How do you do it????

Off on the first cruise next month - West Med with Grandeur of the seas and planning my suitcase. How on earth do people manage (I am the worlds worst and always take too much), I love to dress up and have choice but with 15kg allowance (thompson!!) thats not a lot. If we do the formal, my hubbys case will be full with just his Tux!! Will he also need a jacket for smart casual?

Help

to lighten the load a little bit, you buy garnet bags. Put in the tux in there, and you use suitcase for other things. Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Travel-Garment-Organize-Storage/dp/B0000YRQEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308407603&sr=8-1

Do light weight dresses, wear the same dress twice if you have to. You dont need all those clothes.

Wear the jacket and thickest pants.

Shof's suggestion only makes sense if you don't need another carryon, otherwise your allotment goes to dress clothes.

We love to dress up but I've never made hubby wear a tux, it just isn't feasible when flying. If he takes a nice black suit then he can wear the jacket with khakis and a shirt another night, and the black pants with a different shirt and tie another, and so on. With a few minor changes the outfit will look different, and obviously just one pair of dress shoes.

For me, it's easy bc my dresses are so small, they don't take a ton of room. You really don't have the luxury of taking half your closet for options, so just take your favorite dresses for as many nights as you'll cruise (even my fanciest dresses were scarfy and light). I never wear dressy pant outfits bc, well one I prefer dresses and two, they take less room. Again, I only take one pair of shoes to match all my dresses (I take as few shoes as possible, running shoes for exercise and walking intensive ports, the dress shoes and flipflops, that's it).

I also try to only take a few "relaxing outfits," etc. Some people think things need to be washed after every wear which is nonsense (unless you have a baby, now my clothes are covered in gunk by the end of the day :) )

Don't stress, you always need way less than you want to take :-) Good luck and have fun!

Edit-My garment bag carryon issue only applies if your airline charges for checked luggage. I would never pay $50 to pack extra clothes, but if you get two pieces of free checked luggage, then that is a viable solution.

Also, I always wear my tennis shoes for travel (much to my dismay, I prefer flipflops due to the security lines, but they take up way too much room in my suitcase!)

You need to be a little careful of advice about carry-on bags, as the rules in the UK and US are not the same - much stricter here, in general. Check with the airline's website for their current rules; the last time we flew Thomsons they permitted only one piece of handluggage of a certain size and weight per person, and your laptop, handbag (purse), camera, or whatever had to be placed inside it.

Hi we are on grandeur too (3rd July) I thought I read on the RCI booking info that the thomson flight allows 20kg of checked luggage each? Not 100% sure now but could make all the difference! My stragtegy for packing is remove some of the other halfs stuff until all yours fits!

Go to the Fashion & Beauty board for more ideas.

22" suitcase. A bag with no wheels will give you a few extra pounds/kilos to work with.

-Pack from the shoes up. Walking, dress, sandal. Wear the heaviest on the plane. Your sandal is also your cabin slipper and pool shoe.

-Mix and match. Everything goes with everything. Stick with a color combination-Cream/brown/yellow, black/white/red etc.

3 bottoms & 4 tops is 12 outfits. Adding a jacket/cardigan/cardigan will make 24 outfits. Use lightweight accessories to change the look. I don't do this. No one will notice. Sis didn't even notice Mom wearing the same shirt 2 days in a row.

Take advantage of the ship's laundry and 'Febreze' is your friend.

-One formal outfit and different accessories. I wear black slacks and have a top/jacket set that is reversible (four outfits!, could be more but I like to wear it as a set.)

Men can get away with bringing an extra tie and getting the shirt cleaned.

-Wear your heaviest clothes & shoes on the plane. Fill the pockets of your jacket.

-Use travel size toiletries, either buy them or transfer to containers. Share toiletries whenever possible.

Men have it easier. DH brings a Guayabera (short-sleeved button) shirt for every day of the cruise and two pairs of slacks. Pair of black walking shoes and maybe a pair of sandals. If we do formal night he will wear a blue sport coat to wear with a pair of slacks. He packs so lightly he carries our medical kit and has room for souvenirs.

Can DH rent a tux from the ship? If so, that will take care of that. For you, pick a very basic color scheme and mix & match. Also, if you can either hand wash some things or send some out for laundry services on the ship, that will help too.

Is that weight limit per person? On most airlines, it is a per person thing. The ship itself shouldn't really have a weight limit that would restrict your packing.

...I have made a personal goal to take a 7 day cruise with only the luggage I can carry on the plane. This has to include 4 pairs of shoes, 3 dresses and my laptop. I will be attempting it this July. Can I do it? Yamaha

You need to be a little careful of advice about carry-on bags, as the rules in the UK and US are not the same - much stricter here, in general. Check with the airline's website for their current rules; the last time we flew Thomsons they permitted only one piece of handluggage of a certain size and weight per person, and your laptop, handbag (purse), camera, or whatever had to be placed inside it.

It's probably not a good idea to fly with Thomson to a cruise. I do think that the rules are normally stricter in the US than in the UK.

On British Airways the carry on is allowed to be very heavy as long as you can handle it and they also allow a small extra bag.

Hi we are on grandeur too (3rd July) I thought I read on the RCI booking info that the thomson flight allows 20kg of checked luggage each? Not 100% sure now but could make all the difference! My stragtegy for packing is remove some of the other halfs stuff until all yours fits!

I got the info re baggage from Thomson website!

Where did you see the 20Kg?

Thomson has a luggage allowance of 15 Kg and 5 Kg for carryon, an extra 10 Kg can be purchased upto a maximum of 23 Kg.

This is the real way to travel: :D

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-13838216

Ron

On British Airways the carry on is allowed to be very heavy as long as you can handle it and they also allow a small extra bag.

Very true, you can have one piece of carry on luggage up 23 Kg (51lbs), so long as you can lift it into the overhead lockers.

Plus a laptop or handbag.

You have for what you get.

Ron

BA have the most generous free baggage allowance on economy of 23kg - ie you don't pay extra for your suitcase it's included in the price.

There doesn't seem to be any weight restrictions on hand luggage and you can also take a handbag/laptop case.

For more accurate descriptions follow this link:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/public/en_gb

and if CC remove the link just google BA luggage allowance.

We always Fly BA - can't believe NCL using airlines with such a poor reputation and luggage allowance. Guess they need to get their money back somehow.....

It's probably not a good idea to fly with Thomson to a cruise. I do think that the rules are normally stricter in the US than in the UK.

 

On British Airways the carry on is allowed to be very heavy as long as you can handle it and they also allow a small extra bag.

I fly with BA a lot for that very reason. With only size restrictions on cabin baggage, I've often lugged 20 kilos on to the plane in addition to the 23 kilo checked allowance 9and they rarely are strict about excess baggage for a kilo or so). On long repositioning trips where I need to dress for different climates, I just pay for an extra case. Again BA and Air France are good for this as they charge a flat fee whereas some airlines charge per kilo which makes taking an additional bag prohibitive.

You have to decide what is most important to you. For me I want to dress up and take loads with me so I ensure the airline I fly with fits in with it. If you can't choose airline or want to go with one that is retrictive about luggage then you have to pack light. Stick with a few colours, so that evrything mixes and matches; wear the heaviest stuff; fully use your carry on allowance; consider buying toiletries when you get there (as they weigh so much); have a light weight case to start with....and if all else fails, stick small heavy items in your coat/jacket pocket - never known an airline to check that!

I got the info re baggage from Thomson website!

Where did you see the 20Kg?

I read it on the RC website. I logged in to my booking and then go into guest ticket booklets and under air arrangements it states the follwing (cant copy and paste): "Checked luggage allowance is 20kg per person. One piece of hand luggage per person is permitted. This should weigh no more than 5kg and be no bigger than 43cm x 28cm x23cm"

Our flights came as a package, it may be that your TA has booked things seperately which may effect things? We also have transfers included.

We only do carry-on luggage when we cruise. We've had to stop bringing DH's tux, but he still attends formal night with a pair of dress slacks, dress shoes, white button down dress shirt and tie. No jacket.

I've learned that I never wear all the clothes I bring. It's nice to have options, but we really don't need them. Bring clothes you can wash out easily and that will dry quickly.

I prefer dresses - they're light enough for hot weather and you can put on a cardigan when it is cooler.

Rule of thumb for us: Pack you suitcase. Then take half out. And whatever you were going to bring in cash - double it. Have fun! :D

Get rid of Clothes Hangers in your luggage as they take up lots of space. Use the hangers in your cabin. Roll your clothes as described in other blogs here. If you are taking a cruise longer than 7 days, use the laundry on the ship to re-cycle your clothes and undies on the ship.