. We are flying in the day of the cruise and I am terrified a checked bag will be lost in transit. We are two adults and an 11 year old. Has anyone else managed to cram in enough stuff for a week in a carry on size bag? We don't do the formal nights so we don't need any formal clothes. The cruise is in March leaving out of Puerto Rico and visiting the Southern Carribean.

Yes it is possible. Mix and Match. And probably most of your time will be spent at the pool or beach, right?

[Essiesmom]

No problem here. I did two weeks with a carryon. EM

[calliopecruiser]

I wanted to get opinions on whether it's possible to take a week long cruise with only a carry on size rolling suitcase each. We are flying in the day of the cruise and I am terrified a checked bag will be lost in transit. We are two adults and an 11 year old. Has anyone else managed to cram in enough stuff for a week in a carry on size bag? We don't do the formal nights so we don't need any formal clothes. The cruise is in March leaving out of Puerto Rico and visiting the Southern Carribean.

 

Absolutely possible - I've done a week's vacation with a carry on only. I don't prefer it, but it is possible. (I've done it even with a small tote bag, but that was under unusual circumstances, and I hope not to need to do that again).

[dorisis]

It can be done with some careful planning and packing. Ships all have laundrys. Some are self serve for a fee and others are expensive to let the ship take care of washing, ironing and dry cleaning.

 

Mix and match is the key and a monotone color scheme works well.

 

~Doris~

[mdcrim]

Thanks for the info. There are so many advantages to doing it this way- piece of mind, no checked bag fees, etc.

[Shak]

I can and have packed for a cruise in a carry on and personal bag but after doing so I found out that I prefer not too. For me it just added stress to an event that was supposed to release stress with limiting my clothing and shoe options as well as limiting my liquids and souvenirs. I like to bring home hot sauces and wine or liquor from time to time and you can't do that with only a carry on.

 

Shak

[Northshorecruisers]

My oldest son does it on a regular basis - and even adds in a few days before or after the cruise - but he's a guy. What does he need? He uses toiletries the ship provides, doesn't do formal (rarely goes to the diningroom), other than a pair of tennis shoes he wears on the plane his footwear is flip flops, and his swimtrunks double as shorts on shore excursions.

 

For my husband and I, it's 4 checked bags and 2 carry on's. But, we do both formal nights, other nights I wear a dress to dinner and DH wears dress pants or khakis and shirt, I take 3 bathings suits and cover ups, plus shorts & capris, shoes, a bathroom bag with small sizes of shampoos etc, my own dryer and curling irons, makeup.

 

So, depending on your cruise style - it can be done. Airlines usually allow 1 carry on and 1 personal item (such as a purse for women). My carryon is always the clothes for our day before the cruise sightseeing in the cruiseport and for boarding the ship. My husband's carryon is all his photo equipment.

[Zach1213]

It's always possible. It's possible to travel the world for a year with just a carry on if you want to and plan right. The advice before me is quite good, notably mixing and matching. On a one week cruise, don't even bother with laundry. It's a waste of time in my opinion on an already short vacation

[Nebr.cruiser]

I did a 5 day cruise plus 3 days in Florida with a carry-on. Not what I prefer, but we were traveling with 7 grandchildren and not on our preferred airline, where we get free bags, and didn't want to have to pay for checking bags for 9 people!

 

Usually my DH and I each have a 26" plus sometimes a 20" for shoes and misc. junk, and a small carryon. We usually cruise for 10-14 days if it is just the two of us, and I do laundry after about a week.

 

I did it by limiting shoes; wore my sneakers on the plane and took one pair of sandals and one pair of heels. We did do formal nights; I took a cocktail dress that packs well and dressy slacks and top. I did not do laundry. Basically just cut down on everything, especially a lot of the misc. 'what if' items I normally take, took clothes that were versatile and easy to pack.

 

It actually worked very well and was quite freeing. We had a great time.

 

I"ve also taken an 8 day tour of Costa Rica with a carry-on. That was actually tougher because we were doing lots of active things that made rewearing clothing impossible.

[Marinewife05]

Yes it can be done! Check out youtube for how to pack like a ninja. There are some great techniques.

[NMLady]

I wanted to get opinions on whether it's possible to take a week long cruise with only a carry on size rolling suitcase each. We are flying in the day of the cruise and I am terrified a checked bag will be lost in transit. We are two adults and an 11 year old. Has anyone else managed to cram in enough stuff for a week in a carry on size bag? We don't do the formal nights so we don't need any formal clothes. The cruise is in March leaving out of Puerto Rico and visiting the Southern Carribean.

 

Yes. We have done it. If each of you has a carry-on it is very possible, especially if you use ship's laundry partway through the week. But it is possible even without washing clothes, if you mix & match and wear some things more than once. Wear walking shoes and pack flip-flops, no other shoes.

 

Remember you can only put 3 oz of liquid so you might have to buy more sunscreen unless each of you has several 3 oz bottles each in quart size ziplock bag you take out of carry on's for TSA inspection.

[jdvmd]

Completely doable. Have done this so many times. You just don't need any of that extra stuff especially for a Caribbean/beach cruise.

[SadieN]

The fashion and beauty board has many threads on packing light.

 

Choose a color scheme-- Black/white/red, orange/brown/yellow etc

Many times I will choose what cardigan I want to wear and arrange my outfits around that. Lately I've been wavering between a green one and a black & white one.

 

Patterned tops hide stains better than solid color ones.;)

 

Ideas to pack by---

Start with the shoes, limit the number you are taking---sandals, sneaker/walking shoe, water shoe, flip flop

Neutral bottoms

All tops have to go with all bottoms (This doesn't always work)

Plan on using laundry

Febreez is your friend:)

Wear a top at night, then wear it the next day.

1 sweater/jacket/cardigan/shawl

 

 

Guys have it easy.

DH's packing list for our last 7day cruise

including what he wore to port

2 pair Dockers

black walking shoes

flip flops

7 shirts Polo & Hawaiian-style shirts

socks & underwear

His toiletries fit loosely into a 1gallon ziplock bag.

[SadieN]

I can and have packed for a cruise in a carry on and personal bag but after doing so I found out that I prefer not too. For me it just added stress to an event that was supposed to release stress with limiting my clothing and shoe options as well as limiting my liquids and souvenirs. I like to bring home hot sauces and wine or liquor from time to time and you can't do that with only a carry on.

 

Shak

 

Yes you can.

 

Flying to port do carry-on. Bring a collapsible duffle or buy one. The foldable duffles we have bought on Carnival and HAL are sturdy.

For the flight home check the bag and carryon the duffle.

[marshhawk]

Yes, you can do it-mix and match-

plan to do one load of laundry on the ship-this will run you around 9.00 (wash-3-dryer-3-detergent -3 ( I pack one of those washing sheets-that saves 3.00)

be smart when you are shopping for dresses-what doesn't need ironing? dry cleaning? materials are so light weight now-wear your walking shoes the day you go on the ship, one decent pair of sandals for the MDR, and a light pair/water shoes for your excursions.

[Shak]

Yes you can.

 

Flying to port do carry-on. Bring a collapsible duffle or buy one. The foldable duffles we have bought on Carnival and HAL are sturdy.

For the flight home check the bag and carryon the duffle.

 

That doesn't make a lot of sense to me but thanks for the suggestion.

 

Shak

[Waterloomarc]

Doable for some and only you know your habits. For us there's no way! Although we did do a 5 nighter once with just carry ons.

 

I share the OP's stress over lost or damaged checked bags. I'm a wreck until I have them in my hand at the destination. My wife thinks I'm crazy - but SHE hes never had bags lost, crushed or stolen from! But as I said its a necessary evil for us so I deal with the stress.

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[PennyAgain]

I've done it, but it is far from easy to do carry on only with airlines now being more restrictive on the size and amount of carry on bags each passenger can have.

 

I travel so much that I have had my fair share of checked luggage issues, but I'm never afraid to check a bag.

[live2vayk]

My answer would be that it can totally be done. However, good friends of ours that we travel with would whole heartedly disagree with me. (and has!) My husband and I don't need much. A couple of swim suits, a cover up, some mix and match tops and bottoms, a packed pair of shoes and the ones on our feet and we are good. My friends pack three times what we do. However, she has commented me on more than one occasion after we return from our 7 night cruises that she didn't use half of what she brought. I like to keep things simple. If I need something laundered on the ship it can be done, but I rarely need to bother with that. It won't be the end of the world if I have to wear a pair of shorts twice. But again, it is a personal preference. My friends get anxious if they are not triple prepared for anything and everything. My husband and I are much more go with the flow.

[OCruisers]

:rolleyes: Guess we could if we absolutely had to!

 

Thank goodness, we don't have to and can take what we please. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[sail7seas]

Maybe YOU can do it but I CAN'T. :D

 

I wouldn't want to.

I'm on the list of people who don't wear the same clothes everyday at home and especially don't want to on vacation. I like the idea of fast unpacking and not lugging much but not enough to be without my 'stuff'. :o

[dsrdsrdsr]

Can it be done? Yes, of course. For one thing, the only essentials are passport, credit card, and medicines. Everything else can be bought on board or on shore.

 

But why bother? If by "terrified" you mean "terrified", then perhaps you ought to try doing something about it - since it is, as I'm sure you know, a completely pointless and irrational fear. Why not try packing only cheap stuff, mostly the men's, eg. t-shirts and shorts, cheap trainers, basically a load of stuff bought in the Wal-Mart sales? (Do Wal-Mart do clothes?) Then if it goes missing, the loss will be bearable. You can wear one posh outfit on the plane and carry on another.

 

Or if by "terrified" you mean "worried", then do the same thing - pack el cheapo clothes and stand the loss if need be.

[varoo]

It is very easy. Just pack enough clothing for 3 or 4 days in your carry-on.

 

We would never waste any of our precious vacation time doing household chores on a cruise when others are right there, willing and able to do them for us.

 

It only takes a minute to fill out the laundry slip and stuff the dirty laundry into the laundry bag. We leave it on the bed before we head out the door.

 

The next day (or sometimes even later that same day) it all comes back fresh and clean, ready to wear again.

[SadieN]

Can it be done? Yes, of course. For one thing, the only essentials are passport, credit card, and medicines. Everything else can be bought on board or on shore.

 

But why bother? If by "terrified" you mean "terrified", then perhaps you ought to try doing something about it - since it is, as I'm sure you know, a completely pointless and irrational fear. Why not try packing only cheap stuff, mostly the men's, eg. t-shirts and shorts, cheap trainers, basically a load of stuff bought in the Wal-Mart sales? (Do Wal-Mart do clothes?) Then if it goes missing, the loss will be bearable. You can wear one posh outfit on the plane and carry on another.

 

Or if by "terrified" you mean "worried", then do the same thing - pack el cheapo clothes and stand the loss if need be.

 

Walmart sells almost anything and everything.