HELP me pack ~Not overpack~ 1st time cruiser packing list!

Maybe if you tell posters what cruise line you are going on (some are more formal than others) and where you are going ie if you are going on an Alaskan cruise in May the advice will be different if you are going on a hot cruise to the Caribbean.

Also some cruise lines have self laundry facilities which would make it that you could reduce it even more, if you do your own laundry.

Don't bring anything unless it does double duty. For example, I like to wear skirts in hot weather. I'll bring a skirt and wear it for dinner one night, then with a different top onshore the next day. I plan to wear all "bottoms" (skirts/shorts/pants) at least twice. Nothing is packed unless it goes with multiple items. I also use laundry services - so my one pair of white capris can be worn 2 or 3 times.

For shoes ... ugh ... I bring a pair of sandals (Tevas) for day wear, runners for the gym, and one pair of sandals that work with all of my evening stuff. It's taken a while to get to that point, but I managed to find sandals that go with EVERYTHING!

Don't go overboard on the toiletries - they add a lot of weight to suitcases. I bring the bare essentials (shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, a teeny bottle of root lifter, makeup, body lotion, sunscreen, toothbrush/paste), plus a single bottle of pain killers. I used to pack my whole medicine chest, but have quit that because I figure I can buy most of it onboard if I happen to get sick.

Don't fret too much about clothes. No one will notice if you wear someting twice, and if they do, they aren't worth knowing. Bring things you absolutely love that fit properly. I tend to gain about 3 pounds in water, so don't bring things that are too tight.

Hope this helps a bit. Enjoy your cruise!

On sea days, you'll probably spend most of the day in a swimsuit--they take up next to no space! Shorts and tops can be worn several times--they're not on you THAT long!

I'm a big shoe packer, too--thankfully, women's shoes don't weigh much--it's hubby's shoes that weigh a ton! I do try to limit HIS shoes!

On sea days, you'll probably spend most of the day in a swimsuit--they take up next to no space! Shorts and tops can be worn several times--they're not on you THAT long!

I'm a big shoe packer, too--thankfully, women's shoes don't weigh much--it's hubby's shoes that weigh a ton! I do try to limit HIS shoes!

I hear you there! We went to Disney in April. We had 12 pairs of shoes between the 3 of us. (6 were mine...lol)

I agree..besides I have lots of Crocs....Wedge Dress Crocs to flip flops..they weight virtually nothing..5 pairs equals one pair of my husbands shoes:D

Plan on the DS to buy a few souvineir tshirts along the way, and then want to wear them. That is 2 less thirts to pack for him.

Socks. Between wearing sandels/crocs or just plain barefoot (yes, I know some people think that is gross), we didn't use but maybe one pair of typical white sport socks.

Bathing suits. Here is where I suggest you double up. Let one be drying while you wear the next one. No real space or weight taken.

Yep, men's dress shoes are heavy. And it is hard to go all week with either brown or black, but give it a try. Or consider a tux rental, shoes come with.

Cameras and electronics. And the dreaded chargers for all that stuff. If you have an older camera, is it time to upgrade and get something newer/smaller/lighter? Anything you can do to consolidate in this area is a good return in weight savings.

This is all just theory though, as we are self-proclaimed worse packers known. Going on a recent 4nt trip with DS7 and having three carry ons and three checked bags amongst us. <g>

I am also a first time cruiser. There is a website run by a Cruise Diva (get the HINT) that explains step by step how to pack and has some great lists available for women, men, and children. It really helped me start my list and eliminate extra stuff.

I am also a first time cruiser. There is a website run by a Cruise Diva (get the HINT) that explains step by step how to pack and has some great lists available for women, men, and children. It really helped me start my list and eliminate extra stuff.

OH, the Diva has lots of good info! Thanks for that!

:eek: Hey vacation_junkie...

What a good thread!

I too am cruising for the first time and am quite concerned about the packing.

We are cruising on MSC Orchestra, Transatlantic, Christmas/New Year.

We will need a mixed bag of warm and cool clothes as well as dressy clothes for the evenings......

Oh....where do I start????? :confused:

:confused: Please....help anybody???

Binklebum

:eek: Hey vacation_junkie...

What a good thread!

I too am cruising for the first time and am quite concerned about the packing.

We are cruising on MSC Orchestra, Transatlantic, Christmas/New Year.

We will need a mixed bag of warm and cool clothes as well as dressy clothes for the evenings......

Oh....where do I start????? :confused:

 

:confused: Please....help anybody???

 

Binklebum

Gee I really feel for you on packing. I am a habitual overpacker and sick of it. I just went on a week trip to the coast and sure enough I did it again. But the good news is I've finally figured it out. If I will be gone a total of lets say 9 days I am only going to pack for 5.

As for the cool to warm all I can suggust is to layer- tank- t-shirt- sweater/or sweatshirt/or jacket. I do have a really nice wool wrap I use in the winter when I don't want to wear a coat out and need cover/warmth. Most people suggest wearing things a few times and for me it depends on the wrinkle factor and how warm the weather was. I always suggest using the laundry service on board. It will really help with the over packing. Basically try to figure out pieces that can have several looks and of fabrics that can go either way-cool to warm weather for example.

I wish you the best and hope you have a great trip; it sounds wonderful.

I am going on my first cruise in 6 weeks and I tend to overpack even for just a few days in Disneyland! I am loving all of these suggestions. I am going to try really hard not to overpack!

For us ladies, our clothes usually take up less room than the guys, so at least that's a help!

I just got back from a 4 day bahamas cruise, and my rule of thumb is to really only take 3 or 4 'bottoms'. In this case I had a pair of jeans (only worn on the first and last days as we boarded and got off the boat), a pair of Khaki shorts, and a pair of olive green cropped pants. There was also a pair of cotton shorts as a bikini coverup.

I follow the two bathing suit rule also. Worst comes to worst.. you can always use a hair dryer to help speed up the drying process. Every ship is different, so check ahead of time to see if your ship has them in the rooms or not.

As far as tops.. that's a WHOLE different story. I pack to coordinate with the bottoms, so I plan on 2 tops a day.. plus another one or 2 tanks to use as coverups. Tops take up less room than pants for me, so it's easier to accomodate my mood this way.

With shoes, flip flips, thin black strappy sandals, and a pair of sneakers do the trick.

I feel like I've mastered the art of light packing. 2 Summers in Europe fixed that problem quickly! I refuse to take anymore than what I can fit in a small roller suitcase. I'm fairly low maintenance, but it's just a burden to carry all we own around with us!

Do NOT follow our packing example!

Our first cruise we took 13 pieces of luggage and came home with 15! I had read ALL the packing lists online here and tried to prepare for EVERY social/medical/onshore/day and evening situation. During the cruise, I spent a ridiculous amount of time searching through the luggage and endured a real nervous-breakdown nightmare of re-packing the last night of the cruise (while everyone else was out partying!) I realized I took way too many shoes and clothes and much too much paraphernalia that we never really had a use for (like every color of duct tape, a collapsible laundry hamper, clothesline with clips, wrinkle release spray, steamer and clock radio, hole puncher, business cards, thank-you cards, beach towels, etc etc the list was truly endless!)

Our second cruise I got it down to 9 pieces of luggage (including our 2 day backpacks and my snorkel and fins pack) and was much much happier. Leaving from NY in autumn, I now be sure and pack ginger candies and Bonine (just in case of choppy seas) and I'm also glad I took a pump-jar of hand-sanitizer (we were never sick while others were).

However, as an obsessive/compulsive packer, the greatest piece of advice I ever learned here on these boards is: Pack everything you need for a day's complete outfit in a two (2) gallon ziploc baggie (available online at www.drugstore.com ). Then you can get up in the morning, grab a ziploc on the way to the bathroom and be showered and dressed and on your way in 10-15 minutes! [Trust me on this one--the first time I read this, I thought it was a crazy idea too!]

My DH adheres to this old rule: Take half the clothes and twice the money! He packs clothes for half the cruise and then spends a little cash on having them laundered for the trip back! He says no one even notices if you wear the same Hawaiian shirt twice or even if they are wrinkled! [someone we know actually bought 8 Hawaiian shirts in the first port and never wore anything else after that!]

My DH also thinks this advice is best: never bring brand NEW shoes on a cruise (just your favorite sneakers, one or two pairs of COMFORTABLE sandals/flipflops and one pair of COMFORTABLE dress shoes--men and women alike--if your feet aren't happy, you won't be).

We also like to bring a cheap empty cloth duffle bag for stuffing in everything that won't fit in our luggage for disembarking (like cruiseship glasses and island souvenirs).

After each cruise, we asked all the friends who sailed with us what were the best and worst things about the cruise and then we made a list to remind ourselves for future cruises (check out our best buds mini-website listed below).

If we think of anything else, we'll let you know!

After 4 prior cruises, I've finally got it down and on the 5th I was packed like a pro.

1. For dinnerwear - do not bring many outfits/formalwear. Bring things that you can easily mix and match - that's the key. For our 7 day cruise, I had 2 pair of nice pants, 1 white buttondown shirt and 1 dress buttondown shirt, 2 ties, 1 sportcoat - with that, I was able to dress formal and better than casual every evening for dinner. And it's not as if you're wearing these dinner clothes all day - maybe a couple hours - so you can easily wear each 3 or even 4 times without any issues.

2. Extra underwear and socks - no big deal - they don't take up much room.

3. Casual T-shirts - I can live in them during the day - bring one for each day. If you go to the gym and exercise - after you've worn a T-shirt one day, use it to go to the gym so you don't need to pack extra to workout in. The shirt's going to end out smelly anyhow, so if it's been worn already, who cares?

4. Only 2 pair shorts, 2 pair jeans, 1 bathing suit. That will easily take care of you for a week.

5. Bring an old pair of sneakers for during the day. Nobody is going to look at your feet during the day, they'll be comfortable and broken in, and if they get ruined while on an excursion - who cares? Additionally, these old pair of sneakers - toss them into the trash at the end of the cruise so you don't have to pack and carry them home.

The object here is not to bring more than you will wear. I've had this problem in the past. I exercise in the gym or run around the deck daily - so I need extra exercise clothes - reusing the worn T-shirts worked very well. I brought the old pair of running shoes for one last week of use, and then into the trash they went at the end of the cruise.

Howard

After 4 prior cruises, I've finally got it down and on the 5th I was packed like a pro.

 

1. For dinnerwear - do not bring many outfits/formalwear. Bring things that you can easily mix and match - that's the key. For our 7 day cruise, I had 2 pair of nice pants, 1 white buttondown shirt and 1 dress buttondown shirt, 2 ties, 1 sportcoat - with that, I was able to dress formal and better than casual every evening for dinner. And it's not as if you're wearing these dinner clothes all day - maybe a couple hours - so you can easily wear each 3 or even 4 times without any issues.

 

2. Extra underwear and socks - no big deal - they don't take up much room.

 

3. Casual T-shirts - I can live in them during the day - bring one for each day. If you go to the gym and exercise - after you've worn a T-shirt one day, use it to go to the gym so you don't need to pack extra to workout in. The shirt's going to end out smelly anyhow, so if it's been worn already, who cares?

 

4. Only 2 pair shorts, 2 pair jeans, 1 bathing suit. That will easily take care of you for a week.

 

5. Bring an old pair of sneakers for during the day. Nobody is going to look at your feet during the day, they'll be comfortable and broken in, and if they get ruined while on an excursion - who cares? Additionally, these old pair of sneakers - toss them into the trash at the end of the cruise so you don't have to pack and carry them home.

 

The object here is not to bring more than you will wear. I've had this problem in the past. I exercise in the gym or run around the deck daily - so I need extra exercise clothes - reusing the worn T-shirts worked very well. I brought the old pair of running shoes for one last week of use, and then into the trash they went at the end of the cruise.

 

Howard

Howard, this is a really good list for a guy! The only thing I'd add is another pair of swim trunks just in case you can't stand putting on the damp ones again :eek: . I wish DH would take a lesson here. He brings more than I do :D !

Oh... you all have some great ideas...thank you so much.

I like the ziplock bag idea BestBuddies and Howard you pack very well for a bloke!!!(OopsSorry,didn't mean to be persoanl Ha!Ha!)

Gonna check out your website BestBuddies...

:)

Appreciate all the ideas..I am leaving on my first cruise next month..but it is 11 days with 3 formal nights, and I am playing 5 rounds of golf. I am traveling solo so it is just me I have to worry about packing. I am a fairly light packer and do weel for a week with carry on..but I am so excited about the idea of dressing up...oh you should see my outfits!!! And since everyone signs up ahead for the golf excursions (and there may not be tons of women) I do think they will remember what I wear. I will be on Crystal on a Barcelona to Lisbon trip.

I love the websites mentioned and would appreciate any other suggestions.

Oh and for those dreaded chargers I just discovered IGO...you buy one charger and then tips for all your devices...its great for travel and less packing.

Oh and for those dreaded chargers I just discovered IGO...you buy one charger and then tips for all your devices...its great for travel and less packing.

Hi Karen,

I also have the I-Go charger between my DH & I we have different cell phones, camera's, gps units. The I-Go is the way to Go:rolleyes:. We have a home one and a car one for those "land" vacations.

Ginger

I'm sorry to be so blonde.... But what is I-go???

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

I'm sorry to be so blonde.... But what is I-go???:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

An I-Go Charger is a charger that you buy individual tips for so that you can use the one charger for numerous items. We have tips for our (me & DH have different phones) cell phones, gps unit, camera, ect... There are home chargers and car chargers. We purchased our's at Radio Shack, they also sell the individual tips for all your electronic gadgets. I believe that they also have tips for all the different hand held video game consoles.

Ginger

1. Large travel mug - small cups on board can be a pain. Morning coffee, juice trips etc. no more.

2. Highlighters - prefer one color for each traveler. When you get the ship news letter for the next days activities, it's easy to mark out what, when and where you want to be.

3. Film and batteries. Easy to have. Hard to find and expensive otherwise.

4. Meds pack. We bring a large ziploc bag with the simple, necessary things that just might make the difference. IE: Admodium AD, Ex-lax, Pain reliever, Cold and Flu meds, Pepto-Bismol, Hand sanitizer, etc.

5. Travel insurance is always a good idea. Many to fit your needs. Our first cruise many years ago, a trip to the ships doctor for a simple problem requiring only aspirin cost us $80 dollars. Hope this helps a bit.:cool:

I am known to pack everything almost including the kitchen sink..for those "just in case its needed" occasions.

 

The 3 of us will be going on a 7 day Carnival Caribbean Cruise. Myself , husband and 8 year old son

Anyone have a packing list they care to share?

:confused:

My husband said we need to pack light so we can bring back souviners....my problem is...Light is 6 pairs of shoes...lol

:eek: Help me pack please :eek:

I have always overpacked my luggage and never had enough room for souveniers. Now I pack my medium sized suitcase inside my larger sized suitcase and then fill it up. This keeps my limit of clothing down and I have an extra suitcase for the trip home which gives me plenty of room for my purchases and will accept all my clothing items without trying to bust the seams of the suitcase for the trip home.

Hi all, I will be cruising in December, my first, I am very excited. I love all the tips! I travel for work quite a bit and the one thing I can't live without is my Downey wrinkle releaser spray. Not only does it work, but it also freshens your clothes if you are wearing them more than once.

I am proud to say I haven't ironed in years! It is worth the extra weight in your suitcase.

Don't bring anything unless it does double duty. For example, I like to wear skirts in hot weather. I'll bring a skirt and wear it for dinner one night, then with a different top onshore the next day. I plan to wear all "bottoms" (skirts/shorts/pants) at least twice. Nothing is packed unless it goes with multiple items. I also use laundry services - so my one pair of white capris can be worn 2 or 3 times.

 

For shoes ... ugh ... I bring a pair of sandals (Tevas) for day wear, runners for the gym, and one pair of sandals that work with all of my evening stuff. It's taken a while to get to that point, but I managed to find sandals that go with EVERYTHING!

 

Don't go overboard on the toiletries - they add a lot of weight to suitcases. I bring the bare essentials (shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, a teeny bottle of root lifter, makeup, body lotion, sunscreen, toothbrush/paste), plus a single bottle of pain killers. I used to pack my whole medicine chest, but have quit that because I figure I can buy most of it onboard if I happen to get sick.

 

Don't fret too much about clothes. No one will notice if you wear someting twice, and if they do, they aren't worth knowing. Bring things you absolutely love that fit properly. I tend to gain about 3 pounds in water, so don't bring things that are too tight.

 

Hope this helps a bit. Enjoy your cruise!

Great advice.

One addition: If people do notice you wear something twice, it's less like that they'll negatively judge and more likely that they'll think you're a really smart and practical person (they're probably doing the same things thing themelves)

Thanks all..my first cruise is just days away and I find myself l lying awake at night planning outfits...but one thing I have noticed is that all the trips mentioned seem to be warm weather..ie sandals daytime and shorts. I will be in the Mediterrean at the end of October early November. Not snorkeling but golfing so two outfits a day, slacks and sweaters and be prepared for rain. But I will follow the suggestion and do some laundry..especially since I will be a few days pre and post cruise. I think my line Crystal is a little more formal too..but I looking forward to the dress up nights..I will be solo so I have the whole room to unpack in.