1st River Cruise: Where can I stash all my stuff?

[SchoolPsych]

I am a total newbie to cruising and will be going on Vantage's river cruise to Holland & Belgium 4/26-5/7/2009. I found lots of info on what to pack (many thanks!), but not on how much to pack. We have a standard stateroom. How big can the suitcases be? How much do the closets/storage hold? Where are the suitcases stored? The rooms look pretty small and we tend to overpack. :eek:

[cb at sea]

On most ships, you can stuff your luggage under the bed, if the closest aren't large enough. Sometimes, you'll have to lift the bedframe, to get them under there, but they will fit.

Take less clothes than you think you'll need---you can re-wear things--no one cares or even notices! There will be times when you'll have something on for an hour or two--you can easily re-wear those things! You'd be surprised at how little anyone else will notice (about you) on a cruise!

[paul929207]

Cruise ships do not have rules on the size of suitcases. The problem is fitting them in your cabin. There will be some storage space. Unless you get carried away, you stuff will go into the drawers and closets and your suitcases will fit under the beds.

[cindiedee]

Have done a Vantage river cruise - even though the cabins are small, there is LOTS of space - they have made use of every square inch and there is plenty of room. Vantage doesn't care how much luggage you bring - it is the airlines that will get you! We are leaving tomorrow for Oz/NZ for 3 weeks and are limited to 44 lbs each - that is just not enough! But we aren't about to pay for excess baggage - since it is an ocean cruise, we have elected not to do formal dinners or any dinners in the MDR - just to save on taking clothes which add weight.

 

Go - enjoy - Vantage was the best and we had a magical time! And don't forget that Vantage is casual - nothing fancy or even semi fancy needed - most people came to dinner in the clothes they had been wearing all day - and we all wore our clothes more than once - no one cares!

 

Have a great trip!

Cindie

[SchoolPsych]

Thanks for responding. I feel a lot better. I'm actually going on a second cruise to celebrate an anniversary. We'll be six days on the QM2. I'm actually less anxious about preparing for that one. It's going to be an awesome year! CB and Paul, thanks for the under-the-bed suitcase storage info. Solves one mystery. And Cindie, now I'm really psyched. Thanks for the great feedback on your previous trip.

[AZPam]

You are going to have a great time! The river cruises are some of the undiscovered gems of cruising right now, so enjoy. I've been on Grand Circle twice (sister company to Vantage) and it's a great experience. You might also want to check out the River and Canal board here on CC. Lots of great info over there that pertains more to the river trips.