What do you wish you'd left at home?

*anticipates funny remarks about spouses and mothers-in-law* :p

A response in the "must pack" thread got me thinking... overpacking is a traveler's curse, and several mentioned they brought x and didn't need it. What have you packed for a cruise, then later wished you'd saved the room in your suitcase?

(For me, it's clothes, no matter what the destination. I never wear half of what I bring!)

*anticipates funny remarks about spouses and mothers-in-law* :p

 

 

(For me, it's clothes, no matter what the destination. I never wear half of what I bring!)

DO you only wear the top half or bottom half?:eek:

I wish I had left the wife off the last one. She didn't drink and would not tolerate me drinking!!!!

We ended up divorced.

the collaspable coller, it served more to pack the overflow in than anything else.

There were lots of little things that we packed that never got used but i would still pack them b/c you just never know when you'll need them!

Like we never used the extension cord, the clothes line rope, the sucker cup hooks, the duct tape, the first aid kit. I would still pack those things though, b/c you just never know!

The list for things we wished we would have packed would be a heck of a lot longer!

We packed the right amount of clothes, just didn't pack the right amount of the RIGHT clothes! There's a reason so many people say they pack only pants or mostly pants with elastic waists! LOL

Packing what you need and dont need just comes with experience. This was our first cruise we we packed everything we saw other people say they packed! But there were things that people didn't pack that we wish we had packed.We just didn't know that we would need them until after this cruise. So next cruise, we know what to pack.

I don't take extra cups, pens and paper, extension cords, clocks, bungie cords, coolers, water wallets, nightlights, clotheslines. I think I'm rare in that I'm female and don't take a different pair of shoes for every outfit. I've done it before and find I only wear the comfortable ones. I gave up the idea of postcards years ago, just never had the time for it, so I leave home my address book (or labels). I take my cell, but leave the charger at home, the phone stays off except for emergency calls. We no longer take the camcorder, we found we would watch the tape once and never again. The digital and maybe one waterproof disposable is all we really ever need.

We make sure our clothing is in good repair, cross the mending kit off the list. Wax, tweeze, manicure the day before leaving, all that paraphernalia stays at home.

I do take a small first aid kit, with a small amount of meds for different ailments, don't forget a few bandaids! My own hair dryer, never have found one yet to work as well as mine. My own toiletries, the soap and shampoo onboard is horrid. I keep our toiletry kit packed up and ready to go all year long, replenishing it when we return. I find this is the most time consuming part of packing and we take several small weekend trips a year, so it just makes sense. Always take a corkscrew (in your checked luggage!).

Every trip we take (not just cruises) I try my best to whittle down the list. We aren't going camping, we will be in places we can get things in case there is a minor emergency.

About half the clothes, one-third the shoes, half the toiletries, etc.

I am a "travel light" convert, now. One suitcase only.

I take no electronic gadgets so the room's one outlet is not a hardship. I do take 3 or 4 books to read and then leave them on the ship for others to find.

I've finally been able to take about half the clothing I took on my earlier cruises. For nights, one pair of evening pants and one skirt can be paired with many different tops...with one pair of black strappy heels. All clothing can mix and match. Different tops is the key. People don't look at you and notice anyway. For daytime, several different tops and a couple of pair of shorts do me just fine. Sneakers and slides for pool area.

I had been told in the past to pack an extra suitcase inside my large suitcase so i would have a place to pack souvinirs with out taking up my luggage room. I did this on my last cruise and it was a pain in the arse. I didnt buy enough to justify using the extra case, so i had to pack in every thing i had around, in, and underneith it. I would have had to carry around and extra empty suitcase if i had taken it out. What a dumb idea. I guess its only good for big spenders!

On our cruises, I have taken too many clothes but that's the only area where I consistently overpack.

We'll see how it goes during our next one!

:)

I am a collector of quotes...

"When preparing to travel, lay out all your planned clothes and money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money." - Susan Heller

I think it's so hard though... :) I don't get to dress up a lot in "everyday life," so I really enjoy bringing a lot fun new clothes!

I tend to be a bit of a "clothes hog" - but it's so much fun leaving the sweaters and coats behind and wearing new "lighter" summer clothes.

Shoes however, are another story - I only wore 1 pair of casual and 1 pair of dress shoes on the last cruise, and I had packed 4 pairs. I guess the quote "leave 1/2 at home" applied to me!:)

Kim.

Interesting to hear you mention Wife. I am NOT bringing my wife with me. She will not step foot on a ship. He told me to go ahead and enjoy my cruise as long as I hit all of the jewelry stores. If I dont find a nice emerald for her, I cannot come home :D ..... Extended vacation.

Having been on a few cruises I thought I knew how to pack until I talked to my Aunt and Uncle (they have been on over 25 cruises) They take thier old underwear with them on vacation and leave them in the trash so they have less packing to do on the way home.

Having been on a few cruises I thought I knew how to pack until I talked to my Aunt and Uncle (they have been on over 25 cruises) They take thier old underwear with them on vacation and leave them in the trash so they have less packing to do on the way home.

I always regret taking so many clothes - just way too many outfits! Also, the expectation is to go to every formal and event, but then I often ultimately find myself wanting to just chill out and relax. On the last day of the cruise while packing, there are always so many extra tops, bottoms, and shoes that were never even worn ... lol

As others have said, mix and match your outfits and take only a couple of prs. of shoes. Lots of tops. Nobody pays any attention to the bottom half of you - they just glance at the tops and blouses.

To the person who took the suitcase in a suitcase - Somebody really steered you wrong - as you know.:rolleyes: I take an extra tote bag, flat in the luggage, and fill it if necessary with my purchases. Or you can always buy an inexpensive tote on the ship or in ports.

Let's see...where do I begin? I would have left the CD player (the kind that hangs on the wall) and all the CDs at home. Along with all those clothes I did not wear. I always tell myself I want to have options...here's my plans for options on my next cruise---WEAR WHAT I HAVE! I also would have left all the full size toiletries. No need for all those shoes either. This time I will also take less than the 50 lbs allowed by the airline. My girlfriend and I were at the airport in tears! We had to darn near "carry-on" 20 pounds of stuff. NEVER AGAIN!

My mother-in-law! I did the stupidest thing on one cruise and invited my mother-in-law. Not only was she miserable but she made everyone else too! I vowed never to bring her again and 10 cruises later, we never have! LOL Sad but true.;)

Cruizinrican:)

I buy cheap travel sized toothbrush, mouth wash, floss, toothpaste, deoderant, shampoo, conditioner, and hair gel for DH & I and than throw them away at end of cruise. I also bring a six pack of bottled water for excursions. Some of these bottles usually have been refilled with favorite drink...Clear rum and vodka. Bottle of wine or champagne for room when getting ready for dinner. None of these bottles get repacked. After all this is out of luggage there is room for what ever we pick up to bring home.:D

Having been on a few cruises I thought I knew how to pack until I talked to my Aunt and Uncle (they have been on over 25 cruises) They take thier old underwear with them on vacation and leave them in the trash so they have less packing to do on the way home.

We did that with the small bottles of shampoo and other toiletries we took with us. I think it is a great idea!!

I leave the address book at home these days and just use the usps.gov "make your own postcard" tool at http://www.amazingmail.com/

I keep my address book in there and upload a few photos to send as full color postcards to friends for $.89. The best part is that they take form letters, like Hi ^FirstName^, We went to blah blah blah. Ate too much. Slept too little. Wallet is empty. -Me

I do take a few too many books... But I read them all and buy more (this is on a non-cruise vacation). I might be tempted to bring a flat rate priority mail box with postage and ship stuff home since I'm one of those "carry-on" people.

Lastly, shoes. Heels in particular- I only wear them one or two nights on board the ship. This coming trip I vow I will have found a pair of shoes that are comfy and can be paired with a dress. Vow! It will be an investment!

I've made my mix and match lists for formal, dressy, causal, and sporty clothes. I'm down dancing shoes, black heels, green sandals, brown sandals and flipflops. I'm wearing my tennis shoes cause they would take up the most room.

Gotta include the snorkle stuff.

I plan to try on each outfit and make sure the clothes looks good together and fit properly. I will pack everything the first time to make sure everything will fit...then I'll probably unpack to see if I need to make changes.

Is it too early for the trial run?

I tool try everything on, see what mixes and matches with everything, and whittle away. I too usually end up with extra something, and I hate doing laundry on board- so I like to be prepared.

If you booked a balcony bungee cords do come in handy for that door, and binoculars are always fun!

I always pack too much jewelry but then again when do I get to dress up for 7 nights in a row.

I always pack a raincoat too, and NEVER use it, but I know that the one time I forget it, I am going to wish I had it.

I tool try everything on, see what mixes and matches with everything, and whittle away. I too usually end up with extra something, and I hate doing laundry on board- so I like to be prepared.

If you booked a balcony bungee cords do come in handy for that door, and binoculars are always fun!

I always pack too much jewelry but then again when do I get to dress up for 7 nights in a row.

I always pack a raincoat too, and NEVER use it, but I know that the one time I forget it, I am going to wish I had it.

I always pack too many shorts and shirts for daytime. Seems like I spend all day in swimsuit and cover-ups.

My husband's work cell phone! And, in spite of what he thinks, we really don't need a disposable camera, a digital camera, a 35mm film camera AND a video camera! The disposable would be just fine.