Little Known Cruise Essentials

[raudacruise]

Here's a few of our tips :)

Rather than bottles of wine,take a box of wine you don't need a corkscrew, it keeps fresher and is easier to pack.

Keep all those samples you find in magazines or can send off for,shampoos, moisturises etc that come in sachets they are great for travelling with and the pre cruise hotels ( lots of uk hotels don't give toiletries now)

Pack some large bin bags to pack your washing in

Inform your bank cc company you are going abroad

Have colour photo copies of your passports and email yourself scanned copies of all your documentation, passports,visa,insurances etc

Pack plasters / band aids nothing worse than ruining a holiday because you have a blister

Pack your own pillow ( if this is an option of course) in a vac bag- I sleep way better with mine

It embarking from a sunny port always carry a sunhat,water and sun cream , embarksion maybe delayed and some ports have little shade eg fort Lauderdale

And most of all enjoy ;)

 

You made a good point about insurance. Make sure you bring along current claim forms from your health insurance provider. MB came down with bronchitis on a cruise which ended up with a $700 bill from =X=. It took months for us to get the money back. We had cruise insurance but they only pay AFTER your main insurance provider denies the claim. The main problem was the doctor on the ship had to sign the form :eek:. So take them along, IT happens (fortunately for us just this one time).

[Sloop-JohnB]

Here's a few of our tips :)

Rather than bottles of wine,take a box of wine you don't need a corkscrew, it keeps fresher and is easier to pack.

Keep all those samples you find in magazines or can send off for,shampoos, moisturises etc that come in sachets they are great for travelling with and the pre cruise hotels ( lots of uk hotels don't give toiletries now)

Pack some large bin bags to pack your washing in

Inform your bank cc company you are going abroad

Have colour photo copies of your passports and email yourself scanned copies of all your documentation, passports,visa,insurances etc

Pack plasters / band aids nothing worse than ruining a holiday because you have a blister

Pack your own pillow ( if this is an option of course) in a vac bag- I sleep way better with mine

It embarking from a sunny port always carry a sunhat,water and sun cream , embarksion maybe delayed and some ports have little shade eg fort Lauderdale

And most of all enjoy ;)

 

TO WILDWOODS,

 

Boxed Wine is great if they are allowed aboard... as a wine lover, they do provide the added benefit of the wine not being to oxidize !!

 

HOWEVER...

 

Celebrity's 2012 Alcohol Policy has had the wording changed... it now reads... "Two (2) 750 Ml Bottles of Wine per Stateroom"... so some folks may find that the boxed wine might not always get thru in all situations (especially so if the box holds more than 1.5 Litres)

 

Something to take into consideration,

 

Cheers!

[mfs2k]

On 1/26/2012 at 9:41 PM, Sloop-JohnB said:

Hi Jennifer6800,

 

GADGETS & GIZMOS & OTHER ITEMS

 

Lol, ok here is a comprehensive list of what we took / and didn’t take on our first Celebrity Cruise (Solstice an S-Class Ship) based on recommendations made by others here on the CC CELEBRITY BOARD

 

LANYARDS – Invaluable. Picked them up at Walmart and slipped them on the minute we boarded. Guest Services punched a hole in our Sea Passes and we were all set. Whenever we had to give our cards to a Server who needed to take them to a terminal (such as in the Dining Room) they found it easy to remember which cards belonged to us as they came with a lanyard attached. For security of our card and personal info, when in port we took our cards off the lanyards, and used our Concierge Class Wallet (came with the room)… this meant that we didn’t attract attention to ourselves (lol, or maybe not as much attention… we still had a camera around our neck !!)

 

CORKSCREW & CHAMPAGNE STOPPER – As wine lovers we never travel without these !!

 

FLASHLIGHT – Teeny Tiny ours are a mere 3 inches long. A real lifesaver in the middle of the night (even outside cabins can be quite dark in the middle of the ocean). On S-Class Ships the nightstands are very small (13 inches long by 6 to 7-1/2 inches wide… they are narrower at the front than the back). So not a lot of space here to put items.

 

NIGHTLIGHT – Did Not Take (DNT) – Not applicable for Celebrity’s S-Class Ships as the bathroom light has a dimmer, we just kept the bathroom door ajar. A nightlight though comes handy in other Celebrity Ships as I understand it, and we probably could have used it at other times as well… (such as if one has gone to bed early, and other room-mates are still to arrive) as we found that the other lights didn’t offer much in the way of being able to be dimmed, it seemed to either be too bright or too dark.

 

BATTERY CANDLES – DNT – Never did find them before my trip (figure they sold out before Christmas). May or may not take them for future travels. The balcony on S-Class Ships is pretty dark out there in mid January… doubt that these small battery candles would shed much light if one was planning to eat dinner under the stars.

 

BUNGEE CORDS – DNT – Have read that these are handy for keeping the Balcony Door open… wasn’t an issue on the Solstice… door would stay open or closed as you wished.

 

CLOCK – DNT – Mr Sloop’s watch has an illumination feature. With the flashlight and my watch by the bed was able to check the time whenever I wanted in the middle of the night. Also, the phones on S-Class Ships can be programmed for Wake Up Calls.

 

POWER BAR / EXTENSION CORD / OUTLET MULTIPLIER – DNT – and found that we got along just fine with the limited outlets that were in our cabin. BUT then again, we didn’t use our Cell Phones while on the ship, and the Ipad was on “Airplane Mode” and wasn’t being used for Wifi… so very little recharging needed to be done while we were aboard… our camera operates on standard batteries (we did bring extra of those, and needed them)

 

FILM / MEDIA DISKS – Brought extras and did use them… also used up several of our spare batteries for our camera.

 

POST IT NOTES – Brought and used them… we would leave notes for our Room Steward and each other. Found that a bright colour was best… and that leaving the note in the middle of the big screen tv (huge black background) meant that it was very visible and never missed by the person who was meant to read it.

 

WALKIE TALKIES – DNT – Contemplated buying and using a set of these… but in the end didn’t. Found that we really didn’t need them. We did fine with the Post It Notes. Don’t really believe that a couple needs them (maybe fine for a family with kids… but again not 100% sure… never did see anyone with them aboard)… although the ship is BIG it isn’t that hard to find your favourite spots and decide that they will be your “meet up” location. Lol, in our case we even had a favourite Bar (in a central location) and Bar-Tender (ok we were there a lot)… and it was common for us and our friends to check in to see if he’d seen any of us. Of course we also all tipped him extra at the end of our cruise… he really was a sweetheart to us.

 

HIGHLIGHTERS – Several colours… they came in handy for reviewing the Ship’s Dailies, and also going thru our Onboard Account… we were able to highlight things that we wanted to note or bring to the attention of Guest Relations.

 

NOTE BOOK & PENS – Used it primarily as a Travel Journal, but also was able to write notes when needed.

 

INFO COPIES – I brought along copies of our important paperwork… Celebrity X-Press Pass, Flight Confirmations, Hotel Confirmations, Travel Agent Info, Credit Card Info, Passport Info… AND print-outs of the research that I had done in regards to other possible cruises if we decided to do a re-booking while aboard. What I didn’t bring along was a copy of my Celebrity Brochures… I assumed they would have them on the ship… they DID NOT (not even in Future Bookings). I so wished I had that Brochure on different occasions as it had a ton of info about Celebrity, the Solstice, and the rest of the fleet that I could have used / referred to from time-to-time (like detailed ship maps with cabin numbers etc) … this was more acute of an issue I think for me, because we didn’t have an internet package whereby I could have jumped on-line to find the info I wanted. Would not travel again without packing along my Celebrity “Bible”

 

CREDIT CARDS – Advise that everyone bring at least two credit cards… one to serve as a backup if need be (someone else has suggested that when ashore you leave one in the safe in your cabin). If one is a Canadian and has cards in both US and Canadian Currency, bring both. We found out for example that sometimes things are cheaper in one currency vs the other (surprisingly this happened with Celebrity… it was cheaper to pay in Canadian Dollars at the time of our cruise than in US Dollars, despite the fact that the two currencies are almost at par)

 

ADDRESS BOOK & PHONE NUMBERS – Handy for writing postcards to the folks back home, and also a place to write down the names and contact info for NEW friends you make onboard.

 

SELF-PRINTED BUSINES CARDS – You can get these at Staples, and run them off on your computer. Great for handing out to your NEW friends with your own contact info

 

MAGAZINES & DECKS OF PLAYING CARDS – Things to do on the long flights… the gently used Current Issue Magazines I left in the Library upon my departure. Hopefully others can enjoy them. The Playing Cards all featured “local” aspects from my hometown (Scenery, Sports Teams etc)… those I gifted out to our favourite Celebrity Crew when I delivered their Thank You Notes / Tip Envelopes on the last night.. and I picked up replacement Mags & Celebrity Playing Cards at the Ship Gift Shop for the trip home.

 

TRAVEL GUIDE - You can find them now that are dedicated to Cruises and their Ports of Call.

 

SMALL CHANGE - We brought along a stack of US $ 1 bills... they came in handy for the various times we found we wanted to tip folks on shore (and sometimes on the ship). Airline Porters - Taxi Drivers - Port Porters etc.

 

TRAVEL MUGS – We brought one stainless steel mug, and one stainless steel water-bottle. We took turns each morning going for hot bevvys (as we were on the Premium Plan)… he got Premium Coffee in the mug, and brought me back Hot Water in the water-bottle (and a Premium Tea Bag). Sometimes we’d do the same before bedtime. Although one can get Coffee & Tea from Room Service (FREE) the standard Coffees & Teas leave a lot to be desired once you’ve tasted the Premium offerings… definitely worth the walk to Café al Bacio.

 

FOLDABLE SMALL COOLER – DNT – We got along perfectly well without this. Were able to get COLD Bottled Water each and everytime we left the ship. And well, you cannot take food ashore from the ship (so forget the picnic with sandwiches or fresh fruit).

 

PLASTIC CUTLERY – DNT – On the first day, we picked up a set of cutlery from the Buffet (including napkin) and brought it back to our Stateroom. Left it in the top drawer of the Desk, and it was there if we needed it.

 

ROOM FRESHENER – Brought a Glade type plug-in for the bathroom (with the oil)… it did make the room smell nice… BUT because on the S-Class Ships the outlet is sort of in the ceiling the plug-in hangs upside down… so with the rough seas that we had, it ended up leaking. I would bring one again, but this time would opt for one that offered the “solid” fragrance not the oil.

 

SANI WIPES – Brought a travel pack and used them the first day to wipe down our cabin’s most frequently used / touched items… toilet lid & seat, taps & faucet, door handles, phone, remote control, etc. Neither of us got sick this trip, so I think it was worth the extra few minutes of our time and effort.

 

CLOTHING CARE – Brought Downy Wrinkle Release, a mini Lint Roller as well as a small Sewing Kit (the kind you get in a Hotel with a needle and a few wisps of thread in various colours) and a Woolite Travel Kit (soap and sink plug)… we used the Wrinkle Release with good results and the Lint Roller… we didn’t use the Sewing Kit or the Woolite Kit… we have figured out we just are too busy / lazy to do laundry on vacation !! In future we will either pack enough to get us thru the week, or budget better for the Ship’s Laundry & Drycleaning Service.

 

ORGANIZERS – DNT – Thought about packing various items that would collapse / fold (over the door shoe pockets – cubby boxes – over the rail shelves for the closet etc) but in the end brought none. On the S-Class Ships I found the storage space to be adequate and well organized… especially so in the bathroom (literally TONS of space in there). There was a fold down rail in the closet (so as to make two tiers for hanging) and still leave room for “long” items. We moved our Bathrobes to the hooks behind the bathroom door which gave us even more space in the closet. The vanity and the above bed storage in the bedroom was adequate as well. The room safe was quite spacious, and I did bring my jewellery in small boxes, so didn’t use any organization items in their either… but I might consider bringing something in the way of a tray to corral small items in the future.

 

PLASTIC BAGS & ZIPLOCKS – A Must on all our trips… keeps shoes separate from clothes when packing, and dirty clothes separate from clean when going home… and on day trips great for wet bathing suits, towels etc. Like others we use them to separate out receipts, small change, treats for the plane, makeup… whatever.

 

DRYCLEANING BAGS – These were invaluable… we used them to pack up our formal wear (vs heavier suit or dress bags). Everything arrived in good condition, and the wrinkles hung out easily.

 

LEAF RECYCLING BAGS – Large clear bags (sort of like garbage bags) we used these to line our luggage (one on the bottom) before packing. They meant that if our luggage was left out anywhere in the snow or rain that the contents would have stayed dry… on the return trip, these bags became our dirty clothes bags… and filled up the majority of our packing space, so again, if we had seen bad weather, our suitcase contents would have stayed dry.

 

PLASTIC CABLE LOCKS – Found them at the Dollar Store… used them to secure our baggage that was going on and off the ship. In this way we would know if anything was opened / tampered with by the Porters (who don’t work for Celebrity). They were easy to put on, and easy to remove by using nail clippers. Did not use these or any form of locks when flying (you check in with your airline and then you know it is them or Homeland Security who has access to your stuff… in both cases they are supposed to let you know if they go thru your bags)

 

LARGE PACKING ENVELOPE – Happy I brought one. The folder that the Ship’s Photo Service gives you for your souvenir photos is quite flimsy. This served me well in protecting my photos for the trip back home.

 

MAGNETIC HOOKS – These were invaluable… we bought the 20 lb versions at Walmart and used them as extra hooks to hold some of our clothes (formal wear in particular). Meant that there was more room in the closet for other hanging items, and that our formal wear was not in anyway crushed… we could place the hook at whatever height we needed… handy for my long gown. Found that the magnets worked best when hung near a visible “seam” in the wall or corner (or close to where the ceiling met the wall) guessing this was because although the walls are metal, there are beams imbedded in certain spots.

 

CLOTHESLINE – Again invaluable. Bought the twisty type (no pegs required) at a Travel / Luggage Store (they are also available on-line). Strung it out in our bathroom (S-Class Ships don’t have clotheslines) by utilizing the magnetic hooks at ceiling height. These clotheslines offer a variety of options on how they can be utilized, suction cups, clips or just tie them to a fixture.

 

ALLIGATOR CLIPS – Again invaluable. These are jumbo clothes pegs. Bought them at a Beach Store (got ours in Myrtle Beach)… they are better than regular clothes pegs because they have such a huge “mouth” and you can use them to clip items onto the patio furniture on your veranda for example… things dried out a lot faster outdoors using this method than they did indoors in the cabin using the Clothesline. We used the Alligator Clips to secure bathing suits, and even swim shoes to the backs of our patio chairs.

 

SWIM SHOES – They were great for walking on “shell-y beaches” and I also ended up using them when I went snorkelling. I found the flippers to be very uncomfortable that I was given (rented), so just switched to my swim shoes. Where we were snorkelling was a popular destination for such water activities, and I noticed that some of the more local “pros” who went out to lead scuba experiences used water shoes inside their fins… I will definitely do this in the future (rent a bigger set of fins)

 

UNDERWATER DISPOSABLE CAMERA – Packed one of these along for our snorkelling adventure… hoping that the pics turn out to give justice to the millions of fish that I saw !! The downside to having the underwater camera we discovered was that it couldn’t be used for regular pics out of the water… we had not brought our good cameras to the beach that day, because we wanted to make sure we had no valuables left in our beach bag ashore when we were in the water. To remedy this in the future we will also purchase another cheapy disposable camera that takes regular pics so we at least can take some scenery and memory pics when on our beach day(s).

 

SWIM WALLET – Again invaluable… in that we both could be in the water at the same time, and not have our valuables left on the beach. Unfortunately the version we brought leaked so although our plastic cards (Sea Pass, Driver’s Licenses and Credit Card were ok) our money got quite wet. Will use again in the future, but will put everything into a zip lock bag first.

 

SNORKLE – We brought our own snorkels. Primarily for sanitary / health reasons (ultra clean mouthpieces only used by us) and secondly for the fact that many of the rental ones aren’t the best… you can make do with an ok mask & flippers… but not so much with a short, leaky or low quality snorkel.

 

AN OLD T-SHIRT – Perfect for wearing into the ocean when snorkelling… helps to ward off extreme sunburn and keep you cool when wet and you are ashore basking on the beach. When all is said and done, you can bring it home… or not when your vacation is over.

 

HATS – The Caribbean sun is wicked even in January… it doesn’t feel as HOT as it really is… and one can truly get burned in a short time… shorter still if one is near water (be it at the beach, or even just onboard the ship… you are literally in the middle of the ocean). So pack along some sort of a hat that will keep some of the glaring sun off your face whether you are a guy or gal. Sunhats can be quite charming, we saw lots of variety while aboard… trust me all looked much better than the poor guy we saw with the bright red (and peeling) bald spot !!

 

OTC MEDS – As stated there isn’t a lot to be found at the Ship Store. So I was happy to have things in small quantities that I picked up in my local drugstore at home on hand… if you are flying internationally they need to be their original containers !! Advil, Pepcid AC, Pepto-Bismol, Vitamin C, Echinacea, Hand Sanitizer, Chap Stick, Suntan Lotion, After Sun Creams (look for ones that are either high in aloe or moisture retaining… Solarcaine is also a god-send when it comes to irritations like sunburns, bug bites, or minor scrapes etc). We were happy to have brought these OTC Meds, and used most of them (Vitamin C and Echinacea are great to pop before and after a flight… because if there is one place you are going to pick up “something” be it a cold or flu, scratchy throat etc it is on a plane… these help ward off such things we find)

 

SEASICKNESS REMEDIES – We packed along Seabands, Ginger Root Capsules, and Crystallized Ginger… along with the Advil… we had a rough time on the Atlantic Ocean part of our trip… no one actually got ill… but it was an “unusual” journey… so all got used (we were happy to have them)

 

MEDS & PRESCRIPTIONS – Brought everything in their original packaging, and well labelled… including an extra set of eye-glasses.

 

SUNGLASSES – Brought an extra pair for both of us… too many times we’ve travelled and lost sunglasses (lol, didn’t happen this trip).

 

EARPLUGS – Packed them, but fortunately didn’t have to use them on the ship (wish though that I had had them for the flight home… by then they were packed in our checked baggage … as there was a screaming child for a good portion of our flight)

 

EARBUDS / HEADPHONES – Didn’t have to rent any for the flight… we were able to use the ones that work with our Ipods.

 

BINOCULARS – DNT – There is a “mini” set that comes with Concierge Class Cabins, not super powerful, but very compact. They worked out fine.

 

UMBRELLA – DNT – There is both a large umbrella and a collapsible that come with Concierge Class Cabins… although we had showers on our holiday, it was a “warm” rain (lol, 80F and raining in the Caribbean is 1000x better than “freezing rain” in January back home)… we both agreed we could survive the experience without an umbrella… infact it turned out to be a treasured memory this trip.

 

LIGHT WEIGHT RAIN JACKETS – We both have jackets that fold up into a very tiny matching bag (ends up being aprox 4 x 4 inches). We did pack those, but never used them on this trip.

 

SLIPPERS – I packed a pair of ballet slippers that take up virtually “no space” in my luggage. They did double duty as slippers in the cabin, and on nights when my feet were too tired or sore to wear fancier shoes to dinner. Mr Sloop managed in the cabin / on the veranda in either bare-feet or his flip-flops.

 

And of course no Packing List would be complete without…

 

DUCT TAPE – DNT – Lol, I know many will say I was skirting with “fate”… but we never did need it… this trip. If I can find it in a flat-pack variety vs the HUGE rolls I was only able to find in Canada, I will take some next time. Did however bring some Scotch Tape, and used it on several occasions.

 

--- --- ---

 

And lastly a few tips we discovered…

 

PERSONAL HYGIENE – As ONLY Toilet Paper (lol, Celebrity’s now famous 1-Ply) can be disposed of down the loo, I would recommend that if anyone needs to dispose of other items in the cabin garbage cans (diapers, baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, condoms, etc) that it would wise to pack along some small paper bags for this purpose. Although the Cabin Stewards are really good at cleaning up the cabin several times a day (so there are no odour issues), I think it would the “considerate” thing to do for them... no one really needs to come face-to-face IMO with anyone else’s “personal stuff” / body fluids.

 

THANK YOUS - Those in Concierge Class and above get Personalized Notepaper… it came in handy for writing up our Thank You Notes. Envelopes and Non-Personalized Notepaper is also available at Guest Services if one wants more for this purpose.

 

You can take your digital media cards to the Photo Centre and have 4 x 6 prints made of pictures for 40 cents each… we did this and were able to hand out to the crew on our last night, photos that we had taken of them (with them) earlier in the week. Added to the Thank You Notes made for a nice personal touch.

 

Hope this info is helpful,

 

Cheers!

Super helpful 7 years later

[ginnynj]

Duck tape...no need for large roll. Wrap lengths around a pencil (I break one in half) and roll away. Since I travel for both leisure and pleasure, I have found that having the duck tape along for the ride can be a life saver, and these days it comes in colors and/or patterns  :-). Happy Sailing.😎

[Jim_Iain]

Wow... really pulling up an old thread.   It was posted in 2012.

 

Some items like the extension cord are now banned. 

Edited January 31, 2019 by Jim_Iain

[mfs2k]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Wow... really pulling up an old thread.   It was posted in 2012.

 

Some items like the extension cord are now banned. 

 

Search feature came in handy this morning.  I forget what I was searching for though.  

[mfs2k]

15 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

 

Search feature came in handy this morning.  I forget what I was searching for though.  

 

I remember now. 

 

I was searching to determine whether I need to pack a bungee cord to hold the balcony door open on the Equinox.   Apparently, I do not.  The balcony door stays open by itself, although some people get mad apparently if you do that.

 

I did, however, learn the bungee cord is useful as a clothing line for wet bathing suits on the balcony.  Good tip! 

[mfs2k]

 

Here's my edited 2019 Packing list of Misc Crap before I start crossing things off

 

BACKPACK

BEACHBAG

LANYARDS

EXTRA WALLET

CORKSCREW

CHAMPAGNE STOPPER 

SMALL LED LANTERN FOR BALCONY

SMALL FLASHLIGHT

BUNGEE CORD FOR DRYING BATHING SUITS ON BALCONY

USB CHARGING STATION

POST IT NOTES

PACK OF $ 1 BILLS

PACK OF $5 BILLS

YETI MUGS

PLASTIC COFFEE MUG

PLASTIC STRAWS

CHLOROX WIPES

SHOE ORGANIZER

MAGNET HOOKS

ZIPLOCK BAGS

CABLE TIES

LARGE PACKING ENVELOPE FOR SOUVENIR PHOTOS

ALLIGATOR CLIPS

SWIM SHOES

UNDERWATER CAMERA

HATS

OTC MEDS

MEDS

SUNGLASSES

EARPLUGS

EYE MASK

HEADPHONES

HEADPHONE SPLITTER

BINOCULARS

LIGHT WEIGHT RAIN JACKETS

DUCT TAPE

IPAD

WATCH

USB CHARGING CABLES

PHONES

AIRPODS

WATCH CHARGER

[Plato123]

Regarding power strips.

On our recent Edge cruise our medium size power strip was confiscated, and the reason given was that it could overload the circuits in the cabin.  It was a good quality one and we were able to get it back when we got off the ship.  Fortunately i also had a small one in my backpack that was not confiscated.  It was useful because the supplied hair dryer connecter would not fit into the power box that the Edge has in the main cabin of our suite.  The power bar acted as an extension cord for that purpose.

Otherwise there are quite a few power outlets available for USB powered items.

Another tip we can offer is to bring some small suction cup hooks to put in the shower area where you can hang scrubbing puffs if you use them.

[jsf]

Wow this an old topic, I posted back in Jan. 2012

[mfs2k]

5 hours ago, jsf said:

Wow this an old topic, I posted back in Jan. 2012

 

Still apllicable. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

mfs2k, don't forget to leave room for clothes, shoes and undies.  The are super handy to have.

[OCruisers]

8 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

mfs2k, don't forget to leave room for clothes, shoes and undies.  They are super handy to have.

 

 Above!  So agree! 

If we packed all the extras some say to take, we'd have no room for our clothes.  

[kdkcruiser]

We bring a Bath & Body soap pump for our bathroom - as we always wash our hands when re-entering the cabin it’s nice to have a mild easy soap to use.  Enjoy!

[mfs2k]

On 2/2/2019 at 8:22 PM, kdkcruiser said:

We bring a Bath & Body soap pump for our bathroom - as we always wash our hands when re-entering the cabin it’s nice to have a mild easy soap to use.  Enjoy!

 

Good idea!!!

[mfs2k]

On 2/2/2019 at 7:30 PM, CHEZMARYLOU said:

mfs2k, don't forget to leave room for clothes, shoes and undies.  The are super handy to have.

 

My wife packs about 8 pairs of shoes while I tend to pack only 2-3 pair. I make up with all that saved weight with “stuff.”  

Back in the day when airlines didn’t charge extra for bags my wife would take one just for shoes. I thought she was crazy while I packed stupid crap. Lol lol. To each his own.