Packing Question

[CentaurNC]

Hello All,

 

We are traveling to Venice for a week, taking an 11-day Med cruise (Italy, Greece, & Turkey) on Celebrity, and will end up with a week in Rome following the cruise.

 

Neither of us has had to pack for a trip that long. I realize that laundry will have to be part of the equation but I'd appreciate some advice. Any suggestions on must haves vs. it would be nice to haves?

 

Thanks!

[t_car]

I would say just pack what you would take for your cruise. Do one laundry trip before your cruise and one after your cruise. Should be good.

You will still take home some clothes you never wore once.

[slidergirl]

Come over to the Cruise Fashion & Beauty forum. Plenty of suggestions (and opinions) on what to pack and how to pack for Med cruises!

 

I pack for one week and just wash/re-use clothes. For me, it's important to pack and small and lightly as possible when I go over to Europe. I've got lots of self-porterage to be done, between planes, trains, ships, over cobblestone, up stairs. I keep my bag to the size/weight of something I can lift by myself into an overhead of the train. But, that doesn't mean that I don't check the bag from time to time for a flight…

Yes, I have done 3 weeks in Europe with this method...

[Trevoli]

Sounds like the longest period of time you'll be away from laundry facilities is a week (assume there are washers/dryers on your ship?). So, pack for a week, whatever that means for you. Over the years, I've learned it's OK to wear something 2 or even 3 times, unless it's truly soiled/smelly. If a pair of shoes can't be worn with at least 3 outfits, they don't go.

 

Some suggested picking 2 or 3 colors (2 neutrals, like navy, brown, and/or black, and add a pop of color like red or yellow) and making several outfits out of 5 or 6 pieces.

 

Women can change up their look with scarves, which are VERY popular all over Europe.

 

Your trip sounds heavenly. Rome is my absolute favorite European city and Venice is a close second.

[ducklite]

See my signature.

[SadieN]

Toiletries are an issue all their own.

 

No need to bring full size containers but need to bring enough. Beforehand I'll decant liquids into smaller containers and see how long it lasts. Containers are everything from recycled eye drop bottles to purpose bought tubs.

For example, for me: a recycled 10ml eye drop bottle will hold 42 uses of Argan oil. One side of a contact lens case will hold 10 days worth of hair gel. 3oz container will hold 14 shampoos, and a travel toothpaste will last 14 uses.

 

Ladylighttravel.com has a great section on cosmetics and toiletries.

[ducklite]

Agree with Sadie, I bring nothing full size. Typically I use the soap and shampoo and conditioner and hand cream supplied by the ship/hotel. I usually bring a small tube of the L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream as well in case my hands get super dried out. I have sample size Kiehl's face oil bottles and face cream jars and refill them, each lasts me three weeks plus a day or two. I found a one ounce bottle of body oil in the sample/travel section at Sephora and refill as needed, I get three weeks out of that.

 

I bring the makeup remover wipes as they take minimal packing space and don't need to go in the 3-1-1 bag. I can stretch a travel size hairspray 10 days, after that I either need to buy one locally or bring a second as well.

 

I do bring a full size stick deodorant as it takes less room than two travel sizes and one travel size doesn't last more than a week using it twice or even three times a day depending on how often I need to shower after various activities. You just have to give it some thought, don't bring things you don't really need while away for a short period of time--masques, shave cream (I use soap), body scrub, etc.

 

They don't need to go into the 3-1-1 bag and take little space, but two things you want to consider bringing are an extra razor and a foot file/paddle. My feet tend to get extra dried out with sea water and sand, and I need to smooth them up every other day, and the razors they sell on the ships are generally expensive and those cheap BIC types. I once dropped and broke my razor while traveling and regretted not having a spare.

 

One note for the ladies... If you haven't reached the age where it no longer applies, bring enough feminine protection to at least to get you through a 48 hour time frame, even if you don't think you will need it. Travel can screw up your body and totally throw it off, even if you are on the pill. The ship's shop isn't always open, and the availability of items is very limited. Internal protection is hard to find or simply not available in some parts of the world. If you are traveling with your daughter, make sure she is also prepared.

Edited May 9, 2015 by ducklite

[Essiesmom]

There will not be washers/dryers on any Celebrity or Royal Caribbean ship. I suggest sending laundry out the day you board and as late as you can near the end of the cruise. I can get along with three pair shoes: Sandals to wear to dinner, comfortable sandals for touring, and comfortable sneakers, also for touring. It has taken a lot of traveling to narrow it down to which three, but that's all I need. EM

[ducklite]

There will not be washers/dryers on any Celebrity or Royal Caribbean ship. I suggest sending laundry out the day you board and as late as you can near the end of the cruise. I can get along with three pair shoes: Sandals to wear to dinner, comfortable sandals for touring, and comfortable sneakers, also for touring. It has taken a lot of traveling to narrow it down to which three, but that's all I need. EM

 

 

Totally agree on the shoes! I just spent two weeks in London with a pair of riding boots and a pair of ballet flats. That was all I needed, including some dressier but not formal events. I wore the boots on the plane and the flats took zero space in my suitcase and weigh nothing. On a Caribbean cruise I would probably take a pair of nicer sandals for dinner, a pair of sports type sandals for walking tours and the beach, and a pair of leather soled thong style (ie nicer flip flops) for walking around the ship or shorter times in port.

[CPT Trips]

There will not be washers/dryers on any Celebrity or Royal Caribbean ship. I suggest sending laundry out the day you board and as late as you can near the end of the cruise. I can get along with three pair shoes: Sandals to wear to dinner, comfortable sandals for touring, and comfortable sneakers, also for touring. It has taken a lot of traveling to narrow it down to which three, but that's all I need. EM

 

Ditto for NCL. When a pp mentioned washers and dryers on ships my first thought was, "what line?"

[ducklite]

Ditto for NCL. When a pp mentioned washers and dryers on ships my first thought was, "what line?"

 

 

Many cruise lines do offer guest laundry facilities. Disney for sure, and I think Cunard might. Windstar and paul Gauguin have a great scheme, $100 per cabin per week for all the laundry you want to send out. Best money spent ever to end the cruise with all clean clothes. When we went to Europe for three weeks in 2012 we had enough to get us through the first few days in Rome and couple days in the ship, got on the ship and sent out all the dirty laundry. Left two weeks later with all but the last days worth of laundry clean and spent a few more days in Athens before flying home. I brought along a mesh laundry bag to put underwear and machine washable delicates in and hand washed bras (and bathing suits in Tahiti).

[CentaurNC]

This, and others, have been great tips. Thank you! You've helped in wrapping my head around this packing question. Shoes, too, will be a concern. We are both men but formal nights/hiking/beach/gym...the shoes will have to be whittled down as well.

 

This is a very friendly and positive community! I've read many posts but this is the first question that I've posed.

 

Thanks again!

[crystalspin]

If you are going to make use of the ship's laundry services, take only items that can stand HOT wash and HOT dry.

 

If you intend to hand-wash in the sink, my successful plan on a recent 26-day transAtlantic+16-port western Mediterranean cruise was to take mostly nylon or polyester clothing, a braided elastic clothesline from REI (in addition to the one in the shower), ten plastic clothespins, and 6 WashEZE sheets cut into quarters. Confirm that your ship does have the retractable clothesline in the shower.

 

A quarter-sheet of WashEZE (I got mine from Amazon) suds up one sinkful, which washes about 8' on the clothesline, depending on how dirty things are! I also took a number of white wire hangers from the drycleaners for finishing up the drip-drying when use of the shower was desired!

 

The ONLY items we took that we didn't wear were swimsuits and my coverup. We also could each have done with 1-2 shirts fewer (but with more washing out).

[ducklite]

This, and others, have been great tips. Thank you! You've helped in wrapping my head around this packing question. Shoes, too, will be a concern. We are both men but formal nights/hiking/beach/gym...the shoes will have to be whittled down as well.

 

 

 

This is a very friendly and positive community! I've read many posts but this is the first question that I've posed.

 

 

 

Thanks again!

 

 

A pair of loafers will cover you for dinners--casual or dressy, sports sandals for shore excursions and around the ship, and your sneakers/trainers for the gym. The sneakers or sports sandals will be the hiking shoes. Most "hiking" sponsored by the ship will not require hiking boots. The most strenuous hike we have ever taken while in a cruise was the Tour of the Ancients in Moorea--which requires walking on fairly rough trails and at one point over very slippery rocks in a stream. We wore sports sandals (had a back strap, not a thong style) and were fine.

[griffy116]

Glad you clarified that you are male. My Grandson has been cruising for many years and is now a 6'0" tall college student. For our Med cruise, he carried a pair of loafers (lightweight was a consideration) that could do double duty (casual nights with slacks and formal night with a suit). He wore a pair of sneakers/tennis shoes on the plane. They were the heavy shoes. He also took a pair of sandals/flip flops. He took 2 swimsuits, 2 pair of casual slacks, a suit, two shirts, two ties and two pairs of dark socks. He took 3 polo/collared shirts, shorts and t-shirts and underwear. We sent the wash 'n fold bag out (RCCL and Celebrity have no self-service laundry). He sent a couple of his shorts to the ship's laundry to be able to work them into the rotation again, since we spent a few days pre and post cruise in Rome too. Since he also bought a few t-shirts along the way he never had to worry about them. He used travel size toiletries except for deodorant and toothpaste. His electric razor was stuffed into a shoe, along with socks and small items. He used the large (2-1/2 to 3 gal) zip locks for the shoes so that they could go in with his regular clothes without getting everything dirty. He hung a few things out to dry on the back of a balcony chair (with a couple of clothes pins) but never used any sort of line on the balcony. I think they frown on that anyway. The wash 'n fold bag and sending a few things to the ship's laundry was what made it possible to stay in clean clothes for 2 weeks and still get by with one bag and one carry-on but couldn't have packed the suit and things for formal wear with a 20" carry on for 2 weeks.

[ducklite]

My husband packed carry on for our B2B Med cruises. He wore his sports jacket on the plane along with his sneakers. Less than a fashion icon, but certainly no worse looking than many, many others. If we had needed dressier than country club casual attire he would have taken a black suit wearing the jacket on the plane, packed black loafers instead of fishermen's sandals, and adjusted his wardrobe to use black rather than tan as his base neutral. If we needed true formal wear, he would have rented the tux and shoes from the ship.

[morbihan]

There is a coin op washing place Ruga Guiffa.

 

There is a machine where we are renting but if it rains ! ! will use the drier.

 

It is open at 7.00 until late and often crowded with back packers. There are others but lost in the maze of Venice. Passed them in a blur.

 

Hmm Guiffa could be Guffa but map packed. Hurrah. Few minutes from P. St Mark and at that end.

 

Laundry aboard is HOT.

[SadieN]

There is a coin op washing place Ruga Guiffa.

 

 

 

There is a machine where we are renting but if it rains ! ! will use the drier.

 

 

 

It is open at 7.00 until late and often crowded with back packers. There are others but lost in the maze of Venice. Passed them in a blur.

 

 

 

Hmm Guiffa could be Guffa but map packed. Hurrah. Few minutes from P. St Mark and at that end.

 

 

 

Laundry aboard is HOT.

 

 

Instead of a dryer we've learnt to travel when the radiators are required to be on. In Rome that's November 15 - March 15.

We usually rent an apartment or stay at B&Bs inside apartment buildings.

[Tiggertastic]

We used to travel with enough clothes for a fresh outfit for every day. This changed to mix and match and now I wear the same dress twice in a 2 week cruise. I used to be convinced people would say 'she wore that last week' but who cares.

 

When you've got a 2 week cruise to get through with 1 case including 3 formal nights, you learn how to pack lighter.

[morbihan]

You are quite right. Our case is not even full.

 

I would hang the washing out on the line but I have a dread of my bra or knickers dropping off into the canal and causing a shipping incident! I use the airer. Safer:)

 

This time next week . .

 

Edited to say it is Ruga Giuffa.

Edited May 11, 2015 by morbihan

[Tiggertastic]

Yes and our 14 nights in August has only 20kg/44lb allowance on the plane so im definitely packing light

[morbihan]

Well, all I can say is thank goodness for the drier.

 

We left home in the cold so I wore my jeans and my walking boots. Knew I would be laughed at by husband if weather improved.

 

Tuesday lovely.

 

Now Saturday. Thunder, lightening, rain - need I go on? Four days of it. Still, I can go out and keep dry. Next week not looking a lot brighter. Hope we can sit out on our balcony once onboard.

[griffy116]

We stuff a few plastic clothes pins into the corners of the suitcase to make sure our undies aren't floating onto someone's balcony beneath us. We wash them out, roll them in a towel to get the excess water out and hang it on the back of a chair on the balcony. If we do this before going to dinner, by the time we get back, it's dry.

[SadieN]

Ditto for NCL. When a pp mentioned washers and dryers on ships my first thought was, "what line?"

 

 

Carnival, Princess and most, but not all, HAL ships have passenger laundry rooms.