What to pack on a cruise?

[Jo and Rob]

Advice please seasoned cruisers on what to pack (and what to leave behind!)

thanks

Jo and Rob :rolleyes:

[Toto2Kansas]

The old saying here on CC says to pack your suitcases, then take half of what you packed out, and you should be fine. Most first timers pack twice the clothes they will need onboard, so mix and match outfits, and if need be do a load of laundry or send a few things out to make it through the cruise. ;)

 

Half the clothes and twice the money you had planned on taking works very well. :)

[DKNYC]

Everyone always says bring More money and Less clothes.:) For the most part I think this is pretty true. I think there are launderettes on the ship and services available for cleaning and pressing.

The money thing..i take some cash and use my credit cards for everything else,but I am not a shopper.

 

Denise

[lel5344]

Advice please seasoned cruisers on what to pack (and what to leave behind!)

thanks

Jo and Rob :rolleyes:

 

Lightweight, washable, wrinkle-resistant mix and match. You'll have self-service laundry facilities if necessary. Try to cut back on shoes...they are heavy (especially men's shoes).

Don't bring a bathrobe...your cabin attendant can provide them if you haven't requested them in your cruise personalizer. Don't bring lots of books...use the library. Sun protection is vital...hats and sunscreen.

 

Bring your appetite, your smile, your friendliness, your courtesy, your respect. Leave any unhappiness at home; there's no room for it on a cruise.

[VegasPier]

Advice please seasoned cruisers on what to pack (and what to leave behind!)

thanks

Jo and Rob :rolleyes:

We have always packed way too much. I’m trying to learn from my past experiences. We will see next summer.

 

Having spent 104 days on the Pacific Princess I can say that packing less is better. One of our travel mates that we meet onboard that cruise said that she bought a small wardrobe at a used clothing store. She then donated the excess clothes on one of her last ports of call. This freed up some space for souvenirs and gifts acquired on the cruise.

Something else to keep in mind is that the cabins are small and closet and drawer space is limited. There are laundry facilities onboard, plus you can send your cleaning out. That is a an expensive option though.

My current plan is to pack for 10 days and rely on the onboard laundry service.

You might want to think about formal nights. I’d say about 75% of the passengers will observe formal dress suggestions. I plan on being one of those type of passengers. But instead of dragging a tuxedo with me I plan on using a black suit with a formal tux shirt and bow tie and cummerbund. My objective is to “look” formal for the photos (I am tired of me being the only one in a clean bowling shirt in our souvenir group dinner pictures) but eliminate the need of carrying the whole bib and tucker for the few days that it’s needed. The black suit can also double for the semi-formal nights. There is the option of renting formal wear. But my experience with this non-Princess vender is that they are expensive and rude. I’ll not deal with them at all.

 

The overall philosophy can be summarized as : bring a limited amount of clothing and dress comfortably and appropriately for the climate that you will be traveling in.

 

Cheers, VeagsPier

[cantwaitfornextcruise]

2 sizes small size for week 1 larger size for week 2:eek:

the clothes shrink - :D

[somogirl]

A small digital clock to see the time. I love my coffee & tea in a mug so I purchased a souviner mug in the gift shop. I took my mug up every morning to the buffet. I could have used some dish soap to wash it out.

[We're The Groupnors]

The number one item we always take on a cruise:

Antibacterial wipes to wipe down all hard surfaces in the cabin upon arrival. Bathrooms are cleaned with disinfectant, so they're okay, but the phone, TV remote, desk surface, night table surfaces are not. A cruise can be easily ruined by novovirus if a person has been quarantined in a room that you are about to occupy!

 

On a lighter note, the number two item we always take on a cruise:

A metal coffee travel mug. These double splendidly as a martini shaker.;)

[Sunsailor]

You didn't say what your itinerary will be.

 

For Caribbean cruises daytime wear is very casual..shorts, tee shirts and bathing suits both on shore and aboard ship. Evening is pretty casual as well e.g. dockers(2 prs for a week) and golf shirts for him and slacks and knit tops for her. We pack as little as possible...The golf shirt or knit shirt worn once at dinner can be worn again later in the week. I wear the same formal dress twice...no one notices or cares what I wear.DH packs either a white sport Jacket or a navy blazer and two pair of dress pants.

 

For longer European cruises we pack fewer shorts and more slacks and add a sweater and an outer jacket or windbreaker and plan on one load of laundry on the trip.

Always take less than you think you will need and NEVER dress for other people.

Don't take any good jewelry or watches.

Do take duplicates of any medication(one packed and one carried on) and an extra pair of prescription glasses. Extra batteries for camera and chargers for everything.

I pack in Jumbo Ziplock or Hefty bags and compress them to keep things from wrinkling and I pack extra bags for dirty laundry. (The laundry rooms also have irons and ironing boards)

 

Keep it simple and easy and remember that a cruise is good time. Don't fret about packing and enjoy it!

[Jo and Rob]

Bring your appetite, your smile, your friendliness, your courtesy, your respect. Leave any unhappiness at home; there's no room for it on a cruise.

 

Yes great advice. We intend to have a fantastic time and don't want to hear moaners along the way.

[bishop35]

This is all great advise but does someone have an actual packing list that they use for a cruise. I know they are out there, I have seen them before. I think a packing list helps you make sure you don't forget anything.

[JohnMI]

I stumbled across this today -- seems decent:

 

http://www.dcfagowees.com/usefulinfo/Cruise_tips.pdf

 

- John...

[bishop35]

I stumbled across this today -- seems decent:

 

http://www.dcfagowees.com/usefulinfo/Cruise_tips.pdf

 

- John...

 

Thanks John, there is a bunch of great advise in that.

[janetz]

Not to long ago there waqs a thread, I pack everything in a carryon (something like that) and the thread was very long with many folks saying they did this and how they did it. I can not find it. Anyone know where it went? It was great. :)

[cb at sea]

Whatever you'd pack on ANY vacation...a cruise doesn't need anything special. Depending on your cruiseline, you may have some "formal" evenings, but that should be ok, since you knew about that when you booked...

You really don't need to bring alot of extraneous stuff....some folks will bring everything but the kitchen sink...no need...you're only on the ship for a week!

 

Do bring binoculars...there's alot to see at sea! Makes passing the time on the open decks (or your balcony) quite interesting!

[VegasPier]

We have always packed....The black suit can also double for the semi-formal nights. There is the option of renting formal wear. But my experience with this non-Princess vender is that they are expensive and rude. I’ll not deal with them at all....

 

.

 

Cheers, VeagsPier

 

I am quoting my own message because I have since seen some very complementary comments about a company that rents formal wear. I may have been wrong in the poor review that I gave such companies in my original post. Here is the web page for this company. http://www.cruiselineformal.com/cf_pages/ They are closed today but I intend on calling them Monday.

If you would like to see the comments made by other CC members regarding this rental service go to Cruise Critic Message Boards>Cruise Lines P-Z>Princess Cruises>Cruise line formal wear.

 

Cheers, VegasPier

[Happy ks]

Everyones packing list will be different. We've learned from trial and error what works best for us, I think everyone needs to consider their own habits before making a list.

 

I know I read all the time about "pack, then take out half", but what half? What does that really mean? I have found what works for us is to subtract 2 days worth of clothes, both day and evening for a 7 night cruise.

 

A longer cruise, adjust accordingly, but never pack for more than 10 days, no matter the length. Unless, of course, you are going to be traveling to different climate zones, then don't try to pack for the entire time in different climates, only a couple changes of clothing will work. We have found light layers work better than heavy pieces.

 

We have eliminated much of what you read about on packing lists here on CC and other cruise and travel sites. Only pack what is essential to you and you will be fine, all the gadgets people mention sound like a good idea but then you have a box of useless gadgets that you won't ever use. I'd rather spend the cash on a nice bottle of wine with dinner rather than shoe holders, water wallets, duct tape, insulated cups, etc...

 

You will need (mostly essentials):

 

clothes/shoes

toiletries

first aid kit (keep it small)

camera and memory/batteries

confirmation numbers/passports

 

Pretty much everything else is personal choice.

[Capecodbeachfront]

Some things I overpacked were jackets and sweatshirts. I had expected there would be many breezy locations on the ship. Actually the design of the ships prevents this. I found a dark blue nylon pullover (golf type) was perfect. Looked nice, offered both wind and rain protection and took up next to no space at all. I never even wore the 2 jackets and 1 sweatshirt I packed. Two pairs of polyester blend khakis along with some cargo shorts did the trick for bottoms. Cargos are great for cameras, wallet, etc. I brought a duffle as a carryon and used it as beach bag for Coco Cay beach day. Powerstrip was handy for keeping camera batteries charges as well as cell phones. No night visible clock was my biggest mistake.

I also packed using cubes and 2+ gallon ziplocks both worked out great. Kept things easily organized.

Shoes are bulky... so make smart choices here. One pair of docksiders and sneakers did the trick for me. Left formal shoes and sandals at home... never missed them.

[Shawn loves to cruise]

Advice please seasoned cruisers on what to pack (and what to leave behind!)

thanks

Jo and Rob :rolleyes:

 

I have to tell you that I am one of those girls who wants all her good stuff with her on a cruise! No skimping for me. I do work on mix and match items, especially shoes/jewlery. Keep in mind.. you will need more than one bathing suit. They never dry out from one day to the next unless you have a balcony. Also if you are going snorkeling..bring a pair of board shorts. I made the mistake of thinking suntan lotion would cover me. I ended up a bit burned along the edges of my suit and couldn't go snorkeling the next day for fear of burning too badly.

So my advise to you is this..invest in different luggage. I have a medium size, lightweight piece and a carry on. I have found with the larger sizes I always stuff them and go over the weight limit. With the medium one, I can stay within the 50lbs. Even more important now that airlines are charging for checked bags. I cross pack so I have everything I need for my first few days of vacation in my carry on. That way if your checked, medium size bag gets lost you have everything you want with you until your luggage can catch up with you.

 

Good luck..hope I have helped,

 

Shawn

[jebba555]

Here is a helpful thread, Ultimate Packing List for the Newbies:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986205

[PatriciaF]

Mandatory for us is a powerstrip for all of the electronics we tote with us: 2 cell phones, 2 iPods, 2 digital camera battery chargers (different style).

[STARFISH*4]

Everyones packing list will be different. We've learned from trial and error what works best for us, I think everyone needs to consider their own habits before making a list.

 

 

Only pack what is essential to you and you will be fine.

 

so TRUE:)

take some of the advice and suggestions and USE what WORKs for YOU...

ONLY YOU really know what kind of clothes you want to wear and accessories and necessities you WANT to bring....

what i do now is have my OVER THE DOOR shoe holders in various places around the house and start filling them up with THINGs i think i NEED or WANT on the cruise....when i go to pack i then decide if they are REALLY NECESSARY.....after the cruise alot of the STUFF goes right back into the suitcases for the next cruise.

[shives]

After just 2 cruises I have learned....I pack too much. No one cares if you wear the same thing twice! I lay out my clothes to pack and then remove about 40% of it!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[drbel]

My absolute most essential item to take on a cruise is a plug in airfreshener night lite with an extra plug! I wouldn't travel without one. The scent is welcoming everytime I walk into the otherwise stale cabin. The night lite is essential when making those late night trips to the bathroom without waking up your cabin mate or tripping over stuff. The extra plug is needed since they are in short supply and this handy item will not require you to unplug your air freshener.

[spyder1]

take a thong and enjoy.....lol