I consider myself an extreme unpacker. Not only do I want to get everything out of the suitcases the INSTANT I arrive, I want everything to be ultra-organized so my kids and husband aren't constantly asking me, "Where are Sam's underwear again?" Here's a painfully long list of what I do.
NOTE: I have three kids (ages 7, 9, and 12), and we travel in two connecting cabins. Each kid takes a backpack on the plane that contains an extra outfit, a swimsuit, snacks (enough for the plane PLUS several granola bars in case of delay), an empty water bottle, a set of markers and some paper, a clipboard, paperback books, and electronics (DS, iPod, etc.). This is ALL we take for entertainment for the kids.
First, the key to unpacking on the cruise depends 100% on how you pack the clothes before you leave. A couple minutes of looking at the drawer/closet layout in your stateroom category (pictures are aplenty here!) will answer any question about where things go once you're on board.
For our family of 5, I usually pack 5 suitcases. Here's the breakdown of what's in each:
1. My stuff. I wear heels a lot, so I put each pair inside a plastic bag (I reuse Target bags and such), then arrange them around the outside of the suitcase with heels against the edges. I grab my hanging clothes from the closet -- still on hangers! -- and lay them in the suitcase with the hangers at one end, leaving the bottoms of everything outside the suitcase. Then I lay a huge garbage bag on top. I put the rest of my stuff -- socks in one of the eagle-type packing bags, bras/underwear in another, toiletry kit double-bagged in Target bags, swimsuits, etc. -- on top of the garbage bag. I rearrange as necessary, then fold up the bottoms of the hanging clothes .
2. My husband's stuff. I pack his similar to mine, but he has a lot more folded items like t-shirts and shorts. Those just go in the middle along with his toiletries. His shoes are bigger, so I try to jam all manner of little things in them.
3. My girls' clothes on hangers, with containers of their socks, etc., placed around the edges. They're 12 and 9, so although their stuff looks different, I still have to be careful how I separate them. I also include anything of my son's that might need to be hung. I wrote a really boring post on how I organize their clothing by day, but I haven't posted enough on the forum to be able to give you a link.
Just search my name by post and you'll find it.
4. My son's bags of clothes, plus our shoe organizers and other miscellaneous items. I have 2-gallon Ziploc bags that I use over and over for this purpose. Each day's outfit, including undies and socks, goes in one Ziploc bag. I include an extra bag of 4 PJs with 4 underwear
5. All of the kids' toiletries, plus any items that don't fit in a category above. Note that I don't pack the toiletries as you'd expect, by kid. Instead, I pack them by shoe organizer pocket! Throughout the year I save small plastic bags from places like Barnes & Noble or Claire's, then use a single bag for each pocket. I put toothbrush (with cover), toothpaste, extra braces wax, and floss for Maddie in one bag. Brush and hair doodads for Maddie in another bag. Repeat for every category, and for every kid. I try to keep all of Maddie's things in one type of bag (Claire's, for instance) so it's easier for me to unpack. The kids all share one shampoo and one body wash for the week.
I realize it seems unlikely, but if I pack like this, I can UNpack for five people in two rooms in less than 30 minutes. My husband sorts the suitcases into the right room and opens them wide on the bed. Then he takes the kids out of the room and they go get their first (of many) ice creams.
I unpack my son's bag first. I pick the largest drawer and throw all his Ziploc bags in. I hang up all the shoe organizers with string that I bring with me (the hooks provided don't always fit easily, especially if you put a shoe organizer over the sliding closet door). Any miscellaneous things go on my desk.
[One bag empty - 5 minutes elapsed]
Then I grab the girls' bag and unpack one girl's socks/unmentionables into a single drawer, and do the same for the other girl's things in another drawer. I grab the stack of hanging clothes and put them all in the closet.
[Two bags empty - 8 minutes elapsed]
Next I unpack the kids' toiletries into the shoe organizer pockets. Each kid gets their own row, and shared/overflow goes above. Since everything is already sorted by pocket, this takes less than 5 minutes. Any extra stuff from that, again, goes on my desk.
[Three bags empty - 14 minutes elapsed]
I unpack my husband's bag and set up a little "end of the day" station for him so he can put his watch, KTTW card, etc. I have a flat leather thing with snaps to fold up the edges, but a small box would work just as well. I put his toiletry bag on the shelf under the sink in the shower room
[Four bags empty - 18 minutes elapsed]
Most of my clothes are hanging, so my bag is a quickie. I put my toiletry bag on the shelf under the sink in the toilet room and quickly lay my unmentionables in a drawer or two.
[Five bags empty - 22 minutes elapsed]
Now I make things neat. I move a few items into the shoe hanger in my room -- sunscreen, nail clippers, brush, etc. -- then head over to the desk. I sorted the random stuff into categories and put them in bags before I packed, so this part is a breeze, too. For instance, I have a "fix-it" bag that contains a small sewing kit, a little duct tape, a few sturdy clips that can close drapes or do other jobs. I have a "desk" bag that contains a tiny stapler that I refill before a trip, Post-It notes, a small tape dispenser, mini Sharpie markers and highlighters, regular pens and mechanical pencils for puzzles. I also have a "laundry" bag, a "first aid" bag, a "camera goodies" bag, an "electronics/chargers" bag and a couple others.
[All suitcases empty and desk sorted - 25 minutes elapsed]
The penultimate step is the labeling of drawers. The drawers on the cruise are BY DESIGN very difficult to open, so I get annoyed if I have to open several to find something, and my kids are very offended if someone opens "their" drawer by accident. I grab a few sheets of Avery REMOVABLE labels, write the contents of the drawer on a label and stick it neatly on the face of the drawer. (Note that the REMOVABLE labels leave no trace of themselves! You can find these labels at any office supply store near the regular full-size labels. They're in small plastic packs, about 5"x8". You can look them up online to see what the package looks like: Avery #05430 is the style I like.)
[All bags empty, desk sorted, DRAWERS LABELED - 29 minutes elapsed]
The final job is to nest the suitcases, zip the outer one closed, and put them just outside our stateroom door for our steward to stow during the trip. At some point quickly after boarding, we meet the room steward, and I always ask nicely if they can keep the suitcases elsewhere -- knowing that they can, and that there's a spot on board just for this! -- and they always say yes. They'll automatically bring you the suitcases on Friday unless you ask for them earlier. I get mine on Thursday night.
[Everything done, suitcases out of the room - 30 minutes elapsed]
Eventually my husband wanders back to the room with ice cream stains on his t-shirt cover-up. He glances at me reading my book, looks around and says, "You're crazy, you know that? But it looks good!"
And they cruise happily ever after.
Dyanne
P.S. I won't bore you with how I pack at the end. I will say, mysteriously, that it's nothing like how I unpacked...
