Suit cases?

I am just wondering if anyone has any tips on what sort of suit cases might be better for a cruise? We do have suitcases of course, but they're fabric sort, I was wondering if it might be better to buy the hard sort? Or does it really matter what sort of suitcase you take?

We have cruised for almost 25 years, used soft sided bags. No negatives to report. We can't see any reason to pick one over the other...soft sided has worked fine for several dozen trips all over the world.

Our son bought the overnight and middle sized Flylite Newington for a schoolies trip to Vanuatu last year, so when we saw them on sale at Strandbags recently we bought the large and small ones to make a set. The small one fits cabin luggage size for our flights, which was a big bonus. We're hoping these are good because that's what we've got! ;)

http://www.strandbags.com.au/luggage?filterset=filters&filter=COLLECTION&filtervalue=Flylite%20Newington%20III%20Charcoal

I am just wondering if anyone has any tips on what sort of suit cases might be better for a cruise?

The smaller the better.

Any sort is fine. We use soft-sided bags.

Of course, if you're planning on taking a lot of luggage make sure they nest ie the smaller bags can fit inside the larger ones, for storage purposes. Most ships have space under the beds for bags.

Those travelling with a 3-4 year old might like to invest in one of these.

http://www.sillymillymoo.com.au/566-trunki?gclid=CO_1zICf6swCFQukvQodH5gJzQ

I saw a family with them when we disembarked in Hong Kong. So cute! The littlest kid was riding his, and the slightly older kid was towing his.

Travel luggage is an investment that should be suitable for a variety of travel excursions, not just a cruise. The main situation besides a cruise that you would think about is air travel.

The first suggestion I would make is to get a very bright, unusual colour. At the end of a cruise (or on the baggage carousel after a flight) there will be a large number of black cases. Lime green, teal blue or fir engine red will be your friend in this situation, even if you think they are tastless colours in other situations.

For a large suitcase, four wheels will make your life a lot easier. Also, it is better to get a lightweight case. Check the weight of the various cases you are consiering in the specifications. I have Antler soft sided luggage and it has served me well over the years. Every so often, Antler will be on sale, so if you have a while before your cruise, choose your preferred luggage, then wait for the sales.

I also have a cabin size day pack that has wheels and a handle, as well as backpack straps. This is very useful. If you get something like this, you should check that the size complies with flight cabin luggage limits.

We have always had the lightweight material type with lots of side pockets for maps etc. A couple of years ago we decided to buy new cases for a trip to Europe, giving the hardcase type a go. We bought 2 leopard print cases not a cheap type either, and when we were checking in at Melbourne airport the lady right behind us had exactly the same case. She also thought it would be bold and unusual making it easy to identify. The case didnt even come home in one piece as when we got off the ship in Venice we noticed one corner of the case was badly cracked. Must have happened between when we put the luggage outside the night before our arrival. Fortunately I had the duct tape that has come along with me for every trip and never been used came in very handy. Along with super glue that hubby decided to pop in at the last minute. We had 3 days in vienna so were able to patch up the case to last us to get home. On arrival in Melbourne one of the corners of the same case fortunately had its wheel totally missing along with other cracks. Thats the end of our hard case travels. Back to the material soft sided cases where I can slip in a map or umbrella etc.

We now always do self disembark to avoid a repeat, not possible to take the luggage on with us due to x ray etc but so far so good.

We like blue elephant take a wheelie with a handle antler backpack with straps as our hand luggage. We travel very light and unless on a big trip manage with one suitcase and the 2 wheelies. Hubby is in charge of the big case and i do the wheelies. Bought them 4 years ago from on line shopping company cant remember which one but they still look brand new, with lots of pockets. Cost me all of $49 each.

Thoughts...

• soft luggage last longer than hard sided
  
• I prefer hard side to minimize damage to my electronics inside
  
• medium suit cases offers good balance in storage vs weight when air travel is involved.... if you don't need to fly.... I prefer the largest suitcases to hold more.
  
• wheels makes it easier to move around when you don't want to pay for airport carts, but spinners are easier to get damaged if caught on something during aircraft or cruise transfers. I prefer two large wheels instead of 4 small wheels.
  
• wheels and extending handles increases weight for luggage surcharges.
  
• I like black to hide scratches... however a majority of luggage is also black. I wasted 20 minutes one time at a cruise terminal trying to find my luggage in a sea of black luggage. I add colored tape and unique luggage tags to make my luggage unique. I've heard of people walking away with another person's luggage by mistake.
  
• I hate zippered luggage..... ball point pen is all it takes to open up those zippers.
  
• invest in a luggage scale to avoid airport surcharges... the first surcharge you avoid.... your scale is paid for. Having a personal scale as you pack means less stress at the airport... repacking. That personal scale comes in handy when choosing/shopping for new luggage.
  

Thoughts...

• soft luggage last longer than hard sided
  
• I prefer hard side to minimize damage to my electronics inside
  
• medium suit cases offers good balance in storage vs weight when air travel is involved.... if you don't need to fly.... I prefer the largest suitcases to hold more.
  
• wheels makes it easier to move around when you don't want to pay for airport carts, but spinners are easier to get damaged if caught on something during aircraft or cruise transfers. I prefer two large wheels instead of 4 small wheels.
  
• wheels and extending handles increases weight for luggage surcharges.
  
• I like black to hide scratches... however a majority of luggage is also black. I wasted 20 minutes one time at a cruise terminal trying to find my luggage in a sea of black luggage. I add colored tape and unique luggage tags to make my luggage unique. I've heard of people walking away with another person's luggage by mistake.
  
• I hate zippered luggage..... ball point pen is all it takes to open up those zippers.
  
• invest in a luggage scale to avoid airport surcharges... the first surcharge you avoid.... your scale is paid for. Having a personal scale as you pack means less stress at the airport... repacking. That personal scale comes in handy when choosing/shopping for new luggage.
  

I agree with a lot of what xoxo says. We've had hard sided before and you have to open them fully out to get at the contents. You also have to pack two separate halves as they close a bit like a clam shell. We use soft sided ones. We have PacSafe carry on size (often checked in though) which is quite heavy for its size but it is designed not to be broken into and have zippers that will withstand all but the most professional break in. That said, we do a lot of travelling and I certainly would not spend the money for the brand if they were not going to be used every couple of months. Two wheels are easier on rough surfaces we find.

If you are not likely to be travelling a lot and your current luggage is still OK I wouldn't bother buying new stuff. If you are not self disembarking, you will need something small to put your overnight stuff in as you will need to place your main cases outside your cabin on the last night for them to be collected and taken off the ship. I forgot once until the last day and had to buy a tote bag on board. You will need to lock the cases and not put any valuables in them just incase.

Meant to ask - did you finally get your passport applications accepted?

Aussieflyer-My sister received her Passport yesterday, so one is done and dusted. I was at my doctor's yesterday and right when I walked into my doctors office the passport agency rang her to ask about me as she went Guarantor for me, by what I could hear she answered everything correct, so now I am just hoping it was alright and my son's application was ok. I think, if everything went ok, we should get them in the next 2 weeks! Thanks for asking about it Aussieflyer.:)

Thoughts...

• I prefer hard side to minimize damage to my electronics inside
  

I rarely pack electronics in a suitcase, apart from a spare Kindle. Too much risk of them being stolen. However I've carried numerous bottles of wine in soft-sided suitcases without any mishaps. Each bottle is bubble-wrapped, encased in two layers of zip-lock bag, and packed between layers of clothing.

Thoughts...

• medium suit cases offers good balance in storage vs weight when air travel is involved.... if you don't need to fly.... I prefer the largest suitcases to hold more.
  

We've given up on large suitcases. They are too hard to manage. We now use medium wheeled suitcases with an overnight bag that slides over the handle and sits on top. This combo actually holds more than the largest wheeled bag.

Thoughts...

• I like black to hide scratches... however a majority of luggage is also black. I wasted 20 minutes one time at a cruise terminal trying to find my luggage in a sea of black luggage. I add colored tape and unique luggage tags to make my luggage unique. I've heard of people walking away with another person's luggage by mistake.
  

I paint a unique bright two-coloured logo on three sides of each bag. Artists oil paint works best but they need to be painted some weeks in advance as the oil paint takes a very long time to dry fully. This sometimes has other advantages - when we disembarked at the OPT just after Christmas we found our four bags all neatly stacked together.

Even the Red cases are becoming popular, for the obvious reason. We have red Samsonite soft sided B'Lite Extra spinners, and I've got 3 turns of polished stainless steel decorative chain wound around the top handles. It doesn't stop you picking up the case but it stands out like a neon sign.

I've used pretty much the lot, they all seem to work OK.

Thoughts...

• soft luggage last longer than hard sided
  
• I prefer hard side to minimize damage to my electronics inside
  
• medium suit cases offers good balance in storage vs weight when air travel is involved.... if you don't need to fly.... I prefer the largest suitcases to hold more.
  
• wheels makes it easier to move around when you don't want to pay for airport carts, but spinners are easier to get damaged if caught on something during aircraft or cruise transfers. I prefer two large wheels instead of 4 small wheels.
  
• wheels and extending handles increases weight for luggage surcharges.
  
• I like black to hide scratches... however a majority of luggage is also black. I wasted 20 minutes one time at a cruise terminal trying to find my luggage in a sea of black luggage. I add colored tape and unique luggage tags to make my luggage unique. I've heard of people walking away with another person's luggage by mistake.
  
• I hate zippered luggage..... ball point pen is all it takes to open up those zippers.
  
• invest in a luggage scale to avoid airport surcharges... the first surcharge you avoid.... your scale is paid for. Having a personal scale as you pack means less stress at the airport... repacking. That personal scale comes in handy when choosing/shopping for new luggage.
  

I agree, some great tips.:D

Even the Red cases are becoming popular, for the obvious reason. We have red Samsonite soft sided B'Lite Extra spinners, and I've got 3 turns of polished stainless steel decorative chain wound around the top handles. It doesn't stop you picking up the case but it stands out like a neon sign.

That sounds like a great idea if you're only cruising, but that chain would add unnecessary weight for air travel.

Thoughts...

• invest in a luggage scale to avoid airport surcharges... the first surcharge you avoid.... your scale is paid for. Having a personal scale as you pack means less stress at the airport... repacking. That personal scale comes in handy when choosing/shopping for new luggage.
  

Keep an eye out for Aldi travel goods sales. We picked up a great luggage scale there and it was very cheap.

The Aldi travel adaptor is really great too - 4 USB ports, 2 sockets, and four international plug fittings, all in a neat little zip-up case.

Just note that some adaptors/converters will take a lot longer to charge the phones etc due to the lesser amperage.

We use the hard sided cases in bright colours. We leave one under the bed opened and put our used clothes in, less packing at the end [emoji3]

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If your cases are left out in the rain ..then the hard sided plastic cases have a huge advantage.

Even the very best of cases get thrown about by the airlines and damaged , I sometime think a cheap hard sided case with a roll of duct tape is the answer , if they get damaged just buy a replacement , they are not expensive , and the reject shop and Aldi have some quite reasonable ones ....

Regards

John

We have travelled a lot overseas to meet cruises. This means we have long haul flights, hotel stays, many transfers and of course the cruises. We have always used high quality lightweight hard cases on 4 wheels. reasons are:

-more overall protection of goods inside

- stuff inside won't get wet if cases are left in the rain before/after boarding. Have seen friends with soft cases start their cruise with a pile of wet clothes.

- 4 wheels of good quality will be your best friend when checking in/out of hotels, in/out of lifts, etc. You can just glide them along with your feet if your hands are full.

- no outside pockets whatsoever. This cuts down on chances of stuff being stolen or people tampering with your luggage

- colours or markings that instantly stand out so you can spot it easily.

- some of the better ones now have waterproof and more secure zips, meaning they can't be flicked open with something as simple as a pen

- zippered dividers inside to stop your stuff from becoming one big mess

Good quality Hard cases will still scratch and show wear and tear, but these are usually just cosmetic. My last case lasted me over 5 years of extensive travel and is still suitable for smaller trips. I paid about $250 for it, so I think I got excellent value considering how convenient it was for me time and time again.

That sounds like a great idea if you're only cruising, but that chain would add unnecessary weight for air travel.

What's another 120grams = 3oz in the old language. Two 52cm x 7mm polished stainless steel chains from China cost me $5.60 delivered.

What's another 120grams = 3oz in the old language. Two 52cm x 7mm polished stainless steel chains from China cost me $5.60 delivered.

A whole 120gms! :eek: That's the weight of three pairs of knickers! :D

A whole 120gms! :eek: That's the weight of three pairs of knickers! :D

Not the ones Mrs Gut wears:eek::cool:;)