Traveling thru Europe after a long cruise with luggage?

[Hflors]

We are thinking of taking a cruise which leaves Ft. Lauderdale and eventually ends in Rotterdam (after 30 days) We then want to spend a week to 10 days traveling thru Europe. What we are concerned about is our luggage. We think we can get our luggage down to about three bags, plus our carry-ons. It seems like a lot to be hauling around Europe.

We will be traveling thru Holland, Germany and Switzerland. We will be traveling on trains or busses.

 

Has anyone ever done this? How did you handle your luggage? Any tips?

 

Thanks. This will be our first longer Europe trip and I am quite concerned

 

Any tips about traveling thru these countries would be helpful.

[colbe]

We did a 24 day cruise and land touring in September. Here are my suggestions -

1) Take one bag each (Yes it can be done!). Think very carefully about weight. Can you can lift the bag up the stairs into the train.

2) Plan your trip and then pre-purchase your rail tickets buying early bird FIRST Class. There is more room for your luggage and less pushing and shoving as you board the train, if in first class.

3) Check Rick Steves web site for lots of valuable advice, including what to pack, and how to travel in Europe.

 

PS: I used a back pack. It weighed 7.8kg (17 pounds).

Edited January 10, 2016 by colbe

[kelleherdl]

If you do want to unload some luggage and then travel lighter around Europe you can consider shipping some home. Just google 'shipping luggage.' There are several companies like Luggage Forward that will do this from major cities all over the world.

 

Dennis

[Hflors]

If you do want to unload some luggage and then travel lighter around Europe you can consider shipping some home. Just google 'shipping luggage.' There are several companies like Luggage Forward that will do this from major cities all over the world.

 

Dennis

 

Thank you. That is such a good idea. I need to look into this.

[KirkNC]

Three options, pack lighter, ship some home and if it works, store some for pick up on the way back.

[RDC1]

Just did 28 days in Europe with a carry on bag. My wife had one midsized bag. The more baggage you have the more problems you are going to have. You can always do laundry. The streets are often uneven so even rollerbags are not good. Do not take any more bags then you can handle easily by yourself.

 

Depending on where you are in Europe there can be problems with thieves in train stations that are perfectly happy to steal a bag that is not closely watched. More of an issue if one is trying to manage multiple bags.

Edited January 11, 2016 by RDC1

[iancal]

We have done this many times, at least once a year for the past eight years. Usually it is a 14 day cruise prior to or after an 8-10 weeks of independent travel.

 

We used to over pack. It made our independent land trip less enjoyable. We usually do a combo of trains, car rentals, sometimes a bus, often a ferry or a discount air line. This, plus we never saw any joy in managing our bags over cobblestones or up and down stairs.

 

So we have cut down to one carry on each...a twenty inch roller. They each usually weight in at 9-10kg each max and will good rollers. DW has her purse, I have a very small backpack for an ipad, book, sweater, and sunglasses. That's it. These two rollers fit in the airplane overhead bin and very nicely in the back of a small European liftback car...the kind or rental we often end up with.

 

We have found it to be so much more pleasurable to travel with less and that we can both easily physically handle our bags without any assistance. Up stairs, on to ferries, on to train platforms...whatever.

 

As for trains, we have done first class but find it a bit of a waste unless you are going for a long train journey. You will meet more locals and I daresay more interesting fellow travellers when you are in 2nd class.

 

This is not for everyone but after years of travel this is where we have landed. It is just one of the reasons why we no longer bother with formal evening in the MDR. We do not have room for clothes/shoes, etc. that will only be worn a few times over an extended period. It was challenging at first but now it is the only way that we would travel. It is to the point now when we shop for clothes we consider how they will travel, will they layer, are they multi-use.

 

If you cannot cut back and take less then, I would highly recommend that you send some luggage home when you get off the ship or store it somewhere. You will not regret doing this.

Edited January 11, 2016 by iancal

[sppunk]

You will hate life trying to lug that much luggage on trains, through stations, up narrow stairs, cobblestone streets, etc. Hate.

 

You can pack one bag each, such as a 22" plus a carry-on sized backpack. It takes discipline at first but once done you'll think is crazy to carry around so much junk.

 

Pack for 5 days. The ship makes it easy since you can easily do laundry. On the land portion no one cares if you wear something twice and you can do undies in a sink or whatever. Washing clothes after every wear isn't recommended anyway!

[Jameseric]

It's something I wonder about, because for us the entire on-cruise mode (hey, we might need those shoes) of packing seems at odds with carting stuff around, by hand, from city to city. We have done the latter almost entirely, find ourselves wanting to yield to the former on this TA cruise to Barcelona. Best of world's would be to send the unneeded stuff home and be done with it. Second best, if you may be leaving via an airport near the cruise destination, would be to pay for storage. One COULD, of course, do the Rick Steve thing on-board, but the spartan existence might become wearing over the course of two weeks, say. Would be interested to know what you discover on this.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I have never shipped luggage after a cruise, but I have shipped luggage to a ship several times and it has been a godsend. I could have all the things I wanted on the cruise without dragging them all over England. (This was Cunard, and I needed my posh frocks)

 

I'd start by contacting HAL to see if they offer a service. Cunard's "White Star Luggage" is handled by DHL, so you might contact DHL to see what they offer. It can be expensive, but I look at it as the cost of traveling the way I want to, and not washing underwear in hotel bathrooms.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

If you can't get pared down quite as much as you want, look at a Bag Bungee from Magellan's travel catalog. It straps on to your larger bag and then cinches over a smaller carry-on bag on top of the larger bag. (The photo on the website shows much better than I explained!) I have two and love them. Plus we use medium sized back packs.

[iancal]

We have had the pleasure of meeting some very interesting fellow travellers in various laudramats around Europe....from all walks of life and all ages.

 

We pack for a maximum of seven days whether we are going for one week or three months.

Edited January 11, 2016 by iancal

[dockman]

We have had the pleasure of meeting some very interesting fellow travellers in various laudramats around Europe....from all walks of life and all ages.

 

We pack for a maximum of seven days whether we are going for one week or three months.

 

 

I have traveled all over the world with one small bag....there are laundries or laundry services everywhere. On the cruise part i just skip the formal nights and either have room service or eat in Lido. One cruise the ex and i were going to roam around europe for a month after the cruise...the first night at our fixed table we told our seat mates we hope they enjoy our clothes as they will see a lot of them...every single person said good luck with your roaming and enjoy it...no problems.

 

Too much luggage is the surest way I know of having a lousy time especially with travel that involves trains and checking in and out of hotels etc.

[iancal]

Next month we go to SE Asia for eight weeks. A bit longer if we snag a last minute cruise. We will be doing much the same as we pack even lighter for Asia than we do for Europe. If we cruise, our fellow travellers will have to get used to seeing us in the same clothes, albeit clean, three or four times!

[RMLincoln]

DO NOT have more than one suitcase per person, plus a shoulder tote or backpack, that are manageable with both hands free (that means you have to put the shoulder tote strap across your chest - this way it won't slide off your shoulder as you bend and maneuver your suitcase).

Yes, the luggage straps that piggy back 2 suitcases work well when rolling but not when heaving suitcases onto a train or tram or bus. I carry one in the event that one of us gets hurt or ill and just can't manage. And I pray it won't happen.

You can do it! We've done 20" and 24" bags. 50 lb limit on nearly all airlines! Note that if you fly within Europe they have very different rules about carry-ons which are usually weight limited to about 18 lbs.

 

We did 9-16 week trips the last few years, all included cruising and land touring. Australia, NZ and Tahiti to Hawaii one year; Iceland, Norway, Netherlands, river cruise, Rome, TA the next year. In Europe last fall we had an Eastern Med 12-nighter on Nieuw Amsterdam and a TA back to the states, 16 nights on NCL Jade, and in between those were land tours: We had a rental car in England, apartment accommodations in Zurich, Italy, and Cornwall, a shared villa in Tuscany, hotels in Venice, Milan and Barcelona plus tours by rail in Switzerland and by bus in England, so there were many hotels for 1 or 2 nights. Many, many metro connections, trams, buses and trains - long distance and short distance.

 

How to do it: We now pack only hand washables. In our 11 weeks two items never got washed - my Travel Smith travel skirt and DHs black cardigan which was used for dressing up a bit to go to classical concerts, gala dinners etc. Everything else got washed in the sink or the shower (doing the shower stomp). The ships we were on had no self-service laundry and I didn't trust that they would wash our collection of ExOfficio under ware and other delicate fabrics in cold water, beside these hand wash in a flash and dry overnight no matter what the weather. (NCL wanted 3 days to return laundry!) We also had Fox wick-dry socks. 3 sets of under ware and socks is enough - we had 4 sets last time and next time it'll be down to 3!

 

Having thin silk layers from Winter Silks and PolarTec (from REI) or thin Merino wool layers from Costco doing double duty as sleepwear or layers for warmth was great. They all washed easily and usually dried overnight... on the stops when we had 2 nights I could wash the heavier items in case they needed a little extra time or night clothes in the morning and have them ready by bedtime, plus there's always the hair dryer to give them a last warm blow.

 

We wore no jeans, only travel pants with zipper pockets for security, nylon, 2 pair each, one with zip off legs to make into shorts (DH's from REI, mine from LL Bean and Amazon.com). Travel vests are useful to some people but I tried one and sent it back - I found that I had plenty of zipper pockets in my travel shirt and pants and jacket. We had travel shirts (again with zipper pockets) and a fleece jacket and rain/wind jacket each, plus thin hats and gloves. We had 2 hats each - one sun and one warm knit). From Switzerland to Greece we had a variety of temperature zone.

 

We did about 5-10 minutes of hand washing most evenings but that wasn't a burdensome effort and well worth it.

 

Are you getting the theme on THIN fabrics that layer and wash easily? Special fabrics helped a lot and I shopped online for most of the items watching for sales and jumping on them. Of course DH had a few dress shirts that took a bit longer to dry but that was fine and I just timed their washing to when we had a bit longer in one place.

 

We used 2 suitcases, but not his and hers: active and inactive. Inactive was the stuff we needed for other parts of the trip - other weather zones. Active had the day to day for the region we were in. We packed in packing cubes (actually I used clear zipper packages like the ones that sheets come in) and folded-item compression envelopes (Amazon) which made it so much more organized. I also used a couple of compression bags for items in the inactive suitcase (WalMart - you squeeze the air out and close the zip-lock type seal).

 

We used 4-on-the-floor spinner wheeled bags this last trip and loved them! It was so much easier, even on rougher surfaces, so much less tiring than our older back-wheels bags. And we could sit our shoulder bag on top of the suitcase and wheel both together so easily.

 

The European hotels can be challenging. I tried to find ones with elevators but there are many other places where you just have to be able to carry the bags up or down stairs - even some train stations.

 

My difficulty is packing the toiletries, meds and vitamins... that sort of stuff but we managed it and have learned to bring what we think we might need because it can be very time consuming to go out and hunt cough drops and ibuprofen... I just find room for them.

 

Last time we each had 2 pairs of walking shoes - next time I think we'll just go with one pair each. DH wears size 14 and they are bulky and heavy even though they are Merriells, supposedly light-weight. We had them stuffed with little things but still too heavy. I would still want to have something else as a back-up, probably Tivas for me, not sure for him - he says he doesn't need a back-up.

 

Rick Steves is a great source of ideas. And I'd be glad to answer any questions or bat around other thoughts. Of course what works for one may not work for another and I can only share what worked for us. Happy Planning.

 

One other thought: trains... 1st class or 2nd class? we do both depending on the journey. We loved the 1st class Komfort Class in Norway for only a few dollars more when purchased in advance - great perks, more room. DH is long-legged and has knee issues so the space on a long day is worth it Usually 2nd class is just fine for shorter trips, and fewer pickpockets hang out in 2nd class, although one always has to have their security awareness up no matter where.

m--

Edited January 11, 2016 by RMLincoln

[Karennella]

This issue is actually one reason why why many Australians hate formal nights and why Azamara and Oceania are quite popular cruiselines here. We rarely go on a cruise overseas without combining it with other travel; too far. We have the additional problem that we are often packing for distinctly different climates.

Our next cruise is combined with a stopover in Hong Kong (quite warm) then a driving tour in Italy (moderate weather) and the cruise from Rome goes to Norway (cold by our standards)

We take a bag each, limit 20kg, one backpack and handbag and camera bag. My rule is that every item I take must match at least two other things. Minimum shoes as they are the heaviest. For formal nights I have a maximun of two items and if I wear them several times, well so do our friends. As long as I look suitable, who cares.

[iancal]

RMLincoln described very well how we happily get down to carry on luggage only, It works as described.

 

We would add two more things. If you are considering this don't start with what you think you need to take. Start with one small suitcase and then prioritize what goes in. And when you are finished try lugging it up and down the stairs at home a few times. We met an older couple from Seattle in a Florence laundromat who were training through Europe for five months. They told us they did this and cut back from a 25" each plus carry on to one carry on bag each. They said it was the best thing they had done in prepping for the trip.

 

The other thing we do..at the end of each trip we take note of anything that we did not use or used very seldom. The item will not earn it's way into our bag next time out. I am down to the shoes on my feet and a pair of Tevas in the bag. DW takes one extra pair of walking shoes and as well as some light weight sandals.

 

The longest we have travelled this way is six months (Europe, Africa, Costa Rica,Southern U.S.) that included one planned and two last minute cruises. Once you get the hang of it you wonder how others can possibly travel with so much luggage.

Edited January 11, 2016 by iancal

[VMax1700]

If you really need the extra baggage, you could perhaps plan your route around Amsterdam Schiphol and leave your extra suitcases there.

http://www.schiphol.nl/Travellers/AtSchiphol/Luggage/LuggageLockers.htm

[Iwant2BatC]

I like lots of clothes on a cruise but I like two outfits when I travel Europe on trains or busses. Traveling with several suitcases on trains is AWFUL! Only one roll aboard!!! Ship your luggage home with Luggage Forward. If you are in a Neptune Suite the concierge will see that your luggage gets off the ship and connects with their rep. Otherwise I believe the front desk will do it. You will need someone at your residence to receive it since you won't be there. Shipping really takes the trauma out of the whole thing

[cruisemom42]

I don't know about LuggageFoward, but the costs I've seen associated with shipping clothing home would strongly encourage me to pack later and make the best of it.

 

When I travel in Europe (on my own) I limit myself to one medium suitcase and a small carry-on that can be worn as a backpack if needed. It's the only reasonable way to get on and off trains, which often do not stop for long and have no porters...

 

Not to mention getting to one's hotel via the bumpy cobbled streets -- I highly recommend a bag with only two wheels, and make sure they are sturdy ones (like the ones on some Eagle Creek bags). Spinners are useless.

[I_r_a]

Hi HF,

 

You could

A: Have your large luggage shipped to the cruise terminal and visit Europe before the cruise.

B: You could have your large luggage shipped home after the cruise and then visit Europe

C: You could pack less and use the ship's laundry.

 

Enjoy your trip

 

Ira

[Hlitner]

This is a great topic that has impacted our European travel for over thirty years. Our solution has been (and continues) to simply rent cars and drive ourselves just about anywhere in Western Europe. In fact, over the years we have found having a car is much more economical and convenient then having to deal with public transport. Taking lots of luggage on European trains is a real pain, a potential security problem (it can be hard to watch all that luggage all the time) and is not a lot of fun. On only one occasion, when we were taking a train to Eastern Europe from Paris, did we make plans to leave most of our luggage with our hotel Concierge for later retrieval. This meant revising our itinerary to later return to Paris (and the same hotel), but this was not a major problem since we worked it all out well in advance.

 

Hank

[RMLincoln]

I don't know about LuggageFoward, but the costs I've seen associated with shipping clothing home would strongly encourage me to pack later and make the best of it.

 

When I travel in Europe (on my own) I limit myself to one medium suitcase and a small carry-on that can be worn as a backpack if needed. It's the only reasonable way to get on and off trains, which often do not stop for long and have no porters...

 

Not to mention getting to one's hotel via the bumpy cobbled streets -- I highly recommend a bag with only two wheels, and make sure they are sturdy ones (like the ones on some Eagle Creek bags). Spinners are useless.

 

Did you have a bad experience with spinner wheels? I'm curious what type of wheels they were, single or double.

My experience was quite positive, so much easier than pulling something 3 feet behind me and the 4 wheels dramatically cut the energy needed to move the bags. We walked with our luggage many places over many types of surfaces including a 1.8km walk in Milan. I had been quite concerned before the trip but now I would never go back to the old 2-wheel style for a heavy case, over 40 lbs.

 

The only time we had to really adjust our method of guiding the bags along by our sides was to cross trolley tracks. I'm short so normally I put the extending handle all the way down and guided the suitcase by the handle on top; when I came to an uneven crack I just gave a slight upward lift, lifting front toward back, more like a tilt with my wrist, on the handle and the bag glided pretty easily.

 

My case has single wheels and I think it performed better than DHs which has double wheels, and he kept his shoulder tote on top (leaning against the extended handle and wrapped the strap over the the extended handle); I usually carried my tote on my shoulder, often with the strap across my chest, so I had less weight on the case and wheels.

 

But both styles are available so to each their own. m--

[FATJACK]

Porters, Doormen and Bellmen. As a former bellman working my way through college after the army, I now find myself allergic to luggage. Been to Europe a dozen times and still travel heavy.

[iancal]

We prefer car rentals but this is not always a practical solution based on itinerary. We invariably end up using several modes of transportation.

 

But no matter how we travel we find it much more enjoyable and much easier if we take less rather than more.

Edited January 12, 2016 by iancal