how long in advance do you pack

[cruisemom42]

I approach packing as more of an engineering problem, lol. I want to carry as little as possible given that my cruises are generally combined with land travel during which I have to be able to easily manage my own luggage on trains, drag it to hotels, etc.  But I do like clothing, so my goal is to fit everything I will need and just a bit more into the available space.

 

I would never leave my clothing in a suitcase for months, I'd be afraid it might smell musty (or at least not fresh) and be wrinkled....

 

I'm a firm believer in lists and planning. If I have a list I will stick to it and not toss in a lot of "what if's".  I will generally review what I want to take a few weeks ahead to see if anything needs replacing or whether I want to sub out something new I've bought for something on my list from a previous trip.

 

I never pack anything except maybe the bottom layer (shoes, random small items that fit inside and around them) until the night before or even the day of travel if I have a later afternoon/evening flight to Europe.

 

I do have some clothes that I primarily "save" for travel just because they travel SO well and good travel clothes are worth their weight in gold. For example lightweight travel pants that I can wash in sink and air dry overnight and still look good. Performance tees, really comfortable and supportive walking shoes for archeological sites and "city sightseeing" shoes. Lightweight but roomy cross-body bag. That kind of thing. Things I wouldn't wear much in daily life at home anyway (at least not in my previous life where my 8-6 job was still about one step above 'business casual' wear....)

 

[bones774]

1 hour ago, bob brown said:

Packing.   Packing?   What packing?

When I see my ship arriving in port via the port webcam, I

1. Take down a suitcase and open it

2. Open my closet

3. Open my dresser drawer's

4  Dump contents of 2 and 3 into 1, and

bada bing, bada bong, I'm 'packed'....🤣

 

This did not apply when I did my ATW cruise....😉

C'mon Bob those were the old days, you're a married man now.

[kimlovesfl]

This is going to sound weird, but I pack in my head pretty much as soon as I have the trip booked. I know exactly why I, and my husband own. Then, I do the ACTUAL packing a day or 2 before we leave. I have a toiletry bag with small sizes of everything we need, so I only need to toss that, and last minute items like meds and the electric toothbrush, in the morning of departure. 

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I have heard some stories of what some people pack for world cruises -- sounds like you are more reasonable. (Some have said they take four suitcases plus per person!)

 

The WC Board has a discussion on the number of bags. Just can't imagine requiring 4 + cases each. When our last cruise was cancelled and they couldn't get 8 of us home, we were all given the top suites. Even in the suite, there would have been insufficient storage space for 8 to 12 cases.

[Nebr.cruiser]

While most of the clothes I take on cruises are things that I wear in my normal life, I do have some clothes that are almost exclusively for cruising/travel.  Although we don't take rtrue formal wear anymore, I do have some fancier dresses I take on cruises that I never, ever wear at home--no reason to.

 

Like another cruiser I do have some clothes that just work really well for travel that I don't really want to wear out in my regular day-to-day, so I try to save them for travel, like travel purse, certain comfy but nice looking shoes, etc.  A case in point is my lovely travel jeggings that look very nice and yet are incredibly comfortable for flying, especially.  The pair I like the most is no longer made, and so far I can't find anything I like as well.  So I save them for travel.

[jocap]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I have heard some stories of what some people pack for world cruises -- sounds like you are more reasonable. (Some have said they take four suitcases plus per person!)

Embarkation was a little late for our ship which had just returned from a world cruise, due to the amount of luggage being taken off. We were told that there  was a woman still sitting in the atrium, waiting for a van to collect her and her 39 articles of luggage.

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, kimlovesfl said:

This is going to sound weird, but I pack in my head pretty much as soon as I have the trip booked

I do this if it is far in advance.   I try to snag the end of season sales to fill gaps in my travel wardrobe.  I just bought my cashmere undershirts which were supposed to be for a jaunt to the Canadian Rockies after our now cancelled Alaskan cruise tour.  They will come in handy if not in 2022 then 2023 

[Torfamm]

I live by lists.  Once a trip is booked, I start a list of what needs to be packed.  A couple of weeks before I pull out special items like diving equipment or hiking boots to make sure that we have what we need and that nothing needs to be replaced and check our supply of things like sunscreen to avoid last minute shopping. 

 

Since we both work, we start the weekend before we leave by folding casual clothing, bathing suits, jackets or raingear and leaving it in laundry baskets. That way, when it's time to pack, we can very quickly gather everything and put it in suitcases without being stressed or worrying about forgetting anything.

[clo]

4 hours ago, jocap said:

Embarkation was a little late for our ship which had just returned from a world cruise, due to the amount of luggage being taken off. We were told that there  was a woman still sitting in the atrium, waiting for a van to collect her and her 39 articles of luggage.

Holy *****!

[clo]

2 hours ago, Torfamm said:

I live by lists.  Once a trip is booked, I start a list of what needs to be packed.  A couple of weeks before I pull out special items like diving equipment or hiking boots to make sure that we have what we need and that nothing needs to be replaced and check our supply of things like sunscreen to avoid last minute shopping. 

 

Since we both work, we start the weekend before we leave by folding casual clothing, bathing suits, jackets or raingear and leaving it in laundry baskets. That way, when it's time to pack, we can very quickly gather everything and put it in suitcases without being stressed or worrying about forgetting anything.

That's where our dining table/staging area comes in handy. Just the two of us so doesn't interfere with life. Our "travel box" which has stuff for land and air and cruise trips includes travel size "health and beauty aids," converter adapters, all manner of things. I recently relieved it of some of the HABAs and donated them. It's really nice to have all in one place and put up on a shelf in a closet.

[bob brown]

16 hours ago, jocap said:

Embarkation was a little late for our ship which had just returned from a world cruise, due to the amount of luggage being taken off. We were told that there  was a woman still sitting in the atrium, waiting for a van to collect her and her 39 articles of luggage.

Wow...it must have been regal, to have Her Majesty sailing with you...😄

[c-boy]

18 minutes ago, bob brown said:

Wow...it must have been regal, to have Her Majesty sailing with you...😄

or she loaded up on toilet paper while visiting other ports ... 😄

[lenquixote66]

On 2/7/2021 at 2:05 AM, ldubs said:

 

Mrs Ldubs a week before.  Me, it is the night before.  For folks who pack earlier, I wonder how many times they change things up before they actually depart.  

I would think many times.

[c-boy]

20 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I would think many times.

not I. It's in there it's stayin' in there.

[lenquixote66]

1 minute ago, c-boy said:

not I. It's in there it's stayin' in there.

There is always a first time

[c-boy]

oh hell NO !  that's bad juju. 😄

[cb at sea]

I start gathering things I'll take about 1 month in advance, IF, for instance, it's winter, and I'll be traveling to a WARM weather spot!  Since I'm not currently wearing shorts and such, it's much easier !  Otherwise, a few days out seems ample time!

 

[iancal]

Prior to switching to carry on only we found that the earlier we started packing the more items we packed that were never used.

[port msp]

Mrs. Port MSP starts a couple weeks before departure and commandeers a spare bedroom for the process.  The anticipation and packing are part of the fun for her.  I usually pack after she goes to bed the night before we leave, which drives her a little bonkers, and is part of the fun for me   Truth be told, my packing lists don't change much, so it's pretty easy.  For winter fun-in-the-sun cruises, we're going from cold (it's -7F as I type this) to a sultry ~80F, so we have to get the summer clothes out of storage to pack.  We both have some travel type clothing that we "save" for travel use because they pack well, are easy to wash out in a sink, and they're presentable for most occasions.  I've found that if I find an article of clothing that I like and works well, I now buy multiples of said garment because the manufacturer will invariably  "improve" it or discontinue it for the next season.   Buying multiples means I have some for travel-only, some for everyday wear, and some in reserve.  

We have a room in the basement known as "the luggage room" filled with shelving units, where we keep the travel gear and all of our outdoor sports gear.  Packing cubes, compression bags, electrical converter plugs, travel size toiletries, etc. all reside in rubbermaid storage bins on the shelves.  Grab what you need, pack it, and you're done.  When we return, we make a list of consumables we need to replace, put everything back in its bin, and we're ready for the next trip.   

 

Wind chill factors in MN will be in the -30sF range this weekend.  I'd very much like to be heading to FFL or MIA to get on a big boat and sail to warm places.  Perhaps 2022.  Likely 2023.  

I find myself longing for a warm weather get away.

 

[Markanddonna]

On 2/12/2021 at 2:01 PM, port msp said:

Mrs. Port MSP starts a couple weeks before departure and commandeers a spare bedroom for the process.  The anticipation and packing are part of the fun for her.  I usually pack after she goes to bed the night before we leave, which drives her a little bonkers, and is part of the fun for me   Truth be told, my packing lists don't change much, so it's pretty easy.  

 

 

Pretty much the same for us.  We have a command center and clothing we designate mostly for travel. That said, to answer the original question:
For our next cruise in November 2021, we will have been packing for about 15 months.

[iancal]

If someone told us now we could get on a flight to Thailand or Australia in two hours we would both be packed and out the door in 30 minutes or less.

[ldubs]

20 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

Pretty much the same for us.  We have a command center and clothing we designate mostly for travel. That said, to answer the original question:
For our next cruise in November 2021, we will have been packing for about 15 months.

 

Regardless of the cruise length, I pack up to the greater of: 1) whatever weight limit applies; 2) the capacity of the suitcase I'm delegated; or 3) I run out of clothes.   

 

I guess I sort of have a command center.  I pull everything out and lay it on the bed.  I only do counts of the essential clothing (underwear).  I fold everything as I put it in the bag.  Then Mrs Ldubs unpacks everything and refolds it because she says I do it wrong.   😀

Edited February 14, 2021 by ldubs

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

If someone told us now we could get on a flight to Thailand or Australia in two hours we would both be packed and out the door in 30 minutes or less.

 

Same here. Or Italy. Especially Italy. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

If someone told us now we could get on a flight to Thailand or Australia in two hours we would both be packed and out the door in 30 minutes or less.

This is pretty much what we did that day when American Airlines called us to advise that out next evening’s flight to Rome was going to be cancelled because of superstorm Sandy, but if we could get to JFK in four hours they could get us on an Iberian flight (via Madrid) that evening. 

 

We made it (despite some bloody-minded Iberian clerks’ efforts to screw us) and were happy to live without a few items that got forgotten in the process.

Edited February 14, 2021 by navybankerteacher

[iancal]

That is why we don't spend two weeks planning what to pack...or packing.