Worst Cruise Packing Mistakes

[Brittany C]

Hey there cruisers,

 

We are compiling the worst cruise packing mistakes we've made so others can learn from our unfortunate -- and sometimes hilarious -- mishaps. If you have any you would like to share, it very well might be published!

 

We look forward to reading and grimacing along with you :)

 

Best,

 

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

[Minoushka]

My box of powdered detergent open in my suitcase ......all over my clothes as i fished them out and sneezed and sneezed ,...duh shouls have put the box in a ziplock ...ahchoo

[Barb Nahoumi]

My first cruise was the worst for overpacking.

 

I thought that I'd need to change outfits about two or three timed daily, so I brought much too much stuff. All I needed was one Formal outfit, and the rest just casual.

 

Now, DH and I only bring one suitcase and one carryon, apiece.

[dd2355]

Overpacking of course.

 

Forgetting some sort of outlet multiplier. So many things to plug in yet only one outlet (unless you bring an adapter too)...

[Jenjer]

I have a funny one.

 

I have to know what time it is when I sleep. Its weird I know. I wake up multiple times night and check the clock. I also wake up without a alarm clock every day, not that I need a alarm clock on vacation.

 

On My first cruise Voyager for my honeymoon June of 2000 It drove me crazy. Not having a clock beside the bed. Remember this was before smart phones.

 

So for our Anniversary cruise the next year 2001 Grand Princess I got this cute small battery alarm clock/night light from Brookstone. It was shaped like a egg the idea being you touch ....or move it the time display lights up. Guess what? The damn thing kept lighting up all night long waking us up. Ended up taking the batteries out and repacking it.

 

Only a novice cruiser brings a motion sensitive clock on a ship. :cool:

[LrgPizza]

On another cruise line with set dining times, I had packed all of our clothes in our checked suitcase. Our assigned dinner time came, and our suitcase hadn't yet been delivered to our cabin. The only clothes we had to wear to dinner were the *very* casual fitness-type clothes we had worn on our flights that morning and then onto the ship. We missed meeting our servers and table-mates that first evening because we dined in the buffet.

 

Since then we make sure we dress better for boarding, and/or keep a set of decent clothes in a carry-on bag with us.

[maywell]

1st mistake made during 1st cruise ever - not packing enough clothes /outfits for a Carbibean cruise. Didn't realize until like 3rd day in on a 8 day cruise, that I need 2 outfits a day - one for sundeck/excursion and a 2nd one for the evening. Winded up packing 6-8 more dresses/outfits for future trips.

 

2nd mistake was on NCL, if you don't want worry about when you're getting your checked bag in your room - either do completely carry-on or take change of clothes with you. In hindsight, maybe its smarter to take out the packing cube with the undies and pjs from the checked bags (but I'm not doing checked bag when traveling solo again - too much needless anxiety for me...).

 

3rd mistake was also on NCL especially for a solo traveler that's completely handling their luggage by themselves and water - better to bring a large refillable water bottle or 2-3 ~or~ buy water from cruiseline than lugged aboout 16-18 16oz bottles in a checked bag with clothes. 1) Lugging water, makes the bag heavy especially if you have climbing up/down long stairs and 2) hard to tell who broke handle to the bag - Porters of the city's cruise terminal or the cruise line's stewards. True, it was a cheap $30 26-28 inch spinner but still made getting bag in/out of a taxi trunk and up stairs unnecessarily hard....

 

Randon good tidbits - 1) packing cubes make good drawers when you have no dresser drawer or cabinet. 2) Bring a Freebeze/ Downey wrinkle releaser/Grandma spray especially on the Breakaway-class ships or any ship that you have pass through a casino with smokers - takes the smoke smell right out!

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

Edited October 6, 2015 by maywell

[NLH Arizona]

On one cruise, after I got my luggage at the turnstile at the airport and I kept smelling this perfume and thought who the heck had overdosed themselves in perfume...how rude of them. That was until I figured out it was my suitcase; a bottle of perfume had opened and spilled all over my clothes. Thankfully, I had a carry on with a couple days worth of clothes and my packed clothes spent the whole rest of the day out on the balcony to air out. Taught me a good lesson, always put anything that could possibly spill into plastic bags.

[DaniJo]

On my first cruise I forgot to bring conditioner thinking they would provide it for you. Shampoo and body wash were in the wall dispensers but there were only very tiny samples of conditioner and by day 3 with all the suntan lotion, salt water, etc it was a necessity. And paying for it on the ship is almost not worth it - so I'll never forget that again.

[Freckle53]

On our first cruise last year I packed our birth certificates in a suitcase we left in the hall then night before, not realizing at the time that we needed them for customs until I more thoroughly read through the debark paperwork after suitcases had already been taken from the hall. I knew right where they were and was prepared to have to wait for a customs officer to get the suitcase and dig out the folder inside with everything.

 

Thankfully they just let us through without doing that because we then spent the next hour searching the terminal for that suitcase. We had found all of our others in our zone 1 spot, except the small, bright red suitcase holding our birth certificates. We had very helpful and friendly Baltimore port workers and the supervisor helping us look everywhere. After about an hour of dragging 2 kids around and searching we found it right in the zone 1 area where it should have been. It was most definitely not missed by us or anyone so the only explanation is that someone else grabbed it mistakenly and thankfully realized it before leaving for home.

[Swells1]

Don't judge me, people. :eek:

Before our first cruise in 2008, I had no idea what the bathroom situation would be like. For some reason, I had this irrational fear something would happen to our toothbrushes- I kept seeing them falling into the toilet. It never occurred to me to simply buy a few toothbrush covers. So I took 36 disposable toothbrushes- 2 for each day. :o

[NMLady]

Hey there cruisers,

 

We are compiling the worst cruise packing mistakes we've made so others can learn from our unfortunate -- and sometimes hilarious -- mishaps. If you have any you would like to share, it very well might be published!

 

We look forward to reading and grimacing along with you :)

 

Best,

 

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

 

I didnot put plastic protection over my packed clothes. The softside suitcase sat out in the rain at the airport before it was loaded into the cargo hold and a lot of my clothing got wet.

 

Lesson learned. Now I either pack in large ziplock bags or I line the suitcase with plastic.

[CRUZIN TOM]

The reverse is mine. Packed a bottle of Rum going home and the bottle broke in the suitcase. Great smell in the clothes, took a few washes to get the odor out. Never pack a square bottle. They break easy.

[dd2355]

First ever cruise many years ago. Between Christmas and New Years. We drove to the cruiseport (Tampa). Oh we're going to the Caribbean we said. It'll be plenty warm enough for shorts and polo shirts we said. Let's just leave our jackets in the car and not have to mess with them we said. Holy cow it's cold and miserable in Key West we said... :(

[kcwingwalker]

I didnot put plastic protection over my packed clothes. The softside suitcase sat out in the rain at the airport before it was loaded into the cargo hold and a lot of my clothing got wet.

 

Lesson learned. Now I either pack in large ziplock bags or I line the suitcase with plastic.

 

Great tip.....................thanks:)

[detroitlions]

Don't judge me, people. :eek:

Before our first cruise in 2008, I had no idea what the bathroom situation would be like. For some reason, I had this irrational fear something would happen to our toothbrushes- I kept seeing them falling into the toilet. It never occurred to me to simply buy a few toothbrush covers. So I took 36 disposable toothbrushes- 2 for each day. :o

How many did you use. Too funny!

[trish1c]

Both involved underwear.

 

On my 1st cruise, although I set out my disembarkation outfit before I put the luggage out I forgot unmentionables. I wore my bathing suit & changed in the airport before I gave away my luggage again. :p

 

Before he was DH & I did his packing, DH forgot to pack his boxers at all . . . which was a real problem because because our 1st two days were at sea. Fortunately for him I had packed a pair that he'd left at my house in my carry on. I don't remember why he couldn't buy a pair in the ship's store but 1st order of business upon arrival in St. Thomas was a trip to K-mart.

[rafinmd]

Can I nominate this post from the Breakaway Joaquin thread:

 

I realize this is pretty pathetic but I'm desperate! If anyone is on the Breakaway with me right now - Oct 4 - I somehow left behind an item that I desperately need!!

 

If anyone has a bottle of Miralax that they are willing to sell to me please call me or find me - I'm in 14754!!!! I will pay good $$$$!!!

 

Thank you!!

 

PS if only sea sickness cured "that" too - lol.

 

Roy

[DebNJim]

First cruise, an entire suitcase for shoes........(and not a carry on).

Edited October 6, 2015 by DebNJim

[Wildcatllamas]

My late husband was always insistent on packing his own things. That way he wouldn't forget anything.

Things forgotten

First cruise - extension cord for his cpap machine

2nd cruise - Dress shirts. All of them.

5th cruise - power cord for his peritoneal dialysis machine (fortunately my laptop cord fit)

6th cruise - his insulin

My worst packing problem - I always pack shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, etc in a large ziplock in my checked bag. Courtesy of TSA they took everything out of the ziplock and then just tossed them back in the suitcase. Lid came off the hairspray and it discharged all inside suitcase along with the shampoo top coming open. Everything in my case was stiff or slimy. Had to send most down for cleaning onboard. Then TSA said I couldn't prove they did it. Hmm - your tag was sitting right on top of the mess.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Wildcatllamas

[Wildcatllamas]

First cruise, an entire suitcase for shoes........(and not a carry on).

 

Did that too on my second cruise that we drove to the port. We only wore a third of them.:o

[Cruisercl]

I know a woman who broke her leg right before a cruise; her doctor told her she was OK to go.

However she only needed a shoe for the one foot because the other was in a cast. She brought both shoes any way.........all 12 pairs. :p

 

(No, it wasn't me.....:D)

[sugarking]

I left my medication home and had to go to the drugstore in Key West! This happened more than once!

[Jbrattoncruise]

The first cruise I ever took, on the Norwegian Spirit from New Orleans...

 

We pulled up to the port, were overwhelmed with the luggage situation, porters were just throwing luggage everywhere and it was a madhouse so, I of course just throw my luggage out of the car. We proceeded to the parking lot.

 

Excited as ever, my parter asks me to get out my passport for check-in...

 

Then I realized it...

 

My passport was in my luggage.

 

The ship left the dock at 5 and we finally (with the gracious help of NCL staff) got onboard at 4:30. We arrived around 11.

 

Lesson learned!

[Golfin55]

Not packing condoms... Sometimes what happens on a cruise, becomes a nagging dependent.[emoji79]