Over packing.

We are both over packers. My husband just says he keeps his eyes down when dragging all the luggage and don't make eye contact with people staring at all the suitcases. He figures if they are judging us we will not ever see 99% of them again after our cruise.

You can never take too much of anything !!!!!!!

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I over pack, but I'm working on it. I use the guest room for out of season clothes storage and my shoe rack so that becomes my packing room. I keep a box in there with travel size toiletries, OTC meds, little odds and ends. I regularly go through the stuff to see what needs to be replaced.

I plan to cut back for our next 9 day cruise. My working list includes, 2 pair of travel knit palazzo pants, black skirt and white jeans and six tops to mix and match for dinner. Four pairs of shorts and 9 light weight tops because I like a fresh shirt to start the day. Three mix and match swim suit tops and bottoms and three cover ups. Lots of underwear. Two or three nightgowns. Costume jewelry, makeup, scarves, a wrap. One pair of flip flops for the pool/beach, one pair of walking sandals, one pair of sandals for evening. I'll wear sneakers to travel because I'll need them for an excursion.

My husband travels light. He'll bring three pairs of slacks, two guayaberas, five polo shirts, underwear, socks and a cardigan or jacket, two swim trunks and t-shirts to wear with them. He doesn't wear shorts, not even in the Caribbean. Underwear. Boat shoes and sneakers, which he will wear to travel. I'll put the overflow from my suitcase into his, prompting him to ask 'WTH did you put in here?'

I don't want to be on my last option on my last day....not sure what the deal is with "packing light"! as long as it fits in the suitcase, and I can carry it....what's the big deal? I like having options!

If we do Celebrity, we usually do two 7 day back to backs using a carry on for each of us. STATUS ALERT!! We are Elite Plus so we each get two bags of laundry and two free pressings per cruise. Since the advent of Evening Chic and Modern Luxury, we don't bring any of our good clothes, that according to some, can be damaged from laundering although we have never had it happen to us. All our toilet items are travel size so they go in the bag too. Since we have to fly, it saves us the cost of a piece of checked luggage, about $25 each way and the angst of worrying if it's going to make it or not.

So back to the subject, yeas there are occasions where we don't use everything at least once.

For chic night we still bring cocktail attire vs gowns and tux. I bring two dresses and shoes. My dh two jackets slacks shirts and ties. Same amoount of clothes as before but different ones. We are also Elite plus

We over pack, no doubt. But, we drive to the port and want clean clothes without doing laundry. Other than underwear and socks, I don't trust Celebrity to wash any of our clothes. Heck, even on non cruise trips we usually over pack.

 

I can't see how people use just a carry on (although we did for a safari). We have no desire to do laundry while on vacation unless we absolutely have to. I like clean clothes and are willing to take a little more baggage to ensure it. And yea, I wear stuff more than once, but once you sweat in a shirt - it's done.

 

enjoy

We always go on trips overseas that involve 4, 5, 6 or 7 weeks. Doing laundry is a must. While on our four week drive tour of Wales and England, we did laundry twice before getting on our TA back to the USA. We found launderettes within walking distance of our B&Bs. It took us about 1.5 hours to finish it all. In April, while in Sydney, Australia, we could not find a coin laundry service nearby, but we found a laundry service that washed and folded our substantial laundry (2 weeks of dirty clothes) for a flat fee of $50.

We use the free laundry on the ship for 90% of our clothes. Never had anything damaged.

As we have gotten older our packed wardrobe has gone down but our pharmacy and essentials has gone UP! Fortunately with the dress code relaxation over the years and new fabrics, our suitcases have less shoes and clothes. Also photography and media devices are a lot smaller. Still, we need a 26 inch suitcase to travel

We are both over packers (1 28" and 1 carryon each). DH is a frequent flier so we are not charged for baggage (or excess weight). Our last cruise was the most difficult as the weather varied so much. Our next cruise (10 day warm weather) we vow to do better and plan to eliminate one carryon. Doubt we can do better than that. I like options and prefer to keep at least one suitcase with us.

One thing that bugs me is all the "just in case" other stuff we pack for each cruise -- the band aids and cough medicine and various types of potions and lotions and pills and pain relievers for all the possible things that might occur from bug bites to diarrhea to a loose crown.

 

We use very little of it on any cruise, if any at all, and end up re-packing it to bring back home, where we end up tossing a lot of it after it passes its expiration date, and then repurchasing it again.

 

It would be nice if there was some kind of communal stash of all that stuff somewhere on the ship so that we would not all need to keep carrying duplicates of the same stuff back and forth for each cruise, but I have no idea of how such a setup might work, or be kept sanitary, or if it would even be legal.

I have stopped bringing stuff that I know they regularly carry on the ship, such as hydrocortisone cream and Nyquil.

But it would be just my luck that if I should ever need it, that will be the time when they will be out of it.

OMG, this is me to a "T"!!! I'm always afraid that there will be that "One" time when I'll need something (desperately) and not be able to find it; so happy to know I'm not the only one who thinks and packs like this ;p

We are both over packers (1 28" and 1 carryon each). DH is a frequent flier so we are not charged for baggage (or excess weight). Our last cruise was the most difficult as the weather varied so much. Our next cruise (10 day warm weather) we vow to do better and plan to eliminate one carryon. Doubt we can do better than that. I like options and prefer to keep at least one suitcase with us.

Agree! We also take a third bag- with dresses and suit/jackets for my husband. We will probably continue bringing multiple changes per cruise. Last cruise, a brand new dress that I purchased had a security tag from the department store, the type I couldn't remove without a special machine, fortunately I had options! Of course I will carefully always check my clothes for tags, rips etc, but you never know. I would have been very unhappy if I didn't have other options. I do not like to wear the same clothes every day- even though laundry and dry cleaning is available.

OMG, this is me to a "T"!!! I'm always afraid that there will be that "One" time when I'll need something (desperately) and not be able to find it; so happy to know I'm not the only one who thinks and packs like this ;p

 

 

 

SaveSave

I pack EVERYTHING !! Sometimes 2 of everything !!!!Hahaha !!!

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What’s wrong with overpacking?

Was glad to see this thread as I just posted something similar on our roll call.

we are guilty of overpacking but I figure we are on vacation and like to dress a little for dinner so why not. We don't do laundry on board so a 14 day cruise does require a lot of clothes. I will wear slacks or jeans more then once, shirts if it is only 1/2 a day. I usually bring a suit and a sports coat or two. Actually i use to pack less when I rented a tuxedo but prefer wearing my own stuff and slightly less formal.

We usually get two checked bags each when we travel internationally and our next cruise we can take a vehicle to port so not as much an issue.

Our last two week trip we had 3 large cases and a large rolling garment bag. Could have had done it with 1 less if we did carryons.

I’ve decided I will never be one of those people who can only pack in a carry on

Me neither!

Have definitely cut back on clothing thanks to Evening Chic and elite laundry, but wouldn't think of reducing precautionary meds. Been sick on board, it's expensive and no fun. All that little stuff has no real size or weight, so doesn't complicate packing. Our real problem is shoes. We typically fill an entire carry-on bag with sneakers, sandals, dress shoes (several pairs for her) etc. That bag is heavier than our full size suitcases, but doesn't count against our airline weight allowance.

My motto is THANK HEAVENS FOR LUGGAGE WITH WHEELS! I always slightly overpack on the clothing, but have cut back until our last cruise. On that cruise, instead of flying to our embarkation port in FL, we decided to drive. Not having to consider the weight of our luggage, or where we packed what unleashed the beast! When deciding between options as we packed, instead of choosing, we repeatedly said TAKE BOTH! This next cruise, I'll go back to my list. When I unpack, I write a list of what we wore. That will be the basis of what goes into the suitcase. Any new purchase will replace something on the list and not be "in addition to" the list.

What I will continue to overpack is medications and those things that I hope we won't need, probably won't need, but will be happy I have them in case we need! That's an iron clad list that never varies, never is subtracted from, and only gets additions. The additions happen as we get older. If we go on vacation and need something medication wise that we don't have and have to purchase, it gets added to the list that permanently lives inside our luggage. It makes packing easy on the brain and much quicker!

I am a chronic slopper. Seriously I cannot go 4 hours without slopping food down the front of me. Because of that I honestly need to have at least 2 T-shirts for each day and cannot count on being able to re-wear an evening outfit -- because most likely it will have food down the front of it after the first wearing. So I DO pack a lot of clothing and I usually DO go through it all. Getting it all in a carry on is never gonna happen. However I have learned to pare down on my purses and shoes. I now only pack one evening clutch, one day purse, one pair of evening flats, one pair of sandals and one pair of walking shoes. I don't even bring heels anymore because I have given myself permission to never torture myself in heels ever again. My husband doesn't hobble around on heels, so neither do I! I also force myself to use their terrible hair dryers so I don't have to bring mine. I don't bring near the beauty products and make-up that I used to bring -- although I do always prefer my own soaps and shampoos/etc, I can manage fine with the refillable 3 oz bottles from home. My decadent anal obsession is my fabulous fully stocked first aid kit. Hubs used to tease me about my first aid kit until he needed it a few times. Now he says "I hope you're bringing the whole drug store, right?'

For the pat 12 years we have driven to all our cruise ports, so we have gotten lazy and really over pack all the time.

Also it seems the older I get the more I pack. We too take all the medications, band-aids, ointments you can think of. I worry what if I need this or that and there have been plenty of cruises were we have needed NyQuil or other assorted OTCs. This is in addition to our prescription medications we now must bring. As for clothes we don't take as much as we use to but we still bring 3 suitcases and 2 carry on's per cruise. I would like to eliminate 1 suitcase.

I probably do over-pack to an extent. I make a list of all the clothes I want to bring and then figure out what I will really wear by making a list by day of what I might wear. I do re-use some clothing but not for night time wear normally. I will use same shorts but with a different shirt, etc but will have an outfit for each night of the cruise.

I pack a carry-on and a 24" bag for 14 days and my checked bag usually has plenty of room in it for souvenirs. I can get 4 days of clothes in my carry-on along (days and nights) with 2 pairs of flip flops, bathing suit and cover-up (2 each); nightgowns, etc. I use my personal bag for make-up, books, Medications, etc.

I've become an expert at getting the most in the smallest spaces, I guess. But as my husband says, I still over-pack.

I've done 7 day cruise in carry on & a backpack.

Requires some planning while you pack for sure.

But DH prefers to check & not deal with a carry on if possible & we usually fly SWA, so FAR too easy to overpack...

It is nice to have options...

Have have sailed and met people who to be blut stank. Just because your clothes look clean, doesn’t mean they are clean. As long as you wash your clothes daily and don’t mind wearing the same things carry on works for some. Laundry service is available on the ships as is dry cleaning. I only wash bathing suits and hang in bathroom as I don’t like my cabin or balcony to look like a laundry room.

Pants/skirts can be reworn several times.

Tops--I pull on a tee for an hour or two for breakfast before pool time. I wear another for a couple hours after pool time before dressing for dinner. All tops are hung on hangers after wearing. Those can be worn 2 or 3 times. If a shirt is worn even half a day it is considered dirty.

I have encountered people who stink as well, in many areas of life. (tho I don't particularly recall any on a cruise; not saying one might not).

It is more a factor of daily hygiene, tho I had had to advise my students to change underwear and shirts daily. I know some of my students drop a shirt on the floor after wearing it all day then pull it on the next day. That is what they see at home; so we try to educate them, but habits die hard. (tho we aren't going to see these families on cruises)

In some countries, daily showers are not the norm, and wearing clothing several times before laundering is common. They have grown accustomed to stronger body odors than in other cultures. Not right or wrong, just different--but it is a tough one for those of us who live in cultures where this isn't common.

Additionally, as we get older, our olfactory system isn't as sensitive, so older people may not notice smells either.

But for the rest of us, hopefully the sniff test (of ourselves or our preworn clothing) should take care of business.

Oh hands up I resemble that implication - my name is tiggertastic and I’m an over packer

It’s not clothes though, it’s taken me 55 cruises, I’ve got that sorted by putting half back but it’s shoes, toiletries and meds. I love my shoes but next trip I’m leaving all heels at home, I’m going to need therapy but my feet swell and I can’t get them on so they’re staying home. Sob sob.

My husband has; deodorant, shaving gel, razor but I pack 2 big bags of toiletries for all eventualities. I will conquer it eventually.

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toiletries and meds. I love my shoes but next trip I’m leaving all heels at home,

 

 

but I pack 2 big bags of toiletries for all eventualities. I will conquer it eventually.

 

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I'm right there with you.

We went away overnight for our niece's wedding and my DH said how much stuff are you bringing. I probably brought more stuff than most people bring with them for a 7 night cruise.

Pants/skirts can be reworn several times.

Tops--I pull on a tee for an hour or two for breakfast before pool time. I wear another for a couple hours after pool time before dressing for dinner. All tops are hung on hangers after wearing. Those can be worn 2 or 3 times. If a shirt is worn even half a day it is considered dirty.

 

I have encountered people who stink as well, in many areas of life. (tho I don't particularly recall any on a cruise; not saying one might not).

It is more a factor of daily hygiene, tho I had had to advise my students to change underwear and shirts daily. I know some of my students drop a shirt on the floor after wearing it all day then pull it on the next day. That is what they see at home; so we try to educate them, but habits die hard. (tho we aren't going to see these families on cruises)

 

In some countries, daily showers are not the norm, and wearing clothing several times before laundering is common. They have grown accustomed to stronger body odors than in other cultures. Not right or wrong, just different--but it is a tough one for those of us who live in cultures where this isn't common.

Additionally, as we get older, our olfactory system isn't as sensitive, so older people may not notice smells either.

 

But for the rest of us, hopefully the sniff test (of ourselves or our preworn clothing) should take care of business.

Ironically the person that I encountered with horrible BO wasn’t a senior citizen. He came with his wife and kids. We were in close quarters on a RC cruise in an escape room. He appeared neat but the smell. We had to backup. People , even family members get used to the smell but the rest of us do not. I think daily bathing and clean clothes are essential. I find locker room smells are offensive. Perhaps other people and cultures don’t find them offensive