Packing for a 5 night cruise

[cruise4two79]

Hello,

 

I am new to the whole cruising thing. My husband and I are going on our first cruise on September 1st to the Eastern Caribbean. I have traveled enough to know how much I can bring and if I should need to check a bag or not, but I really do not want to have to check a bag.

 

Is it possible to pack everything I need into a carry on? I am not a woman who has to have everything from cosmetics, to hair products, to anything else, just the basics. I am very simple. I just do not want the hassle of checking a bag at the airport and paying for it.

 

Thoughts?

[navybankerteacher]

Hello,

 

I am new to the whole cruising thing. My husband and I are going on our first cruise on September 1st to the Eastern Caribbean. I have traveled enough to know how much I can bring and if I should need to check a bag or not, but I really do not want to have to check a bag.

 

Is it possible to pack everything I need into a carry on? I am not a woman who has to have everything from cosmetics, to hair products, to anything else, just the basics. I am very simple. I just do not want the hassle of checking a bag at the airport and paying for it.

 

Thoughts?

 

You know how much you will need for five days. And remember ships have laundry service (possibly even self service). You're the one who knows how much you need.

[cb at sea]

Of course it's possible...some folks get a real kick out of packing as little as possible! I have no desire to do it, but if you can, go for it!

 

Daytime wear is shorts/swimsuits....very casual. You'll have 1 formal night, if you choose to do that....otherwise the dinner wear is long pants/collared shirts for men, and women are good in slacks, skirts, sundresses, capris, etc.... Just no shorts at dinner in the MDR.

[NMLady]

Very possible to just have carryon. Keep in mind the limit on liquids such as sunscreen, deodorant, etc.

[Marie51]

Of course it's possible. My son packs only a carry on for a 7 day cruise. Anyway just plan on one pair of pants or a skirt with 2 different tops and there you have outfits for 2 dinners. You can mix & match clothes this way.

Enjoy your cruise.

[cruisead]

Just remember that you can't pack any liquids if you're flying to the port, and don't check your bag. Personally, I just don't understand why people limit themselves just because they, for whatever reason, don't want to check a bag.

[Marie51]

Just remember that you can't pack any liquids if you're flying to the port, and don't check your bag. Personally, I just don't understand why people limit themselves just because they, for whatever reason, don't want to check a bag.

 

Well one reason would be the fee to check a bag. It is $25 on Delta. Also you avoid the possibility of your bag being lost.

For myself, I could never travel with just a carryon because I am one of those people who has to bring everything I own but for many others it works.

[Viv0828]

We each pack just a carry on for a 14 day cruise. We do have travel clothes that dry fast and don't wrinkle because we travel a lot and rarely check a bag - even for 2 months in Europe. You can bring liquids if they are less than 3.5 ounces each and are in a quart Baggie. Just do whatever makes you comfortable.

 

 

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[Keith1010]

If you want to take the carry on you probably can make it work.

 

Keith

[alexspepa]

one of the best rules of packing for a cruise is to pack, then remove half the items...so I don't see why you could not manage with a carry-on.

[OCruisers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

While I would not want to pack everything in a carryon, it's certainly possible.

LuLu

[clackey]

If we didn't have our own snorkel gear, we could do a 5 nighter with carryons. I honestly believe that we could get by on a 7 night. However, snorkeling is one of the main reasons that we cruise. Uh huh, like the food doesn't count.:rolleyes:

[NMLady]

Just remember that you can't pack any liquids if you're flying to the port, and don't check your bag. ....

 

Not quite true. Although you're limited, you can pack as many 3oz containers as will fit in a one quart zip lock bag. One bag per person. The bag must be removed and put in bin with your shoes etc when going through security.

Edited June 27, 2014 by NMLady

[jammen]

Hello,

 

I am new to the whole cruising thing. My husband and I are going on our first cruise on September 1st to the Eastern Caribbean. I have traveled enough to know how much I can bring and if I should need to check a bag or not, but I really do not want to have to check a bag.

 

Is it possible to pack everything I need into a carry on? I am not a woman who has to have everything from cosmetics, to hair products, to anything else, just the basics. I am very simple. I just do not want the hassle of checking a bag at the airport and paying for it.

 

Thoughts?

Yes you can, bring at least some casual nice close, and nice shoes, for formal nights, not a bad idra to have a checked bag.

[mazeke]

I can pack for up to a 7 day cruise in a carry-on,with snorkel equip. Check into packinglight.com and watch the video on bundling your clothes. It really does work. I will admit that the current regulations on liquids on a plane have made it a little harder to do but we always go a day early to the departure port and then find a store close to the hotel and buy the liquids I couldn't pack, our soda to take on board, etc. Just another option.

[firemanswife209]

Yes! The last cruise I went on with just my kids we all used carryons. SO easy and low maintenance. Wondering if I can pull that off for my next 7 day cruise too!

[griffy116]

It can be done for a 5 day cruise easily. Take a carry-on and a tote for each of you. In the tote put your bag of liquids. 3.5 oz containers and I put my liquid foundation makeup in it. I take a pair of dress black slacks with a thin, non-wrinkle top with sequins for formal night and a pair of black dress FLATS that do double duty on the other nights with capris or a sundress . Color coordinate with a couple of neutrals (blacks and beige or my go-to colors). Any other colors are tees or tops that can go with my khaki or black colors. I carry a pair of sandals that double out by the pool and with the shorts like flip flops which can also be worn on the beach, and underwear. I don't have a problem using the hair dryer provided on the ship. If you use zip lock bags for your undies and things that don't wrinkle, it also helps with the space. They even make 2-1/2 to 3 gallon zip locks. Any jewelry you carry can fit into a sandwich bag(s) in your shoes. I always take a light sweater and a wrap. The wrap takes up no space and I wear the sweater on the plane. I wear either the wrap or the sweater on the ship if the a/c is too much for me in the shows or the dining room. I also wear a pair of tennis shoes on the plane since they are the biggest, heaviest shoes. One of the items in my bag of liquids for the plane is a travel size of Downey Wrinkle release. BEST invention ever for a cruise and especially if you are packing using a carry-on bag. Give it a trial run before the cruise. I think you'll find you can get everything you need, but remember to leave some space if you plan to buy any souveniors to bring home.

[JenaMH]

It is totally possible! (I did a week long independent trip to Brazil like that once with just a large backpack, everyone thought I was crazy, but It was liberating to not have a bunch of stuff with me.)

 

Try to have a good idea ahead of time on your excursions. It will make a difference sometimes on the clothes you pack. (example: pants, water shoes, etc. might be needed.) Otherwise, in my world - a pair or 2 of flipflops and nice shoes for the evening are sufficient. Most of my clothes don't wrinkle easily which makes them compact too. I typically take a cocktail dress for formal night which takes up less room than a full length. I try to pack coverups that are dresses so they can work daytime double duty.

 

Things you don't need to pack: snacks, hair dryer (usually), heavy jackets, toilet paper, bottled water, kitchen sink, etc. :)

 

Some cruiselines will have theme parties. For example, Norwegian usually has a white party, so if you're gong on that line, I'd pack a white top / pants / skirt for that night.

 

Oh! And the large ziplock bags work wonders for clothes organization and compression. Use a knee to push the air out and zip shut.

 

If you've found you're out of room at the end of the cruise, the giftshop on board sells a variety of bags/totes you can use for overflow.

[Jeff L]

one of the best rules of packing for a cruise is to pack, then remove half the items...so I don't see why you could not manage with a carry-on.

 

Very good advice! I bet I did not wear half the stuff I brought!