Family of 5 (3 kids under 5) - how many checked bags and carry-ons do you travel with for the flight of a cruise? Also, any experience with Frontier?

[Ahoyhoy]

We were thinking 2 checked bags (40lbs) and 2 carry-ons. We will have a car seat as well.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

How long is the cruise?
It's been a while since we flew Frontier but I have booked my niece and her family on Frontier a few times recently. They do charge for carry ons too. I'm not sure if it's worth paying similar amount for a much smaller bag but I guess it depends on what you're packing such as meds, electronics, etc.
On my niece's last trip which was a 3-night cruise, she bought bags from Amazon that are specifically made to the specs for Frontier/Spirit's "personal item" which is free. They used vacuum sealing bags to get everything in without bulging too much and the bag fit under the seat in front of them.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BHYSB7F1/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_9?th=1
Obviously a longer cruise requires more stuff. I have found that rolling every piece of clothing into little sausages wastes the least amount of space if you don't want to deal with vacuum bags.
Also invest in a good luggage scale. It's easy to use a home scale for the departing flight but when packing to go home, it's easier to rearrange items from overweight bags on the ship than it is in the middle of the airport.
If it's a Disney cruise, there are self-serve laudry rooms on every ship. Of course no one wants to do laundry on vacation but it's cheaper than paying extra for bags.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I don't believe airlines charge for car seats but you never know with Frontier. When our kids were babies we bought a zippered car seat cover so the seat doesn't get filthy like our checked bags do. They don't charge if you use the car seat on the plane but I would check their policy for ages of the child with Frontier. Our kids are in their mid and late 20s so it's been a long time for us.

 

[danceintherain]

I can pack for each of my family in half a carry-on sized bag. I think we took 4 bags (22x9x13) on our last cruise. The 4th was mostly pee pads (we had a leaker at that point and I didn't want to deal with calling house keeping for a linen change in the middle of the night) a puddle jumper that we didn't end up needing, diapers, and other stuff to make up for not having washer/dryer access. This was RCI to Alaska, so we needed more layers than we'll need for the Caribbean, especially since DCL has guest laundry access.
Each person gets clothes for 4-5 days regardless of how long the trip is. I do try to pack enough underwear for every day of the trip.
Typically, the warmest outfit is worn on travel days. Everyone gets a full change of clothes in their personal item. I also tend to put another change of clothes for every one in the carry-on.. So really I'm only packing 3-4 outfits/person in the checked bags. Honestly, I tend to either do carry-on only, or avoid a carry-on altogether. My older kids are old enough to manage a roller bag now, but when my kids were really little, I pretty much only traveled with a backpack as a personal item. Each of my kids has carried their own personal item, since they were 3 or 4. Typically, it only has a change of clothes, and a few toys in it. I'm pretty harsh with my kids about not bringing a lot of extra stuffies and such.

With kids that young, I would bring a small umbrella stroller....or 2, unless you're on one of the smaller ships. I would not bring a large double stroller, because the ship hallways are just too narrow.
I'd also consider picking up diapers in your departure town, or requesting them from the ship in advance rather than bringing them from home. Paying a little extra for convenience is probably worth it, especially since checked bags can get lost.

I also tend to pack a packable duffel for extra space on the trip home. But, I limit my kids souvies pretty heavily too, in order to minimize packing issues.

 

[nephykupo]

We were thinking 2 checked bags (40lbs) and 2 carry-ons. We will have a car seat as well.

I think that's reasonable. We were able to fit 3 in one checked bag. Having a somewhat empty carry-on helps with souvenirs. Also, DD has a small Frozen luggage carry-on that can go under the seat if need be.

 

[Ahoyhoy]

How long is the cruise?
It's been a while since we flew Frontier but I have booked my niece and her family on Frontier a few times recently. They do charge for carry ons too. I'm not sure if it's worth paying similar amount for a much smaller bag but I guess it depends on what you're packing such as meds, electronics, etc.
On my niece's last trip which was a 3-night cruise, she bought bags from Amazon that are specifically made to the specs for Frontier/Spirit's "personal item" which is free. They used vacuum sealing bags to get everything in without bulging too much and the bag fit under the seat in front of them.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BHYSB7F1/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_9?th=1
Obviously a longer cruise requires more stuff. I have found that rolling every piece of clothing into little sausages wastes the least amount of space if you don't want to deal with vacuum bags.
Also invest in a good luggage scale. It's easy to use a home scale for the departing flight but when packing to go home, it's easier to rearrange items from overweight bags on the ship than it is in the middle of the airport.
If it's a Disney cruise, there are self-serve laudry rooms on every ship. Of course no one wants to do laundry on vacation but it's cheaper than paying extra for bags.

5 nights and 2 nights at resort (no park days)

I can pack for each of my family in half a carry-on sized bag. I think we took 4 bags (22x9x13) on our last cruise. The 4th was mostly pee pads (we had a leaker at that point and I didn't want to deal with calling house keeping for a linen change in the middle of the night) a puddle jumper that we didn't end up needing, diapers, and other stuff to make up for not having washer/dryer access. This was RCI to Alaska, so we needed more layers than we'll need for the Caribbean, especially since DCL has guest laundry access.
Each person gets clothes for 4-5 days regardless of how long the trip is. I do try to pack enough underwear for every day of the trip.
Typically, the warmest outfit is worn on travel days. Everyone gets a full change of clothes in their personal item. I also tend to put another change of clothes for every one in the carry-on.. So really I'm only packing 3-4 outfits/person in the checked bags. Honestly, I tend to either do carry-on only, or avoid a carry-on altogether. My older kids are old enough to manage a roller bag now, but when my kids were really little, I pretty much only traveled with a backpack as a personal item. Each of my kids has carried their own personal item, since they were 3 or 4. Typically, it only has a change of clothes, and a few toys in it. I'm pretty harsh with my kids about not bringing a lot of extra stuffies and such.

With kids that young, I would bring a small umbrella stroller....or 2, unless you're on one of the smaller ships. I would not bring a large double stroller, because the ship hallways are just too narrow.
I'd also consider picking up diapers in your departure town, or requesting them from the ship in advance rather than bringing them from home. Paying a little extra for convenience is probably worth it, especially since checked bags can get lost.

I also tend to pack a packable duffel for extra space on the trip home. But, I limit my kids souvies pretty heavily too, in order to minimize packing issues.

So not an Uppababy Vista (full size stroller but not double wide)?

Do they ever run out of strollers to give out on any of the ships? We are sailing on the Fantasy.

 

[juxtapose]

We pretty much always travel with 1 carry on per person and then adults with a backpack that fits under the seat, we add the backpack for our kids as they got older. We do laundry if going for over 5 nights somewhere. I refuse to pay for luggage lol and so far have been successful. If we fly Southwest, or an airline with free luggage, when they were little, we'd take 2 larger checked bags instead of 4 carryon's.

 

[juxtapose]

If you haven't booked flights yet, I would look any airline over then Frontier. If you have that much luggage, by the time you pay all their fees, most other options will probably be cheaper or very similar for a better experience.

 

[danceintherain]

5 nights and 2 nights at resort (no park days)

So not an Uppababy Vista (full size stroller but not double wide)?

Do they ever run out of strollers to give out on any of the ships? We are sailing on the Fantasy.

Our cruise in January will be our first Disney one. I assume as with anything else, they can run out of strollers. Yeah, the Uppababy Vista would be larger than I would prefer to have with me on a cruise. The Fantasy is small enough that you "might" be fine without one, but only if your kids are used to a lot of walking or you're planning on wearing the youngest.
Generally, I pack in such a way that I can manage everything on my own, including carrying a stroller up stairs with a child in it.
If I'm traveling with a car seat, then I want a stroller along to move it from vehicle to vehicle. With 3 kids under 5, I would bring at least one stroller with me.