How many clothes do you bring for cruise?

[Disney Fans]

Last year we packed (just talking about packing clothes issue)- one set of clothes for each day - for our land and sea cruise? But it just seemed to me that we had more luggage then most people? So-just wondering how you many clothes you take for a whole week?
Also if you have any tips about packing clothers, etc, please let me know?

 

[mmouse37]

Everyone brings one suitcase (we are a family of five with two adults and a 21DD, 20DS, 16DD)

I really do not care what they bring as long as it fits in one regular sized suitcase and does not go over the airline weight limit. The girls usually have an extra shoe bag and we usually have one or two carryons as well.

During the day we are mostly in casual clothes or bathing suits/coverups and we often wear things again. I try to pack mix and match outfits and I only pack one suit for the formal nights for hubby with 2 different shirts/ties.....

One cruise my DD's shared a cabin with our friends DD's and this was the result when you have 4 girls in one cabin......(check out the link).....

http://community.webshots.com/photo/50699182/57726760txYpVs

Plus, there were several more pair lined up on top of the sofa!!!

 

[mommasita]

I am like the worst overpacker you ever met.. Each time I say now...do not overpack like the last time...You know the amount of clothes that were not even worn...

But being the worrywart that I am, it adds up rather quickly. Clothing for four people, and for colder weather (ya never know)..yada yada yada..

I always do a load or two of laundry, so the favorite things are washed and reworn... Honestly, I am like NO help at all.. SOrry

 

[zeke11]

MJ -

I am SO impressed with the awesome organization displayed by the owners of those shoes! Last year on our cruise, my 3 girls shared a cabin and about 2 hours into the cruise, you could not walk through it without tripping over at least 20 odd shoes.

It was SO nice to shut their door and go back to the orderly cabin shared by my dh, myself and our 8yo son!! What a JOY!

Kris

 

[Realityfreakaholic]

Mommasita..I am so with you. I totally do not know how to pack and overpack so bad. Infact my dh has already threatened me about what we can pack in the car so I said 2 huge boxes to my parents in Florida (we are visiting them the week before the cruise). What I am going to do when we drive from my parents place to the port and back home is beyond me but honestly I think I pack minimum 2 to 3 outfits per day.

 

[mecook]

It's better to have it and not need it.....
than to need it and not have it..

That goes for meds, clothes, anything.

Besides, you're not going to be able to just "run out shopping" like you can on land.

Melanie

 

[BunnyMom]

The only hint I can share is the one I was given when I first found these boards.

"Pack everything you think you'll need, then stop! Take out half the clothes, and pack all the empty spaces with money!" LOL

Seriously, this will be my third Disney Cruise. I haven't worn half the shorts and T-Shirts that I've packed. Pack your formal wear, pack your shoes and bathing suits and pj's and underwear, then.........pack what you think you'll need for 3 days of shorts and shirts! Laundry is really not a problem if you're an early riser (or you don't mind the cost of letting "Disney-Do-It"). I honestly can say that I wore stuff twice if it was not too hot. Shorts for lunch, then back to the pool, really, how long were you in it?

Now kids, that's another story......It's amazing how fast that chocolate double dip from Scoops winds up on that really nice white tank top that the DS12 (then 10) was wearing.

Try to pack in "even" shades. Not too much sorting for laundry purposes and a couple of loads of wash should get you through the week!

Enjoy your trip!!!!

 

[videogal1]

Last year we packed (just talking about packing clothes issue)- one set of clothes for each day - for our land and sea cruise? But it just seemed to me that we had more luggage then most people? So-just wondering how you many clothes you take for a whole week?
Also if you have any tips about packing clothers, etc, please let me know?

I discovered a shocking truth on the 10-day holiday cruise last December.....I had packed for the tropics and landed in Alaska....well, not literally, but when I landed at MCO in my shorts and sleeveless top and the goosebumps on my arms ran for cover, I knew I had made some serious wardrobe errors. Luckily I had tossed into my carry-on a pair of black fleece cargo pants before I slammed it shut and run out the door. Of ten land days and ten (or so) sea days I wore those black slacks every other day, trading off with a pair of maroon fleece cargo pants I bought at DTD. Was I tossed off the ship?, ostracized by my peers?, publicly humiliated?...Nope, not that I noticed... Luckily my enormous variety of tank tops, unlined windbreaker, and two long-sleeved tops coordinated with the cargo pants. The formal and semi formal nights had their own, thankfully warm, wardrobe. When I got home from this twenty-some day vacation I was shocked to find unopened six coordinated shorts outfits and another stack of slacks that, unfortunately had been rendered unsuitably tight quite early in the vacation....Must have been the Mickey bars...
After learning that lesson I am packing quite differently for the 14-day long westward repo cruise...Two shorts, two long pants, six sleeveless tops, one jacket, three long gowns, three cocktail dresses four pairs of shoes and two long-sleeved tops...
If I run into another weather-inspired wardrobe disaster, as I did in December, I may find out how successfully the layering of formal gowns
goes...The red one on top of the champagne one on the first formal night...then....

 

[scrapperjill]

We Way over packed...on our first cruise. I think over half of everything we took was left untouched. I keep saying to myself ....Never again will I pack like that. It really sucked. Lugging all the luggage around...then repacking everything...It seemed like it took forever. I think along the same guidlines... as...Its better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. But really...clothes...there can't be that much that you MUST have...make do..it's a vacation...so what if you tank top dosn't look top notch with those shorts..or pair of shoes...

We spent most of our days in swimsuits and coverups...changing for the shows and dinner....but for the most part ship days were swimsuits....(Make sure you pack atleast a couple suits for everyone...the don't dry real fast). Even shore days were spent in a suite and shorts for the most part.

I made the big mistake of packing "outfits" for every day...day time and evening/dinner wear. But like a previous poster mentioned...when you slip on those short for lunch....do they really get dirty..how long are you really in them...an hour...maybe 1.5 hours???

Also by overpacking...we had a HECK of a time fitting in our souviners from the trip. So keep that in mind...

 

[aprilgail2]

One cruise my DD's shared a cabin with our friends DD's and this was the result when you have 4 girls in one cabin......(check out the link).....

http://community.webshots.com/photo/50699182/57726760txYpVs

Plus, there were several more pair lined up on top of the sofa!!!

I can not believe how many shoes you brought!! I brought a pair of sneakers that I wore onboard, a pair of dress shoes and flip flops! I just make sure that every outfit I have to wear to dinner matches that one pair of shoes! My daughter brings the same thing so thats only 4 pairs of shoes not in use at a time, I couldn't even imagine packing and carrying them all around. I fit everything into one suitcase for myself, my daughter has one of those small kids suitcases that wheels around and that fits all her stuff and I take a small carry on with her nebulizer, nebulizer meds, antibiotics (unmixed so if we need tham I just add water and shake) and motrin.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

The shoes photo is too funny!

I go with the above theory 'better to pack it and not need it, than to not pack it and wish you had it.'

For our family, taking minimal amounts of shoes, shorts and t-shirts is fine for other vacations. However, when we're on DCL, and dining at different restuarants every night, DD and I capitalize on the opportunity to wear a different outfit and shoes each night. I did laundry on our first cruise and vowed never again.

 

[txaggie94gigem]

as a mother of 3 boys and one very spoiled princess i can tell you to bring 2 pr jeans/pants and 2 pairs short with 3-4 tops (with laundry) or 7 (if plan not to do laundry). I made sure the shirts i brought could be used for dinner as well as any other time. I also had them bring one pr of nice tennis shoes and a nice pair of sandals. I am debating this year if I will bring them a suit each for the formal nights....i also brought each of them a fleece hoodie shirt in case of colder weather...my daughter on the other hand had an outfit for every morning, noon, and night and had 6 pairs of shoes (she is only 5). My husband spoils her rotten!

My husband brought a couple pairs of dockers, shorts and 6-7 shirts. He brought sandals and casual/dress shoes. I brought too many clothes with an outfit for every day and night with a few extra. I brought 1 pair dress flats, 1 pr sandals, and 1 pr tennis shoes. HOWEVER! I really screwed up with the tennis shoes...when we left home they fit fine but after a week of walking at disney world before the cruise(in different shoes because i was saving my nice new ones for the cruise) my feet had swollen and i could not fit into them..i therefore wore my sandals everywhere. I will be bringing my crocs this cruise...they fit great and my feet never hurt! We also saved $$ by bring a collapsible cooler filled with sand toys and snorkel gear i had bought on clearance after summer. We also brought goodies and candy on board for the kids counselors and misc staff that helped us on the cruise...once we passed all of it out we had room for souveneirs.

And definately bring 2-3 swimsuits per person so one is always dry...by the way, i also stocked up on any kind of medicine we might need before the trip as well as new toothbrushes, kid shampoo, etc. I bought it all at dollar general for less than $50. The best part of it is that i now have all these meds for when we ned them at home too! I just was not ready to pay $4 per tylenol if i needed some...don't forget lots of sunscreen and film!

we fit all of our stuff in 2 large suitcases, a garmet bag, and 2 carryons.

 

[DisneyElf]

Since we usually try to go for two weeks - we plan at least one laundry stop before we get on the ship. Always bring 5 pairs of shorts & less T-Shirts since I know we will be getting some as souveners. I bring 1 outfit for dinner eash night with a couple of sandals that will match with all outfits.

Other shoes - for the parks a good pair of sneakers, walking sandals & water shoes.

We each bring one large suitcase (26" inch), with a carryon stowed inside (on the trip down), & one shared garmet bag for the 7 night cruises. We even get in our own snorkeling gear This way we have room for stuff we buy. For the repo cruise -- we are bringing an additional garmet bag.

Only time we overpacked was due to the shortened hurricane cruise - didn't need all the outfits

 

[webray]

We way over packed for the first cruise, second was better, now we are getting ready to pack for the 14 night repo cruise..lol


Anyway, one set of formal/semi-formal clothing for each of us.
A dress for brunch that can double as a dress for dinner one evening.
Couple dresses/dress shirts for hubby to rotate
2 pair black pants, with 5 different tops to match.
Tropical outfit for each of us. Pirate t-shirt for each of us.
2 swimsuits each. Two pair regular shorts/5 tees. (maybe 1 and 3, since this is the area we overpacked the most)
Enough undergarments for whole trip.
Spa outfits...terry shorts/tops to wear back and forth to the spa (hubby also has spa shorts/tees). We found we spent most of our time in these on our 7 night cruise.

As far as shoes...Black dress shoes (tux shoes)/black sandals/tan sandal/tennies for walking in the ports/tevas/flip flops/swim shoes

Lugging the extra luggage when overpacked is a real pain in the butt, so we are going to try (going to try) to not do it anymore. This time we are also flying home..so we have to fit size/weight wise, everything into the luggage..lol.

 

[mmouse37]

I can not believe how many shoes you brought!! I brought a pair of sneakers that I wore onboard, a pair of dress shoes and flip flops! I just make sure that every outfit I have to wear to dinner matches that one pair of shoes! My daughter brings the same thing so thats only 4 pairs of shoes not in use at a time, I couldn't even imagine packing and carrying them all around. I fit everything into one suitcase for myself, my daughter has one of those small kids suitcases that wheels around and that fits all her stuff and I take a small carry on with her nebulizer, nebulizer meds, antibiotics (unmixed so if we need tham I just add water and shake) and motrin.

I packed 4 pair of shoes for me...hubby had 3 pair (dress, sandals, sneakers...and thank goodness we had a different cabin than them!!!).....that photo is what my DD'S and their friends had packed.....no way would I have that many pair!!!! My 2 girls packed their shoes in a separate bag that they had to carry (DH refused!) and our friends DD's had packed their own bunch of shoes......like I said...that is what happens when you put four girls between the ages of 15 and 20 together for a one week cruise!!! The room steward thought they were holding all the shoes for everyone in our group!!! Ha ha!! As I mentioned in my post...we all take one normal size suitcase and anything above that they are responsible for...like the shoe bag. If they don't care about lugging around...I don't care if they bring them!!!

 

[marv]

Hi mmouse

I thought it was only me that over packed ime so pleased Mmouse37 that you proved me wrong. I can believe the amount of shoes you took as i know what it feels like too pack for a trip, wondering wether you have the right shoes for that outfit,will the colour go with that dress. I pack everything when holiday in UK. When we came to Florida last year i was having night mares before the trip as my DH wouldn't allow me to pack any thing as i was only allowed 1 suitcase between 5 of us. We brought back another 4 filled up and it was good that he stopped me but it was really hard for me to do.

A for all you over packers out there

 

[zeldacruiser]

I definitely overpacked (even returned one top and pair of shorts that still had the tags on them when I got home), but one thing I did perfectly was underwear - lots of it. Maybe this is not the best topic for public discussion, but think about it: I wore a pair of shorts to breakfast for an hour before going to the pool, and of course no problem with wearing them again the next day (or two). But even though my underwear was equally clean, I felt the need to dip into the drawer for a new pair when dressing for dinner that night. Besides, unmentionables take up very little room in the suitcase!

 

[mmouse37]

Hi mmouse

I thought it was only me that over packed ime so pleased Mmouse37 that you proved me wrong. I can believe the amount of shoes you took as i know what it feels like too pack for a trip, wondering wether you have the right shoes for that outfit,will the colour go with that dress. I pack everything when holiday in UK. When we came to Florida last year i was having night mares before the trip as my DH wouldn't allow me to pack any thing as i was only allowed 1 suitcase between 5 of us. We brought back another 4 filled up and it was good that he stopped me but it was really hard for me to do.

A for all you over packers out there

Hi Marv....I actually pride myself in packing as few clothes as possible (DH would tend to disagree with me...but I feel I pack just enough. Now, my three kids.....now they are 21, 20 and 16...they are a different story....they definately do tend to overpack (even my 20 year old son!!) But, as I said in my other post...if what they pack can fit in one regular sized suitcase and it does not go over the airline limit....I really don't care what they bring (they usually have their own cabin)....as long as they are the ones lugging it around!!!

 

[LindaBabe]

I also go with those who would rather have it and not need it than Need it and not have it.

That being said, I wore everything I took except one pair of shorts, and wished I'd had one more dinner dress.

Cruising in winter as we did meant I needed warm weather clothes for Grand Cayman and Cozumel and cold weather clothes for WDW. I was GLAD i had both and we even wound up buying a blanket to wear for spectro one night.

My luggage not only seems larger than many peoples - it IS larger than many. Think about it - my size 20's take up twice as much room as my girl friend's size 10s!

 

[r3ngels]

I love the shoes...

I am a HUGE shoe person and I am raising 3 DD that are so into shoes... we find the shoe and match the outfit to the shoe.

My best friend went to WDW with 1 pair of sneakers, I was shocked

I will have to show DH so he knows we aren't that crazy