I need help.....my cruise will be at the start of a 120 day trip

ok so I seem to be worried so far in advance my husband thinks I'm demented!

In November we are starting a very long holiday that involves quite a few flights between 4 different countries and I will only be able to take a very limited wardrobe.

We are cruising Sun Princess Sydney-New Zealand-Sydney starting 9th Dec for 13 days with 2 formals. However prior to that we are flying from UK to Sydney (spending a week in Sydney) then after the cruise we are spending Christmas and the New year with Family near Melbourn before going inland for a few weeks to visit family (driving) then we Fly to Hawaii for 10 days.....then to Orlando for 2 weeks then Charlotte NC for a week before up the coast to New. YOrk for a few days then Milan for a few days then home.....so winter-Summer-New Zealand!-Summer-Summer-Spring-Winter-Winter-Spring!!!!

I have no flipping idea what I will take as it will be boiling in the outback and freezing in New York. Oh and I'm limited to about 32kg in one case and 20kg in another.

What would you ladies say are essential for a cruise in the way of clothes ? I'm normally a dress lady as you can see by the attached photo....I wear dresses skirts and blouses with petticoats etc. I'm a larger lady so not comfortable in shorts

Any and all suggestions very very welcome

Sounds like quite a challenge so good that you are starting now to plan. I'd suggest choosing two basic colors and add accent colors that can be worn with the basic colors. Plan to layer depending on the weather. if course you will be doing laundry and I assume that you will be with different groups of people during your trip so no need to worry about wearing the same clothing over and over. Good luck and most of all enjoy your travels.

Layers! Take several super thin under layers for when you are going to be chilly, including my favorite...FLEECE-LINED TIGHTS! you can wear those with any skirt and still be comfy and warm. And they take up hardly any room in the suitcase.

For formal, I have a cocktail dress that I can literally crumple into a ball and it doesn't wrinkle. It's also washable. I wear it with a purple pashmina one night and a sparkly sweater the second.

Look through your clothes and come up with what is called a capsule wardrobe. Look it up on Pinterest, so many great ideas. A capsule wardrobe will give you 30-50 outfits using 10-25 pieces. The key is for everything (or most everything) to work with several other pieces of clothing.

Think about it this way. You take 7 tops and one skirt on a trip. Gives you 7 outfits. Or you take 4 tops and 4 skirts that all go together. Gives you 16 outfits. Add in a cardigan and a denim jacket, and several scarves and you have over 30 outfits.

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Great ideas to limit your palette and choose options that match with everything else & layer.

Another thought is to have a box of clothing sent to family/send a box back home from there if you want different options. I'm fine limiting my wardrobe for 3 weeks, but 120 days might be pushing my limits on boredom with my choices!

Thanks so much ladies. I think it's just the thought of one suitecase of clothes for 3 n 1/2 months that's freaking me out. Sadly shipping ahead to Australia would be prohibitively expensive from England. A small box around the size of a box of cereal with Christmas gifts cost us £42 :-(

Thanks so much ladies. I think it's just the thought of one suitecase of clothes for 3 n 1/2 months that's freaking me out. Sadly shipping ahead to Australia would be prohibitively expensive from England. A small box around the size of a box of cereal with Christmas gifts cost us £42 :-(

It might be less stressful to think of your trip in terms of only 2 weeks of clothes or the number of days that will fit in your luggage. I can't speak for everyone but I don't own 120 days of clothing anyway. If you plan to purchase items for the trip, look for things that pack well with minimum wrinkling. You also might want to add some items during your travels so leave space for those. If you like to wear scarves, they are a great way to change the look of a basic outfit.

I hope you will come back and let us know how it all worked out.

I will do ladies, I am off to America in April and in September so going to use that as a dry run so to speak :cool:

Remember, no irons can be brought on ship I would start to collect the lightest weight NON iron clothing I could find. I brought 3 poly sheaths on a cruise, weighed under 2 lbs. and roll up, wash in sink. Poly and fleece slacks.Nylon and fleece jackets. That dress etc shown will take up whole suitcase.I stay away from prints that get repetitive when worn several times. Pick one dark color and maybe 3 colors. No cotton except knits..Do not forget sturdy walking shoes.

Definitely don't think of it as clothes for 120 days. think of it as clothes for a week or 10 days. take washable items. do a load every 5-10 days and you will be fine. on your two practice trips, try packing ultra light, I mean if your trip is 10 days, take less than 10 pieces of clothing to really see what you need and don't need. a longer trip doesn't necessarily mean more clothing, just more detergent! :D also, your trips to the US, if you end up needing something, chances are we have it!

the nice thing about your trip is you aren't going to be around the same people for the whole four months, so don't worry about people noticing you are wearing the same outfits.

Interestingly my dress folds up to the size of a paperback it's cotton and my petticoats go in vacuums bags to zilch. We do travel a lot (Italy, Denmark, USAx2, and the start of this trip this year) so used to packing and packing clothes I will enjoy wearing. It's the extended time that's the concern. I'm thinking of buying a few more mix and match items closer to the date and buying a coat when I get to Orlando or North Carolina along with jeans and jumper or 2. That way I don't drag them round Australia lol.

I think you have the right idea, buy yourself a couple of cold weather items in your last destination before flying to NYC, you will be wearing them during your flights so you don't need to worry about packing them! Plus you can always add tights to your skirts, and wear a cardigan over a tee etc, when you are packing, think about whether an item will work as both a warm and a cold weather item.

It will be approaching spring as you arrive in your colder climates so hopefully it won't be too bad.

Here's a decent article about using layers to extend a wardrobe

https://ladylighttravel.com/2014/11/05/this-is-why-you-pack-long-underwear-and-other-extender-pieces/

Also look on the Alaska board for layering ideas.

You WILL need to do laundry at some point....no way to pack 4 months worth of clothes! Bring a 10 day supply..do laundry as needed.

Thinking about this overnight. (Funny how some threads are like that.)

Just read something about packing for a round the world cruise. One gal said she packs for two weeks. One cold week and one warm week.

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About your cotton dresses.

Which cruise line/ship are you sailing?

Some have passenger laundries with irons. On others you'll have to send out as travel irons and steamers are not allowed onboard.

I'd eliminate any formal wear right off the bat as it's only for 2 nights out of your trip and I know on Princess you can easily dine elsewhere without getting formal.

Orlando is a shopping mecca, nice designer outlet malls with clothing for all sizes -- so if you want to pick up a few pieces there you shouldn't have a problem.

I don't have a lot more to offer other than what others have recommended, e.g., taking only 2 weeks worth of clothing and repeating with variations. (While I get the idea that 4 tops + 4 bottoms can be 16 outfits, I frankly only notice mostly what people wear on top, especially if the bottoms are very neutral. So I always bring more tops as well as scarves to change up the look.)

We are travelling with Princess, i think I will get very well acquainted with laundromats across the world :-)One trick I have learned from our many previous trips is that rolling rather than folding is brilliant as it keeps the creases down and waves room. I also love vacuum pack bags. also washing by hand and rolling in a towel to squeeze water out then pop on a hanger and when they are nearly dry smooth into shape and blow with a hairdryer....worked well when in Australia last year when i couldn't access an iron either.

I'm thinking of buying a few more mix and match items closer to the date and buying a coat when I get to Orlando or North Carolina along with jeans and jumper or 2. That way I don't drag them round Australia lol.

I would buy the coat in North Carolina . Florida has a lousy selection of warm weather clothes . You could also order one of those down jackets that fold into almost nothing from LLbean.

Just read something about packing for a round the world cruise. One gal said she packs for two weeks. One cold week and one warm .

LOVE THIS. I think this is the best packing advice that I have ever come across. Thanks for sharing!

I think it's just the thought of one suitecase of clothes for 3 n 1/2 months that's freaking me out.

Stop thinking about it as a 3.5 month trip. Instead, plan for 1 week of hot weather and 1 week of cold weather. Beyond that, laundry will be your friend.

For each climate, hot and cold, plan on mixing and matching, working everything around 1 or 2 neutrals and 1 main accent color. Everything needs to work with almost everything else. Layers will also be key for the cold days. For each climate I'd try to stick to 3-4 bottoms max, and 6-8 tops. Again, everything in a very basic mix and match color scheme, and lightweight, items that can be layered. Summery tops should be things that can be layered to give your even more choices for winter days. Solid colors will be more versatile than prints.

Since you only have 2 formal nights, don't pack formal wear, per se. A basic black (or other neutral) dress (or skirt/top) that can be worn alone for casual occasions but dressed up with blingy jewelry for formal night will be a better choice. And as someone mentioned, there are some great down jackets out there that pack up in almost no space. I'd either get one of those, or some kind of lightweight, all-weather jacket to wear on the days that are chilly but not freezing, days when it's rainy etc. Then layer a lightweight fleece underneath for the coldest days. The fleece can also be worn alone as needed.

No advice but wow! That sounds like a blast of a trip and I would definitely be starting to plan now too if I was in your shoes.

We are travelling with Princess, i think I will get very well acquainted with laundromats across the world :-)One trick I have learned from our many previous trips is that rolling rather than folding is brilliant as it keeps the creases down and waves room. I also love vacuum pack bags. also washing by hand and rolling in a towel to squeeze water out then pop on a hanger and when they are nearly dry smooth into shape and blow with a hairdryer....worked well when in Australia last year when i couldn't access an iron either.

We use a "scrubba" wash bag for hand laundry and it works great! https://www.amazon.com/Scrubba-Portable-Laundry-System-Light/dp/B00BUI7HFC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1489073879&sr=8-2&keywords=scrubba+wash+bag

Check out Uniglo clothing. They are excellent for travel and they have a great choice of lightweight clothing in a variety of sizes, styles, and color. Their lightweight down hoodie jackets are amazing and come with their own little bag that they fit into. You can get them in all different colors. The price of the clothing is very affordable.

I'm so envious of your trip. It's like a dream for me to be able to travel for that length of time. Hopefully someday!:D

I also agree that you might think about buying your winter outerwear in Carolina instead of FL. You'll get a bigger selection there.

I hope you have an awesome trip!;p

Ok, I can't help you with your question but just wanted to say you inspired me. I've always wanted to get a 50s style dress and crinoline. Well I have an event in a few weeks and my dress came in today. I needed to see the exact colors to order the crinoline and will do that tomorrow.

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Going on a princess 111 day cruise (with pacific)! Saw this thread to make notes! From my basic packing knowledge. This is what I will be doing;

1 week of pant/capri (7-8) + casual shirts (7)

1 week of warm clothes (7-8) casual dresses

6 formal wear dresses

2-3 sweaters

1 running shoes, 1 comfortable shoes (walking), 2 heels, 2 flips

--- Trying to base it on a 2 week vacation. The clothes will have to alternate with other options, its really difficult for me to adjust to packing this tight. + make up/underwear/shampoo/re-usable bottles/zip lop bags/laptop/books will add so much space.

What are you thinking you will be doing for your entertainment on a cruise this long? My passanger and I are thinking of bringing a wii as well and lots of DVDS.

Something that inspired me when we sold our house and downsized and also is helpful for travelling is the 20/20 rule: Anything I truly need, I can buy for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes from my current location. Helps me not overpack all those "just in case items".

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