Packing evening wear

We are on the TA WB on 14th September.

We are being driven to Southampton.

My wife is taking long gowns for the formal evenings and I am after advice on how best to transport them onto the Queen Mary 2.

Is it the usual practice to carefully pack evening wear into suitcases, or carry dresses in garment bags and hand them to the porters; if so are they well cared for or will they arrive creased, or should we carry them by hand?

The garment bags are of the cloth variety, not the thin plastic bags, but not heavy duty flight luggage. They are also nearly 6 feet long.

Any tips will be much appreciated.

The porters will not accept such garment bags. Either pack them in your luggage or carry on yourself.

I always pack ALL our clothing in suitcases and have never yet needed to iron anything. Any minor creases have dropped out by hanging in the bathroom and the steamy atmosphere. Should you encounter any more substanial creases, you can always send to be pressed, or DIY in the laundrette.

Hi Coach Marty. I pack (well, more like squash) my gowns in a suitcase and give them to my cabin steward for pressing after unpacking. Actually, the dry-cleaning/pressing service on board does a better job than my dry cleaner here in NY - also less expensive! Hubby puts his tuxedo in a garment bag and carries it on board.

Bon Voyage! -S.

I will take my dresses in a garment bag ( like yours it's big, sold as suitable fpr wedding dresses0 when I embark in Southampton and give them to the porters with the rest of my luggage - have not had a problem with this before.

When doing our last trip we flew before joining the ship - we packed all our formal wear into one bag which we didn't disturb until we were on board and I must say that everything survived well - I rolled up my dresses and they were fine, hubby had to press the sleeve of his DJ in the launderette but apart from that it was ok. I wouldn't dream of asking the stewardess to press my clothes (unless I was in the Grills) but have used the laundry for a shirt once and it came back looking like new

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I wouldn't dream of asking the stewardess to press my clothes (unless I was in the Grills) but have used the laundry for a shirt once and it came back looking like new

Yikes, not being a Grill Patron, I wouldn't dream of asking the steward/ess to press my clothes either! :eek: But if you need a garment pressed, drycleaned or laundered, it is the steward/ess who you give it to, and most often is the one who returns it to your stateroom. If I don't need fast turnaround service, I just leave the garment on the bed with the laundry tag completed, but if fast service is required, I hand it to the steward/ess when I see him or her.:)

I agree with you Alibobs, the laundry service is top notch. -S.

We have used this type garment bag many times for formal clothing. We put each item on a hanger and then cover with one of the thin dry cleaning bags. We then hang each item in this rolling garment bag. When we unpack, it is just a matter of taking each item out of the bag and hanging it in the closet. Those thin plastic bags really do a good job of keeping things wrinkle free. You can also use the thin bags in a standard piece of luggage. Just put the item in the plastic bag (with or without the hanger) and put it in the luggage. Like others have posted, the cost of pressing on the ship is very reasonable and the garments are returned to you very quickly. Have a fabulous voyage.

I have read on other lines' boards about people bringing clothes needing to be cleaned aboard and having it done there rather than at home. It's of comparable cost, and then it's all fresh and pressed for wearing on the ship. It seems kind of weird to pack dirty clothes, but in a way it makes perfect sense!

By the way, we will be first time Cunard cruisers on November 17, QE. Really looking forward to it!

We put each item on a hanger and then cover with one of the thin dry cleaning bags.... Those thin plastic bags really do a good job of keeping things wrinkle free.

So true. We picked up this tidbit during a travel presentation and it really works.

I use the old fashioned and very cheap way of avoiding any creasing in garments that are being packed in the suitcases .

All pieces of tissue paper we save from other purchases works really well when folded into your garments...never had to press anything using this method.

The tissue takes up no space and weighs nothing if you are extremely conscious (as we are every trip !) of not being overweight on your aircraft luggage allowance. It takes 5 minutes to do for any garment and the tissue is used over and over again.

Any piece not worth being used for this specific purpose is then demoted to pack the toes of shoes .

I use the old fashioned and very cheap way of avoiding any creasing in garments that are being packed in the suitcases .

All pieces of tissue paper we save from other purchases works really well when folded into your garments...never had to press anything using this method.

The tissue takes up no space and weighs nothing if you are extremely conscious (as we are every trip !) of not being overweight on your aircraft luggage allowance. It takes 5 minutes to do for any garment and the tissue is used over and over again.

Any piece not worth being used for this specific purpose is then demoted to pack the toes of shoes .

I imagine the tissue paper works very well.

I have used the thin plastic cleaning bags for years. I always head to my local cleaner and get as many platic bags in different lengths that I can muster. I pack almost everything inside a plastic bag and have found it keeps my clothes from wrinkling. And it keeps everything neat and tidy hung up in the cabin.:)

 

We have used this type garment bag many times for formal clothing. We put each item on a hanger and then cover with one of the thin dry cleaning bags. We then hang each item in this rolling garment bag. When we unpack, it is just a matter of taking each item out of the bag and hanging it in the closet. Those thin plastic bags really do a good job of keeping things wrinkle free. You can also use the thin bags in a standard piece of luggage. Just put the item in the plastic bag (with or without the hanger) and put it in the luggage. Like others have posted, the cost of pressing on the ship is very reasonable and the garments are returned to you very quickly. Have a fabulous voyage. Beth

Hi Beth...hope you & Jerry are well...see our next voyage below...

We do exactly the same with our formal kit...except that we use a 'tri-fold' hanging bag that piggy-backs on a main rolling suitcase. Since we always stay in Europe or Britain, and return on QM2, we leave that bag at Lok 'n Store in Southampton, and pick it up again on the return. When available, we try to get paper dry cleaning sleeves, to cut down on any moisture buildup when the bag is stored.

Cheers...:cool:

Bob & Beatrice

Hi Beth...hope you & Jerry are well...see our next voyage below...

 

We do exactly the same with our formal kit...except that we use a 'tri-fold' hanging bag that piggy-backs on a main rolling suitcase. Since we always stay in Europe or Britain, and return on QM2, we leave that bag at Lok 'n Store in Southampton, and pick it up again on the return. When available, we try to get paper dry cleaning sleeves, to cut down on any moisture buildup when the bag is stored.

 

Cheers...:cool:

 

Bob & Beatrice

Hi Bob,

So good to hear from you. Yes, we are both doing well. Your Clipper voyage sounds great. That will be quite an adventure. I hope our paths cross soon. Give our best regards to Beatrice. Keep in touch.