Which Luggage to Take on First Cruise

[hayesdvc]

We are going on our first cruise next month, Disney or otherwise on the Wish for a four night sailing.
We know you can check two bags per person. Is there a weight limit that is checked per bag?

We see you can have a carry on size suitcase and one personal bag. For those who cruise, do you always take on the carry on piece or does this interfere with you being able to begin to enjoy the ship’s amenities as soon as you board?

TIA

 

[MichelleCanada]

Your bags will get dropped off outside with a porter and they do not have scales. We always take a carry on with our valuables and swim stuff - so we can do the slides right away. You will face access to your room around 1:30 pm so you can drop stuff off.

Remember if you are going to bring on any wine or beer it has to be in your carry on.

You may not see your luggage outside your cabin for a few hours - so put into your carry on what you want for the afternoon.

 

[kiford]

Technically each person is allowed two bags, plus carry-on plus personal item but in 23 years that we've sailed with DCL, they've never counted. Never heard about a weight limit. Yes, you will need to carry your carry-on/personal item with you if you board before your room is ready (recently has been 2 pm but historically was 1:30) which is why we typically don't board until close to when rooms are ready. We have boarded earlier before for various reasons so we typically then just go for lunch at one of the main dining rooms for a sit-down lunch so you can stick the bags under the table or we go sit in the Cove Cafe (we are just two adults, no kids) and put the bag down beside us. We don't normally do much before the rooms are ready.

Also, if you are going on a cruise that is 7 days or less, you simply don't need so much luggage. You need a lot less than you think (we're still working on that!). The only time we took 2 bags per person plus carry-on plus personal item was on a 10-day cruise in the Med where we also spent another week in Germany plus we had formal wear. The next time we did a long Med cruise (11 days) with a week in Germany we winnowed it down to 3 bags in total plus carry-on plus personal item with formal wear and the third time (12 days) we did one plus a week in Germany we got it down to 1 bag each plus carry-on plus personal item including formal wear. And if you're prepared to do laundry (we aren't) or send items out for cleaning (we haven't), you can winnow it down further. Our last cruise was four nights plus a night on either end of the cruise and we managed it entirely with a carry-on bag each (no formal wear).

 

[MichelleCanada]

You are right - we didn’t get into our room on the Wish until 2 pm! Two weeks ago we got into our room in the Magic at 1:30 pm.

We were on the slide for the first time at 1 pm on the Wish. The line was the short

 

[Marc D]

DCL doesn't count or weight luggage, unlike airlines. Porters will even provide extra tags if those provided aren't enough.

We always leave all of our luggage with them, including the carry-on we use on the plane, allowing us to roam the ship unhindered during the first few hours before the stateroom is ready. If you really want to get in the pool ASAP, put on your swimwear under your regular clothes or bring it in a small bag and change in the restrooms on the pool deck.

 

[ironz]

Even if there is not a weight limit, don't go too crazy-- actual humans have to lift and move all the bags. (Yes, it is their job, but there's a reason airlines have cracked down on this.)

 

[Lilsia]

Keep in mind that the rooms have limited space for your bags. For a 4 night cruise, everyone should be able to fit everything into one large suitcase. Use big ziplock bags to put everything in and squeeze the air out of it. Not only does that save a ton of space, but it will keep your items dry if the suitcases are left out in the rain. We had that happen to us once, that it was downpouring on embarkation day and they just left all of the bags out in the rain. We opened out suitcase and could pour the water out of it, but most of our stuff was completely dry. The laundry rooms were packed that night.

 

[tvguy]

Keep in mind that the rooms have limited space for your bags. For a 4 night cruise, everyone should be able to fit everything into one large suitcase. Use big ziplock bags to put everything in and squeeze the air out of it. Not only does that save a ton of space, but it will keep your items dry if the suitcases are left out in the rain. We had that happen to us once, that it was downpouring on embarkation day and they just left all of the bags out in the rain. We opened out suitcase and could pour the water out of it, but most of our stuff was completely dry. The laundry rooms were packed that night.

We've never needed more than 1 large suitcase for two people for a 7 day cruise. Mix and match is your friend.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[princesscinderella]

If you are planning to give your bags to the porter they will be stacked with sometimes 6 suitcases on top so if you have one you want to keep in pristine condition carry it onboard.

 

[Flcruising]

Oh my...2 bags a person on a 4 night cruise. You may want to reconsider what your taking or how your packing. We would take 1 bag for 2 people and that would include pirate costumes and hats. We do have a carry-on like a tote or backpack. It holds passports, wallets, papers, valuables, anything we don't want lost or will need before room opens.
Plus it is a lot easier putting all your pocket contents in one backpack than having everyone empty their pockets, put it all in a tray walk through security, grab trays and put it all back in pockets. All while trying to keep on moving. So we put all pocket contents in the backpack ahead of time. Put it on conveyer belt go through, grab it and everyone is on their way.

 

[OpieDoodle]

For a short cruise like that I can't imagine needing 2 bags per person and being worried about a weight limit. You may want to consider editing down a bit.

When I cruise I take my own large suitcase not filled all the way up. Usually my issue with weight is airlines not the cruise ship. The rest of the space in my suitcase is for suvioners and such. I carry on a backpack with essentials like swim suit, any medications, electronics, etc. Anything more than a backpack is a pain to deal with in my experience.

 

[msmama]

I was on a longer cruise (PC maybe) with a family who had like 20 pieces of luggage. The mom had full on gowns for most nights. So, no matter how much you take, someone has probably done more.

We like longer cruises so usually have 2 suitcases getting on the ship but those are stuffed with empty bags so I often have more getting off the ship. But I keep airline regulations in mind when it comes to weight.

 

[Chemist]

I'm really having a hard time understanding what you need to bring that requires more than one suitcase per person for a 4 night cruise. (Unless you are bringing a baby as they require approx. 500 outfits per day, and diapers, and formula and....)

We had 3 suitcases for 4 people for 11 nights a few years ago!
We re-wore clothes from the evening some. If we spent the day at the beach and got dressed for dinner and the show, we could totally re-wear those clothes another time.

Shoes take up lots of space. I'd wear one pair of regular sandals, bring a pair of flip flops for the beach/pool and bring one pair of dressy shoes for evening.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

If you are planning to give your bags to the porter they will be stacked with sometimes 6 suitcases on top so if you have one you want to keep in pristine condition carry it onboard.

 

[dreamer17555]

Honestly, you guys are kind of killjoys.

They can take as many pieces of luggage as they want. DCL only provide so many tags, but the porters have additional.

I personally like over packing for a Cruise. I like having different outfits to wear and not needing to re-wear or wash anything. I like dressing up for dinner I like having a costume for pirate night. And I like options.

The wish has slightly less storage space in my opinion than on the other ships, but if you absolutely must, you can live out of your suitcases placed under the bed.

Take as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. Just don’t try to pack anything that’s on the prohibited items list that you can find on the DCL website.

 

[Carohs]

When we cruise we bring one suitcase just for our ears, decor, DDs dress up princess gear, and other costumes.

We have always (in 3 cruises) found our bags by mid-afternoon and aren't in a large hurry to get in the pools. Otoh, DH always packs wine so we do have a carry on. He doesn't complain when lugging a heavy backpack around but it sure seems a hindrance in the moment. It's only a few hours from embarkation to rooms being ready, anyway. In 2/3 sailings we were able to drop off the carry-on in our room immediately after finishing lunch at Cabanas. The third we detoured to kids club open house, then tried the stateroom again.

 

[NAB]

Just make sure you keep all paper work or passports for checkin don’t send your carryon and realize they are in there…lol

We usually have a suitcase for each person , want to have extra room for stuff we bring back. At the end I usually have wash in one and what ever clothes I didn’t wear and shoes in the other. Always put wash in the suitcase under the bed.

We also carry on a CPAP machine until the room is open. Our carryons are backpacks so no problem walking around the ship until the rooms are open. In there we have our meds, iPad , chargers and jewellery. Paper work.

 

[Skittlesmom]

You should be able to get by with a large suitcase and a carry on. Carry on should have any electronics, passport/personal items, medicines, and a swimsuit...anything else you need in the first few hours. Most people tend to overpack. There are laundry rooms available on the ship. Suitcases can take up space in your room, so recommend not overpacking.

 

[Lilsia]

Honestly, you guys are kind of killjoys.

They can take as many pieces of luggage as they want. DCL only provide so many tags, but the porters have additional.

I personally like over packing for a Cruise. I like having different outfits to wear and not needing to re-wear or wash anything. I like dressing up for dinner I like having a costume for pirate night. And I like options.

The wish has slightly less storage space in my opinion than on the other ships, but if you absolutely must, you can live out of your suitcases placed under the bed.

Take as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. Just don’t try to pack anything that’s on the prohibited items list that you can find on the DCL website.

But how can 2 people possibly wear enough clothing in one day to take up a whole suitcase? 2 people, 4 nights and 4 full sized suitcases. They would be changing clothing every couple of hours. Do you realize how many outfit you can fit into a full sized suitcase?