Do you unpack?

[jenseib]

I notice alot of poeple talk about unpacking. I nevr really do. I unpack toiletries and hair things. And any fancy clothes that need to be hung, but other than that, on almost all trips we just pull stuff out of the suitcase each day. Even on the cruises I've been on I've done it. Whats the benefits of unpacking? Maybe I'll try it next trip. For me it seems like a pain that you have to repack everything in a few days anyways. But I am trying to pack less and do laundry if needed now a days.

 

[atinkerbellmom]

We NEVER unpack in hotels or when visiting people, but ALWAYS do on the cruise. There is just no room for your luggage. So if you are placing it under the bed, it is a pain to lift the bed each time to pull something out of the luggage, especially because you are changing clothes 2-3 times a day on a cruise. So just seems easier to unpack to me. If it was once a day getting dress and then PJs for dinner, that would be different than PJs to day clothes to dinner clothes back to your day clothes and then back to PJs. If you throw swimwear in with that, that is a lot of lifting the mattress. SO for a person who NEVER unpacks and lives in a suitecase even when traveling international, we always unpack on the ship. Just easier .

 

[alikat99]

Count me among those who unpack on a cruise!!! We just got back yesterday from the Magic and I unpacked on that first afternoon. After that, I waited until about 1/2 way through the cruise, pulled out a suitcase to start packing up the dirty laundry (it had been in a laundry bag under the desk, since we never use the desk). Then, on the last night, I don't have that much to pack back up.

 

[kcashner]

On the first day after lunch and a quick swim (if we're doing this), I do the "mom" bit. I go to the cabin and unpack, hit the laundry room and do any pressing that needs to be done for the week, and generally organize my new home. When DD reappears, I tell her which drawers are hers--she can do her own thing which would NEVER include any pressing or organization!

I also place my laundry bag in the closet and again, instruct DD that this is for stuff that can't be worn again--underwear, the shirt that you spilled stuff on, etc. That way if I decide to do laundry, it is all together. If I don't do it on the trip, I can just drop this bag in the laundry room when I get home.

The suitcases go under the bed--the only thing in them will be our snorkel equipment for Castaway if we brought our own. And I will be organized for the week. Not sure how I'd do it for a shorter cruise, but this works for me. It takes very little time and I'm finished well before the safety drill.

 

[itutorfortravel]

hey, that's smart to do your pressing as soon as you board...i assume the laundry rooms are quiet at that time, huh?

 

[itutorfortravel]

On the first day after lunch and a quick swim (if we're doing this), I do the "mom" bit. I go to the cabin and unpack, hit the laundry room and do any pressing that needs to be done for the week, and generally organize my new home. When DD reappears, I tell her which drawers are hers--she can do her own thing which would NEVER include any pressing or organization!

I also place my laundry bag in the closet and again, instruct DD that this is for stuff that can't be worn again--underwear, the shirt that you spilled stuff on, etc. That way if I decide to do laundry, it is all together. If I don't do it on the trip, I can just drop this bag in the laundry room when I get home.

The suitcases go under the bed--the only thing in them will be our snorkel equipment for Castaway if we brought our own. And I will be organized for the week. Not sure how I'd do it for a shorter cruise, but this works for me. It takes very little time and I'm finished well before the safety drill.

oops, meant to quote this about the pressing things as soon as you board!

 

[kcashner]

The laundry rooms are virtually deserted. I do always grab a wash cloth from the room to clean the iron (don't want to get crud on my stuff just in case...) I just like having everything set up for my week and not having to think about it again. My logic is that the fun starts after the safety drill, so I want all the work done before that!

 

[brucechase]

I've only been on the 3 night (a 7 night coming up soon though) and we did not bother with unpacking. Left the suitcases on the desk and bed and just lived out of the suitcase. There was no problems and didn't feel like we needed to unpack.

On the 7 night, I expect it to be different and we will probably unpack on that one.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

When we cruise its often part of a 21 night vacation, so we have to use all clothes and recycle them, So we do unpack.

I have never found our luggage to fit under our bed -and its soft sided, we have tried but the bed didn't go to the floor correctly, so we stack the cases near the verandah in front of the Murphy bed.

I find if we do not bring everything out it gets creased and/or forgotten, we hang it out and just spray little water on it and the creases tend to fall out.

Sometimes we do laundry on the ship it depends on our trip, the last cruise 14 nights we did laundry at Disneyland and twice on ship, but in 09 as we have a villa following the cruise with facilities we will do it there

 

[kcashner]

To get the cases under the bed, you have to lift the bed frame. The frame hangs down about 2 inches farther than the matress. Once you clear that, it is an easy slide under. Repeat process to remove. I also slide the life vests under a particular part of the bed which frees up top closet shelf for a suitcase or two. Have never had a problem with the bed.

Like you, our trips are typically 14 days or longer. If there is a land portion, I'll do all the laundry the night before we cruise or the morning we leave for the ship so that all is clean when we board. It's easier to do laundry on land as typically less crowded. If the land portion is second, only essential needs will be laundered on the ship. I don't cruise so that I can do laundry!!! Hope my child remembers that!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

To get the cases under the bed, you have to lift the bed frame. The frame hangs down about 2 inches farther than the matress. Once you clear that, it is an easy slide under. Repeat process to remove. I also slide the life vests under a particular part of the bed which frees up top closet shelf for a suitcase or two. Have never had a problem with the bed.

Like you, our trips are typically 14 days or longer. If there is a land portion, I'll do all the laundry the night before we cruise or the morning we leave for the ship so that all is clean when we board. It's easier to do laundry on land as typically less crowded. If the land portion is second, only essential needs will be laundered on the ship. I don't cruise so that I can do laundry!!! Hope my child remembers that!

Know 'how to' but mine doesnt fit.

Yes for the 15 night Panama we did it at Disneyland hotel pre cruise so was ok for the start of the cruise sailaway etc, all nice and clean, but recharged the clothes twice, Acapulco day got back early and another sea day

 

[TAKitty]

I never unpack on vacation, cruise or land trip. My mom always unpacks and doesn't feel "ready" until she unpacks.

 

[ibouncetoo]

I even unpack for an overnight hotel stay! I want to feel moved in and like the place is MINE.

 

[anewmac]

We unpack for the cruise. As soon as we were let in to the room the boys ordered room service. Dh went up and got drinks, and I started unpacking. Was done by the time DH came back with the drinks. (we were on deck 1 so it was a long way for him to go get drinks and back LOL)

It was really easy to unpack for us as I put the boys clothes in ziplock bags and just threw them in the steamer trunk. Hung up most of DH's and my clothes. Set out the laundry basket and the shoe holder to hold all our toiletries.

We then ate room service watched some tv and were in time for the safety drill!

It made it much easier throught the week to get ready. I will have to remember next time to run to the laundry and press things.. great idea.. we just went with wrinkled clothes to dinner LOL

 

[mindelmouse]

otherwise we would have been tripping over the suitcases all week. We also did laundry in the middle of the cruise. The nice part of unpacking was that after hanging all my clothes and spraying them with the wrinkle release, I never had to iron the rest of the cruise and I iron my clothes every morning normally.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

On the first day after lunch and a quick swim (if we're doing this), I do the "mom" bit. I go to the cabin and unpack, hit the laundry room and do any pressing that needs to be done for the week, and generally organize my new home. When DD reappears, I tell her which drawers are hers--she can do her own thing which would NEVER include any pressing or organization!

I also place my laundry bag in the closet and again, instruct DD that this is for stuff that can't be worn again--underwear, the shirt that you spilled stuff on, etc. That way if I decide to do laundry, it is all together. If I don't do it on the trip, I can just drop this bag in the laundry room when I get home.

The suitcases go under the bed--the only thing in them will be our snorkel equipment for Castaway if we brought our own. And I will be organized for the week. Not sure how I'd do it for a shorter cruise, but this works for me. It takes very little time and I'm finished well before the safety drill.

I wish you were my Mum and come cruising with me!!

 

[Orlando Disney Guy]

I unpack and get myself organized like most of the posters who have posted their posts!

One thing I like to do on the night PRIOR to the last full day of the cruise is pack everything but what I will need for the remainder of the cruise. This way on the last day I can relax and not be thinking about the dreaded packing along with sadness that the cruise is over. While others scurry off to pack to get their luggage outside teh cabin in time I can enjoy myself up on the pool deck! (also generally speaking only on Disney do I NOT carry off my luggage, no one is more organized than Disney!)

happy sailing!

 

[lbgraves]

Yes, the best suggestion is do not wait until the last night to pack up. You will miss out on the fun and your vacation will end on a very stressful note. On day 3 evening getting ready for dinner I empty the laundry hamper into a trash bag and put it into one of the suitcases under the bed. On day 5 I do the same and keep out only what we will use the last two days, including an outfit to wear off the ship. I have done this since our 2nd cruise and it makes things much easier.

 

[tomspixie]

Yes, the best suggestion is do not wait until the last night to pack up. You will miss out on the fun and your vacation will end on a very stressful note. On day 3 evening getting ready for dinner I empty the laundry hamper into a trash bag and put it into one of the suitcases under the bed. On day 5 I do the same and keep out only what we will use the last two days, including an outfit to wear off the ship. I have done this since our 2nd cruise and it makes things much easier.

Pretty much the way we do it also! Usually about day 3/4 I figure out which things I know I am really not gonna worry about wearing also...habitual over packer. I keep saying that i am not going to take as much...but I do.

 

[Anal Annie]

I'm 50/50 on the unpacking thing... I normally don't like my stuff in where somebody else's stuff has been and I don't want RE-packing to take forever. So I never do unpack in a hotel room. On the cruise you sorta need as much room as possible tho - but I find not everything will fit into the drawers etc... I brought a travel size pack of Clorox wipes and wiped out the drawers by the closet and the cabinet over the TV. This past summer we were in one of the SPH rooms that did NOT have a steamer trunk so that hurt. When we have one of those I put DS's stuff into that. We switched to using more duffle bags this past year and they are a lot more "cruise cabin friendly" to live out of as they don't take up as much floor space - they just have a different footprint or something. Mine is like 27" and it fit on the floor on the longer empty side of the closet floor. I put some of my tops & shorts into the drawers but left some odds & ends in the duffle & just closed the closet door & got into it when I needed to. I stacked DH's shirts into that cabinet over the TV and left his shorts & pants folded in stacks in his duffle. We set his duffle on top of that little stool thingy from the desk and pushed it over in front of the porthole, out of the way. We had DS in a large regular suitcase. I laid it down flat & slid it into the desk opening vacated by the stool thingy (the duffle fit on top of the stool better which is why we did it that way). Since the suitcase has wheels it really wasn't too much effort to slide it in & out twice a day or whatever to get him changed. This actually left a fair amount of floor space and everything was accessible. If we'd had the steamer trunk I would have put DS's stuff into that and put his case under the bed.

I do unpack our bathroom stuff to an extent (used an over the door shoe organizer on the bathroom door to the shower) and I use toiletry bags that I just leave on the shelves. I put our main carry-on bag in the closet on top of that shelf where the safe is so it is close to the bathroom. We had some odds & ends left in that too so I wanted it handy. I did hang up our dressy clothes for Palo etc. I do not iron on vacation. I iron everything before we go and I pack with tissue paper folded into everything which helps with the wrinkles. I also bring a travel size bottle of that Downey Wrinkle Release spray for anything that does get smushed up. We used one small duffle for all of our shoes and just left them in that, sitting in the floor at the end of the cabinet with the drawers.

I also pack a fairly decent sized but lightweight empty duffle to use as a hamper for our return trip. It's really helpful to just be able to shove the dirty clothes into that on the last night. We also flew down with an empty carry-on bag this time too since the airlines have increased the luggage restrictions. This trick also helped on the return with packing up as we had an extra bag for souvies etc.