How Does One Pack for a 50 Day Cruise?

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. DW, however, has expressed concerns about the potential number of formal nights on a 50 day cruise. I will bring my tux and change vests and or cummerbunds; however, my wife is concerned about how many formal dresses she would need for this lengthy voyage. I guess the men do have an advantage in this category!

We will be on the same cruise with you. I am guessing there will be about 10 formal nights. For myself I will pack 1 pr of black palazzo pants, 1 pair of royal blue palazzo pants, 1 dressy cardigan sweater and 5 sparkley blouses that can be worn with either pr. of pants. I bring 1 pair of dressy black sandals and 1 pair of pewter sandals. For jewelry I bring several pair of earrings and 1 bracelet. That is the extent of my formal ware.

Medical supplies for a 50 day cruise for us will fill one suitcase that must be carried with us at all times. This suitcase counts. In addition there is the walker, the portable oxygen and the BiPap machine that do not count as luggage. For an oxygen concentrator we rent one that will be delivered to our hotel in Seattle, we leave it aboard ship and it is picked up by the rental compan. andContinuous tions for a 50 day

These are all very good tips ...

Our longest cruise was 75 days, and we've done several 30+ as well.

On the 75-day, we had around 20 formal nights ... I brought two long dresses and alternated them. One pair of low heels for both, two different wraps. I could wear the low heels with slacks and both wraps with multiple outfits.

One tip to save on weight when packing to fly - we always fly in a day or two early, and we buy most of our toiletries in the embarkation city rather than schlep them in our suitcases. There are a few must-have items that I will pack (face cream, conditioner) but just about everything else is available just about everywhere else in the world. In many ports you can also buy OTC meds, gum, qtips, those types of things, as well ...

In addition to layers, layers, layers, when traveling through multiple climate zones, I find it helpful to plan around tonal, dark to light, color coordination. I choose one neutral (ie black, grey, silver, and white or dark brown, khaki, ecru, and gold) and one color (ie olive through turquoise or scarlet through coral). That way, as one traverses different zones (and cultures!), clothing will always appropriately mix and match for the venue and the weather.

We like long cruises and have gotten pretty good at packing for them. We pack for about 10 days for day time clothes, and do admit, we bring more for dinner clothes. We do the mix and match as do get bored with the same clothes for dinner. It is amazing what one can do with a simple black dress, black slacks, dressy black slacks or skirt for formal nights, white slacks, about 10-15 tops (silk t-shirts work great with a simple black sweater or over top), a few sparkly tops, and several over-tops. I stick to a few pairs of Capezzio-like flats; black, white and actually have a black pair with rhinestones for formal nights. Do bring a bunch of jewelry to 'change the look' for dinner. The extra remedies/drugs for every possibility takes a plastic shoe box in my carry-one but one never knows what one will need and the selection on the ship is limited and expensive. Once paid something like $5 for cough drops and will never do that again!

We bring our own toiletries so our carry-on luggage weighs a ton but it is a roller bag so no worries. We will also buy the more generic ones (shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, lotion, etc) at the embark port city if we fly in and are worried about bag weight as we always go in a day or 2 early. When it gets packed in the checked bags we just figure we will use the weight we do not take home as toiletries for purchases.

Bring what makes you happy! Remember, the ship has several laundry options (yes, the Amsterdam has self-service laundries) and no one really cares if you wear the same outfit a few times as they are doing the same thing.

Have a wonderful time as sounds like a really great cruise!

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. DW, however, has expressed concerns about the potential number of formal nights on a 50 day cruise. I will bring my tux and change vests and or cummerbunds; however, my wife is concerned about how many formal dresses she would need for this lengthy voyage. I guess the men do have an advantage in this category!

My longest cruise (so far :D) was 21 days, but I've always thought the guys had the bigger burden for formal nights than us ladies. At least that is how it is with us. I know it depends on your style taste, but we ladies have the laces and chiffon and similiar very light weight fabrics available.

With a love for cultural clothing I have an au dai (Vietnamese dress/tunic over palazzo like pants) that I get tons of complements on. Very seldom does someone know what it is. I have a couple chiffon/silk/georgette jackets and tops that coordinate with the au dai pants, a pair of black pants and one pair of dressy 1/2 heel shoes to blend. The clothes fold and fit into 2-3 gallon sized zip lock bags and get the air squeezed out. They can slip into a flap of my suitcase or my carry on. The shoes are another matter tho light weight. Sometimes I add a 1930's vintage silk velvet gown, with doesn't weigh much but gets much more love and respect in my suitcase than a plastic bag.

RuthC (cruising now) has suggested shoe clips, which I think is brilliant.

There was a thread earlier this week about self service laundry rooms being removed from the R class ships.

Agree with others about packing as for about a 10 day cruise, plus a few other things depending on the expected weather. (By the way, Hello to rkacruiser and ANSalberg!)

 

It is WONDERFUL to hear from YOU! Always! XXXXXXXXXXX A

We had to take sweaters, Jackets etc. for the cold climes as well as clothes for the warm climes.. During the day we layered our clothes.. After we left the cold climes I packed all our winter clothes in one 29 inch suitcase & stuck it in a corner of our cabin, never to be opened until we got home.. Unfortunately it would not fit under our bed with our other luggage.. Realize, I could have asked our steward to store it, but it was not in our way so I kept it in the cabin..

A question, since I'm going to be on the South America Grand Voyage. How heavy a jacket did you bring since the ship spends time in Antarctica? I've purchased long johns and have a heavy sweat shirt, both of which I will wear under a heavy jacket. I'm torn between bringing a really good (but bulky) Patagonia jacket or a thigh-length fleece jacket. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this.

What are shoe clips?

What are shoe clips?

They are little adornments that clip onto your shoes or sandals - they can be big and poofy, or small and understated, your choice.

http://www.shoeclips.biz/

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

They are little adornments that clip onto your shoes or sandals - they can be big and poofy, or small and understated, your choice.

 

http://www.shoeclips.biz/

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

We just returned from a 49 day cruise and had 7 formal nights. I could never pack for just 7 days. I would be so bored with my wardrobe if I had to wear the same 7 things over and over for 7 weeks. I probably pack more than I need but I wore everything that I took and even then I was bored wearing some things 3 times. We did laundry 3 times during the trip. I like my switchflop shoes as I have some with small heels and then take several straps of different colors to match different outfits. Saves a lot of room in the shoe department.

I enjoy dressing up on cruises as we don't have occasion to do that at home. Jeans are pretty much as dressy as people get around here so I have a "cruise wardrobe" that I wear only when cruising. If I had to pay for an extra suitcase (our first bag is free anyways) then I would be happy to do so. It's always nice to have some extra room to bring things home.

I was surprised at how much people were dressed up during the day on our cruise. I packed several shorts and t-shirts and felt underdressed. Most women wore very nice capris or shorts and beautiful tops and men wore nice button down shirts or golf style shirts.

We had to take sweaters, Jackets etc. for the cold climes as well as clothes for the warm climes.. During the day we layered our clothes.. After we left the cold climes I packed all our winter clothes in one 29 inch suitcase & stuck it in a corner of our cabin, never to be opened until we got home.. Unfortunately it would not fit under our bed with our other luggage.. Realize, I could have asked our steward to store it, but it was not in our way so I kept it in the cabin..

 

A question, since I'm going to be on the South America Grand Voyage. How heavy a jacket did you bring since the ship spends time in Antarctica? I've purchased long johns and have a heavy sweat shirt, both of which I will wear under a heavy jacket. I'm torn between bringing a really good (but bulky) Patagonia jacket or a thigh-length fleece jacket. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this.

Have done this cruise (plus spent 25+ years in MN) and we layered and layered. Brought medium to light weight (but water resistant) jackets - mine is Columbia brand, added fleece vests, long sleeve shirts or turtle necks, and undershirts. Have found the key to be layers, especially form hugging undershirts, only natural fabrics (silk is best but cotton works well), heavy socks (cold feet are killers for me), and DO NOT neglect to bring a stocking hat , possibly a scarf/muffler and warm mittens (better than gloves). One of the gifts on our cruise was actually a stocking hat and mitten set but one never knows if they will do that again. We did not bring or nor did we have a need for a very heavy jacket; the temp was only down to about 40 F and that was in the morning - we lucked out and had calm winds and sunshine. This cruise does not disembark you in Antarctica so it is just out on deck so if you get cold you pop back in for a few minutes. You can also get deck blankets which some people wore as a shawl. Antarctica was one of the top 5 highlights of our travels - it is awesome so know you will enjoy!

I love to use 3 season coats (hip length) for cruises that go to various climates. Living in Michigan, we often fly out/return to cold, so need that fleece liner on either end of a winter (or this spring, even now:)) trip. The shell is great for rain or wind in warmer locales.

We found these coats, along with layers, to work fine for Antarctica, Patagonia, Norway and Iceland. As previously mentioned, a fleece cap and water-resistant mittens are great, too.

Don't forget to bring some good waterproof hiking shoes (not bulky boots) for excursions, if you want to visit the penguins, parks and mountains. Fitness shoes are not a great choice for those days.

Someone else (sorry, forgot who) mentioned my trick of purchasing toiletries on the afternoon we arrive in port. It saves a lot of weight in luggage for the flight.

Antarctica: agree with layers and highly recommend the long underwear (like tights) first layer. They can even amp up the warmth of jeans. Don't forget the outer wind proof layer.

On long cruises (we have done several over 60 days long) we simply pack about the same way as we do for a 14 day cruise...paying particular attention to the prevailing temperatures where we are cruising. We than take advantage of the HAL laundry service (it is helpful being a 4 Star Mariner) and do the usual mixing and matching of clothes :)

Hank

Antarctica: agree with layers and highly recommend the long underwear (like tights) first layer. They can even amp up the warmth of jeans. Don't forget the outer wind proof layer.

I agree with adding the extra layer of long underwear. If you're concerned about weight and space restrictions, silk underwear is great. It packs up into a small zip-lock and gives you a warm, yet lightweight, extra layer. And your pants/jeans just slide on over top because they're so smooth and not bulky.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

We had to take sweaters, Jackets etc. for the cold climes as well as clothes for the warm climes.. During the day we layered our clothes.. After we left the cold climes I packed all our winter clothes in one 29 inch suitcase & stuck it in a corner of our cabin, never to be opened until we got home.. Unfortunately it would not fit under our bed with our other luggage.. Realize, I could have asked our steward to store it, but it was not in our way so I kept it in the cabin..

 

A question, since I'm going to be on the South America Grand Voyage. How heavy a jacket did you bring since the ship spends time in Antarctica? I've purchased long johns and have a heavy sweat shirt, both of which I will wear under a heavy jacket. I'm torn between bringing a really good (but bulky) Patagonia jacket or a thigh-length fleece jacket. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this.

I found a 3/4 length lined rain jacket w/ detachable hood at Burlington Coat Factory.. It was lined with a rayon type lining..Bought it in large so there would be enough room to layer another heavier Jacket or sweaters under it.. Also took long underwear .. Also found a fake fur vest at Burlington, & took another fleece vest.. Took two sweatshirts & several sweaters, wore a suede suit jacket to the ship..

For DH, his friend loaned him a lined down jacket which actually rolled up into nothing..The important things for me were heavy gloves, fake fur hat which covered the ears, a warm scarf & short lined boots all of which I found at Burlington Coat Factory..

If your thigh length fleece jacket is large enough to layer a heavy sweater under it, that's what I would do.. Unless you are going to actually walk in Antarctica on Hurtegen (sp?) type boats, I think you will be fine without the heavy Patagonia jacket.. Be sure to take a few pair of warm socks..

Will HAL ship your luggage for you? We live on the west coast of Fla & did not want to drive to the port & leave our car there for 68 days, so when HAL offered to ship our luggage free if we paid early, it was a godsend for us.. Only problem with that was our cruise left Jan 5 & we had to have our luggage ready for shipping by mid. December.. DH & I took the bus over to the port with one 25 inch suitcase & two carry-ons & HAL shipped our other bags including one 29inch for us..Coming home I had to buy an extra carry-on in the ships store, as HAL gave us so many gifts to bring home with us on that cruise..

Have done this cruise (plus spent 25+ years in MN) and we layered and layered. Brought medium to light weight (but water resistant) jackets - mine is Columbia brand, added fleece vests, long sleeve shirts or turtle necks, and undershirts. Have found the key to be layers, especially form hugging undershirts, only natural fabrics (silk is best but cotton works well), heavy socks (cold feet are killers for me), and DO NOT neglect to bring a stocking hat , possibly a scarf/muffler and warm mittens (better than gloves). One of the gifts on our cruise was actually a stocking hat and mitten set but one never knows if they will do that again. We did not bring or nor did we have a need for a very heavy jacket; the temp was only down to about 40 F and that was in the morning - we lucked out and had calm winds and sunshine. This cruise does not disembark you in Antarctica so it is just out on deck so if you get cold you pop back in for a few minutes. You can also get deck blankets which some people wore as a shawl. Antarctica was one of the top 5 highlights of our travels - it is awesome so know you will enjoy!

Thank you SO much for the good advice!

I found a 3/4 length lined rain jacket w/ detachable hood at Burlington Coat Factory.. It was lined with a rayon type lining..Bought it in large so there would be enough room to layer another heavier Jacket or sweaters under it.. Also took long underwear .. Also found a fake fur vest at Burlington, & took another fleece vest.. Took two sweatshirts & several sweaters, wore a suede suit jacket to the ship..

 

For DH, his friend loaned him a lined down jacket which actually rolled up into nothing..The important things for me were heavy gloves, fake fur hat which covered the ears, a warm scarf & short lined boots all of which I found at Burlington Coat Factory..

 

If your thigh length fleece jacket is large enough to layer a heavy sweater under it, that's what I would do.. Unless you are going to actually walk in Antarctica on Hurtegen (sp?) type boats, I think you will be fine without the heavy Patagonia jacket.. Be sure to take a few pair of warm socks..

 

Will HAL ship your luggage for you? We live on the west coast of Fla & did not want to drive to the port & leave our car there for 68 days, so when HAL offered to ship our luggage free if we paid early, it was a godsend for us.. Only problem with that was our cruise left Jan 5 & we had to have our luggage ready for shipping by mid. December.. DH & I took the bus over to the port with one 25 inch suitcase & two carry-ons & HAL shipped our other bags including one 29inch for us..Coming home I had to buy an extra carry-on in the ships store, as HAL gave us so many gifts to bring home with us on that cruise..

You've all been very helpful. I live on Florida's West Coast and will be taking the bus to the port. I will have to take my two large suitcases with me. I'm leaning toward the thigh-length fleece jacket with multiple layers underneath. I have very good hiking shoes and woolen socks as well as really good deerskin gloves with sheerling lining. Now all I need is a hat and muffler. That will be an easy find. And I, too, love Burlington!

Of course it depends where your cruise goes, but since you are going to South Pacific, you won't need to have many warm clothes. I can pretty much travel anywhere, around the world, with one suitcase and a carryon for personal items.

Wear the heavier clothing on board ship, so you don't have to pack it (Seattle isn't as warm as Hawaii or south Pacific). I usually wear a navy blue travel outfit, pants & jacket. I pack one or two other pants depending on length of trip but one will be beige and the other gray or navy. For evening wear I have a dressy black pants (not heavy and doesn't wrinkle) and a long skirt which is reversible. (Orvis used to carry these). I always pack a black somewhat dressy sweater (for colder evenings), a pretty blouse and another top -- all dressy types. The rest will be tee-tops, sweaters and polo shirts -- that MUST go with everything. Some long sleeves. Throw in a shawl and shorts if desired.

For shoes, I wear my tenny runners on board and use them almost every day. Evening wear I pack my strappy gold sandals, and another low heeled pair, such as loafers. These shoes are most adequate for the whole trip. PJs and winter silks, which also suffice for night time. I have sox I use for slippers --

I have an all purpose jacket which suffices for every climate. (Exception -- I pack a warm coat if I go to Antarctica).

This easily can go into a 26" suitcase. I've never tried a 22" and I admire those who can get their clothing into this size. I happen to be a 4-star Mariner and get my laundry at no cost, but HAL's laundry charges are nominal. Also some ships have a laundry on board.

I found that no one really remembers what you wore before. I have learned that if you only take "black" clothes and items to go with it, one gets very weary of wearing the same clothing every day. The above has worked well for me and hope this helps for your trip planning.

Have a good one!!!!!

Marianne