Have you changed the way you pack?

[Muffinz]

When I was on cruise critic in 2017 getting advice for our first cruise someone had posted a similar 'packing' question... and a lady replied saying she went on a 7 day cruise with her sister and between them they had 33 pairs of shoes!

I don't think I even own that many pairs of shoes!

[LACruiser88]

6 hours ago, Muffinz said:

When I was on cruise critic in 2017 getting advice for our first cruise someone had posted a similar 'packing' question... and a lady replied saying she went on a 7 day cruise with her sister and between them they had 33 pairs of shoes!

I don't think I even own that many pairs of shoes!

My DW beats that number!  😄

[Perky1]

On 10/30/2022 at 10:06 PM, Ombud said:

 

Thank you to the April 2022 Pacific Northwest Cruise roll call members who gifted me my new favorite suitcase!! An awesome 17"

Am I the only one curious for more info about this suitcase?

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

Ask on the rollcall.  🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

I'm on it, and my thought was HOW does this person get by with a 17" suitcase? 

We use 22" and thats small enuf....

[ldubs]

On 10/30/2022 at 6:27 PM, avonlady6390 said:

I keep telling myself to pack lighter but somehow my suitcase is always stuffed to the gills I always bring back a few items I don't end up wearing I just got back from a cruise so I Promise myself I won't over pack next trip.

 

Same here.  I pack to within half a pound of the weight limit.  

[minabruuke]

As someone who loves to plan and loves to organize, packing is part of the fun of travel for me. I use our day to day itinerary, taking into account our plans for each day, to make a detailed packing list (I actually plan out our outfits for each day😆).  This may be an unnecessary chore and an utter waste of time for many people but I thoroughly enjoy it and take pride in packing appropriately.   I do not overpack and I do not under pack. We do come home with some items that we don't use but those are items, such as certain over the counter meds, that I feel we should always have and hope not to use.  So no changes for us!  I don't want to haul around stuff we don't need and if I were to decrease what we pack I would end up irritated and frustrated due to not having enough. 

 

On another cruise line's message board, I routinely see people tell others to take only half of what they think they need. It drives me crazy every time I read that advice because that is absolutely terrible advice for some people (it would be for me).  Granted, I am well aware that for other people that would be really good advice.  

 

[Ombud]

6 hours ago, Perky1 said:

Am I the only one curious for more info about this suitcase?

 

1 hour ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

Ask on the rollcall.  🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

I'm on it, and my thought was HOW does this person get by with a 17" suitcase? 

We use 22" and thats small enuf....

[Ombud]

The only reason I packed Hersey mini bars for steward & room service was that I actually had room!! Thats what happens when I pack shorts for Caribbean versus long pants, more socks, & another sweater for Europe

[Thrak]

  

On 10/31/2022 at 8:23 AM, EllieinNJ said:

It's going to be a nightmare next May when we do a 21 day b2b where we will be in Spain & Portugal with lighter clothes and then go to Norway where we have to wear heavier clothes.  Ugh!

 

We stuck with our two carry on bags and the folding garment bag for a multi-climate cruise. We flew to Southampton and then cruised 12 days to Norway and went well above the Arctic Circle in late October. We then flew to Barcelona where we spent several days before cruising 14 days to Fort Lauderdale with multiple warm weather port stops. We had freezing cold weather and hot weather but still only took our "regular" complement of bags.

Edited November 1, 2022 by Thrak

[geoherb]

I had more in my carryon bag (a backpack) when I flew to New York the day of my cruise in August. I was worried that my checked bag would not make it. I don't think I could have managed with just a backpack and a carryon bag. For one, I wouldn't have been able to bring my bottles of wine with me. They had to fly in the checked bag. 

 

But overall, I'm packing lighter than I used to. I knew there would be a lot of Elites on my cruise (and there ended being 836 of us). Laundry usually came back on the third day. I sent out small loads every other day. I'll use the same strategy on my next cruise. It's only 10 days long. 

[Muffinz]

10 minutes ago, geoherb said:

I had more in my carryon bag (a backpack) when I flew to New York the day of my cruise in August. I was worried that my checked bag would not make it. I don't think I could have managed with just a backpack and a carryon bag. For one, I wouldn't have been able to bring my bottles of wine with me. They had to fly in the checked bag. 

 

But overall, I'm packing lighter than I used to. I knew there would be a lot of Elites on my cruise (and there ended being 836 of us). Laundry usually came back on the third day. I sent out small loads every other day. I'll use the same strategy on my next cruise. It's only 10 days long. 

I packed too much in my carry on when we did our first (and only to date) cruise.... I didn't need half the stuff I packed, so in Feb 2023 I will have a much lighter carry on bag to take on the plane

[cr8tiv1]

11 hours ago, ldubs said:

Same here.  I pack to within half a pound of the weight limit.  

 

I have "packed" a 22 inch suitcase with 49.5 pounds.  Very easy to do.  Of course, I did not try to carry it onboard.  Overhead bins are restricted to 25 pounds.

[Thrak]

One thing I definitely will change about my packing - I will put my phone charging stand in my day bag. When we disembarked in Vancouver my bag got pulled aside for having a "suspicious object" in it that showed up on the scan. Apparently they thought it might be a gun. I put my phone on this inductive charger at night with an app called Huge Digital Clock showing.With the phone sideways in this charger it's really easy for me to see the time at a glance. Since we actually booked an inside cabin (not the norm) for our next cruise being able to tell if it's day or night at a glance will be nice.

 

Edited November 2, 2022 by Thrak

[travelin.sisters]

we take full advantage of living within miles of the port & pack what most people would consider entirely too much...fuzzy blankets, decorations for the room, Stanley bears & their clothes, 'ukuleles, the list goes on & on...I could make everyone pack less, but why?

[cr8tiv1]

11 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

we take full advantage of living within miles of the port & pack what most people would consider entirely too much...fuzzy blankets, decorations for the room, Stanley bears & their clothes, 'ukuleles, the list goes on & on...I could make everyone pack less, but why?

 

I feel the same way.  Why not?  Same for when I fly to Hawaii....I "technically" get 4 free bags.  But there is no way I can maneuver all of that by myself (no porters available, hee hee).  Hawaii needs to get a Traders Joe.  Unfortunately, what gets unpacked has to get repacked when cruising.  I could not manage Stanley Bear and his entourage.  

[MissP22]

We changed and now travel for comfort about 25 years ago leaving all the unnecessary items at home, like formal clothing.

If I need anything on the ship I'll buy it at the next port or do without.

[geocruiser]

I changed our way of packing about 10 years ago.  Here is the reason.  We got to the pier with our luggage. I walked our luggage over to the porter.  He just turned to put a piece of some one else luggage onto the pallet, and a bus driver grab one of my cases and was about to put it in the hold of a departing bus.  The cruise porter did yell, and got it back.  I heard the yell and turned around and saw the cruise porter get it back. after that we would do two rolling carry- on each, with extra space left in each one for things that we would buy.  Some times we would use three cases between the two of us.

I also use packing cubes and folders.  I always had plenty of clothing to wear.  These were warm weather cruises.

[Colorado Coasty]

21 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Same here.  I pack to within half a pound of the weight limit.  

On most flights we are allowed 4 70 lb. bags. We have found, with careful planning and packing, we can reach that limit.🙄

[roxievegas]

We have two 21" bags - we divide up our clothes, each putting some in each bag just in case one is lost.  I then pack an 18" bag that contains the laptop computer, medication, and other necessary items and this bag is not checked in.

 

We have been on 7 cruises in the past 10 months and each time I try to eliminate clothing that I won't use.  We only go to the dining room 3 times during a 7 night cruise, so why pack 3 tops so no one will remember what I wore - who cares

 

Because of covid I was packing a lot of medication "just in case" - no more of that.  Getting my flu shot and 3 booster today, so we will be ready for our January cruise.  

[Ombud]

13 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

we take full advantage of living within miles of the port & pack what most people would consider entirely too much...fuzzy blankets, decorations for the room, Stanley bears & their clothes, 'ukuleles, the list goes on & on...I could make everyone pack less, but why?

I admit that I packed differently (22" + 2 bottles + flowers + Koda's suitcase to pass him off to Sohnjay at the Ferry Bldg) when I take Bart to the ship. And probably will do so again 4/2023. 

[Saymyname]

On 11/2/2022 at 7:21 AM, Colorado Coasty said:

On most flights we are allowed 4 70 lb. bags. We have found, with careful planning and packing, we can reach that limit.🙄

airline 🙂 ~ I have the same limit and come really close