Packing tips/tricks?

[Athankfulheart]

We travel with carry on only so if we fly we have to stick to the 3-1-1 limits when it comes to liquids. Because of this and not wanting the hassle of shopping between flight and ship, we discovered bug repellant wipes and sunscreen sticks. We use the Neutrogena brand of sunscreen sticks and we LOVE them. They have worked very well for us and they last a surprisingly long time.

[SmoothFlying]

I iron and pack all my shirts, slacks at the last minute. I use a large suitcase and neatly fold them over once, separating with dry cleaning bags. Unpack as soon as delivered and spray with a bit of wrinkle releaser. Good to go.

 

I wear size 14 shoes, so minimizing the number of pairs I bring really cuts down on my luggage.

 

Anything hanging on the balcony is a no-no, so leave the clothesline home. This is both due to items blowing away, and potential fire hazards if somebody discards a cigarette and it blows there. They announced this repeatedly on our last Liberty sailing.

 

I make a cruise packing list and adjust it after each trip so I have a reference for my next cruise. Some things people say you gotta have, you may never use, or you may not be able to live without. Checking things off the list as they go in the luggage helps keep me from forgetting stuff at home.

 

A small battery travel alarm (back-lit) is a must for us.

 

My wife did with our packing travel list. I suggested the list idea when we first got married in 1995. But, as the years passed and as we traveled I would notice things that were on the list weren't getting packed. Finally, she realized what she'd do was when she'd see something that HAD to be packed she'd think, " OH!! I know I will NOT forget to pack that !'. So, she'd go ahead, mark it off as already packed, and forget she hadn't packed it. Even though I've never told her I'll go behind her to double check to make SURE all the necessary documents-i.e. pass ports, flight tickets and lastly sailing papers are included. Forgetting those can be a cruise-vacation ruining disaster. :(

 

Mac

[Flatbush Flyer]

Hello! My husband and I are cruising this weekend (EEE!!!) and I'm finalizing my packing list and will be running out for last minute things this week some time. What are your favorite packing tips and tricks that you wouldn't sail without? This is our 2nd cruise and the two tips we took on last year's cruise was packing an over-the-door shoe holder for the back of the bathroom door to hold all of our toiletries and whatnot and then packing some clothesline and clothes pins to string up on the balcony to dry swimsuits.

 

 

 

We do plan to TRY packing more light this time and taking advantage of the laundry service mid-cruise. We enjoyed the discount day they did last year and thought we could have packed much less if we'd known/planned for that.

 

 

 

We also grossly underestimated the amount of sunscreen in those little travel sized sunscreen bottles and had to purchase more from the ship's store. ($$) So we'll be bringing more sunscreen this time around (and bug spray!).

 

 

 

I'd love to hear your tips/tricks for packing! Thanks so much! :)

 

 

If you need an over-the-door hanger, you have way too much stuff. Also, know that some cruise lines don't allow them and will charge you to repair any door damage (which is not uncommon).

 

One great tip is that, if you send your shirts/slacks/etc to the cleaners at home, wear, then send, your upcoming cruise items to your local commercial cleaner and ask for them to be boxed. The folded items are perfectly sized for packing and ship storage. Unbox them and conveniently pack/store. It's a few bucks more but well worth the expense when it comes to packing.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[CruisenLexie]

Our 7 day cruise next July we are only bringing carry on luggage.

 

You are my packing hero :)

[chris_kelowna]

We did bring an over the door hangar and we do not have way too much stuff! We got ours at the dollar store and it's served us well for a couple of cruises now. When you figure toiletries for two people, a shaver, hairbrush and comb, prescription meds, OTC decongestants etc, the little medicine cabinet gets really crowded really fast. Also, the battery tea lights are proving very handy in the bathroom and even in the cabin.

 

Sent from my Venue 7 3730 using Tapatalk

[iancal]

This is not for everyone. We decided to downsize. We simply could not travel where and how we wanted and physically handle the luggage that we would previously take. We also got tired of unpacking clothing that we never wore or wore once or twice for a few hours. We stopped bothering with MDR formal nights even prior to downsizing. They had lost their lustre for us and we do not miss them.

 

We started with the case not the clothes. We bought 20" carry on rollers and decided that this was it. And it was. If it did not fit in the case it did not go. At first it was a case of reluctantly making compromises. Now, after travelling this way for several years, sometimes for several months at a time, we no longer feel that we are making compromises.

 

Difficult at first but now it is a dream to pack. We shop for clothes that are conducive to carry on. Layered and easy care. We do not need packing lists. In the winter it means that we have to get to the airport light clothing or hand off our winter weather clothes to someone when and if we get dropped off.

 

This is not for everyone. It has made trip planning, packing, and travelling a great deal easier for us. I do not think that we would have been able to downsize had we not started with the luggage size first.

Edited October 30, 2016 by iancal

[marco]

Lay out everything you intend to bring, bring half and you'll only have a "little" too much.

[slidergirl]

This is not for everyone. We decided to downsize. We simply could not travel where and how we wanted and physically handle the luggage that we would previously take. We also got tired of unpacking clothing that we never wore or wore once or twice for a few hours. We stopped bothering with MDR formal nights even prior to downsizing. They had lost their lustre for us and we do not miss them.

 

We started with the case not the clothes. We bought 20" carry on rollers and decided that this was it. And it was. If it did not fit in the case it did not go. At first it was a case of reluctantly making compromises. Now, after travelling this way for several years, sometimes for several months at a time, we no longer feel that we are making compromises.

 

Difficult at first but now it is a dream to pack. We shop for clothes that are conducive to carry on. Layered and easy care. We do not need packing lists. In the winter it means that we have to get to the airport light clothing or hand off our winter weather clothes to someone when and if we get dropped off.

 

This is not for everyone. It has made trip planning, packing, and travelling a great deal easier for us. I do not think that we would have been able to downsize had we not started with the luggage size first.

 

+1,0000000000

 

If I did strictly car to ship or taxi-to-airport-to-taxi-to-ship, I probably would overpack and have all those clothes for 3 outfits/day ;) But, since my travels consist of much more than that, I follow your lead and pack small and light to be nimble for traveling on my own. I do not believe I miss out on anything by packing this way. A LBTD (that rolls up and can go casual with sandals/tennies or better with flats) and a crystal necklace/earrings will get me in anywhere! And, I an wear that dress multiple times - a hour here, 2 hours there... I can wash it and let it hang dry on a day that I won't be using it...

[78232]

I try to bring otc meds for anything that reasonably can happen to us. Twice I have forgotten nose spray and have had to buy it at the infirmary or local pharmacy. Small air freshener is nice for a bathroom that may smell bad. I get mine from bath and body works. Also a highlighter is helpful for marking things on the daily paper so we don't miss events we want to attend. We wear watches when going ashore. We have always turned our cell phones off for the trip.

[baja mama]

What great ideas everyone has and I'm so glad I found this thread.

[baja mama]

I read somewhere to bring peel and stick hooks to put on the wall in your cabin to hang things on. Does this work and is it allowed?

 

Thanks so much.

[amydresh]

All the advice about packing half/lighter is something I won't even consider. I know I over pack and I am okay with that. I like knowing that I have everything I could possibly need. I get panicky thinking that I may have forgotten something so I feel more comfortable bringing a lot. I may over pack, but that doesn't mean we bring tons of luggage. Five of us flew to CA for a week and it was April so we needed summer and winter clothes because the weather was iffy. All 5 of us had a carry on for all of our clothes, shoes, and toiletries, the kids' suitcases were the smaller "kid" ones. We also each had another carry on bag. We did have a 29" "overflow" suitcase that we checked that held stuff that didn't fit in our carry ons, it also held our souvenirs on the way home, but we could have totally done the trip without it. I over packed, we had a lot of stuff and I didn't regret bringing any of it.

[Kmangel]

I read somewhere to bring peel and stick hooks to put on the wall in your cabin to hang things on. Does this work and is it allowed?

 

Thanks so much.

 

I read to bring magnetic hooks for the walls/doors inside the cabin. You can get heavy duty magnetic hooks.

[notentirelynormal]

Hang any damp items on a hanger and hang from the AIR VENT in the cabin. Things will dry quickly and won't have salt spray in them! For swim suits, after being in the pool, rinse off under the shower by the pool, towel off and sit in the sun for a few mins. You won't need to "rinse" your suit again, and it will be damp...not wet....and will dry fast!

 

I want to stress cb said AIR VENT. Do NOT hang it on the sprinkler valve. Someone had a teenage daughter that used it for hanging some clothes up as an additional closet storage. The valve starting spewing water and it went downhill from there. If I remember properly the poster ended up spending quite a lot of money to have the repairs done to the ship.

 

Also, cb, instead of "swim suits" I read "swim fins" and I kept thinking to myself - wow how big is the pool on the ships YOU go on :rolleyes:. Then I re-read it and went ooohhhhh :o.

[griffy116]

Even after more than a dozen cruises, I still find tips on here. I'm going out to get the sunscreen stick and sheets for the bug protection. The restrictions on liquids have been our only inconvenience and this is PERFECT. I had been buying them when we reached the port city. We have been packing light, mostly because of our first Med cruise, airline restrictions, etc. We LOVED it, so nothing goes in that can't be multi-used...shoes, clothing, etc. I utilize the ship's laundry service mid-week. We don't miss out on formal night. I use a LBD tht can be scrunched into a tiny space and doesn't wrinkle. Men just skip the suit and wear a shirt and tie. They love that. I wear a pair of gym shorts and t-shirt to sleep in and it can be worn outside the cabin, since I don't do the gym. They take up practically no room and serve a double purpose. Cut down on shoes. I can wear the same pair of flats with my carpi pants on casual night and then wear them with my LBD to formal night. We don't need the over-the-door hanger. I hvae one of the cardboard folding boxes that lays flat in the bottom of the suitcase (Dollar Store) to hold all the toiletries and loose items in the cabin. I leave it when we leave the ship. I use an air freshener that hangs from the rear mirror in a car. It's flat and takes up no space(also dollar store). A travel size pack of wipes goes in my tote bag to wipe everything down in the cabin and I can take the rest with me on excursions. I use zip-lock bags in my luggage to store my clothes, including shoes. When I take off dirty clothes, they go in one of the zip lock bags, I mark a big X with a sharpie on the outside and tossed in the suitcase stored under the bed. Last day, I'm practically packed. They come in 3 gal sizes. One goes in the safe with car keys, extra meds, etc. That way they don't get lost in the safe and forgotten when we leave. Instead of carrying paper documents or copies that take up space, I scan my passport, ID, credit cards, any excursion confirmations, airline tickets, transportation, etc. and e-mail it to myself.Always available if anything gets lost or stolen. I carry a small magnetic hook for the cabin wall. I put my lanyard on it (oh yes, we use a lanyard). I can also put a note under it. I use a list and I use things that can be mixed and matched (dual purpose). I wear a light sweater and a wrap on the plane since I get chilly during the flight and this gets used on the ship in the dining room or shows where the a/c can be chilly. I carry things that can be washed out and dry quickly in case I have to wash it out by hand during the cruise. I always keep this in mind when shopping for things to carry on a cruise. Can it be worn in the dining room and also be worn on an excursion? Will it wrinkle easily? Will it pack into tight space or take up a lot of room? Does it weigh a lot (airline weight restrictions)? I now have my packing list down pat, but the new tip on sunscreen and bug protection will be getting used on my next cruise and on my packing list and I have to say THANK YOU AGAIN! Hope some of my tips will help someone. I got all of them from here over the years. :D

[notentirelynormal]

I use a LBD that can be scrunched into a tiny space and doesn't wrinkle. :D

 

What's an LBD?

[euro cruiser]

Little black dress.

[slidergirl]

Little black dress.

 

And, my LBTD = Little Black Travel Dress...