Anybody using a carry on this summer?

[lynn-in-nc]

Usually when I take a cruise I basically shove my closet into a couple of suitcases. But in a couple of weeks I have to fly through Heathrow to Edinburgh and I’m seriously considering taking a carry on suitcase and not checking any bags. Anyone else?

[AussieBoyTX]

We didn't, but it's certainly feasible. Ponant laundry almost always is done in a day, so if you need some things done, that makes it easier.

 

Heathrow is a mess for sure, so good thinking. We've had three flights cancelled while over here (the Ponant sailings have been just about the only thing going smoothly). We've taken to using ferries & trains to get around.

 

[gogo65]

We will be away for 7 weeks, so carry on won’t be feasible due to a variety of climates.

We will however pack half and half in each suitcase, in case we lose one suitcase (flying into Heathrow from Sydney), and will be putting apple air tags in both.

Will have two outfits in each carryon and our waterproof jackets.

We lost our luggage for 4 days in Rio, I was the only one who had a change of underwear 😂, the other three washed each night! 

[lynn-in-nc]

My husband wants to check one shared bag but I think if we can skip the whole check in process the whole thing will be easier. That’s a good idea to pack half and half, and we got the air tags just for that purpose. Hopefully nobody will judge if we repeat outfits. 😃

[jonikal]

10 hours ago, gogo65 said:

We will be away for 7 weeks, so carry on won’t be feasible due to a variety of climates.

We will however pack half and half in each suitcase, in case we lose one suitcase (flying into Heathrow from Sydney), and will be putting apple air tags in both.

Will have two outfits in each carryon and our waterproof jackets.

We lost our luggage for 4 days in Rio, I was the only one who had a change of underwear 😂, the other three washed each night! 

Having lost a suitcase somewhere between tampa and bergen which has yet to be found, very glad to learn that the apple air tags seem to work intercontinentally.

[gogo65]

31 minutes ago, jonikal said:

Having lost a suitcase somewhere between tampa and bergen which has yet to be found, very glad to learn that the apple air tags seem to work intercontinentally.

It seems to be the best option in order to keep track of your bags.

However I was reading an article today where people had AirTags and could see their suitcase in one country yet the airline insisted it was in another. So the issue will most likely be the airline believing you!  

[AussieBoyTX]

We have AirTags in all of our bags, checked and carryon. Actually got to use them when hotel delivered one bag to the wrong room. I wandered through the halls to find it and then let the bell staff know and they retrieved it for me. 

[jpalbny]

17 hours ago, lynn-in-nc said:

Usually when I take a cruise I basically shove my closet into a couple of suitcases. But in a couple of weeks I have to fly through Heathrow to Edinburgh and I’m seriously considering taking a carry on suitcase and not checking any bags. Anyone else?

 

One rollaboard each has been our packing strategy since well before the pandemic. Other than our Antarctica cruise in January 2020 where we took a third bag full of boots and bulky cold weather clothing, I can't remember when we last used a suitcase bigger than a rollaboard. Our standard-size suitcases are definitely gathering dust.

 

It's so much easier, as you will find. Walk off the plane and you're done. No waiting, no worrying whether your bags will be there.

 

The only time we check bags is when we're coming home and we have bought lots of wine.

 

12 hours ago, lynn-in-nc said:

Hopefully nobody will judge if we repeat outfits. 😃

 

If they do, then that's a sure sign that you don't want to hang around those types.

 

But you'll be surprised how many outfits you can fit into a rollaboard. The secret is to cut down on the number of shoes, not the number of outfits. Also, go with similar color schemes so most everything can mix and match. 

[highplanesdrifters]

Connecting through Heathrow to Oslo in a few weeks for an arctic expedition. We are taking all must haves in our carry ons. If needed, we can survive the trip with just our carry ons. A potential dry run to see if we can travel alla JP. 😀 We are shipping our other bag to Oslo hotel with the thought that it might be safer than transiting through LHR.  Our connecting flight is on SAS. They are still on strike so we have booked a refundable flight from LHR to OSL on BA just in case SAS is a no go or canceled. Quite the challenge to navigate the skies these days with or without baggage.

 

If the Fashion Police choose to judge our repeat outfits so be it. Like JP said easier to check them off our socializing list.

[Mary229]

Just separate absolute needs and the extras.  Carry on the needs and hope for the best for the other suitcase.  Enjoy the cruise 

[gogo65]

5 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

  Our connecting flight is on SAS. They are still on strike so we have booked a refundable flight from LHR to OSL on BA just in case SAS is a no go or canceled. Quite the challenge to navigate the skies these days with or without baggage.

 

 

We also have a flight Edinburgh to Tromso on SAS for our NW passage, might do the same and book a refundable flight on Norwegian.

My back up plan would be see if we could jump on the Ponant charter from Paris.

I’ve heard that the European flights are still going that they haven’t cancelled all flights, is this correct?

[AussieBoyTX]

If flights cancel, they generally cancel two weeks out so additional compensation isn’t owned to passengers. We’ve had KLM and SAS flights cancel exactly fourteen days in advance this month. 
 

Booking refundable backups on Norwegian is a good plan. 
 

We have been suggesting friends who haven’t purchased tickets yet to fly Finnair. They’ve been mostly immune to what’s going on with the rest of the continent. 

[sunpsyche]

9 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

One rollaboard each has been our packing strategy since well before the pandemic. Other than our Antarctica cruise in January 2020 where we took a third bag full of boots and bulky cold weather clothing, 

 

But you'll be surprised how many outfits you can fit into a rollaboard. The secret is to cut down on the number of shoes, not the number of outfits. Also, go with similar color schemes so most everything can mix and match. 

Do you have any other packing tips or use a special system?

 

We’re heading to Amsterdam for 4 nights, then a 12 day cruise to Iceland and Ireland and continuing on a 7 day Norwegian Fjords. I would love to take only carryons and backpacks. 
 

 I know layers are necessary, but I’m having difficulty wrapping my head around it all.  We leave in 10 days and will do a prepack tomorrow. 🤞 

[lynn-in-nc]

I’m glad I’m not the only one prepacking 10 days in advance! 🤓

[jpalbny]

3 hours ago, sunpsyche said:

Do you have any other packing tips or use a special system?

 

We’re heading to Amsterdam for 4 nights, then a 12 day cruise to Iceland and Ireland and continuing on a 7 day Norwegian Fjords. I would love to take only carryons and backpacks. 
 

 I know layers are necessary, but I’m having difficulty wrapping my head around it all.  We leave in 10 days and will do a prepack tomorrow. 🤞 

 

Challenging! 

 

From my (male) POV: If your cruises are expedition style and you don't need anything more dressy than button down shirts and khaki pants, and laundry is readily available on one or both cruises, then it's very doable.

 

I'd attack it like this:

 

Bring 5 pairs of pants. Make sure 4 can be worn on excursions but can be dressed up enough for casual dinner.

 

Bring 6-8 t-shirts, mix of long and short sleeves. Replace 2 with turtlenecks if you want.

 

One sweater or sweatshirt. One blazer to wear on chilly evenings. For outerwear we would bring our Silversea parkas which have two layers; each can be wors separately or both together for extra warmth. 

 

Wear clothes to dinner when they are clean. Wear them on excursions later on. Then wash them. Mix and match. Keep to two color schemes at most: gray/black, or khaki. Navy can sometimes work too. That way you have multiple combos.

 

Bring a tie or two. They take no room but the same shirt looks different plain, vs. with a tie and blazer.

 

Shoes - a pair of hikers (wear on the plane), black sneakers that can be worn to dinner or on easier excursions, and a pair of dressier shoes. We bring dance shoes for that category, which are super light and take up almost no room.

 

We used to pack tons of stuff. Eventually we got tired of it. So we developed this system  and it's been great.

 

Chris uses a similar scheme although she tales fewer pants/shirts, and adds a few casual dresses that are nice enough for dinner.

 

If you need formal wear for one of your cruises, it may be more difficult. But we have done multiple SS classic cruises with only our rollaboard cases. Tux and fancy dresses do fit.

 

It can be done. But it took us a while to get over the "what if I need it" phase. IMO that's the hardest part. Good luck! 

[sunpsyche]

 

10 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

Challenging! 

 

From my (male) POV: If your cruises are expedition style and you don't need anything more dressy than button down shirts and khaki pants, and laundry is readily available on one or both cruises, then it's very doable.

 

I'd attack it like this:

 

Bring 5 pairs of pants. Make sure 4 can be worn on excursions but can be dressed up enough for casual dinner.

 

Bring 6-8 t-shirts, mix of long and short sleeves. Replace 2 with turtlenecks if you want.

 

One sweater or sweatshirt. One blazer to wear on chilly evenings. For outerwear we would bring our Silversea parkas which have two layers; each can be wors separately or both together for extra warmth. 

 

Wear clothes to dinner when they are clean. Wear them on excursions later on. Then wash them. Mix and match. Keep to two color schemes at most: gray/black, or khaki. Navy can sometimes work too. That way you have multiple combos.

 

Bring a tie or two. They take no room but the same shirt looks different plain, vs. with a tie and blazer.

 

Shoes - a pair of hikers (wear on the plane), black sneakers that can be worn to dinner or on easier excursions, and a pair of dressier shoes. We bring dance shoes for that category, which are super light and take up almost no room.

 

We used to pack tons of stuff. Eventually we got tired of it. So we developed this system  and it's been great.

 

Chris uses a similar scheme although she tales fewer pants/shirts, and adds a few casual dresses that are nice enough for dinner.

 

If you need formal wear for one of your cruises, it may be more difficult. But we have done multiple SS classic cruises with only our rollaboard cases. Tux and fancy dresses do fit.

 

It can be done. But it took us a while to get over the "what if I need it" phase. IMO that's the hardest part. Good luck! 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences in going lightly. These tips are very helpful and I do believe we can do it!

These aren’t expedition cruises, however we’re not doing any formal nights.  We do plan  to spruce up a bit for dinner and will pack mix and match clothing. We’ll have laundry available also. 

 

Never thought of dance shoes..will have to investigate!

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

18 hours ago, gogo65 said:

We also have a flight Edinburgh to Tromso on SAS for our NW passage, might do the same and book a refundable flight on Norwegian.

My back up plan would be see if we could jump on the Ponant charter from Paris.

I’ve heard that the European flights are still going that they haven’t cancelled all flights, is this correct?

My TA tells me that it still a minefield out there as far as EU flights are concerned.  It did hear the same about Finnair that @AussieBoyTXmentioned. I'm glad that we are on a charter from Oslo to Longyearben. Just read a story about all the people stuck there, or can't get in due to the SAS strike. 

 

Perhaps there is hope for us.

https://www.thelocal.dk/20220717/signs-of-imminent-agreement-as-scandinavian-airline-sas-and-pilots-negotiate-overnight-analyst/

 

Btw, great little museum in Tromso, The Polar Museum. It's a bit like an attic full of all kinds of historical artifacts including Admundsens skis.   Especially fun if you are doing the NW passage.

 

 

[lynn-in-nc]

On 7/17/2022 at 7:43 AM, jpalbny said:

 

One rollaboard each has been our packing strategy since well before the pandemic. Other than our Antarctica cruise in January 2020 where we took a third bag full of boots and bulky cold weather clothing, I can't remember when we last used a suitcase bigger than a rollaboard. Our standard-size suitcases are definitely gathering dust.

 

It's so much easier, as you will find. Walk off the plane and you're done. No waiting, no worrying whether your bags will be there.

 

The only time we check bags is when we're coming home and we have bought lots of wine.

 

 

If they do, then that's a sure sign that you don't want to hang around those types.

 

But you'll be surprised how many outfits you can fit into a rollaboard. The secret is to cut down on the number of shoes, not the number of outfits. Also, go with similar color schemes so most everything can mix and match. 

 

Thanks for the male POV! I think it helped me convince DH that carry-ons are the way to go. 

[gogo65]

8 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

My TA tells me that it still a minefield out there as far as EU flights are concerned.  It did hear the same about Finnair that @AussieBoyTXmentioned. I'm glad that we are on a charter from Oslo to Longyearben. Just read a story about all the people stuck there, or can't get in due to the SAS strike. 

 

Perhaps there is hope for us.

https://www.thelocal.dk/20220717/signs-of-imminent-agreement-as-scandinavian-airline-sas-and-pilots-negotiate-overnight-analyst/

 

Btw, great little museum in Tromso, The Polar Museum. It's a bit like an attic full of all kinds of historical artifacts including Admundsens skis.   Especially fun if you are doing the NW passage.

 

 

We decided against the charter from Paris to Tromso due to excessive $$$, saved about $1700 doing it ourselves, gave us two nights in Tromso as a back up plan, hopefully the gamble pays off (not for a minute did I think it was a gamble though!).

The museum looks interesting and something that we will do, as long as we get there!

[Host Jazzbeau]

On 7/17/2022 at 9:08 PM, jpalbny said:

Bring 5 pairs of pants. Make sure 4 can be worn on excursions but can be dressed up enough for casual dinner.

 

Bring 6-8 t-shirts, mix of long and short sleeves. Replace 2 with turtlenecks if you want.

 

One sweater or sweatshirt. One blazer to wear on chilly evenings. For outerwear we would bring our Silversea parkas which have two layers; each can be wors separately or both together for extra warmth.

What you have described doesn't fit in my empty carry-on!  And you have left out the multiple prescription Rx and supplements, camera, toiletries, slippers.  So to save a little wait at the airport I have to rough it? – no thanks!

 

We cross-pack 2 checked bags [with wheels] and have room for 2 days clothing in our carry-ons [also with wheels] along with all those other necessities, and usually fly in 2 days before the cruise. So far our bags have always arrived within that window.  That makes travel feel much more luxurious to us.  YMMV.

[Catlover54]

21 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

What you have described doesn't fit in my empty carry-on!  And you have left out the multiple prescription Rx and supplements, camera, toiletries, slippers.  So to save a little wait at the airport I have to rough it? – no thanks!

 

We cross-pack 2 checked bags [with wheels] and have room for 2 days clothing in our carry-ons [also with wheels] along with all those other necessities, and usually fly in 2 days before the cruise. So far our bags have always arrived within that window.  That makes travel feel much more luxurious to us.  YMMV.

 

JP and his wife Chris are quite a bit younger than you and I are (and based on their aggressive day tours, e.g., ability to walk 10 miles or more per day with hills, they are likely a lot healthier :).  

 

When I was young and healthy and did casual European non-cruise travel, a carry-on and purse was all I thought I needed.  Of course, back then, space in the overhead AND space under your seat was always to be found, and European airlines' allowed carry-ons were bigger, plus planes were not jammed.  Right  now, if we are forced to get on late or there is gate chaos, even in business class, the overhead space is not uncommonly full of someone's extra stuff, either from business  class (people who don't want to check for obvious reasons and don't follow the rules on dimension limits) or from coach pax who drop their stuff on the way to sit in the back.  If there is IFE equipment or a bar blocking under-seat space, we can't even count on room to put backpacks under seats for two people (a BA steward got angry when I put my backpack in the overhead, even though I had no roll-aboard and had IFE equipment at my aisle seat so all it could hold is my purse). We also are not very good about "muscling" in lines when there is gate chaos or non-enforcement of boarding priority.   -- Some  people bring on roll-aboards that are set in the "expand" mode, or duffel bags, which then take up more of the overhead than they should, leaving less space for the timid and/or late and/or rules-abiding.

 

Back then, I did not need my present medications and supplements and special creams and injectables and assorted prn meds (they still take space even when I thin them into just what I need for a cruise plus extras for potential quarantine, especially the liquid rxs). I also need more frequent changes of casual clothing due to getting hot and sweating a lot on warm weather cruises, AND not wanting/having energy  to do my own laundry every day, and/or if there is a land trip before or after the cruise, not having access to a washer/dryer or a hotel service that will get clothing back on time.

 

Most importantly, I was not married to an engineer and tech/photography addict DH, with all his cameras, lenses, cables, devices, connectors --and backups :). We learned the hard way too many times  that "two is one and one is none", so if something is deemed truly essential to enjoy the trip, we need a back-up (e.g., if I bring hiking boots, I need a pair of back-up walking shoes in case the first pair is either drenched or the sole comes off  -- it's happened). Add on the mini personal fans I carry to stay cool on suffocating buses, especially when masked (they of course need a different kind of charging cable), plus the possibility of cold weather requiring bulkier clothing even though you expect warm weather, like Europe in summer,  DH and I are happy when we can cram everything into 2 big checked bags, 1 rolling European regulation carry-on, 2 regulation sized and weight back-packs, and my "personal item" cross-body purse.  

 

What I *don't* need anymore but needed long ago is books and travel guides, as I can bring kindles or e-guides, or read online, but some stuff still needs printing. I can  pass on slippers -- just wear socks or the cruise  slipons.  🙂

Edited July 19, 2022 by Catlover54
Typo

[Catlover54]

On 7/16/2022 at 3:28 PM, gogo65 said:

We will be away for 7 weeks, so carry on won’t be feasible due to a variety of climates.

We will however pack half and half in each suitcase, in case we lose one suitcase (flying into Heathrow from Sydney), and will be putting apple air tags in both.

Will have two outfits in each carryon and our waterproof jackets.

We lost our luggage for 4 days in Rio, I was the only one who had a change of underwear 😂, the other three washed each night! 

 

DH and I went on a lot of organized luxury hiking trips when we were younger.  We had an old duffel we checked which we called the "shoe bag", which contained our sandals, "nice dinner" shoes, and extra walking shoes, easy to find when traveling inn to inn. We were happy that we had *worn* our carefully selected mountain hiking boots onto the plane when we discovered, in Amsterdam, that our "shoe bag" had been stolen before we could get to the carousel. We were also happy we had arrived 2 days early, and it wasn't Sunday, so stores were open. It was easier to shop in one day for dinner dress shoes than for hiking boots with proper fit.  If there is time, one can also buy *some* underwear, at least for men,  at most  airport shops, in a pinch  (probably not in the on-board boutique, however).  Getting replacement lady's brassieres can be trickier. 😲

 

We've been doing mix and match suitcases for years because we lost track of how many times one or the other suitcase disappeared or was significantly delayed.  Also we have had the air tags since they came out (DH enjoys tracking them).