Packing: How Far in Advance?

[Michelle1959]

How far in advance do you usually pack for a cruise?

Ok, I know I'm nuts but although I have 23 days until I fly down to Miami on March 20th to stay with my mom and then cruise with her on Imagination on March 22nd, my suitcase and small boarding bag are mostly packed, except for my formal night long blue halter dress and a cute white sundress and last minute things like electronic chargers and cosmetics.

I just like knowing that it's all done except for a few things on the night or morning before I fly. :razz:

[brina]

I packed the babies' clothes (they are 2 and 3, but I call them babies still) the other day. We cruise March 14th. I've been losing a lot of weight recently, so I am waiting until the week we leave to pack for myself.

[Skywench]

I pack the day before I leave.

[skymaster]

I too, pack the day before I leave the house.. I've found that if I pack early, I always forget something, but if I do it all at once, I get everything in the bag. Maybe it's a "man" thing.

"SKY"

[mouche]

I start two weeks out I know crazy huh??

[Donna]

Guess I'm crazy too, pack at least 2 weeks in advance, but not actually packing until the day before, but laying out clothes, etc. It does pay to be organized :-)

[brina]

Originally Posted by skymaster

I too, pack the day before I leave the house.. I've found that if I pack early, I always forget something, but if I do it all at once, I get everything in the bag. Maybe it's a "man" thing.

"SKY"

See though, if I do it the day before then that's when I forget stuff. We all have our little quirks, don't we?

[Fern]

I start packing about a week before we leave. I have a list and adjust what I take depending on where we're going. One reason I wait is that the clothes I take on the cruise are also the clothes I wear in "real life".

DH packs the night before we leave, just before bed. It drives me nuts , but as long as he packs for himself I keep my mouth shut!

I think whatever works for you is fine!

[Trip]

If I left packing to Bruce, we would go naked. I send stuff to the cleaners, wash and iron about week before, and pack a couple of days prior to leaving...I don't want all my hard work,and money for all the above mentioned, wrinkled, sitting for weeks in my suitcase.

My 5 day upcoming trip to England, will be different, packing no tropical stuff.....and int'l packing is new for me.

[Gail4cruising]

Several cruises ago I made a packing list and made copies of it so each time I start packing I just check things off the list. It took a few cruises to get everything on the list. About a week before we go I select all the clothes and put them in one location so one day before we go I can put everything in the suitcases. If I follow the list I don't forget things. The last thing I do before I pull out of the garage is to check to make sure my ID/passport, credit cards, cash and directions to the port and fun pass is in the car.

[venice]

I never unpack...in my guest bedroom closet, I have my cruise clothes and open suitcase...when I return from my cruise, I get them dry cleaned (or do the laundry and iron)..about 60 days out I try on everything to see how much weight i have to lose

I always treat myself to one new outfit and then coordinate with my lady cruise friend what she is wearing for formal night, so I can compliment with a new tie and shirt and the right color dress shoes (us men have it soooooo tough) and we go shopping at Dillards for a matching casual outfit and white linen night outfits (she picks)..our toughest part is to pick out our various theme night outfits (this October on the Capital Jazz Cruise they have a favorite NFL team night and I already have all my Super Bowl Saints Who Dat attire)

since I go on alot of Smooth Jazz Cruises..about month before, I make sure we both have all the latest artist CD's downloaded on our MP3 players and that I pack all of the CD covers so they can be autographed on the ship

Two days out I charge up my 2 cameras, pack my one bag (22 inch) and leave my camera bag open for any last minute stuff

the night before we leave, I enjoy watching my lady friend pack/unpack in a state of frenzy and I relax by pouring a glass of wine and popping in the DVD "Out To Sea'

[misguidedangel]

I get the suitcases out two weeks before I leave and start packing what can be packed. I can safely have up to 75% of my clothes packed an close to 75% of the health/beauty ready to go.

You are going on a short cruise, so you won't need as much as a seven day cruise..

Happy sailing!

[Dutchman]

We do everything the day before we leave,

[EMG]

You're good.. I leave in 13 days to Puerto Rico for my Sunday March 14th 7day cruise and I've yet to even start thinking of packing.. Most likely I'll pack about a day before leaving..

[Michelle1959]

Thank you for all your wonderful feedback, everyone!

I obviously forgot about wrinkles - even though it's all casual tops except fopr a long gown and a sun dress - so I toook my pants and shirts all out and put them on their own shelf in my armoire. So that the day I fly out I can just quickly roll them up and pout them back in the suitcase. The other non-clothing items are in the suitcase or boarding bag already, however.,

Most items on my planning & packing checklist spreadsheet are now checked off as either having been done or packed (or put on the cruise clothing shelf). This will leave just a few last minute things to do or to toss in either bag. Today I run to the bank to get a bunch of small bills for tips and such.


Again, if anyone wants a copy of my template travel planning & packing checklist to alter for their own needs, just PM me and provide your email address!

[2Littletime]

Okay don't laugh...I pack several months in advance, full suitcases, ready and tagged. We live in Canada and we cruise in the winter normally. So when the seasons change in the fall, I wash all the summer clothes, store some in storage and the rest I pack into our suitcases for our winter cruise. The only thing we pack the week before is the carry on and the medical bag, everything else is done.

[Kamloops Cruiser]

We usually do a final pack about 10 days before departure . The DW does a pre pack up to 6 weeks ahead . This helps her to refine her packing. For every cruise she kept a daily diary. There she lists what she wore everyday and what doesn't get worn at all.
This way she has a packing list for warm and cool cruises.

[Kimbopolo]

I start a "to buy" list as soon as I have a trip planned.

I start a "to pack" list about 2 weeks out.

I pack the day before trying to remember the adage: take 1/2 as many clothes and twice as much money as you think you need.

DH packs the night before without benefit of any preplanning and seems to pull it off without problems!

[Michelle1959]

It looks like there are a lot of different packing plans... and it all boils down to whatever has worked for you in the past, keep doing it!

[girlcruise]

I have not quite started packing...just over two months until cruise, but I have started sorting what I will be taking and what I want to buy. I would really like to travel with only one bag but I know that won't be possible, so I settled for two smaller bags. The great thing is summer clothes take up far less room than winter ones.

[Sammy1954]

I start packing about two weeks before leaving for vacation.
Its all ironed and hung or laying on the bed waiting to be
packed. I have a list that I follow and so far have never forgot a
thing. as I get what I need from the list I mark it off . I got the list on line then made it alittle different to fit me.
I put every thing in the suitecase the night before leaving.


Carnival Dream May 22

sammy

[Johnathan]

Night before/morning of departure EVERY time, no matter how determined I am to pack earlier =P

[janekamy]

Ha - I wasn't going to admit that my suitcases have been packed for over a month for our March 14th cruise....until I saw your post. I guess that living in Canada we don't need the shorts, etc anyways, so why not pack them up. I find that I'm so busy right before we leave with appointments, cleaning, etc. that I'm glad I don't have to worry about forgetting anything. The only problem is that even after I know I have enough clothes for each day I still keep adding more. I take care of the kids stuff and my own but my husband packs the day we leave. He comes home from work and tosses a bunch of stuff in a bag and he's ready. Drives me nuts !!! ( but he never forgets anything )

[Michelle1959]

yeah, I now have all my pants and tops in a neat pile om a shelf, and the shoes and other stuff is in the suitcase or my backpack which I'll wear on the flights, no more carry ons on wheels for me!

So on flight day (2 days out from the cruise) I will roll the clothes, ptu them in the suitcase, and back any final cosmetic or medical or electronic chargers, etc. and I'm ready to go. Just have a few things left to pack and check off on my checklist that are NOT these LMS (last minute stuff) to do or to pack items.

18 days will I fly, 20 days till I cruise on the 22nd!

[Fern]

This is what you MUST have to cruise: Proper ID (a passport or a BC and DL where accepted), and a credit card or cash.

The rest is just "window dressing" !

[EMG]

Originally Posted by Sammy1954

I start packing about two weeks before leaving for vacation.
Its all ironed and hung or laying on the bed waiting to be
packed.
Carnival Dream May 22

sammy

I bet you have a hard time sleeping with all your stuff laid out on the bed.. lmaooo

[EMG]

Originally Posted by janekamy

Ha - I wasn't going to admit that my suitcases have been packed for over a month for our March 14th cruise....

March 14th.. Cruising to where????

[azpilot]

We usually start packing about 2-3 days before our trip.