What's the earliest you've packed

We don't leave for 10 weeks, but I am so anxious that I want to start getting my clothes together. I know I won't actually put them in a suitcase yet, but what's the earliest you've laid out all your clothes?

Maybe 3 days if I'm flying in somewhere a day early. I plan beforehand, but usually pack the day before I leave...

I just don't unpack from my previous cruise! That way I am always ready to go! ;):D

I create a list of things and outfits I want to take about a month before the cruise. This list may be tweaked a few times over that month and I will double check my closets, drawers..etc..to make sure I actually have those items. If there are little odds and ends I need to purchase, I will do that over the course of the month.

As far as actually laying things out, I may do that just a two days before I leave, but nothing goes into the suitcase until the night before. I check things off my list as I put them into the suitcase to ensure I have everything.

We are with Eng23, we leave a bag packed at all times. Usually just a few minor changes prior to the cruise.

Do you mean my electronics or my clothes. Electronics about a week before leaving. Clothes - 1 or days before.

I do not understand why people feel the need to make lists of outfits and what they will be wearing each day. Clothes are clothes - who cares if they match as long as they are clean and do not have holes in them.

DON

I do not understand why people feel the need to make lists of outfits and what they will be wearing each day. Clothes are clothes - who cares if they match as long as they are clean and do not have holes in them.

 

DON

lol, if this were true, there would be no fashion industry.

Because we live in the Pacific Northwest, we leave our cruise clothes packed mostly as that is the only time we wear them :D

As far as getting everything folded and checking our lists, that is done 2-6 days beforehand. Final items such as electronics are packed a few hours before we leave.

1 weeks is a fine time to start. ;)

Our hall closet is the "cruise closet". I already have some stuff in there for our Aug/Sept. cruise - things we don't wear normally. As we get closer I'll go through them to make sure nothing needs mending, everything fits, etc. We do the actual packing the day before we leave.

I have a detailed packing list - necessary as far as I'm concerned for a 31 day trip. That way I have a list of what's in each bag in case anything should go astray somewhere along the line.

I also have a "cruise closet" in one of my spare bedrooms. At any given point in time I have an array of new cruise outfits ready to go for my next cruise. At about the 30 day marker I make my final decisions on what to take with me and start packing my suitcase. I have less than 3 weeks until my next cruise and I'm already packed. :)

It depends if I am wearing the clothes I'll be bringing.....if I'm already wearing shorts at home, I won't pack until the day before leaving, as I'm wearing my clothes! If it's cold at home, I can get my 'summer' clothes ready to go, but nothing goes into the suitcase until the day prior....they simply get too wrinkled!

Which is two days prior to the cruise as we always fly in a day early. On the otherhand DW could easily start a couple weeks out and re pack twice.

The OP asks a very good question and one which we have wrestled with for about forty years :). Since we do a lot of travel (often for as long as 2 months) DW has developed a pretty good system. We start to lay out our clothes in our Living Room (it also works well in a spare bedroom) about a week to 10 days before we must leave for the trip. Our "piles" of stuff change on a regular basis as we refine and change our minds. Sometimes I will put out some extra stuff knowing that when I actually pack I might leave a few things behind...but can make last minute choices from my "pile." Over the years we have found this method works well and we seldom find ourselves forgetting anything important. When it comes to important things like drugs, if we cannot put it out in advance we will sometimes write a large note and put it on top of the pile so we do not forget the item when we finally pack.

Hank

My wife starts with her wardrobe lists about two weeks out and then packs a week before. Myself, I get my carry on luggage items together about the five day mark and pack the night before. We're at four weeks and change and I just want to get a whiff of suitcase, that magic smell when you unzip it that says, VACATION!!:D

Jonathan

I make a plan a couple of months out. Then, I start hanging things on a rack in a spare bedroom. It is probably full at least a month out, including most of the shoes. I can't stand having anything hanging over my head.

Even being organized, I managed to leave a pair of crucial black pants on the same rack one cruise. And, I brought the wrong pair on another cruise. Maybe my way makes me too relaxed!

I dont pack clothes, until 2 nights before we leave.... I pack my carry on and other stuff probably a week or so out...

but I do have all my shirts and stuff seperated in my closet so i dont wear certain things before cruise time

I start making up lists (well I have the list, I adjust it) months in advance whenever I want to start getting the "cruise experience" flowing through my veins.

I start putting what I want to bring in a separate area of my closet months before a cruise. Whenever I think "Oh, I wont wear that between now and the cruise" So basically I'm laying things out months in advance.

Then depending on whether we're planning on doing any entertaining, I start laying things out in the living room a month or a few weeks in advance. If I had a guest room (ours all became offices) I'd wash things from one cruise and never put them away. But we use the living room sofa as a staging area - so it depends on who might wander through.

I usually pack the morning of the cruise, or the night before. It just takes a few minutes and we're ready to head to the port.

leaving on Friday....as of last night, wife is fully packed :)

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We don't pack clothes until the night before we leave. We have an idea of what we're taking but don't pack until then. Usually because I'm making sure everything is clean. :)

I have a list of non-clothing items that we take with us. Those items I'll start packing about a week ahead. This is the stuff like sunscreen, sewing kit, nightlight etc. this stuff usually goes in a gallon zip or packing cube.

This is what happens at our house when you get the bags out to start packing. Not sure if Koko was trying to prevent me from packing to telling me he wanted to go too.

I pack for both of us and have packed as early as 10 days in advance. I always try to have the packing done two or three days in advance if not more. The clothes do not wrinkle if packed well and I don't have stress or pressure when I know we are ready to go. Invariably, something comes up that takes up my time a day or two before we are set to travel and if the packing is done, I don't have to worry about it.

the cat.....very cute. My dog starts to sulk after the luggage comes out.

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This is what happens at our house when you get the bags out to start packing. Not sure if Koko was trying to prevent me from packing to telling me he wanted to go too.

 

We have three cats, so that's a very familiar scene when we're trying to pack.:D We typically start planning on what to bring about a week ahead of time. Except for a few important things like prescription meds., we don't really have a written checklist. We have a passport wallet where we keep our passports, and my DW will put all of our travel documents (airline tickets, boarding passes, etc.) in there as well. We don't actually pack our clothes until the day before departure.

DH and I on NCL Gem a couple of weeks ago. It was from Feb 8 to 17th. I show a great price for a 9 days cruise leaving from NY. Only $329. Booked the cruise on Feb 7 afternoon. Had prior plans so were not going to be home till morning of Feb 8. Got home at 9:30am rushed around to pack for myself and DH. Did a couple of loads of laundry. Jump into the car at 12:30 pm, drove to Chinatown to pick up some food for the kids dinner that night. Finally we were on way to the port. Got to the port at 2:30pm

DH and I on NCL Gem a couple of weeks ago. It was from Feb 8 to 17th. I show a great price for a 9 days cruise leaving from NY. Only $329. Booked the cruise on Feb 7 afternoon. Had prior plans so were not going to be home till morning of Feb 8. Got home at 9:30am rushed around to pack for myself and DH. Did a couple of loads of laundry. Jump into the car at 12:30 pm, drove to Chinatown to pick up some food for the kids dinner that night. Finally we were on way to the port. Got to the port at 2:30pm

Huh? What does this have to do with packing?