Packing question

[Indigo Shoes]

We're going on our first cruise on the RCCL Legend Transatlantic from Ft Lauderdale to Portugal on April 10th. It's a 10 day cruise, air return is not included in the cruise so we are going to do the Eurorail adventure to Spain, France then England hopefully to return from Heathrow.

 

Problem is packing... for the cruise, it's a semi-luxury thing, with formal and semiformal dining nights, but we are not taking standard luggage, just some backpacks... Any suggestions on packing and what to pack that will cover both parts of the vacation (the luxury and the rugged...)?

 

I have been researching and printing of various packings lists from websites, but my fiance keeps reminding me that whatever I pack I have to carry, so I am starting to get worried about shoes, etc.... I'm considering "splurging" at a thrift store on formal/semi formal wear that I can leave behind when the cruise is done so all I have to carry is my casual travelling clothes....

 

any hints and suggestions will help..

 

Also, we don't have ANY reservations for our arrival as we dont' have a planned itinerary, other than hopefully going from Portual to Spain, France then England for our flights back (research seems to point that Heathrow is the least expensive flight back to Canada).

 

He's travelled before and is very comfortable "winging it", saying we can find a hostel as a last resort and check the airlines for cheap flights home at the last minute. I am willing to be adventurous but am more worried...

 

any hints on travel tips and inexpensive hotels in Portugal, Spain, France & England would be great too... as well as return flight tips...

 

Karen

[wwinfl91]

Good luck with getting an affordable flight back home from London. I spend many an evening on the Internet trying to find a one-way flight home to Florida after our Transatlantic cruise on the Jewel in May. I finally ended up finding one on Swiss International Air which sends us from London to Zurwich and then from there to Miami where we pick up a rental car to get home to Orlando.

 

As far as luggage goes, the thift shop option might be a good one. You might also want to buy one of the rolling duffle bags for packing the stuff you are going to get rid of. You might decide you could even take it with you on your adventure after the cruise.

 

Another option is to eat in the Buffet restaurant on formal nights. You don't have to dress up to eat there but you also miss the experience of eating in the main diniing room on the nights they usually offer the best menus.

 

I would never convince my wife to try something like you are doing nor am I sure I would want to try it but I envy people who have the nerve to do it.

 

You might check out the following web site for ideas where to stay. Look under the "other lodging" option in the hotel section for alternative places to stay.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g4-Europe-Vacations.html

 

Unfortunately with the dollar to euro or dollar to British pound rate being so bad right now I'm not sure there is much in Europe right now that qualifies as cheap.

 

Have a great cruise and trip and be sure to post your experiences when you get back on the Europe board on Cruise Critic.

[Wennfred]

I recommend pack for a cruise like you normally would and when you get off the ship on the final day, Head to a nearby Post office, Pack your items you no longer need in Boxes and ship them back home, let a family member know so they can pick it up once it arrives home.

[wwinfl91]

Shipping back from Europe to the USA can be a very expensive proposal unless you are willing to have it literally "shipped" back, which could mean you might wait as long as a month to get the package. If you send by air freight.

 

Here is a chart of air freight charges from one company from Spain to various countries including the USA. It looks like they charge based on weight, $3.47 per kilogram under 45 kilograms and $3.37 for over 100 KGs. 1 Kilogram is 2.2 pounds. So for a 50 pound suitcase it would cost about $84 dollars. I guess that isn't really that bad.

 

http://www.orchid.in.th/page7.html

 

Maybe that would be an option.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[BaumD]

You could always rent a tux for the formal night. Rentals are available thru the cruiseline.

[Indigo Shoes]

Thanks for the great tips!!

I was able to find some great buys at a thrift shop that will do wonderfully; designer at a bargain rate so I won't mind parting with them if I decide not to carry them around with me. Shipping back does sound a bit expensive so unless it is something I can't bear to lose and can't carry with me, I'll let it go.

 

I like the idea of a tux rental onboard; packing a suit seemed a bit daunting.

 

Yes, unfortunately the dollar rate is awful right now. The Cdn dollar rate has risen somewhat at least, to make the Bermuda and onboard portion of the trip easier to budget with... but the euro & pound conversion is really going to eat up the funds quite quickly! To increase shopping and sightseeing experiences, we're going to stick to hostels and B&B type accommodations, and hope to score a charter flight back to Halifax NS or to Toronto at least...

[wwinfl91]

For the lowest priced air fare I found from London back to the USA and if you are willing to land travel to Ireland it gets even cheaper, try Aer Lingus which is an Irish airline.

 

http://www.aerlingus.com/cgi-bin/obel01im1/index.jsp

 

The negatives I heard were that sometimes the passengers are not very airline friendly and may tend to drink a little more than on other airlines. There may be a lot of families with children was another.

 

Anyway have a great cruise and a great visit to Europe. We visited your country, Canada, last year on a cruise on the Maasdam that ended up in Montreal and enjoyed it a lot.

[wwinfl91]

By the way here is another place to check for airfares

 

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/login

 

You have to set up an account but don't have to enter any financial info.

 

They will check a lot of airlines at one time.

 

Have a great cruise.