Packing

Do you tend to over pack? I tend to and will for this upcoming cruise next week, if all the clothes currently laid on my bed is any indication. Then I have to listen to hubby fuss ;p

Not anymore. Initially I brought my own pillow and blanket. Now I pack in a carry on only. So much less stress that way.

I hate to pack, especially when we fly to the port. We are driving this time which makes the packing a lot less stressful. I am an overpacker, but that's OK. I am just so afraid of forgetting something.

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I hate to pack, especially when we fly to the port. We are driving this time which makes the packing a lot less stressful. I am an overpacker, but that's OK. I am just so afraid of forgetting something.

 

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We are driving this time since we are only 4.5 hours from New Orleans. And I am definitely overpacking! But, as you said, that’s ok lol.

I guess you are not alone. Count my DW in.

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Yep, but we always drive to the port.

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I did on the early cruises but now I have it down to a science.

I've gotten better over the years, but I still always come home with something that I never wore. Usually it's a top that I planned to wear to the dining room or a shorts/top outfit. Seems I spend most of the time in my swimsuit & coverup, so now I pack a minimum of 3 swimsuits & 2 coverups.

I am a horrible overpacker! When we drive it isn't such a big deal, but my son did catch me apologizing to some of my shoes that I couldn't bring them all on the last cruise...:)

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On our first cruise we took the advice of taking a lot of crap we didn't need. Over the door organizer, flashlights, stuff like that. None of that stuff is needed. We quickly learned.

Our first cruise we over packed some. But we did learn a lot of what to take and leave at home for our next up coming cruise. Last time I brought ankle socks for every day of our 7 day cruise and a couple extra. Wore maybe 3 pair the entire trip cause I spent most of my time in sandals. I brought too many pairs of shorts and mostly all jean shorts. Again I didn’t wear them all and wore the Iight weight island or resort style shorts a couple times each cause the jean shorts were to heavy and hot plus took up a lot of space in the suit case. 2 pairs of sandals, 2 pairs of tennis shoes and shoes for formal night. Next time 1 pair of sandals and 1 pair of tennis shoes and dress shoes. Again waste of space in the suit case.

Since purchasing packing cubes at least my clothes are neat. Sometimes as a previous poster stated I tend to bring something I didn't even wear:rolleyes:

I am a horrible overpacker! When we drive it isn't such a big deal, but my son did catch me apologizing to some of my shoes that I couldn't bring them all on the last cruise...:)

 

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LMBO!!! You're too funny!

Seriously, we drive to the port, but even if we flew, some things I won't be without- like my own pillow!

We have gotten really good about not overpacking on clothes, but I have a ton of extras that I always bring that seems like overkill a lot of the time, but not a cruise has gone by that DH hasn't asked me, 'did we bring...' and invariably I packed it in the suitcase!

My first aid kit would embarrass most first responders!

We overpacked our first couple of cruises, then we did the exact opposite, and couldn't understand what we were thinking, forgetting a couple of things we really needed. I hope we are better now....hope.

We do a list that I have on my computer, print it out before the cruise, to help us pack.... that seems to work well to a certain extent, but we always seem to forget something.

LMBO!!! You're too funny!

 

Seriously, we drive to the port, but even if we flew, some things I won't be without- like my own pillow!

 

We have gotten really good about not overpacking on clothes, but I have a ton of extras that I always bring that seems like overkill a lot of the time, but not a cruise has gone by that DH hasn't asked me, 'did we bring...' and invariably I packed it in the suitcase!

 

My first aid kit would embarrass most first responders!

Oh, we take the medicine chest with us lol!

LMBO!!! You're too funny!

 

Seriously, we drive to the port, but even if we flew, some things I won't be without- like my own pillow!

 

We have gotten really good about not overpacking on clothes, but I have a ton of extras that I always bring that seems like overkill a lot of the time, but not a cruise has gone by that DH hasn't asked me, 'did we bring...' and invariably I packed it in the suitcase!

 

My first aid kit would embarrass most first responders!

I never leave home without my pillow!

I don’t feel so bad after reading all of your responses lol. I’m going to send hubby to this thread when he complains about how heavy my suitcase is lol. Thanks y’all

We over packed our first couple but as others have mentioned, have it down to a science now. And we usually drive to the port.

When it is the family of 4, we all get a roller suitcase and a backpack and that is plenty of space and we can do the self-assist. We used to have huge rollers but you had to watch how much weight went in those or the wheels would break while dragging it (ask me how I know!) Now we stick with mid size rollers.

I try to plan ahead knowing what items can be worn more than once because you will only wear them a few hours at a time.

I used to take 2 suits for formal but now I take 1 and have different shirts and ties to go with it. I will wear casual pants to dinner more than once because we change after dinner. The button-up shirts I use with my suits will be worn again on casual night without the tie and with casual pants.....no one will know the difference and if they do, Ali McG don't care. I make sure all the casual pants I take are ones that go with my formal shoes (black) so I only have 1 pair of shoes for dinner. I take clothes to work out but I usually wear my work out clothes on an excursion or other activity then I will "finish it off" with a good sweaty jog, rinse it off in the shower, dry and into the stinky bag. Underwear.....same pair all week......NOT!

In hindsight, we did bring a lot of luggage on our first cruise - 3 28 inch suitcases plus a backpack and a tote bag. For a 7 night cruise!! But it was Cunard, and we needed the evening dresses and tux. Now we get by with 1 26" each, plus the backpack and tote - for 2 week cruises or longer. Getting organized with a well thought out packing list made a huge difference. I also do a simple spreadsheet for what I'll wear every day, mixing and matching items that can be worn more than once. Now I rarely come home with clothes or accessories that I haven't used.

If anything, I underpack. I travel solo, and the cruise is usually only part of my trip. That means I have to schlep all of my luggage around. I buy stuff like lotion, shampoo, and feminine hygiene things as I go. (There are always stores selling this stuff.) My pants are black so all of my tops will go with them. And I'll do laundry at least once on the trip. On my recent trip to Europe, with a river cruise, I had a roll-a-board and a messenger bag.

I am an over packer. I want options.

We take 2 large rolling duffles and one rolling garment bag.

We also have a rolling carry-on. Got to have a bag for our 2 wine bottles.

We drive to port so we aren't really too concerned about weight.

I pack what I want. So does hubby. It's not an issue for us. Don't know why everyone is intent on traveling for a week with 3 interchangeable outfits.

Over the years we've gone from WAY overpacking to much lighter packing. I can make it with 2 carry on bags. One that I check and one that I keep with me. I do carry a first aid kit and I can't tell you how many times we've used items from the tums or Pepto to the cold meds (dayquil and nyquil gel caps) in a zip-lock baggie. I mix and match outfits, carry a couple of swimsuits and cover-ups, one pair of dress black pants and two very different tops for formal night. I always carry plenty of undies. I split the stuff between the two carry on pieces because if one piece of luggage gets lost, I can still get by easily (I'm a worrier). I put the two bottles of wine (Royal) in the carry on that I take onto the ship with me. With the wine gone, I have room for the things I buy.

Early on in our cruises we overpacked. Over the years have gotten better but we still end up taking some items that we don't have to take.

Keith

Like others, we used to over pack the first couple cruises, then we figured out we don't need different clothes everyday, and not playing dress up helps even more.

We try to pack as light as possible. If we realize we've left something, we can just buy it.

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