One suitcase... 7 day cruise,no way!

[upsman1986]

With the new charges for the 2nd bag, how do you get everything in one suitcase, and not have the first piece of luggage in out overweight on a 7 day cruise?? [/code]

[flowers]

I cant imagine needing a second bag to be honest. You mean one checked bag isnt enough for your clothes??

Dont pack the soda pop or whatever you are smuggling, then it will be much lighter?? Buy it in the port.

We used one carry on each for a 5 day the first cruise, but since then we did one checked and one carry on, for the two of us (thats still one bag each).

[Donna]

I'm down to one bag to check and a carry-on. I used to always use a garment bag, but the new luggage has a compartment for hanging clothes, so it works and now its saves $. Only problem is keeping it at the 50 lbs weight limit. Thank-god for ships that do provide self service laundry, thats a huge help.

[scubapete]

After my first cruise, I realized what they say on this board is true. Pack, then unpack and don't take half of what you had originally. You don't need that much.

[Trip]

And for the two of us, I cannot imagine just one bag....I will pay the difference. 2 bags and 2 carry-ons will have have to do I guess.

[2Littletime]

While this won't appeal to everyone, we use space bags to pack. It is still difficult to keep it under 50 lbs but it does seem to make fitting it all into one suitcase a lot easier. Travelling with kids we try to limit the number of suitcases we have so that we have extra hands to hold wee ones and to lug booster seats, etc. On our last 7 day we actually packed a total of two pieces of checked luggage for four people. We all had one carryon. As the airline charges increase I expect we'll see more of that. $10 or $15 per bag for one or two people might not be a big deal but when you start multiplying that by four or more it adds up pretty quick.

[mehawk]

One checked and one carry on per person should do it

[debbyedoops]

I have used space bags or the giant ziplocs for packing and they do work great!
I even took my BIG foam pillow in one...last trip, not a cruise.
it worked. when you open the bag the contents just poof back to their original size with few wringles, if they do just hang in the bathroom while you shower to steam them.

that my 2 cents worth on this subject

Packing is becoming quite a challenge...but i don't have to fly to galveston, just a 1 hour drive from houston.

have a wonderful day where ever you are...
debbyedoops

[seadog2]

It's going to be tough. Two people with one bag each.......I don't know, it's going to be tough.

[misguidedangel]

Personally, I need two, but I can't bring two because of the $25 fee for a second bag. I will have to cram ALL of the clothes I need plus other items in the suitcase and keep the rolling carry on empty for goods I purchase. I usually go down with a one items of each (plus amm intimates) in my carry on, but coming home I can pack the carry on with non liquid goods I buy. I'll also have a beach bag I can stuff as well.

I am lucky to have found thinner, lighter shirts that can fold up smaller than the shirts I took last time. I'm also going to try to pack differently by layering all the clothes and not folding. I guess all the extra pockets will be used to stuff clothes and items in!!!!

I got to do a test packing in a few weeks time to see how I'll be able to fit it all in.....worse comes to worse I can do laundry on board....

[Michelle1959]

I'm planning to do a 7-day cruise with one carry-on, no checked luggage at all, and a laptop bag. Other than the white shorts, tank top and sneakers I'll be wearing on the plane both ways, I will be bringing 1 pair of kahki shorts and 6 tank tops for days, 1 pair of white capri pants and 5 camisole shirts for dinner, a black velvet low cut dress for both formal nights and one swim suit, 7 panties, 2 bras, 7 pairs of sneaker socks, 4 pairs of knee high hose, 1 pair of patyhose, a pair of black dressy flats for evenings and flip flops for pool/deck time. I will not risk having my luggage lost so othe rthan the carry on i will have my laptop case with my purse in it and all travel documents.

[Donna]

I'd add another swim suit or two for sure. Then what about all your shampoo, lotion, make-up, etc....I may re-think not taking a regular suitcase, the size for check-in is on the small size, can't imagine all that fitting. If you have a purse, tha also counts as a carry-on?? How about camera? They say not to check those either..

[Michelle1959]

I use the ship's shampoo and bring a small conditioner (I'll buy more when i fly into FLL). My digital camera will fit in my tiny purse that will be inside the laptop bag. one swim suit is fine, I dont' mind getting into a wet one. A travel hair dryer, and a power strip for my gadgets tha tneed charging. All will fit in my carry on suitcase. I will not take the risk of losing my luggage. If i need to, I can ship some stuff ahead to my mom who lives about 75 minutes from the portl I will be staying with her the night before and can then bring that stuff with me. This way, I can fly with only my laptop bag and my small carry-on with wheels and a handle.

The only souvenirs I'll br bringing back will be some ship photos and a coffee mug or two. Not a problem. I'm not bringing any pop, wine, etc.

[Snoozeman]

Originally Posted by mehawk

One checked and one carry on per person should do it

Agree. And you have have the option of self debarkation this way as well.

[Irish Girl]

The key is to mix and match all your clothes so you can get more than one outfit from each. I also wear the same outfit for both formal nights.

Stick to one basic color scheme (black, white, khaki) and make sure all tops and bottoms cross match. I take 3 pair of shorts, 2 slacks, 5 tops, 1 pair of black slacks with top (formal). If needed, I use the laundry service.

I also only pack 2 pair of shoes/sandals.

[Cruznut2]

I cannot remember te last time I had more than one suitcase for a 7 day cruise. I just pack shorts, tops and slacks I can mix and match. Enough underwear for the week. I pair of dress shoes, 1 long black skirt, two dressy tops to change with the skirt. flip flps and sandals and beach shoes. Hosiery nd a slip and nightgown. Makeup and personal hygeine items. I carry my camera and jewelry in my carry on along with my purse and my documents packet. I learned te last time that taking my laptop was a waste of time and space. I also carry on my medical needs.

Laura

[susierphillips]

One suitcase for me and no carry-on. I don't bring a ton of clothes but they're clean every day. I like to pack the nite before so I won't forget anything. Generally, my rule of thumb is to bring only the clothes you really like. Otherwise, you'll bring junk you'll never wear.

[dina]

I can do a week in a carry on. Its all about mix and match. And the outfits I wear for dinner do not take up that much space so easy.

[dottiel]

Self laundry. LOVE this option.

We all packed one bag per person for a 9 day cruise this past week. We did have RC do our laundry before we left the ship cause we were in need of clean items!

Roll your clothes, doesn't take that much room this way. Coordinate shoes so you don't have to pack to many. Keep it all simple. If you don't think you'll need something then don't take it at all.

[Mike M]

Reading some of the posts I think people are getting the wrong idea. If two people are flying you can check "two" bags. That's a total of 100 lbs of "stuff" plus two carry on bags that can be up to 80 lbs (on most U.S. airlines) total weight. That's 90 lbs. for one person.

If two people can't do a seven day cruise with 180 lbs. of "stuff" then you really need to rethink your packing.

If you are traveling with children and they have their own seats then they also get one checked, fifty pound, bag but as 2Littletime pointed out, you need the extra hands for the kids and their "stuff".

I really love Freestyle and Country Club casual lines like NCL, Azamara and Oceania. No formal wear or jackets really lightens the load plus onboard laundry helps. We did our last Baltic cruise with one suitcase and two carry on bags.

Another thing to pay attention to is the actual weight of your suitcases. If your suitcase weighs more than 15 lbs. I would seriously consider buying some lightweight luggage.

Take care,
Mike

[Trip]

Ladies...leave the hosiery at home:):)

[sassyredhat]

I have a problem with 1 suitcase because I have durable medical equiptment that can't be carried in the small carry on.

The carry on has all the medications plus toiletries. I'm allergic to all the ship's stuff.

DH says my idea of roughing it is going without my hairdryer.

Pat

[dottiel]

Pat, I'm sure if you contact the airline you would be an exception. Might have to have a Dr note (seems school like huh?) but I bet you could swing it in your case.

[Irish Shark]

On our last cruise, we had four checked bags. Usually it is three bags. It is not my stuff, but hers! Gotta have three formal dresses and a different one for diner every night. Plus all those darn shoes.

When we first started cruising, it was one checked bag and a garment bag.

[venice]

with the exception of required medical equiptment..one would be surprise what you can do when pressed...an experienced cruiser can do it with one carry on suitcase and one camera bag on a 7-9 day cruise

[beentravelin]

I find $10-$25 to be well worth it. We both like to dress nice, not worry with doing laundry, and bring our own toiletries. We choose not to be put out by the new rules. I think the cost is minimal. Since we just spent thousands on a cruise, I'm not going to worry over a few more bucks. When we bring children along we just check one bag per child. They don't need as many nicer clothes as we do. They can also share our toiletries.

[Pamulla]

Originally Posted by sassyredhat

I have a problem with 1 suitcase because I have durable medical equiptment that can't be carried in the small carry on.

The carry on has all the medications plus toiletries. I'm allergic to all the ship's stuff.

DH says my idea of roughing it is going without my hairdryer.

Pat

On the Delta web site under baggage, they allow an extra bag if you must bring medical equipment or supplies. I got a note from my doctor because I need to take a bags worth of stuff. I would imagine other airlines will have similar policies. I will put it in my and my DH carryons so what we would normally carryon will have to be checked!
Also, you might get all your stuff in one bag that weighs 65 pounds. What is worse the second bag charge or the overweight fee? I bought a small luggage scale at Target for $9.00. Doing laundry on a ship because you ran out of clothes just sucks.

[dottiel]

We also have a luggage scale, saves a lot of worry and money!

We weigh our bags before we fly and of course before we head home to make sure they aren't overweight.

We also allow a few pounds for the difference in the airline scale(s) and ours.

[sassyredhat]

Dottie and Pam~~~Thanks for the info.

I didn't know about that. DH won't fly, so I seldom do either, but I will be doing some solo flying soon.

Pat

[cruisecouple]

The way we're doing it for our first cruise with our three year old granddaughter that we take care of - keep it simple and don't stress out.... we're doing Destiny to Key West and Cozumel... need I say more. We have an early dinner hour and I am foregoing the very formal formalwear. Not a big deal for my hubby - dress slacks, swim trunks, neutral shorts and golf shirts and his suit which is even debatable. We just want to see if our granddaugher has her sea legs and relax!