Struggling with packing for 1st cruise

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I know... What a tough problem to have, right?!?

Given the small quarters of the stateroom, I'm trying to figure out how much to pack for a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise departing in one week!! It's out first cruise ever, and I just don't have a good sense of how much is needed.

Can a couple of pretty big suitcases fit under the bed??

I know I can wash clothes onboard, but would really prefer not to have to do that. We have a Remy reservation, so I know DH and I need one nicer outfit. Is it enough to just pack a few pairs of shorts, a bunch of tank tops, one pair of jeans, and a bathing suit for each of us?? Is it the kind of thing where we might want two outfits in one day (I'm thinking about WDW in Aug where I love to change midday after a quick shower!)??

Am I overthinking this?!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I know... What a tough problem to have, right?!?

Given the small quarters of the stateroom, I'm trying to figure out how much to pack for a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise departing in one week!! It's out first cruise ever, and I just don't have a good sense of how much is needed.

Can a couple of pretty big suitcases fit under the bed??

I know I can wash clothes onboard, but would really prefer not to have to do that. We have a Remy reservation, so I know DH and I need one nicer outfit. Is it enough to just pack a few pairs of shorts, a bunch of tank tops, one pair of jeans, and a bathing suit for each of us?? Is it the kind of thing where we might want two outfits in one day (I'm thinking about WDW in Aug where I love to change midday after a quick shower!)??

Am I overthinking this?!

First, I'd suggest you bring 2 swimsuits. It's icky trying to put on a not-dried-yet swimsuit if you want to go in the pools/hot tubs.

And, be sure to bring some sort of light jacket/sweater. It can be fairly cool indoors onboard. And it really does get chilly at night outside (remember you're on a moving vehicle). I'd also suggest some sort of sleeved top, besides the tank tops.

But, other than that, what you've suggested is fine. For a 7 night cruise, we don't tend to do laundry, but for longer ones we do. Yes, two suitcases will fit underneath the bed.

OH, don't forget your pirate gear for pirate night.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

First, I'd suggest you bring 2 swimsuits. It's icky trying to put on a not-dried-yet swimsuit if you want to go in the pools/hot tubs.

And, be sure to bring some sort of light jacket/sweater. It can be fairly cool indoors onboard. And it really does get chilly at night outside (remember you're on a moving vehicle). I'd also suggest some sort of sleeved top, besides the tank tops.

But, other than that, what you've suggested is fine. For a 7 night cruise, we don't tend to do laundry, but for longer ones we do. Yes, two suitcases will fit underneath the bed.

OH, don't forget your pirate gear for pirate night.

Thank you!!

Good point about the two bathing suits and something for chillier times!!

In your experience, can you easily fit suitcases under the bed? We have a family ocean view stateroom with veranda and are a family of four. I'm trying to picture whether I could fit maybe two larger suitcases under there? Hoping we could make do with one small and one larger...

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thank you!!

Good point about the two bathing suits and something for chillier times!!

In your experience, can you easily fit suitcases under the bed? We have a family ocean view stateroom with veranda and are a family of four. I'm trying to picture whether I could fit maybe two larger suitcases under there? Hoping we could make do with one small and one larger...

Well, we fit our two suitcases under the bed just fine. Both large roller bags. As well as our backpacks. One plus with a large and smaller one though would be that you can put the smaller one inside the larger one, before placing them under the bed, saving some space.

 

[Jennifer777]

We were able to fit our 4 large suitcases under the bed and it's pretty surprising how much you can fit into the closet and drawers. We always bring laundry detergent so we can wash if we run out of clothes. This keeps me from feeling like I need to pack enough to survive the apocalypse. We typically pack one warm outfit including a jacket, dress shoes and tennis shoes, 4 or 5 pairs of shorts, shirts and/or summer dresses, our pirate and formal night gear and some PJs. If push comes to shove, they do have a laundry service on board so you can have them wash for you, but this wouldn't be very economical if you wanted to wash more than a few things.

 

[Weedy]

Tip: when you are done wearing an outfit put it in the suitcase. It makes packing much easier the last night.

 

[Aby]

We went to taking carry on only on all of our trips a few years ago and couldn't be happier! So must less hassle, but it can be a challenge to deal with the limited room - thankfully a warm weather cruise is much easier than Alaska for this!

I think the key to packing light is to try to bring as many multiple use/multi-purpose items as possible. I bring a couple pairs of pants that I can wear to dinner every night, a couple pairs of shorts that I can wear multiple days, and I pair those with t-shirts for general use. I bring one semi-formal shirt that I will wear to both the MDR on semi-formal night and to Palo brunch, and I bring one formal shirt that I wear to formal night and to Palo dinner. I only bring 2 pairs of shoes - one pair of sneakers and 1 pair of sandals. I use packing cubes to help with space.

So that I still have room to bring back souvenirs I pack a cloth duffel at the bottom of my back that I can check on the way home.

Aby

 

[WanderLit]

I am famous for packing light. I proudly spent a month in Vietnam and Cambodia with only a 22lb pack, a hat, and one pair of shoes. My motto is "never pack more than you can pick up and run with... you never know when you might have to."

But for this cruise, I'm going BIG! I'm packing resort-wear for daytime and shore excursions. I've put together complete and detailed Disney-bounding outfits to change into for dinner each night. I'm bringing a wardrobe of princess gowns for my little granddaughter, a different costume every night as a surprise. And packing decorations for the stateroom, Fish extender gifts, personal electronics, and photography equipment... I could go on... I even bought my first 3-piece luggage set for the occasion.

I'm packing for family luxury. I'm packing like I'm going on a fantasy cruise... because I am! It's an experiment. This whole cruise is an experiment for me. It's vastly different from my usual style of travel and I'm throwing myself completely into the Disney experience.

 

[Plaid Princess]

I am famous for packing light. I proudly spent a month in Vietnam and Cambodia with only a 22lb pack, a hat, and one pair of shoes. My motto is "never pack more than you can pick up and run with... you never know when you might have to."

But for this cruise, I'm going BIG! I'm packing resort-wear for daytime and shore excursions. I've put together complete and detailed Disney-bounding outfits to change into for dinner each night. I'm bringing a wardrobe of princess gowns for my little granddaughter, a different costume every night as a surprise. And packing decorations for the stateroom, Fish extender gifts, personal electronics, and photography equipment... I could go on... I even bought my first 3-piece luggage set for the occasion.

I'm packing for family luxury. I'm packing like I'm going on a fantasy cruise... because I am! It's an experiment. This whole cruise is an experiment for me. It's vastly different from my usual style of travel and I'm throwing myself completely into the Disney experience.

I'm exactly the same way! Normally I refuse to use anything more than a small carryon size suitcase (and with size 12 & 14 feet for me and hubby that's no joke!). But for a cruise I overpack and enjoy it. I love wearing something casual in the morning, and changing for dinner. I take an absurd amount of swimsuits. Do I need all of it? Absolutely not... but I enjoy it!

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Thank you all SO MUCH!!! SOOOOOOO helpful to hear from you all!!

 

[Amanda129]

Try to pick things that are similar color schemes you can mix and match, and can dress up/down to make them work for the different occasions, then throw in different accessories to change everything up a bit as well. There are all kinds of "capsule" ideas on Pinterest for packing less than 20 items of clothing and being able to make 30-40 outfits out of them. Most of the ones I've seen start with a base set of dark/light colors, then patterned pieces are added.

And a definite yes to taking 2 swimsuits! They are definitely not fun to put on when still wet from the previous use!

 

[diznymom]

Don't forget to bring clothes pins to hang the swimsuits in the bath/shower area. There is a retractable clothes line. You can wash some things b hand in the sink and hang to dry.

You do not need shampoo, conditioner or soap.

 

[Jennifer Scicchitano]

We were able to fit our 4 large suitcases under the bed and it's pretty surprising how much you can fit into the closet and drawers. We always bring laundry detergent so we can wash if we run out of clothes. This keeps me from feeling like I need to pack enough to survive the apocalypse. We typically pack one warm outfit including a jacket, dress shoes and tennis shoes, 4 or 5 pairs of shorts, shirts and/or summer dresses, our pirate and formal night gear and some PJs. If push comes to shove, they do have a laundry service on board so you can have them wash for you, but this wouldn't be very economical if you wanted to wash more than a few things.

do you know how much they charge for the laundry service? like kids clothes- my 4 year old is a disaster no matter how many outfits i bring, and me doing laundry, prob not likely. we use the laundry service on a resort we visit and they charge 1/2 price for kids stuff- just curious, mostly bc I'm lazy- lol

 

[Jennifer Scicchitano]

Try to pick things that are similar color schemes you can mix and match, and can dress up/down to make them work for the different occasions, then throw in different accessories to change everything up a bit as well. There are all kinds of "capsule" ideas on Pinterest for packing less than 20 items of clothing and being able to make 30-40 outfits out of them. Most of the ones I've seen start with a base set of dark/light colors, then patterned pieces are added.

And a definite yes to taking 2 swimsuits! They are definitely not fun to put on when still wet from the previous use!

i do this every time i go away, i can get 10 days at least worth of outfits in a carry on for myself, kids, well are a disaster but i do try to bring some clothes that my kids are almost grown out of and, will be by the time the next season they are able to wear them- so if they wreck them, i trash them. more room for souvenirs

 

[WanderLit]

do you know how much they charge for the laundry service? like kids clothes- my 4 year old is a disaster no matter how many outfits i bring, and me doing laundry, prob not likely. we use the laundry service on a resort we visit and they charge 1/2 price for kids stuff- just curious, mostly bc I'm lazy- lol

You're not lazy. You're on vacation!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

do you know how much they charge for the laundry service? like kids clothes- my 4 year old is a disaster no matter how many outfits i bring, and me doing laundry, prob not likely. we use the laundry service on a resort we visit and they charge 1/2 price for kids stuff- just curious, mostly bc I'm lazy- lol

 

[Jennifer777]

do you know how much they charge for the laundry service? like kids clothes- my 4 year old is a disaster no matter how many outfits i bring, and me doing laundry, prob not likely. we use the laundry service on a resort we visit and they charge 1/2 price for kids stuff- just curious, mostly bc I'm lazy- lol

It's priced out per item and it's not very economical. There's a close up of the laundry price chart at the bottom of this link. Not sure how up to date these prices are but it should give you an idea. =)
http://www.disneycruisemomblog.com/disney-dream-room-9024/

 

[Jennifer Scicchitano]

shockingly- this is actually cheaper than "dreams" where we take the kids esp for underwear, (we took a trip while almost potty trained- thus the underwear comment) my little guy won't wear a shirt with a spot of water on it- gotta remember clothespins since he's such a slob

 

[polyqueen]

We're packing for our cruise right now--we leave Friday. I'm also packing 2 swim cover-ups, along with the 2 suits, just in case. My problem is shoes and curlers! Thank you for the clothespin tip! I am bringing a few zip storage bags--always find a use for them--and sock slippers for the room.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We're packing for our cruise right now--we leave Friday. I'm also packing 2 swim cover-ups, along with the 2 suits, just in case. My problem is shoes and curlers! Thank you for the clothespin tip! I am bringing a few zip storage bags--always find a use for them--and sock slippers for the room.

I generally take one pair of walking shoes (that's what I wear to/from the ship), one dress shoes, and one water shoe that doubles as a sandal. I will also suggest, unless you REALLY need those curlers, they could be superfluous, the wind/sea/salt air does a number on hair.