What Do YOU take On a Cruise, Or How To Not Overpack!!!!

[arielchickenofthesea]

Oh my goodness, so many great answers. These alone are VERY helpful. I am going to incorporate ideas and come up with a surefire way to do this.

I have already got the mindset right now, that I am NOT going to overpack this time. I am thinking of what I took last time, and did not wear, and have already decided , that stuff stays home!

I know I do not need so much, so I am really going to get it right this time. I am determined to! I really HATE overpacking and having to haul more suitcases than we need. I make hubby take 2 checked bags, so I can put more stuff in there! Not this trip. If he only needs his one, then I am not going to have him take an extra, just so I can pack more. I will have 2 checked and a carry on. I too have medical issues, so that does take up room, but I will do better this trip.

I think what happens is I get stressed about having what I WANT to wear,, and just start going crazy, packing everything I think I might want or need. The "might" is the key.

I KNOW what I have worn on our last cruises to the Caribbean, this is no different. I have the clothes I love to wear here, and they pretty much are what one would wear in the Caribbean.

I already have a good idea of what to take and have started pulling those clothes and it is going much better this time. I know what I need and what I did not use in past trips and so I am building a list already based on what did NOT get worn and what did!

I refuse to overpack this trip! I don't want to come home and see that a half or three quarters of my clothing did not get worn.

But, thanks, to all of you for your great ideas and responses. These are ideas that will work. I will let you know how I did! I will try to remember to post from the Fantasy!
Thanks for wonderful tips and help! You all ROCK!!!

 

[arielchickenofthesea]

Same here. We are leaving in about two weeks for our DCL Fantasy cruise and then an additional 4 nights at Disney. This will be our 7th DCL cruise. I take everything but the house. I can't stand it. I always end up wearing the same/most comfortable clothes. What if, what if, what if - I don't bring too much jewelry (costume/real) and I have cut down on the shoes/sandals, etc. - sort of.....
What I did start a few trips ago - I take my hangers with clothes still on them and just fold them in the luggage. When I arrive, just take them out and hang. I have packing and coming home to unpack!!!

We actually may be on the Fantasy when you come aboard. We will be in our third week and you will be just starting your first. We will then spend a few days in Florida to go to EPCOT for a day and to maybe ship some things home. I like doing this, because it lightens up the suitcases. We end up getting lots of gifts for friends and I LOVE Disney tee shirts, (someday, I am going to have one of those tee shirt quilts made with all Disney tees. I have enough from all our trips!)

 

[arielchickenofthesea]

Starwind: I think you hit the nail on the head. I need to change my mindset. That is so true. I never really travelled a lot when I was younger and I need to learn how to do it. I know about mix and match, I do pack a lot of that, probably too much of it! But I have a real different feeling this time. I have been slowly getting things out to pack for a couple days and am really being choosy, so I will not just throw more stuff in. Once I am done, I am done. No going back and grabbing a few more tops or books! I really am seeing myself in the stateroom looking at my suitcase and feeling proud that I have only what I need and even if a few things go unworn, it won't be like the other times when most of it is unborn. And, it will give me a place to start packing from for the next cruise! It also will give me the confidence that I can do it! It probably comes from a little OCD that I have, the stressing and overpacking, afraid I might need something so I pack too much. I KNOW I CAN DO THIS!

 

[Ozarkglittergirl]

This has all been very helpful. Since this will be my first cruise and not only do I have to pack for myself but I need to assist my 2 granddaughters ages 11-12 I am at a loss. It will help when we actually get out schedule for trip. At this point we can't be for certain there will be a pirate night or a dress up night. We've been told they usually do those but no schedule, no guarantee. If you've read this far I do have one question, are day dresses a good idea? Or will they blow around too much in the wind?
Ozarkglittergirl

 

[Sir William]

I make a spreadsheet with a column for each day. In the first row, I put what we are doing that day and if there is anything specific to pack for (Epcot, Pirate Night, etc). Second row, I put the projected weather for that day, third row what I plan on wearing. Next, I pull out those outfits, with shoes and accessories and lay them all out in a row. Then I see what can be eliminated, maybe a necklace that can be worn twice, maybe I originally planned on 4 pairs of shorts, but two pairs could be worn twice, etc.

I do this as well. There is a column for each day of my trip, including travel days and any pre or post cruise activities like WDW. Each column is broken up into 3 sections: morning, afternoon, and evening. For each of these I enter my expected activities: shore excursions, sea days, Pirate Night, Formal night, exercise, etc. then I enter the shirts, pants, etc that I WANT to wear for those activities.

Now comes the hard part. I add up the number of shirts and pants I NEED for each day and cut that number in HALF! If I'm doing laundry, I take that into account as to what I will NEED between laundry days. I try to wear shirts and pants at least twice between laundry.

• I wear the same outfit, in my case a tux, for both Formal and Semi-formal night. By wearing it twice I can justify the weight and space. DW does the same with a LBD, just changing her jewelry.
• For cruise casual dinner nights, I have two outfits and alternate them.
• For Pirate Night I have dressed up but for only one night's wear I didn't think it worth the weight and space, so now wear a pirate themed aloha shirt
• I'm not a pool or beach person so usually take only one swimsuit as it dries between wearing, but on our last cruise we did mostly beach, sailing, kayaking, and snorkeling excursions so I took an extra one. On the other hand, DW lives at the pool on the ship and takes three so she'll always have a dry one.
• Shoes are always a problem, but usually I wear sandals during the day, a casual pair for the evenings, and a dress pair for my tux (on two nights). I usually take a pair of flip-flops for beach and pool.

I've a lot of Disney shirts, more than I could ever wear on a single trip, so deciding which ones to take is difficult, but I stick to my check-list. it is now pretty rare for me to come home with any clothing I didn't wear, or needed but didn't bring.

 

[Starwind]

Starwind: I think you hit the nail on the head. I need to change my mindset. That is so true. I never really travelled a lot when I was younger and I need to learn how to do it. I know about mix and match, I do pack a lot of that, probably too much of it! But I have a real different feeling this time. I have been slowly getting things out to pack for a couple days and am really being choosy, so I will not just throw more stuff in. Once I am done, I am done. No going back and grabbing a few more tops or books! I really am seeing myself in the stateroom looking at my suitcase and feeling proud that I have only what I need and even if a few things go unworn, it won't be like the other times when most of it is unborn. And, it will give me a place to start packing from for the next cruise! It also will give me the confidence that I can do it! It probably comes from a little OCD that I have, the stressing and overpacking, afraid I might need something so I pack too much. I KNOW I CAN DO THIS!

Changing one's mindset is the first step And keep in mind that this trip will be a learning experience, so you may not get it "perfect", but you will do better than before and learn lessons to apply next time.

Some additional thoughts:

I found the "packing light" or "travel with only a carry-on" websites to actually be very helpful. There is no way I COULD travel with only a carry-on, HOWEVER, I can apply many of the principles to what I do bring, especially when it comes to clothing and how to pack (e.g. rolling clothes and using packing cubes). There are great ideas out there that I find are very helpful.

Regarding medical things: although I think you said you are driving so it isn't a big deal, keep in mind that for flying in the US and Canada (and possibly elsewhere, but always check) if you have a bag that "fits" in the carry-on sizes and contains ONLY medical items (e.g. assistive devices, medical devices (e.g. CPAP, nebulizer, etc), supplies for those devices, medications (Rx and OTC), and other medically necessary items/equipment), that in the passenger cabin, close to the passenger. Note: the airline CAN ask to inspect the bag to verify it is ONLY medical items, so don't try to sneak something else in. Every time I fly I have a medical bag as a third "carry-on". I have only ran into issues twice and both were quickly resolved by a nearby airline employee who advised the problematic employee of the policy/law. Now, some of the things I have to bring for medical reasons are too bulky, so they go in a checked bag. But the essential things that can't be replaced or worked around, or are fragile, or that might be needed during travel itself, including ALL medications (Rx and OTC) for the trip, go in that medical carry-on bag.

Good luck !

SW

 

[bumbershoot]

It will help when we actually get out schedule for trip. At this point we can't be for certain there will be a pirate night or a dress up night. We've been told they usually do those but no schedule, no guarantee. If you've read this far I do have one question, are day dresses a good idea? Or will they blow around too much in the wind?

I would just assume that there will be a pirate night and there will be a dressup night, and go from there.

Dresses during the day are difficult b/c of the wind. I wouldn't do it. Especially for girls of that age; they tend to be too easily embarrassed.


I'm the only girl in my family...I do a dress each night for dinner. I match shoes to as many dresses as I can, and try to make sure they are COMFY shoes. I try to make sure my dresses are COMFY. For days I tend to start with swimsuit and go from there. I'm generally not comfy in a swimsuit and coverup, so I tend to bring some sort of shorts. Recently that's been more of the yoga pant type of shorts/pants, mainly b/c hot sunny climate, cotton shorts, and my system don't always make for cute moments (I'm a sweaty person).

If they'll be heading to the kid's club (not the preteen club*), make sure they are comfy for that. My son has been known to wear his dinner khakis and even a dress shirt there, but that's because his clothing isn't tight or binding, and he likes it. But the girls might want to wear something else.

Swimsuits, clothing for ports, clothing for hanging around on the ship and/or being in kid's clubs. And then evening. (and the girls might want to change back into the day clothes for going to the club after dinner if they are doing that)

And underwear, and socks and shoes.

And sunscreen.

And pirate outfit if you wish to do that. (we are not participants in pirate night other than to somehow incorporate the pirate bandanas they give you into our outfits that night. DS will put his on his head, and I have tied DH's and mine together to make a belt for one of my more bland, beige, dresses. That's the extent of what we do for pirate night.



*if the girls are going to try out the preteen club, then the idea of what to wear for that changes. It's not a playtime sort of place, but a hangout sort of place, or so I've seen.

 

[ludari]

I use a pack list that I have fined tuned for me over my past 11 cruises. I have done short and long trips some even lasting a month (1 week prior to cruise, 2 week cruise and 1 week post cruise) with just a carry-on bag. I use a lot of camping type moisture wicking clothing with SPF protection that is light, dry's quickly and with the zip-off legs for the pants can provide a dual purpose (shorts and pants). I also accept the fact that on trips that are two weeks or longer I most likely will have to do laundry. My key rule that I follow is pack half as much and take twice as much money as planned.

 

[Ozarkglittergirl]

LoL pack half as much but take twice as much money sounds about right! Still chuckling...

 

[Fields3619]

Can I just pretend I am 6 years old again and live in my swimsuit?!?!?

 

[MrsScooby]

Well I packed a few neutral color bottoms (shorts, slacks, skirts) that can be re-worn as needed and make sure I have a fresh top for each day. Sometimes I pack a dress for Palo. Black dress shoes or sandals for dinner, sneakers for walking and flip flops usually meet my needs. I might have a couple tops at the end of the vacation that I haven't worn but for the most part I wear everything. Laundry is a given on long trips.
I would recommend investing in an e-reader to cut down the need to bring books. That alone saves a lot of space.
Good luck !!

 

[bumbershoot]

Can I just pretend I am 6 years old again and live in my swimsuit?!?!?

If your cruise plans match that wardrobe, sure!

Though if you're dining in the MDR they want real clothing.

 

[Jess_S]

For a 1 or 2 week tropical vacation, I pack 1 pair of pants, 1 part of shorts, a 2 or 3 sundresses, 2 or 3 tops and a black cardigan, plus 8 changes of undergarments. I also pack one set of gym clothing (shorts, tank, sports bra), several pairs of gym socks and a swimsuit, of course. I also bring something to sleep in. For shoes, one pair of flip flops, 1 pair of dressy sandals and 1 pair of running shoes.

The sundresses can be used as outfits, beach cover ups or formal night wear. (I bring one or two necklaces to dress them up a bit and wear them with the dressy sandals). All of the tops and bottoms are things that can be mixed and matched with one another. I'm okay with wearing pants and shorts a few times without washing, so this is enough clothing for a full week for me. Sometimes, it's actually too much. If the trip is 2 weeks, I do laundry half way through.

For toiletries, I make a packing list by visualizing my morning routine and packing just those things I use every day. Other essentials are wallet, passport, phone, camera, chargers and books. (I am not a fan of reading on a kindle, so I do bring a few paperbacks.)

My husband, son and I travel with 1 large checked bag, 1 small roller-board carry-on and a backpack each. [ETA: I realized this was unclear. We travel with a total of 5 bags. 1 large, 1 small and 3 backpacks.] Whenever I think about bringing more shoes or dresses or whatever, I remind myself that: 1) I can always buy a new outfit if I really need it (never had); and 2) wrangling my son and extra luggage is just not worth the trouble.

 

[richkaryn]

I am a big overpacker.......mostly because I'm always afraid the weather will change and I won't have what I need (and that really has happened before....cold spell comes or heat wave....and I have to go by --or try to buy out of season---weather appropriate clothing). So I live by the motto "better to have and not need than need and not have". I'm trying to condense for Alaska. I did a fairly good job of condensing for Hawaii last summer (mostly bc we had 4 flights where we had to pay baggage fees as we island hopped 3 times). But I knew that would be primarily tropical weather and I did take a lightweight jacket and 1 pair of pants for the 10 days "just in case". OP mentioned packing lots of books. I used to be that person too....would take 6-10 on a weeks vacation......that's what my kindle is for now. It has saved me a lot of packing.