Packing for a solo cruise

I'm still new at this whole game, but for my first solo trip/cruise back in June, the main rule I instituted was nothing more than I could manage by myself. I'm still learning to pack light (this is going to take me a while), so I still had several pieces of luggage, but everything either rolled or attached to a roller, and no individual piece was heavier than I could lift. I did self-walkoff at the end of the cruise, and while one roller was a bit big for navigating small gangways, I managed.

I envy the 'one carryon' people but it's going to be a long time before I get there.

I envy the 'one carryon' people but it's going to be a long time before I get there.

Personal choice - I don't envy them for that. I can (and have) done vacations of different sorts with just a carry on-sized bag, but I don't like it. For me the benefits of checking a bag outweigh the costs.

If you want to do self debarkation (you take ALL your luggage off) it's very hard to handle heavy bags and certainly 3 bags is forget it. 2 with a purse is hard sometimes.

I'm another one who brings 1 check-in bag on wheels for the airport and then just a backpack.

I've travelled solo enough to learn what I really DO need and what I can go without. If it doesn't fit in either of those bags it doesn't go. :)

I also roll all my clothes after deciding what I want to bring, and that seems to make a world of difference as far as space.

Instead of a traditional suitcase consider a rolling duffle bag. I just got back from holiday and my Eddie Bauer rolling duffle holds a ton of stuff (rolled & in cubes or in vacuum bags..the ones you roll the air out of) and I just find them easier to lift on & off carousels and up & down stairs. I checked the duffle bag and had a back pack as my carry on. I found a good back pack can hold quite a bit but is comfortable to wear so you are only managing one suitcase.

And yes the Tube is terrible with large luggage but I find the cabs in London fairly reasonable.