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People please share your packing tips.
What should people pack for a cruise?? And why. (lets say your packing for a 7 day cruise)
I take my own coffee....The Coffee I enjoy is a very strong blend and I take my little 4 cup coffee maker. YUMMMY. (The Ship Coffee is not my style) YUK
I just bought an enormous suitcase before my 1/24 cruise on Millennium. I packed TWICE as many clothes as I've ever taken. Enough for two months at sea. Is it possible to actually leave some space in a suitcase? Aparently it isn't for me. The thinking starts "but how do I know what I'll want to wear next Tuesday?" Of course I'll really need four baseball caps, six polo shirs PLUS six t-shirts and four blouses. And, I must take along the framed photo of my doggie. You get the idea.
Of course, I can tell you what to take on a one-week Caribbean cruise. It's my job, after all. But do as I say, not as I do
One good tip I do have -- put anything that is dressy (suit, evening wear, blouses) on a hangar and pack in dry cleaner's plastic bags. I promise you, there will be no wrinkles. And, you never have enough hangars on ships, as we all know.
For the best advice on packing, go to www.packitup.com. We followed Anne McAlpin's rules to the letter. We saved ourselves so much time and there wasn't one wrinkle!
Best tip I can think of is putting something BRIGHT and easily identifiable on your bags. We have fairly distinct luggage.. but with bright yellow Police Crime Scene tape on it, we can generally spot it from across the warehouse.
Don't forget a night-light and an electrical strip. Neither takes much room, but if you really need them, you'll be glad!
Over the course of the year we get many free samples - headache remedies, antiacids, "stuff" - I also hit the sample-size places at our grocery store, Target, and any other place I can think of to pick up wrapped sample sized to pack! Shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, Q-tips, deodorant, hairspray, Asprin or Tylenol etc - Sample-sized containers add up to a lot of saved room! Plus, if you USED them up -MORE room!
At least one good paperback book [ stuck in a pre-night hotel room? rain the first day?] and a puzzle/crossword book. I "save" two Reader's Digest mags. They are easily packed in a suitcase pocket - and then I leave them -on the plane or in the room, when I'm done! [ Last cruise we had 9 days in a row at sea. I brought home BOTH RD unread! "Weeeellllll"]
The best packing tip I use, is to have all the good stuff in the cleaner bags you get back from the cleaners. It really works, no need to iron anything that way and I sure do love that :-)
I am constitutionally unable to pack lightly. Bad habits die hard and since I have been traveling a lot since the age of 12, 50 years ago (yuck), I guess I will never learn. I only have one dressy dress that wrinkles. It's long so won't fit in the plastic bags very well. The other stuff can be rolled into a ball and thrown in. Since I usually don't start packing until the night before, that's usually what happens. Oh well, my vacation, my onboard pressing bills, .
Anne Campbell asked "Is it possible to actually leave
some space in a suitcase?"
If that extra space is just to much to handle, try filling it with a smaller collapsable suitcase. On the way home you will need more luggage than what you came with. Not only will you have all those "essential purchases" you made in the local markets, but you will also have all the clothing you stuffed in the carry-on bag. After all, you don't have to worry about packing clothes to change into once you get home if your luggage is late arriving to your house.
If you are traveling as a couple, pack one daytime casual, one evening casual and one formal outfit in your partner's luggage including shoes and underwear etc. If your luggage is delayed or lost, it is often only one piece. This way you will still have some of your own clothes. Also, put a change of clothes including a swim suit and night clothes as well as your personal articles, jewelry and valuables in your carry-on, as your luggage may not arrive until after your dinner time.
If you are a coffee lover or like to have a cold drink with you at the pool or on shore, bring an insulated coffee mug and a sports water bottle with you. You can fill your coffee mug at the buffet and/or make an iced drink in your cabin.
Including most of all the above. We found it handy to have a small colapsable cooler for extra ice and carry sodas etc for ports and the pool. Also those extra lg. Ziploc Bags are great for miss. Rix :-)
Definitely agree with Nanatravel. We put a mix of my and my wife's casual and dressup clothes in each of two suitcases. We also carryon a change of clothes for the first night on board. Also, if we are doing a precruise hotel stay, we put those clothes in the carryons as well. Always carry your cameras, jewelery, medicines and any other valuables in your carryons.
So far we've had no problems with lost luggage. But, on a cruise from Acapulco to Hawaii last April (6 full days at sea) some people had all their luggage lost and did not get it until we got to Hawaii. You can't buy underwear on a cruise ship.
I have the best idea. Book the clothing optional cruise, and leave all your packing concerns at home. Just walk on with the cloths on your back, order some liquid refreshments as some as you board. No tan lines. I would recommend, maybe, a fanny pack for you room card and suntan lotion.. Bon Voyage!!!
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