Calling all packing experts....

[HVLcruiser2]

Hi !

 

I'm looking for some advise, suggestions and tips on how (and maybe what) to pack for a 15 night Hawaiian cruise.

 

After we booked the cruise, I went into a slow panic on how am I going to fit everything into my baggage and still remain within airline guidelines.

 

I've been trying to mentally picture outfits that I could rearrange/freshen to look nice on the smart causul nights yet and not have to pack a 15 blouses or dresses. :eek:

Not to mention what I need to wear during the day !!:o

 

Any suggestions?

[Flindy&Doc]

Take a look at the system on this web site

http://www.packinglight.com/plight/text_1.asp?tx_id=78&;

and don't forget you can use the laundry service on the ship.

[May4]

I have a suggestion or two. Be sure to bring any clothes in tropical prints and patterns that you may already have, and maybe save room to pick up another shirt or two at your first port in Hawaii. At least on our trip, the cruise staff encouraged passengers to wear them. Hawaiian shirts were seen everywhere, and all around.

 

You truly don't need to bring tons of luggage. There are coin laundries available on the Zaandam. But, sending laundry out to be washed is my favorite thing to do. It comes back neatly pressed and folded, or on hangers if you prefer. It's easy, too, to do hand laundry. There are retractible clotheslines in the bathroom.

[Willsot]

We pack for seven days on 10-15 day cruises, use the laundry service and our dinner clothing makes repeat appearances, sometimes with some alternating tops/bottoms.

[English_in_Spain]

I recently did 21 days in the Med where temperatures could mean we need either shorts and T-shirts or thick sweaters.

 

We also like to do the full 'formal night' of which there were 5.

 

The one thing I have learned in all my cruises is that people do not remember what you wore last night/last week etc.

 

Also, for women, co-ordinates is the secret. Blouses and skirts. 2 skirts and 3 blouses will make 6 outfits.

 

Remember - this is not a fashion show it is a vacation.

[jjgoo]

Take a look at the system on this web site

http://www.packinglight.com/plight/text_1.asp?tx_id=78&;

and don't forget you can use the laundry service on the ship.

 

cool link, that helps

[callmedeb]

Take a look at the system on this web site

http://www.packinglight.com/plight/text_1.asp?tx_id=78&;

and don't forget you can use the laundry service on the ship.

 

This is how I've been packing =) My Gran showed me this way and man does it work! :) The only thing I do differently is have the Bag of accessories in the middle (with the clothes bundled around it). Books and shoes get "shoved" around the outside of the bundle.

 

I went on a 21 day tour of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland in 2003 and only used my small wheeled suitcase (and two laundry stops).

 

Deb

[RevNeal]

I have done the 15-day Hawaii cruise out of San Diego twice, as well as other (longer) cruises. Packing for a long cruise isn't that difficult. Remember the following principles:

 

1. Pack one week's worth of clothing. You don't need 15 different blouses or dresses; instead, wash and re-wear at least twice. No one will remember, and everybody will be doing the same thing.

2. Mix-match elements between outfits to create additional outfits.

3. Two formal night outfits that can be sufficiently accessorized should suffice. For men, this means a Tuxedo and a Dinner jacket or, maybe, two different kinds of Tuxedo, or a Tux and a regular suit. For women, two different dresses or two different skirts and two separate tops that can be mix-matched around.

4. The nights among the Islands are classified as "Hawaiian Casual." This means tropical shirts, muumuus, etc. Bring 3 such shirts/muumuus, and they will be wearable every one of those nights in Hawaii (just about everybody else will be doing the same thing), as well as a casual night or two in transit either way.

5. Consider making a tropical clothing purchase in Hawaii, thereby reducing th need to pack as many Hawaiian shirts, etc.

6. I've already stated this, but it bears repeating: use the ship's laundry.

7. Two checked pieces of luggage. Yes, I know that they cost money, but paying to check two is cheaper than paying to check one that is also overweight.

 

I have made this cruise with the following in clothing:

 

1 Tuxedo, 1 White Dinner Jacket, 1 grey suit

1 button down shirt with sports jacket (worn in transit to ship)

3 Hawaiian/tropical shirts

3 silk Smart Casual Night shirts and 1 extra button down shirt

1 pair of dress slacks (use the grey suit's slacks as a second pair for smart casual nights)

3 pair of dockers (daytime shipboard wear and some shore excursions)

4 polo shirts

2 pair of shorts

3 t-shirts

assorted underwear (enough for 10 days)

 

I suppose the most important things to remember are:

 

1 - you don't need to pack for 15 days. Use the laundry

2 - mix-match what you're wearing to create additional outfits.

[Mary Ellen]

You've received excellent advise above. The only thing I can add is to remember that the more 'distinctive' an outfit the more likely it will be remembered - and the harder to mix/match with other clothing. That fuchsia Capri set could be really cute, but it will be remembered much more than say a light blue or pale green set. On the other hand, this is a Hawaiian cruise, flamboyant Hawaiian print shirts will be common and so they won't stand out like they would on say a Baltic cruise for example.

 

A nice, neutral outfit can look very different by varying the accessories (scarves, jewelery).

[jhannah]

Good packing method website. I'll have to try it.

 

Do guys going to Hawaii need a tux or suit? Just button up your Hawaiian shirt. That's about as "formal" as those guys get over there! :D

[RevNeal]

Do guys going to Hawaii need a tux or suit? Just button up your Hawaiian shirt. That's about as "formal" as those guys get over there! :D

 

IN Hawaii, among the Hawaiian Island ... you're right. However, in transit to and from the Islands you'll be 4 to 5 days and nights at sea on a classy Holland America Cruise Liner with 3 or 4 formal nights (one or two going, two coming back). You'll want a suit or a tux for those Formal Nights.

[MightyQuinn]

Anyone with experience using compressor bags for packing? I've not used them but I've read pretty good reviews for Eagle Creek system and for Ziplock 2-gal bags. I'm tempted to try them for our upcoming SA cruise where I need to pack for both warm & cool climates. Anyone tried them?

[RevNeal]

A nice, neutral outfit can look very different by varying the accessories (scarves, jewelery).

 

Which is why guys can actually manage with just one tuxedo for as many as 4 formal nights so long as we have different color/pattern tie/vest/cummerbund sets. I bring a dinner jacket or an extra suit precisely because I enjoy mixing it up even more.

[RevNeal]

Anyone with experience using compressor bags for packing? I've not used them but I've read pretty good reviews for Eagle Creek system and for Ziplock 2-gal bags. I'm tempted to try them for our upcoming SA cruise where I need to pack for both warm & cool climates. Anyone tried them?

 

The bags are very helpful when packing a bulky but otherwise airy item, like a cold weather coat. The vacuum packing causes the coat to collapse to a very thin and easy to pack size. I would be careful about using such bags too much, though ... while they save one a great deal of space they also have the nasty habit of making luggage heavier by enabling one to pack more into bags that they otherwise would be able to do.

[RevNeal]

Here are a couple of sample photos of I mean by Hawaiian Casual ... the dress code for the 5 nights among the Islands of Paradise!

 

 



 

And of our entire Cruise Critic Group cruise ... our group photo (it IS a tad loud, don't you think, but this is what the ship looked like on most Hawaiian Casual nights while we were among the islands).

 

[drcandon]

Well, as a Canadian and of course wanting to push a home grown clothing line - take a look at the Tilley line of clothing..

 

xxx.Tilley.com...

 

The initial price shock might set you back, but this line of clothing was specifically developed for travel and remaining wrinkle free - even when bashed around by the worse luggage folks.

 

We have been adding pieces of clothing slowly over the years and this stuff is truly amazing..when they say the underwear will dry overnight - it really will - even in hot humid climates...

 

And their line of mix and match semi formal wear ( especially the Tilley silks) for the women is especially good...my wife constantly raves about the stuff..

 

And best of all it comes back from the ships laundry looking like it did when you purchased it..

 

Also some of the clothing comes with a lifetime quarantee - ..

[RevNeal]

On the other hand, in-transit to and from the Islands there were 3 or 4 (depending upon the cruise) Formal Nights when people dressed like this:

 

 



 

and

 



 

We even had a Smart Casual evening in-transit back to the mainland where people dressed up a bit more than normal (admittedly, it was because of the Mariner's Reception, where several were getting their 100 or 300 day medallions)!

 

[MightyQuinn]

Also some of the clothing comes with a lifetime quarantee.

And that's the problem - they just won't wear out! My DH loves his Tilleys & has the full range of products - underwear, socks, pants, shirts, jackets, hats, bags. He's such a fan that I can't get him to consider wearing anything else while on vacation. So he always looks the same, but he does look smart & well dressed. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[RevNeal]

In packing my bags I generally follow the method of heavier-down, lighter-up, bulkier-last. I also prefer to distribute my underwear and socks and such around the bag into nooks, crannies, and other dead spaces. Do you have any idea how much SPACE there is inside a pair of men's shoes?

 

I neatly and rather tightly fold each shirt to he exact same semi-rectangular dimensions using a folding guide-card. As I fold each shirt I stack it with the ones I folded before, alternating the direction of the collars, until I have them all completed. The completed stack is just a little bit less than half the width of my rolling upright, leaving room for two stacks if need-be.

 

I fold slacks with a similar method, using a folding card to make sure that each pair is neatly folded and of a uniform size -- roughly long enough to stretch across the width of the rolling upright garment bag. I include in this stack the slacks from my tuxedo and from any other suits I may be taking, thus reducing the bulk for the suiter-portion of the bag. As I fold them, I stack each pair of slacks neatly on top of the one before, alternating the waistbands from one side of the stack to the other in order to keep them even.

 

I stuff the dress shoes, walking shoes, and any other shoes that are packed with underwear and socks.

 

I lay out any long ties I might be taking and place them with other formal elements in the meshed flat-laying section of the inside of the flab cover of the bag.

 

I place the slack-stack in first, place the shirt stack(s) on top of the them (if possible). If I have more than one slack-stack, it goes next to the first ... and so on. My objective is to keep the interior of the bag fairly night but also available for easy inspection by TSA if they decide to open and go rooting through the bag.

 

Shoes go in with the soles facing outwards and fit as best as possible around the outside of the slack and shirt stacks.

 

I take any depressurized coats, sweaters, or other items of a similar nature and place them in on top of/beside this, along with items for packing that are not clothing but are necessary to take (extension cables, monopod for my camera, speaker-dock for my iPod, etc.

 

Dress shirts are hung in dry cleaning bags, with the Tuxedo jacket/Dinner jacket/suit jacket each in its own bag. These are then hung in the rolling upright bag's suiter, making sure to not over-load the suiter. Occasionally, a few shirts that I'd rather not fold but want to hang in dry cleaner bags cannot be fit into the suiter. On those occasions, two or three might be hung in dry-cleaner bags, then folded down on top of the rest of the items in the upright bag, but this shouldn't be done with many such shirts.

 

Once all the larger items are in, I load any extra underwear that may not have been used to fill out shoes, placing them in any dead spaces or cavities between clothing and suitcase walls, etc.

 

It works.

[AlohaPride]

 

 

 

What's funny, is that I don't see ANYTHING loud about this picture. LOL

[RevNeal]

What's funny, is that I don't see ANYTHING loud about this picture. LOL

 

LOL ... that IS funny!! :D

 

Here's one of my favorite photos of you and your husband:

 

 

You were SO kind and wonderful, taking us around the Island when we were there in 2006! It was the best "shore excursion" I've ever had. :D

[AlohaPride]

LOL, oy! Hopefully we'll get a better picture on the voyage of the good nuts ;)

[jhannah]

Great pix, Greg.

 

OT -- It was neat to see the pix including Pat and Tija. May he rest in peace.

[Juanita462]

RevNeal - wow! and I thought I was pretty good at packing - but you have given me several tips that I never thought of - thank you!

 

Re: the Tilley garments - do they survive the hot water wash in the ship's laundry? Even the silks?

[Charliesmom]

Buy some extra large Ziploc bags and put all of your clothes neatly packed inside of those bags. You can put all of your underwear in one bag, evening wear in another, etc. etc. etc. This protects the clothes against being pawed through by the TSA and it keeps everything dry. Hefty also makes a 2 quart bag which is very useful.

 

When we went to Alaska on Princess, it was raining when we left San Pedro. Our bags sat out waiting to be loaded on the ship and a lot of stuff got wet. Also, I have heard tell of bags being dropped in the drink. If everything is in tightly closed plastic, it will be protected.

 

I reuse the bags for all of my travel.

 

Roberta