Things to keep in mind for a cruise longer than 7 nights

[RandomUser123]

Doing an 8 night cruise on Anthem on Oct 29. I can't wait. I guess first time I an doing a cruise longer than 7 nights since all my previous cruises were 7 nights. Have not thought about that till I saw this thread. I guess an extra pair of underwear and socks for me. Prob can still get away with same number of shirts, shorts and pants.

[davekathy]

No matter the length of the cruise we always pack extra underwear and socks. And on top of that we have the CAS laundry wash n fold perk. 

[ldubs]

14 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Hell, I couldn't tell ya what I wore the previous day. If others are noticing if someone is wearing the same clothes more than once, sad but at least they will finally have something to talk about. Boring!!  

 

And what is done with that information?  "Gee I really liked that dress when I saw you wearing it yesterday".  Haha

[Mark+Anne]

7 minutes ago, davekathy said:

And on top of that we have the CAS laundry wash n fold perk. 

What is the CAS laundry wash n fold perk? Is that like an Elite free laundy bag wash and fold on Celebrity? Anne

[davekathy]

2 minutes ago, Mark+Anne said:

What is the CAS laundry wash n fold perk? Is that like an Elite free laundy bag wash and fold on Celebrity? Anne

Crown and Anchor Society. Yes same as Celebrity's wash n fold perk. 

[davekathy]

5 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

And what is done with that information?  "Gee I really liked that dress when I saw you wearing it yesterday".  Haha

Gee...😂🤣

[Mark+Anne]

Just now, davekathy said:

Crown and Anchor Society. Yes same as Celebrity's wash n fold perk. 

At what level are you entitled to that perk? Anne

[davekathy]

1 minute ago, Mark+Anne said:

At what level are you entitled to that perk? Anne

Diamond plus. 

[ONECRUISER]

11 hours ago, brillohead said:

You're lucky -- I'm flying Delta (main cabin) for 71 days of cruising.  Going to be making FULL use of my carry-on and personal item for that one!  

In 80-90s with Formal, Semi, etc, packing 2 Suits, Sport Coat, 4 Slacks, 6 Dress shirts and couple Dress Shoes I already was at 2 Suitcases or included a very Full Garment Bag... Been hooked on Cruises since day one and hate pay for extra Airfare to complete multiple Cruises. By time had 10 Cruises of 7 nites in 2001 started 9 & 10 niters, 4 cruises after those 12-13niters, 15th & 16th Cruises were 13 & 10 niter B2B & 2 yrs after/since only do B3B-B4B of 30+ nites. Until this yr had only completed a single Cruise of less the 10nites in last 20yrs. So yes I still take 2 Suitcases, not too much formal but not going ever wash in my sink, run out Clean Clothes or ever put dirty clothes back on after a shower. Wash & Fold helps.

Edited August 27, 2022 by ONECRUISER

[Mark+Anne]

1 minute ago, davekathy said:

Diamond plus. 

Thanks.......I'm trying not quite there yet. Doing a b2b (total of 20 nights) in October and free laundry would come in handy.  But, as someone mentioned on one of these boards: if you are paying thousands of $$ for a cruise, a bag of laundry for $45 should be a non-issue, right?! Anne

[ldubs]

42 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

In 80-90s with Formal, Semi, etc, packing 2 Suits, Sport Coat, 4 Slacks, 6 Dress shirts and couple Dress Shoes I already was at 2 Suitcases or included a very Full Garment Bag... Been hooked on Cruises since day one and hate pay for extra Airfare to complete multiple Cruises. By time had 10 Cruises of 7 nites in 2001 started 9 & 10 niters, 4 cruises after those 12-13niters, 15th & 16th Cruises were 13 & 10 niter B2B & 2 yrs after/since only do B3B-B4B of 30+ nites. Until this yr had only completed a single Cruise of less the 10nites in last 20yrs. So yes I still take 2 Suitcases, not too much formal but not going ever wash in my sink, run out Clean Clothes or ever put dirty clothes back on after a shower. Wash & Fold helps.

 

I like your approach.   I limit to one checked bag.  I could do nicely with that with a 70# limit.  A 50# limit makes it tougher for longer cruises.  I usually run out of weight limit before I run out of space in a checked bag.  

 

Your comments remind me of the old days packing the various formal and semi-formal stuff.  Looking back, it was quite a pain.  Im glad we no longer have to do that.   

[warburg]

Greetings from South Beach. My husband and I took many cruises, the longest 46 days. No matter how long the cruise,  for formal or dressy nights, I'd take a few items flexible enough for whatever. What makes them special is hand washable, no pressing and if rolled in a towel, very  quick crying. You can find clothes like this many places. Chicos and Nordstrom, are my recent suppliers The current skirt, ankle length from Nordstrom, looks fit to meet the Queen with the right accessories.  I've  worn it to a barbecue with a fancy tee, Texas style belt and Gucci sneakers. Have fun packing. I do.

Mary

[rudeney]

3 hours ago, davekathy said:

No matter the length of the cruise we always pack extra underwear and socks. And on top of that we have the CAS laundry wash n fold perk. 

 

I learned in my 40 years of traveling for business to always pack extra underwear and socks.  Between unexpected trip extensions to flight cancellations, it is a requirement.

[HicksRA]

57 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

I learned in my 40 years of traveling for business to always pack extra underwear and socks.  Between unexpected trip extensions to flight cancellations, it is a requirement.

Also, you never know if that bowl of chili you had for lunch might make a slip…. 😉

[brillohead]

8 hours ago, Mark+Anne said:

Thanks.......I'm trying not quite there yet. Doing a b2b (total of 20 nights) in October and free laundry would come in handy.  But, as someone mentioned on one of these boards: if you are paying thousands of $$ for a cruise, a bag of laundry for $45 should be a non-issue, right?! Anne

If you're Diamond, you each get a coupon for $10 off the $35 bag of wash-n-fold.  

[brillohead]

5 hours ago, rudeney said:

I learned in my 40 years of traveling for business to always pack extra underwear and socks.  Between unexpected trip extensions to flight cancellations, it is a requirement.

When my son was leaving for the Army a few years ago, he was mad that I FORCED him to put a change of clothing in his backpack.  They were not supposed to bring much of anything to OSUT -- anything you need will be issued to you, and anything not issued to you, you aren't allowed to have!  But it was just underwear, socks, shorts, and a t-shirt -- all rolled up it didn't take up hardly any room in his mostly-empty backpack anyway.

Lo and behold, the Army "forgot" to pick up a dozen or so recruits at the Atlanta airport that afternoon.  By the time they got in touch with someone at Fort Benning, it was "too bad, so sad, we'll get to you sometime tomorrow" and that was it for the night.  Guess who wasn't quite so mad at having a fresh change of clothing in his backpack the next morning after all, especially when they still didn't end up getting picked up until the end of the second day?

[cruisegirl1]

I rarely pack for more than 6 or 7 nights.  If 10 or more nights, I might pack an additional top.  I wear outfits/dresses twice and simply don't care.    I don't take 'What if" clothing.  

Pack EXTRA MEDS.  Several years ago we had a cruise extended three days  because all the Florida ports were closed from  Hurricane Irma.   We were diverted to the Western Carib and had beautiful weather.  Lots of passengers were buying meds in Mexico. 

 

M

[rudeney]

55 minutes ago, brillohead said:

When my son was leaving for the Army a few years ago, he was mad that I FORCED him to put a change of clothing in his backpack.  They were not supposed to bring much of anything to OSUT -- anything you need will be issued to you, and anything not issued to you, you aren't allowed to have!  But it was just underwear, socks, shorts, and a t-shirt -- all rolled up it didn't take up hardly any room in his mostly-empty backpack anyway.

Lo and behold, the Army "forgot" to pick up a dozen or so recruits at the Atlanta airport that afternoon.  By the time they got in touch with someone at Fort Benning, it was "too bad, so sad, we'll get to you sometime tomorrow" and that was it for the night.  Guess who wasn't quite so mad at having a fresh change of clothing in his backpack the next morning after all, especially when they still didn't end up getting picked up until the end of the second day?

 

Thanks to your son for his service!  And thank you for raising a son who served our country! ❤️

 

 

[BirdTravels]

Underbed suitcase storage is free. Pack enough clothes for the 9 day trip and not spend money or worry about doing laundry with the ship. If you are in a hot climate, don't plan on reusing a tshirt, just pack 9. Unlike other cruise lines, RCCL restricts the type of clothes you can put in your fill-a-bag. 

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Underbed suitcase storage is free. Pack enough clothes for the 9 day trip and not spend money or worry about doing laundry with the ship. If you are in a hot climate, don't plan on reusing a tshirt, just pack 9. Unlike other cruise lines, RCCL restricts the type of clothes you can put in your fill-a-bag. 

They don't really restrict it, they just don't make special allowances for washing or drying at low temperatures.  If you WANT to put an evening dress in there, they'll wash it.... on hot and mixed in with other clothes!

[Roybthered]

I have no issues packing and am in fact all done bar putting it in the case for a 9 night on Odyssey end of Sept around the Med and a week later after our return going on Oasis for 7 nights out of NJ. My DW on the other hand will have a list, matching things up and what shoes to wear with what clothes on what day etc. Our flights from the UK to Rome and the UK over to JFK will be fun seeing how much weight her cases weigh. Being an ex soldier helps packing light but having enough. 

[SargassoPirate]

17 hours ago, bmc alabama said:

I've never understood why RCCL doesn't put Laundry on their ships like say DCL, Princess, and even some CCL ships.  It is REALLY, REALLY handy for those longer cruises.  We did a 9-night Greek Isles on DCL this summer which followed a 3-night pre-stay in Rome.  We did laundry a couple of times and it was very nice to have it there, especially on these longer itineraries.

I prefer Princess for longer cruises - my personal record being 49 days - because of the guest laundromat on most all PAX decks.  HAL had laundromats at one time, but phased them out in favor of PAX cabins in those spaces.

 

Some people will tell you that they don't cruise to do laundry, but I prefer to do my own so that it's done right.  When I do find myself on a ship without a laundromat, I utilize more quick dry clothing that I can wash out in the sink or a bucket and use the "wear a day, air a day" approach.

 

It also helps to keep track of what I packed but never used over the years and pared down the packing list.

 

 

[island lady]

18 hours ago, davekathy said:

Hell, I couldn't tell ya what I wore the previous day. If others are noticing if someone is wearing the same clothes more than once, sad but at least they will finally have something to talk about. Boring!!  

 

LOL...me too...and sometimes forget what I had for dinner the night before.  😄 

[island lady]

18 hours ago, davekathy said:

No matter the length of the cruise we always pack extra underwear and socks. And on top of that we have the CAS laundry wash n fold perk. 

 

Boil and fry....works well to keep undies and socks to a minimum.  😉 

[island lady]

17 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

And what is done with that information?  "Gee I really liked that dress when I saw you wearing it yesterday".  Haha

 

Oh noo...no!   Don't want to see Dave in a dress.  😄