New Packing Recommendations needed

[RevNeal]

Thank y'all so much. I appreciate it greatly. And, I think the idea of a weight-thread is a good one ... though isn't there a section of CC that covers this subject? :) I'm thinking about checking it out. If not, we SHOULD start one.

 

In truth, the first 64 pounds were the "easiest." The Doctor was ADAMANT about getting me below 300 pounds as quickly and as safely as possible. His primary concern was to keep me from losing muscle mass while maximizing fat loss. The dietician and the personal physical trainer were both absolutely critical in that process. Without them there is no way I could have dropped so much so fast and so safely.

 

The hardest part has been the 35 pounds I've lost since then. They've been long and hard pounds. And, I've lost it in fits-and-starts ... I'll hit plateaus and it's hard to get off those plateaus. Shifting work out and diet patterns helps, eventually that kind of tricking of the body loses its effectiveness.

 

For anyone who struggling to lose weight, BLESS YOU!

[RuthC]

Greg, I do want to congratulate you on your weight loss. But then I also need to remind every one else: matter can neither be created, nor destroyed.

Therefore, it follows that for every pound Greg has lost, someone else has gained. Those pounds had to go somewhere! So, be on the lookout---he's sending more "matter" out our way. :D

[hammybee]

Greg:

 

What an accomplishement. I am in awe. BTW, checked out 24 hour fittness but they are not yet in my area.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Greg, there is a "Lose Before You Cruise" forum. I'm on a wonderful thread on that board with a wonderful group of people. It's mostly women, but we have a few guys. It's an amazing support group and they have been fantastic for me.

 

I love it because there's never any animosity or nastiness. We all support each other with our individual choices of what we call "WOE" (way of eating). You might just want to take a look and if you like the way we sound, you can join the fun. It's a terrific group from all over the place:) .

 

Here's a link to the current page, but you may want to go back a ways to take a look: ***Welcome To Cruise Diet Countdown Club*** - Page 295 - Cruise Critic Message Boards

[RevNeal]

I thought y'all might like to see some comparison photos of me ...

 

http://www.revneal.org/weightloss1.html

 

Here's a sample:

 

 

[RuthC]

Good work, handsome! :) The 7/05 and 8/06 comparison photos of you standing really show the difference well.

Congratulations and keep up the good work. :D

Just to get back to the original purpose of the thread for a minute---

I've been wondering how to do that last morning on the ship when the toiletries have been put in the checked luggage, and put out the night before disembarkation. The other day I did a little test.

I put toothpaste on my brush and left it on the sink for the day. It was fine about 10-11 hours later. So, now I know that I can set it up that way the last night on the ship to get rid of morning mouth that last day. I'm sure my companions on the plane will be relieved, too. :rolleyes:

[Tinknock50]

Good work, handsome! :) The 7/05 and 8/06 comparison photos of you standing really show the difference well.

Congratulations and keep up the good work. :D

 

Just to get back to the original purpose of the thread for a minute---

I've been wondering how to do that last morning on the ship when the toiletries have been put in the checked luggage, and put out the night before disembarkation. The other day I did a little test.

 

I put toothpaste on my brush and left it on the sink for the day. It was fine about 10-11 hours later. So, now I know that I can set it up that way the last night on the ship to get rid of morning mouth that last day. I'm sure my companions on the plane will be relieved, too. :rolleyes:

 

Ruth,

Didn't you like the Sean/ Heather solution of keeping a small plastic bag with toiletries with you and slipping it into your checkins when you claim your suitcases at the port? Or slipping it into your suitcase before checking it at the airport? :)

[sail7seas]

Congratulations, Greg. What an accomplishment. You look fantastic.

 

Ruth......I also am pondering what to do about makeup/mouthwash/cologne.........all that. If we do a post cruise hotel stay, then no problem but if we leave the ship and head to the airport, it's such a waste to have to discard a perfectly good bottle/tube of makeup. I guess I'll start saving the ends of things. Between cruises, if I get to the end of a bottle or tube, I'll save it to bring for last evening/ last morning use and plan to discard it what little bit is left.

 

I'm not sure but I think I heard this week that we are now permitted to have our tube of lipstick in our purse?

 

Did anyone hear something about now being allowed to bring 4 oz. of liquid aboard planes? My girlfriend told me she heard that this week.

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherInFlorida]

Greg, the pics are amazing! Thanks for posting. You are doing so great:) and good for you.

 

This morning on the Today Show they had a piece about how so many companies, hotels, travel providers are jumping on the bandwagon and coming up with a ton of stuff to fit our needs with the new travel restricitons.

 

They are selling pre-pasted toss away toothbrushes for one thing. And many hotels are now providing more than the usual shampoos, etc. You have but to ask them and they provide.

 

If I were faced with having to fly directly out from a cruise (and didn't want to use our idea about popping the little bag into my suitcase on the pier), I would bring some saran wrap or tiny cheap bottles. Put just enough of your make-up, lotion, etc., onto/into these for the morning. They make tiny plastic bags that have a ziplock. These would work. You just have to use your imagination and you'll find all kinds of things you can do.

 

For an upcoming 3 day trip north to visit a friend next month I don't want to check my bags. So I'm sending a goody bag ahead with tiny portions of everything. You can find all sorts of little bottles and stuff in Walmart (where I never go, but I'll make an exception;) ). Then I'll just toss them or my friend can use them for her next trip.

 

Hopefully Sail's right and they'll let us bring small amounts onboard. Hope that's true. I'll go check it now!!

 

And sharing all our ideas here is fantastic. We can do this!!!:D

[RevNeal]

My thinking is to slip my toiletries, etc., into my checked luggage when I pick them up at the port or when I'm waiting in line a the airport. Whenever I can manage it with the least amount of fuss.

 

The outside pockets are nice and perfect for that purpose.

[sail7seas]

I agree the outside pocket idea is good........but that does leave the most possibility for breakage/leaking. If bottles/liquids were cushioned by soft clothing or protected in a shoe or such, there'd be a better chance of it not breaking. The way luggage is tossed around, to have a bottle uncushioned in an outside pocket........

 

Shivers!!!!

 

[HeatherInFlorida]

Sail, did you see my suggestion? Greg and I posted at the same time and you may have missed it.

[amusea]

For upscale lines such as Sea Dream Yacht Club, Oceania and Regent, the country club casual dress code is used every night regardless of the length of the cruise. Since I take mostly cruises of twenty days or more, those lines offer me the opportunity to pack lightly - specifically I pack one blazer, one pair of dark rubber soled shoes, sandals, assorted open collared shirts both short and long-sleeved, 3 pair of slacks and assorted small items. This all fits nicely into one large suitcase. For HAL's upcoming 64 day cruise I must pack formal attire, two suits and two sport jackets with coordinated slacks (for all those "informal" nights), several pairs of shoes, etc. Hopefully two suitcases will hold all of this but it might require a third. IMHO the formal/ informal/ casual dress code requires much more baggage. And it is very hard to determine how many nights of each dress code will be mandated.

[sail7seas]

When you receive your documents, they will indicate specifically how many formal, informal and casual nights. Seeing as documents from HAL usually arrive about 4 weeks in advance, there's plenty of time for planning.

 

I agree that the three classifications of dress requires more garments but mixing and matching is always helpful.

 

[RevNeal]

I agree that there's a danger factor relative to putting things in the pockets.

The alternative is to do what you suggest and open one's bag and insert one's breakable whatevers into a part of the bag that won't receive the kind of impacts that will break things. If one has packed with the need to re-open and store such items in mind, that shouldn't be THAT much of a problem.

 

Me ... I will probably abandon a few items. If I have any shampoo left (not likely after a 15 day cruise), I'll leave it behind. I'll not bother with "stinkum" on the flight home, and I can abandon a shaving cream can and mostly-used-up toothpaste tube and deodorant stick easily too. Meaning that all I need to stash will be my hair brush, tooth brush, and the handle of my razor (I can toss the used blade away).

 

I know ... I'm a guy ... that's not fair. But it'll work for me. You womenfolk will have more problems.

[Aussie Gal]

First of all Greg you look amazing. Congratulations and keep up the good work. Your health will be so much better for your weight loss and you should have so much more energy now.

 

With regard to toothpaste and toothbrush. I have found a small toothpaste tube and toothbrush that we were given on a flight by an airline last year and I am bringing those. Once I use them on the morning of disembarkation, I will throw them away.

 

Jennie

[sail7seas]

Oh Jennie........You're so smart. I forgot about all those little kits we got from the various airlines when we flew transatlantic. We have bunches of those tiny tubes of toothpaste and the teeny, miniature toothbrushes. Perfect!!! Those were the days when airlines had a real first class and provided all those nice comfort things.

 

Now.....have to worry about the deoderants, makeup, moisturizer and all that. :( I'm sure we'll all manage one way or another but it is a royal nuisance.

 

 

 

[RuthC]

Ruth,

Didn't you like the Sean/ Heather solution of keeping a small plastic bag with toiletries with you and slipping it into your checkins when you claim your suitcases at the port? Or slipping it into your suitcase before checking it at the airport? :)

Frankly, Sean, I think that would be an awful lot of effort. At least for me. Once I have that suitcase locked, strapped, and off the bed it would be very difficult to get into it after retrieval. There's usually no table to get it up on; and I certainly can't get down on the floor to get into it! :eek: Then to undo the strap and reopen two sets of locks seems more trouble than it's worth.

I'm going with the idea of packing when I pack while holding back a little something for morning.

I appreciate your honest effort to help out with an idea, but it's not for me.

[cruisinjudy]

Greg,

Great job on the weight loss! Keep up the good work.

 

We leave on Tuesday to fly to san Diego for my daughter's wedding. Guess I will have to start thinking about these packing matters and get my suitcases out. Then when we return from the wedding we have to pack for Alaska, leaving on the 15th of Sep. It is going to be tough keeping in those weight limits with those added liquids in the check in luggage. So many hair products and moisturizers. I need to go find some small bottles to transfer my things to.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I'm guessing Sail (or anyone else for that matter) didn't like my most recent idea. I still think it's a good one. That last night it's so easy to just transfer the small amount you'd need into small cheapo bottles or snack bags. If you wanted to keep the little bottles, you could just rinse them and pop them into your carry-on.

[RuthC]

That one I like. :) Thanks for the idea.

With all the discussion and suggestions coming forth I think we'll all be ready by the time we need to put these ideas to work.

I love this community! :) :)

[sail7seas]

I'm guessing Sail (or anyone else for that matter) didn't like my most recent idea. I still think it's a good one. That last night it's so easy to just transfer the small amount you'd need into small cheapo bottles or snack bags. If you wanted to keep the little bottles, you could just rinse them and pop them into your carry-on.

 

I like the idea, Heather. :)

 

I'm just trying to translate it to the particular products I use. Not all are liquid....some come in a tube, some in a jar, some in a bottle. How to remove just a small dab from a tube and keep it useable 12 hours later? Seems an awful nuisance.

 

The harder they make travel, the less appealing it becomes......at least for some of us less resilient types.

 

I envy those of you who can simply roll with it. Not all of us are really good at doing that.

 

I want my face makeup, I want my face moisturizer, his and her deoderants, body lotions, hair products.....and I certainly want my toothbrush and mouthwash. As does everyone, I am sure.

 

 

[Aussie Gal]

I mentioned this earlier on in this post and this is what I am going to do.

 

I am bringing a minature foundation cream, a small foundation and an eye mascara that I get with all the handouts from the cosmetic companies when you spend a certain amount of dollars. eg. Estee Lauder, Clinique etc. We also have a deoderant that is nearly finished which Peter and I will share and then we will throw the lot away when we are dressed.

 

I have already packed them into my toiletries and they take up very little space and I will be able to leave the ship looking presentable.

 

As Ruth has said it would be nigh impossible to pack these into our luggage as we have the hard cases and straps. We will have to get used to this way of packing as we will be off to Europe next year and I am sure Heathrow will still have these restrictions in place.

 

Jennie

[Tinknock50]

I'm guessing Sail (or anyone else for that matter) didn't like my most recent idea. I still think it's a good one. That last night it's so easy to just transfer the small amount you'd need into small cheapo bottles or snack bags. If you wanted to keep the little bottles, you could just rinse them and pop them into your carry-on.

 

Yes, that is a great idea......those containers come in all sizes and are very cheap. I would just throw them out on the last morning.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I, too, am very particular about my products and can't just use "any old thing". However, I'm probably more the "Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me" kind of gal:) ... and they don't hand out all that many samples of my products.

 

However, I can transfer any product (whether in a tube, jar or bottle) to a small container. As long as you can seal the container (i.e. put a top on it), the product will not be compromised overnight. In fact that is what I'll be doing when I ship my toiletries ahead next week.

 

I only fly about 4 to 5 times a year and rarely to a cruise. So my issue is just with not wanting to check my bag. So my decision becomes whether to buy the products upon arrival (as Matt Lauer does and can afford to;) ) or ship them ahead.

 

It's nice that the hotels are handing out these amazing goody bags, but it won't work for me because I'm not going to hotels. Eventually I'll just have a little bag of toiletries at all my friend's houses!

 

Incidently, stick deoderant is a-ok ... it's the gels and sprays you can't take onboard. Here are links to the TSA's most recent list of acceptable/non-acceptable items. I tried to cut and paste the whole thing, but it went haywire.

 

Permitted and Prohibited Items

 

Be Prepared for Enhanced Security - Smart Security Saves Time

• Can I Take It?
  
• Makeup & Personal Items
  
• Medication & Special Needs Devices
  
• Electronic Devices
  
• Sharp Objects
  
• Sporting Goods
  
• Guns & Firearms
  
• Tools
  
• Martial Arts & Self Defense Items
  
• Explosive & Flammable Materials, Disabling Chemicals & Other Dangerous Items
  
• Food & Drinks
  
• Other Items

 

P.S. Sail, the 4 oz. of liquid allowed that you heard about refers to eye drops only. I was much relieved to read that.