Ultimate Cruise Pre-pack?

[STARFISH*4]

finishing packing right now for our cruise on Saturday and wish i could just leave everything packed from each cruise....we do have mostly a cruise wardrobe...i love planning but HATE packing:(

we could easily keep a toiletry bag packed too...i keep saying next time ...next time......

[5326jan]

Pam, your advice is always so good, may I ask you to share what your "cruise appliances and what have you" are ? I alredy use the packing cubes ( got some from Rick Steeves ( like them because really light and completely mesh top) Thank you.

 

Glad you asked this! I'm curious too. Nice to learn from the Master! :D

[Scotjune]

[Hello, I do exactly the same as you - clothes ready and waiting hanging on a rail far from bedroom - packing takes no time at all when the decision of what to take has been made previously. I agree that toiletries can take up time preparing and we also use the "double" method. Wishing you all great cruising and a happy festive season.quote=Happy ks;31462997]I don't find packing clothes to be a problem at all. I just have a list of how many items I'll need (X amount of dresses, X amount of pants/tops) and then select for the cruise. I don't have "cruise clothes", I found out years ago they were a waste of clothing budget $$. I just wear my normal wardrobe, making adjustments according to weather.

 

I find the toiletry case to be the more time consuming part of travel planning. Several years ago I started collecting "doubles" of all our things, like razors, brushes, makeup tools, etc... and have those packed all the time. We need the same things whether we are gone overnight or 3 weeks. So I only have to adjust quantities of liquids. I pack us each a 3-1-1 bag if we're flying and the residual in the checked bags. I don't know why people have such a hard time with it, each of our toiletry bags weigh less than a pound. I only use travel sized bottles, refilling them when we return home.

 

My biggest travel packing advice is to pack your bags out of the bedroom, nowhere close to your closet or drawers. Select the things you need ahead of time, hang them all together (we use a collapsable rolling rack in the living room). . All the shoes and folded items are stacked below. #1 we don't forget anything this way and #2 we avoid packing "what if" clothing. It takes all of 20-30 minutes to pack when the time comes.

 

If I pack in advance I forget what I've already packed and will then double pack. I learned the hard way not to pack things that aren't essential for the trip and that not only includes too many shoes and clothes, but paper, books and too many gadgets. We return home with suitcases full of dirty clothes, everything is used and usually worn 2/3/4 times each. We do cross pack when flying and we have never gone over the 50 lb. limit.

 

Everyones travel packing list will be different, so avoid those long lists with suggestions for extras to pack. If you don't think of it yourself, you probably can live without it for a week.

[fischymom]

I have only been on one cruise but even for land vacations I put out my bag about a month ahead of time on the bed in the spare bedroom and start filling it from time to time with things as I wash them, buy them, or fill them. I put a copy of my packing list that I have made in it too and I check off things as I am putting them into it. I match outfits with jewelry and put them together if possible but I also know that I need x amount of unders, socks, nighties, etc so I can add them anytime to the bags. Like someone else said though I do cross pack so every suitcase has some of everyones clothes in them so if something gets lost we have something to wear.

[travlnblueberries]

I have clothes just for cruising, even bras and sock, makeup, shoes, coats, just for cruising. If I had nothing already packed, I could be ready in 1/2 hour. If I had most of my things packed like socks, shoes, casual wear, I could be ready in 10-15minutes.

[Karysa]

My DH takes sooo many pictures and makes books of our vacation

there is no way I would wear the same clothes every cruise!