When do you start packing for your cruise?

[liz000]

How early is too early? We sail in 16 days and typically I'm packing the day before, but I'm crazy excited and want to get started!

[mexicomamma]

Make your list tonight. Pack tomorrow night. Check everything off your list. Keep your suitcase out where you can see it and dream. Recheck your list 2 nights ahead. Put in what you forgot.

[ger_77]

OMG - you're sailing in 16 days and haven't packed yet??? As soon as we book our cruise, I generally start thinking of things I'm going to pack and have the suitcases in the guest room by the time we make our final payment. I usually pack things, take out things, pack things, take out things, etc., until we leave for the airport. Get your suitcases out and let the fun begin!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[shasha14]

Ok my friends and I are so excited. 3 of them have never been an a cruise together. They phone me all the time with packing suggestions. So I just made them a list.

But honestly I want to start tomorrow and we leave in 2o days. Tt is 19 sleeps.

YIPEE!!!!!!!!

[G'ma]

I pack the morning of my flight. I always take the same things and have already made sure everything is clean....

 

Being a super light packer (ALL in a 21" roll-on-board), it takes about 20-30 minutes to fold and pack it up.

 

I have separate toiletries just for travel (transferred into small plastic bottles), separate cosmetics, etc. Already packed in my travel "ditty bag".

 

Once on the ship, it's unpacked in about 10 minutes.

[Go-Bucks!]

Does it really matter?? Start whenever you want. Just be done by the time you leave for the airport! :D

[IDKaren]

OMG - you're sailing in 16 days and haven't packed yet??? As soon as we book our cruise, I generally start thinking of things I'm going to pack and have the suitcases in the guest room by the time we make our final payment. I usually pack things, take out things, pack things, take out things, etc., until we leave for the airport. Get your suitcases out and let the fun begin!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

THANK YOU:p I don't beel quite so OCD now! We do not travel till Nov 17 and already I am looking at things- trying them on to make sure they STILL fit- getting ideas of what to take. Dragged suitcases out to see what the absolute SMALLEST bag is I can take.. we re down to two duffel bags- carry on size for our luggage. PLUS if I need to go shopping that would be a real shame:D Pack LIGHT and have a GREAT time!

[Keith1010]

I think the key is to make a list of what you plan to take well in advance. Then how far in advance we pack depends upon the length of the cruise.

 

Keith

[paul929207]

My wife usually starts about two weeks before we leave. She spends a few days getting everything out, before putting things in the suitcases.

[uppitycats]

I do separate the activities of "planning what to pack" from the actual "packing"!

 

I went out and bought my husband some new trousers for the cruise (I don't think his grease-stained work pants would be good! :) ) , and they always require alterations, so that is being taken care of. And I have gone through my wardrobe to make sure I have what I need (some new underwear is on my list).

 

And then there is the issue of a couple of workshops that will be held on the cruise I'm going on, and there are tools there that I have to gather up..

 

And of course making sure our prescriptions are up to date and ready to go, or to be renewed and refilled if necessary...

 

But I don't start actually putting any of this in suitcases until the day before. We travel pretty light -- I think we'll manage one large suitcase and 2 carry-ons, total, for the 2 of us this time.

 

I go by a "rule" I read somewhere on one of these boards -- lay out everything you think you want to take. Put half of it back in the closet, pack the rest. Lay out all the money you think you want to take. Add 50% more, put that in your wallet. Grab your tickets, passport, and go! :)

[grandmato4]

Packing starts the day we return from the last cruise.:D All the "cruise only things" go back into the suitcase as soon as I've emptied the suitcases. When we return from our Oct 08 cruise we won't be needing all the summer things here anymore so by Oct 10th three quarters of our packing for our Feb 09 cruise will already be packed and ready to go !:)

[Joyce From Yardley]

Packing starts the day we return from the last cruise.:D All the "cruise only things" go back into the suitcase as soon as I've emptied the suitcases. When we return from our Nov 08 cruise we won't be needing all the summer things here anymore so by Nov 15Th three quarters of our packing for our Apr 09 cruise will already be packed and ready to go !:)

 

Hello,

 

Like gradmato4 said in the above quote ( I changed the dates ) I've started & am always months/weeks ahead of any cruise/vacation that we are planning. I change my packing list to coincide with the # of NTS we will be sailing, use our spare bedroom to store everything & since we have several cruises in the works. I don't even pack away the suitcases anymore.

 

Enjoy the weekend. Stay safe if your in the paths of any of the upcoming storms. It looks like we will have SEVERAL inches of rain on Saturday ( we live near Phila. ) I'm glad that our mini vacation to Atlantic City next week doesn't involve a cruise ship. Although, I'm not one to kick & scream if the itinerary changes. We pick a cruise more on it's price, the itinerary is second.

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruises/vacations no matter where it takes you to.

 

Joyce & Of Course Harvey

[Spikesgirl]

I usually keep a log whenever we go on vacation and the first thing I do is put in a packing list, adding to it along the way. This is usually start about the time we make our final deposit.

 

Then when I get to the actual packing, I will cross off anything that has been discarded or nixed. That way, when we cruise the next time, I have something to compare to, especially if the climates are close to the same on the itineraries.

 

I have what I refer to as the cruise pile and will stick things into it that I might not have on the list or remember and pull ahead of time. This usually starts about five weeks out. Actual clothes packing happens no more than a week prior, with my DH packing the night before.

 

We try to pack enough clothes for half the cruise and then do laundry, which cuts back on both weight and give us more room for souvenirs.

 

In reality, it's whatever works for you and give you both a sense of being in control and enjoyment.

 

Have a great cruise!

[flamomo]

I have packing lists stored in My Documents for cruises, Vegas trips, and "other" trips. When the time to pack arrives, I print off the appropriate list.

In addition to what things I will take, I also have a listing on each for "Things to Do" and "Last minute To Dos" like shut down computers, put timers on lights, adjust thermostat).

As to when I start to pack - As odds & ends come to mind that I don't want to forget, I set those items aside in the guest room as soon as I think of them. That could be 2- months before I will be leaving.

I prefer to not pack clothes that wrinkle until the day before I leave, to minimize the amount of time those things will be in my suitcase.

Happy Packing!!!

[PattyG12]

Once I've made a deposit I start packing in my head. Then I start pulling out the suitcase WAY ahead of time. Last one was a month early. I'm already planning for January ... Hey, why pack the shorts away when I can put them in the suitcase for the next cruise?

[cv322]

I usually pack the morning of the day of embarkation. Cruise clothes are sent to the cleaners immediately after returning from the last cruise, so they're always ready, & I just make sure all toiletries have been bought. Since we almost always leave from NY it's a piece of cake. Pack, kiss the cat, hop in the car & drive down the Henry Hudson Parkway!

[Scooter-n-GB]

The entire week before is comprised of checking the list, gathering various items (sunscreen, personal care products), and reconfiguring them in new plastic bags (gallons for the checked luggage, and of course the 3-1-1 for our carry on). The only thing we wait until the day before to really pack, is the garment bag, and I also wait to roll my linen shirts up with tissue paper, so that there is less ironing to do when we get on the ship. :p

 

Can't wait, only 6 more weeks before we start packing!!

[cb at sea]

I get all the clothes READY to pack, but I don't stuff them in suitcases til the day before--they tend to wrinkle less by waiting!

And, I mix clothes (hubby's and mine) in different suitcases in case one gets lost (way to go, airlines!), we'll at least have SOMETHING!

[Bruin Steve]

I never unpack...seriously...

Well, obviously, I deplete the suitcase of dirty clothes and purchases and such...

But, for example, I returned from my cruise in July and my suitcase, right now, is sitting on the floor of my closet...

My toiletries kit stays in it...So do a couple of swim suits (brought them to the Baltic, didn't use them...I have a hooded windbreaker I bought on one cruise in Ireland...than stays in...that's my "cruise windbreaker"...Also left in several pairs of underwear and socks I didn't use (we came home from the cruise early due to a death in the family)...

 

As we get closer to the next cruise (December), I'll start tossing in stuff I know I want to take and know I won't need in the meanwhile...

 

Then, the weekend BEFORE the cruise, I'll officially count out the precise number of each item--shirts, T-shirts, underwear, socks, pants, etc. that I need and add those...

 

Then it remains in my closet the rest of the week and, as I remember anything I might have forgotten, I just add it...

 

The day before the cruise, I zip it up and bring it downstairs and set it by the front door, ready to go...

 

Meanwhile, my wife leaves off all of her packing until the morning we depart--even if we have an early morning flight out...

 

She always forgets to pack something or enough of something...Works for her, she then demands we go shopping in port...

[Treven]

Depending on when my flight departs, I'd pack the afternoon before my flight (if I'm taking a "red-eye", I'd pack that afternoon). If my flight leaves at the crack of dawn, like it will next April, I'll pack the evening before the flight.

[sail7seas]

No reason to not start packing whenever you feel like it.

 

Sometimes I leave one of our duffles fully packed and never unpack it.

We cruise often. I always send all our clothes out to be cleaned/washed and most of what we wear on cruises we never wear at home. Why bother to take things I know I'll lug along on the next cruise out of the bag? :D

 

I unpack the tuxedo and gowns and such but shorts and swim suits and jerseys, beach bag, umbrellas, books we didn't get to read and things of that sort sometimes stay packed. :)

 

My recommendation is pack when you want.

[cruiselover57]

How early is too early? We sail in 16 days and typically I'm packing the day before, but I'm crazy excited and want to get started!

 

About a week before with last-minute stuff going in the night before or morning of. The list is done; just have to modify it for each cruise! Don't wait 'til the last minute - you might forget something! Start early and have peace of mind!

[readytogo813]

joyce from yardley... we are right over the Walt Whitman and are preparing for some serious rain and wind too! I will also be in Atlantic City for a convention in 10 days and am so excited for Glory on 10/11 that I don't even care what I bring to AC. Haha!

 

Apparently I start packing about 45 days ahead of time. The list starts a few months prior to that. This is my boyfriend's first cruise so I have to make his list too. (and the alterations on the suit, etc.) I put the travel size items in ziplock backs and put them in the "over-the-door" hanger already. My friends crack up whenever they stop by. I like to plan the outfits & list them so I don't overpack, make a list of toiletries, etc, and make a list of things I would forget (call credit card company, documents we need, etc.) Some people might think it's over-kill but I feel better if I am prepared.

[debmkay]

Well hard question to answer but half of the fun is lists and packing so we start the lists as soon as we book and usually start packing a couple of days before.....we love all of the anticipation even though we have cruised alot we look forward to each one as our first!!!

[Whimsy]

I generally get the suitcases out the week before we go. Then I start putting things that don't wrinkle much and odd things like sun lotion, etc. I will have all of our clothes cleaned, pressed and ready for packing a week or two before we leave. The night before we leave I do all the packing with last minute items such as cosmetics and such going in as I use them before we leave.

 

I do mentally start figuring out outfits, jewelry, etc. way ahead of time and then click off the days in my head as I pack what we will wear. I also cross pack our suitcases so if ever one goes missing we still have clothes to wear.