Ideal (or not) cruise trunk size?

[riversights]

For those who are wise, practical, and experienced:  We will board Nautica for a three week sail this summer, and we are wondering about luggage dimensions.  I'll just come right out with the question.  "Is a 28-in. trunk about right, or too cumbersome, unwieldly, and magnificent for such a voyage?"  What's your ideal luggage dimensions?  Thank you for your input  Your travel savvy and experience with luggage will help us with our planning.  

[halfapair]

Too big. Pack the clothes you need for 6-7 days + toiletries, and do laundry on board. You'll want to be able to put your luggage in the closet or under the bed to keep it out of the way during your cruise.

[MEFIowa]

My luggage has to fit the airlines' requirements. I suspect trunks are best left to trees, elephants, and swimmers.

[shepherd really]

Will a 28" check in size suitcase fit under the bed? yes

 

That said, my wife and I both use 25" Travelpro soft sided luggage.  They also easily fit under the bed, and they were more than adequate for a recent 20-day cruise + 3 days on each end.  Packing cubes are your friend.    

 

 

[ORV]

For three weeks I'll disagree with the other post, except for Shepherd, that would work fine. I'm assuming by trunk you simply mean a 28" suitcase. Since you are going to be on the Nautica it only has 1 laundry for the whole ship if you do it yourself. 

 

We just did a 3-week cruise that required warm and cold weather clothes (SA & Antartica) My wife and I each took our Rimowa 29" cases, which oddly enough are about the same inside dimensions as other brands 26", a carry on each, mine is a Briggs & Riley compression case, which holds more than a typical carry on, wife's is a standard 21" Rimowa  and we each had a personal item backpack. Even with that I did laundry twice, I like clean clothes and went home with most of my clothes clean. 

 

This was on Marina, for our upcoming 10 day cruise on Regatta we are taking carry on only. Part of our decision is that we have a connection in ORD that is about 1 hour. When I booked it, the connection was almost 3 hours, but you know those airlines, always messing around with your flights. 

 

 

Edited April 2 by ORV

[shepherd really]

1 minute ago, ORV said:

For three weeks I'll disagree with the other posts. I'm assuming by trunk you simply mean a 28" suitcase. Since you are going to be on the Nautica it only has 1 laundry for the whole ship if you do it yourself. 

 

We just did a 3-week cruise that required warm and cold weather clothes (SA & Antartica) My wife and I each took our Rimowa 29" cases, which oddly enough are about the same inside dimensions as other brands 26", a carry on each, mine is a Briggs & Riley compression case, which holds more than a typical carry on, wife's is a standard 21" Rimowa  and we each had a personal item backpack. Even with that I did laundry twice, I like clean clothes and went home with most of my clothes clean. 

 

This was on Marina, for our upcoming 10 day cruise on Regatta we are taking carry on only. Part of our decision is that we have a connection in ORD that is about 1 hour. When I booked it, the connection was almost 3 hours, but you know those airlines, always messing around with your flights. 

 

 

But that pesky 50 Lb weight limit will rear its ugly head if you really fill that 28"er up.  Your point about the Regatta (all the R class ships) only having one laundry is right on.  That changes the packing strategery. 

[Kay S]

Does OP really mean a suitcase or an actual trunk?  You can get those metal trunks everywhere, the kind you might use for storage in the garage.  No wheels.  If it is a real trunk, you will have trouble finding a place to store it on the ship.  My advice is to factor the laundering service into your budget so you can pack less and avoid fighting for a washer/dryer on the ship.

[clo]

14 minutes ago, Kay S said:

If it is a real trunk

And if they're flying it's going to effect the weight of the piece of luggage when checking in.

[FlyerTalker]

FWIW....a number of luggage manufacturers are now referring to some pieces as "trunks".  These are often bags that are larger in the "thickness" dimension, shorter in the "width" and about the same in "length".

 

Here's one example:

 

https://july.com/us/luggage/checked-trunk/?light-sand=

 

You can compare it with their "classic" type luggage.

 

 

[KS&JW]

48 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

FWIW....a number of luggage manufacturers are now referring to some pieces as "trunks".  These are often bags that are larger in the "thickness" dimension, shorter in the "width" and about the same in "length".

 

Here's one example:

 

https://july.com/us/luggage/checked-trunk/?light-sand=

 

You can compare it with their "classic" type luggage.

 

 

Learn something new everyday. 

 

[PhD-iva]

Agree with Shepherdreally and disagree with halfapair.

[mauibabes]

We travel with a 25” and a 19” carry on each that fit under the bed and we also keep some less used pieces of clothing in them to swap out as needed. DW takes day and night wear for 10 days, always mix and match to stretch the wardrobe.  Besides, it is not like you can’t buy something on board or in port if you need it. Any DW has to have shopping time in every port. 

The Reference to the 50# limit is valid unless you fly to/from Bus or First Class, then it would be 70#. 
We bought the 25” suitcases specially to help keep our travels under the weight limit. We only push the limit if I add bottles of wine 👍🙏 or alcohol and we press the Oceania blue bag or one we bring along to haul extra stuff home if we have exceeded the limits. 
Our packing style has worked great, whether 10, 20, 35 or 46 days and we wash clothes regularly to stretch our wardrobe. The laundry is free and depending on your stateroom category, you do get three bags (20items) of laundry done by the staff for no cost in Concierge and above. Anything else you will pay for if you want things pressed. 
Bottom line, you can fit everything you need for your trip in your room and under your bed or you can ask your Room Steward to stow your suitcases and create extra storage under your bed with some creative planning and Amazon acquisitions. 
Mauibabes

[riversights]

These replies are very helpful.  You are dealing with greenhorns.  There is a dialectical element operating that multiplies the effect of your comments.  That's an oblique way of saying, "We read between the lines."  You are the experienced voyagers; we are your ignorant mates.  I would prefer to travel light, check the cargo, and join up at Stockholm at our stateroom.  Are we crazy?  

[shepherd really]

9 hours ago, riversights said:

You are the experienced voyagers; we are your ignorant mates .

You literally asked experienced people for their advice based on actual experience and then, after receiving said advice reply like this ^.

 

Good luck and please tell us after your trip how you packed and how that worked out for you.

 

Oh, and you're welcome, happy to help.

Edited April 3 by shepherd really

[mnocket]

My parents took my brother and I on our first cruise in the early 60's on Cunard.  Yep, I remember our clothes were packed in a large steamer trunk.  Times certainly have changed.

[riversights]

Mutatis mutandis, we've settled on the 28-in. wheeled trunk and one suitcase of lesser dimensions.  Cumulative conversation contributed to our peace of mind (hard to come by in 2024).

[vlthom]

14 hours ago, riversights said:

These replies are very helpful.  You are dealing with greenhorns.  There is a dialectical element operating that multiplies the effect of your comments.  That's an oblique way of saying, "We read between the lines."  You are the experienced voyagers; we are your ignorant mates.  I would prefer to travel light, check the cargo, and join up at Stockholm at our stateroom.  Are we crazy?  

Generally speaking, if you can travel with less, you will find it much easier to deal with.  That said, I typically pack a 26" rolling duffle and it's filled to the max.  We do laundry as well.  I usually feel that this bag, along with a small carry-on, are about as much as I can comfortably wrangle around myself.  

[Woodrowst]

I haven’t heard “trunk” used for luggage since my sailing on the Titanic. Luckily I had travel insurance, but that is for another discussion.

[halfapair]

Discover the joy of traveling with carry-on luggage only. No waiting to see if your bags show up, or not. No wrestling giant suitcases. No dropping heavy bags on your toes.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

[ronrick1943]

We take a large suitcase and never have had a problem.  We really don't lug anything, you have porters at the hotel, ship and even at the airports.  I'd rather wait 10 or 15 minutes than have to carry you bags on and off the plane, or hotel room and the ship.

[Kay S]

2 hours ago, halfapair said:

Discover the joy of traveling with carry-on luggage only. No waiting to see if your bags show up, or not. No wrestling giant suitcases. No dropping heavy bags on your toes.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

When I was younger and not confined to a wheelchair, I would agree with you.

[riversights]

15 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

We take a large suitcase and never have had a problem.  We really don't lug anything, you have porters at the hotel, ship and even at the airports.  I'd rather wait 10 or 15 minutes than have to carry you bags on and off the plane, or hotel room and the ship.

 

[riversights]

You have expressed our sentiments precisely.  The less burdened by baggage the better.  Thank you for chiming in.  We are getting the benefit of a seminar-at-sea before we join the airport shunt.

[AMHuntFerry]

6 minutes ago, riversights said:

You have expressed our sentiments precisely.  The less burdened by baggage the better.  Thank you for chiming in.  We are getting the benefit of a seminar-at-sea before we join the airport shunt.

There is everyone from carry-on-only (us except for cruises) to Paris-Hilton-luggage-quantity on this site. I know you've chosen size, but if you haven't purchased yet, I have been eyeing a Brigg's and Riley bag lately that is a rolling duffle. I also looked at the hard sided 28" trunk (~ 10 liters more), but I leaned toward the rolling duffle since it will fit under the bed to use for either clothes headed for the laundry, or rarely used (or "out of season") items. I was getting ready to buy, but there is now a 20% off sale on one line of their more traditional compression luggage, so now I'm waffling (I'm the slowest shopper ever!). Anyhoo, if underbed storage is appealing and you go with the trunk, you could always pack some fabric underbed storage bags. Enjoy your cruise!

[clo]

23 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

FWIW....a number of luggage manufacturers are now referring to some pieces as "trunks".  These are often bags that are larger in the "thickness" dimension, shorter in the "width" and about the same in "length".

 

Here's one example:

 

https://july.com/us/luggage/checked-trunk/?light-sand=

 

You can compare it with their "classic" type luggage.

 

 

Holey moley. Over $400!!!!