Worst Cruise Packing Mistakes

[Blondie40]

We actually like to have options so we definitely over pack. However' date=' I don't see the problem in doing that? We have 2 suitcases each that once they are dropped off with the porters aren't a problem at all. It's not like we have to lug them around or anything. We do dress up every night but that's what we like to do. We probably don't wear a third of what we bring but that's ok since we don't know which third that is going to be before we cruise! Unless you are flying I don't see the big deal about over packing. Just gives us more options while we are on the ship. That being said I know every one is different but if you are new to cruising don't worry about over packing is my take. Happy Cruising!!![/quote']

 

This is so me!! I've tried figuring out exact outfits per day/event, but I am one of those... "What do I feel like wearing".... I just can't help myself.

[westview1]

Worst mistake---Transatlantic, leaving Rome I realized all the carefully bagged medications for this 15 day cruise were still residing on the bathroom vanity at home! Thoughts of $100-1,000 of dollars passed through my mind. How to get meds in our first stop, Barcelona? Call my Dr. back home? Luckily, I stopped at the ship's medical center and a sympathetic nurse found all 5 (generic) meds, gave me a 15 day supply for $35! Now my wife asks, "Do you have your meds?" at least 10 times before a cruise.

 

Wow, that was nice. We were on the Splendor Around the Horn for legs 2 & 3 in 2013, we get to Santiago, Chile (we boarded in Valparaiso, Chile) and I realize that I forgot to pack my thyroid meds. I figured the ships medical center wouldn't have that, now I wish I had gone down to ask, you never know what they might have.

 

We have a packing list and check things off as we pack them. My worst nightmare is forgetting my passport. I check my purse for it every 10 minutes while I'm packing and then at the cruise port.

Edited January 13, 2016 by carynh

[golfb4cruzing]

You know those furry handcuffs at Bridal Showers. Well the wife thought it might be a cool surprise and packed them in a suitcase. They will still in original box. All our luggage showed up except one and I got a call to go down to the Naughty Room. I had no idea and the wife had a straight face. I get down there and pick out our bag and a piece of masking tape on it says "handcuffs". SO I'm cracking up tell Security they are mistaken but if they find them, I'd give them $100 to give them back. (they had been seen on xray) So they go through the bag, semi looking, and come up empty. So I go back upstairs and tell the wife and she has tears rolling down her face cause she's laughing so hard. She goes "They're right" and then filled me in. She opened the luggage and pulled them out. A story for eternity.:eek:

[rtap23]

We also overpack. We always drive so why not. We are not the ones carrying them around..

[beauty1492]

I make a wonderful spread sheet that works well unless the dog is in the room while I pack.

 

She "replaced" my socks and hair brush with squeaky toys once. I had to buy a $20 hairbrush! and wash out my one and only pair of sock every night. She is no longer allowed in the room with open suitcases.

[amandajean06]

Seriously OVERPACKING!

Like bringing 6 pairs of shoes once!

 

Oops...I would probably never cruise with less than 6-8 pairs of shoes...:eek:

 

I guess I am doing this wrong! LOL!

[beshears]

Amandajean06, oh YES , that would be me too. I probably have MORE shoes than anything else, or I know they are HEAVY in my luggage, but I do love shoes. My sons tell me I have more than anyone else in this world, but then, that is THIER opinion. I do like to have shoe that "match" every outfit that I wear.:)

[Laurie S.]

Amandajean06, oh YES , that would be me too. I probably have MORE shoes than anything else, or I know they are HEAVY in my luggage, but I do love shoes. My sons tell me I have more than anyone else in this world, but then, that is THIER opinion. I do like to have shoe that "match" every outfit that I wear.:)

 

Me, too! I'm bringing six pairs of sandals in addition to the sneakers I'll be wearing. Four are for evening wear, one is for sea days, and one is for when we go diving.

[katiel53]

On one of our cruises my husband was bringing his clothes etc. for me to pack. I really wasn't paying much attention to things. I put his clothes, shoes etc. in our suitcases. On elegant night he was dressed nicely and looked great.

 

It wasn't until after dinner, when we were back in the cabin that he showed me that he brought two different shoes. Both were black and both loafers. One shoe was a dressier one than the other. I was just lucky that he had a right shoe and a left shoe.

 

From then one, I checked everything that went into the suitcase.

[beshears]

In regard to the shoes that I will be brining, I am not crusing till April, so I have not started looking yet. One of the big things I will need to check out is to see WHAT fits me?:)

 

I will have at least 4 - 6 pair of sandles, and probably 4 - 6 pair of heels. We like to "dress up," when we eat dinner in the MDR, or evening, but that is just US. It isn't every day that we can wear nice clothes.

 

I am NOT coming down on anyone, but everyone is so casual now, but we like to dress up, as we get so many compliments because of doing this.

[ohitssunshine]

I use a note keeping app on my phone, and I share that with my husband so that we can both add to it. I always have my phone with me, so if I think of something I can add it.

 

I have 2 going - 1: Things we need to buy or do before we go and 2: Things to remember to pack.

 

By the way, if 6 pairs of shoes is over packing - then I waaaaay over pack!

[StingRaysfan]

Ohitssunshine- which app do you use? Can it be shared between iphone and android? thats an awesome idea!

 

As for me the only packing mistake I make is forgetting something. Overpacking is not a mistake if you like a selection of things to wear. We drive to the port though so...

[cruiserNC]

On one of our cruises my husband was bringing his clothes etc. for me to pack. I really wasn't paying much attention to things. I put his clothes, shoes etc. in our suitcases. On elegant night he was dressed nicely and looked great.

 

 

 

It wasn't until after dinner, when we were back in the cabin that he showed me that he brought two different shoes. Both were black and both loafers. One shoe was a dressier one than the other. I was just lucky that he had a right shoe and a left shoe.

 

 

 

From then one, I checked everything that went into the suitcase.

 

 

Hehe

Sounds like something I would do....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[elainmir]

I guess the thing I'm most guilty of is packing meds..I paid quadruple once for tampons on a cruise and SWORE right then and there I'd NEVER ever do that again. So I pack every medicine known to man that I might need.;) botulism..yep I got meds for that ROFL:D

 

I also try to keep it to two suitcases..for our family of 4.

[dfwhgsfan]

My rule of thumb: If it doesn't fit in one carry on, it's not going.

 

Packing mistakes? If traveling with multiple family members, putting all clothes for one person in one bag. Instead, cross-pack. Make sure that there's a bit of clothing for every person in each bag. That way, if one bag is lost for any reason, one person is not left with nothing to wear.

I wish my wife and I had seen this before our Liberty cruise last week! My wife packed and put her items in 1 suitcase, mine in the other, along with our bathroom bag and bathing suits. As our luck would have it, AA lost my bag and we didn't get it until 3 days later in Barbados! Nothing like going to formal night in jeans!

[MaidMirawyn]

I am a list crazed cruiser also!

So glad to know I'm not alone.

 

It absolutely drives my husband insane.

I'll go over my lists constantly and he will say "we just went over this the other day!"

He appreciates it eventually when he has everything he needs and isn't paying $20 for a bottle of shampoo in the middle of the ocean.

 

I have a packing list, toiletries list, documents list, excursions list, cash needed list, pre cruise list, post cruise list.

Within these lists, I have a timeline of what needs to be done and when, broken down by days before/after the cruise.

Also an obsessive list-maker. I do it by hand, and eventually transfer it to the Pack My Bag app in my iPad.

 

For our next cruise, I have made a list from scratch at least four times. I will at some point compare the lists side by side to see how the items differ, reevaluate every item, then make a new, consolidated list. If I get bored waiting somewhere, I may pull my lists out and review.

 

Oh yeah, we sail in June. And haven't actually booked the cruise yet; we're doing that Saturday.

 

I do this because I am simultaneously really organized and incredibly unorganized. But I do NOT want to have to spend my hard-earned money unnecessarily; I would rather spend $20 on something cool from Belize than on a bottle of sunscreen that wouldn't meet my standards anyway, and certainly wouldn't be used when I get home! And since I'm determined to travel carry-on only, that gets tricky.

[MaidMirawyn]

I had bought a small bottle of contact lense solution for my DS to travel with.

Fast forward to the morning waking up in hotel to get ready to go to the ship. I hear my son screen out from the bathroom....I had bought sterilizer not the regular solution. He had put one of his contacts in and burned his eye:eek: We flushed it with cold water and his eye was red and puffy for hours. I felt so bad for him. DH walked to a CVS and bought the correct solution. This was really my "worst packing mistake".

This one's very serious. On our previous cruise, I forgot to bring a second set of lenses, lens solution, or my glasses; all I had was the solution in my two lens cases. This was potentially very bad. I was worried I would end up with an eye infection, but I made it back home safely. Fortunately, I have the type you can sleep in!

 

Going bare-eyed was not an option. You know that big "E" at the top of the eye chart? It's just a big blur without correction. I would have been so screwed if I had lost a lenses or gotten an eye infection.

 

Five months out from our next cruise, I already have a bottle in the suitcase, to transfer to my 3-1-1 bag. I have ordered my next six month supply of lenses, and one pair will be joining the bottle when they arrive. No way I'm ever risking that again!

[ohitssunshine]

Ohitssunshine- which app do you use? Can it be shared between iphone and android? thats an awesome idea!

 

As for me the only packing mistake I make is forgetting something. Overpacking is not a mistake if you like a selection of things to wear. We drive to the port though so...

 

We use the "Keep" app, I believe is only android. I am able to invite him to view any lists that I make and as we each add or cross things off, it syncs between us. I am sure there should be some out there that would work between the 2 though!

[GMRPHRN]

Last cruise with my teenage daughter & son and my SIL all us girls had full suitcases (and worried about the weight) so I handed my son a ziplock bag with our sunscreen, bug spray, and aloe to pack in his suitcase. Being a teenager with his head in the clouds he threw it in his carry-on. Yep, all got dumped at the airport. Had to buy that $20+ bottle of Sunscreen and aloe on ship. Important lesson learned.

[paluni]

I imagine myself going through every day, from morning to sleeping, and pull out whatever is necessary for that day. I have a rolling rack I can hang things on - great investment! And I lay out things in the guest room or sometimes the bedroom. As I lay out or select for each day, I can look back at previous days and feel I can use something from a previous day, as in mix and match. And I make sure I have enough makeup! Had to run around Honolulu desperately seeking my basic face makeup one time! It's hard to find the products you are used to in different places. I also have a master check list. I should keep a wholly dedicated cosmetic/toiletry bag (as recommended on this thread), but some of the stuff is still put in right before leaving. I know it's better to have a dedicated bag, but I'm not quite there yet. We also need to cross-pack at least some - I will try and do that next time.

The main thing is, do all this choosing and packing (and laundering) weeks early (at least for me). Everything takes longer than you think. Better to be relaxed, confident, not frantic, as you head out the door - on time!

[caitmac1]

We use the "Keep" app, I believe is only android. I am able to invite him to view any lists that I make and as we each add or cross things off, it syncs between us. I am sure there should be some out there that would work between the 2 though!

 

I believe Wunderlist will work between Iphone and Android! :)

[MISSSNOOPYGIRL]

I always overpack. I don't know if it is a mistake though- as long as you aren't paying for baggage, choice is nice.

 

Me too. The words "mix and match" makes me shudder.

[mrskhodak]

We actually like to have options so we definitely over pack. However' date=' I don't see the problem in doing that? We have 2 suitcases each that once they are dropped off with the porters aren't a problem at all. It's not like we have to lug them around or anything. We do dress up every night but that's what we like to do. We probably don't wear a third of what we bring but that's ok since we don't know which third that is going to be before we cruise! Unless you are flying I don't see the big deal about over packing. Just gives us more options while we are on the ship. That being said I know every one is different but if you are new to cruising don't worry about over packing is my take. Happy Cruising!!![/quote']

We are definitely over packers! We pack about 2 or 3 outfits for each day. . .including a semi-dressy outfit for each night at dinner. We each take 2 pieces of luggage plus 2 carry ons. Since the airline doesn't have a problem with it. Plus we don't stuff the bags. We are careful that each one is within the set weight guidelines. Honestly, we don't wear or use half of what we bring, but we get a kick out of packing things JIK (just in case). LOL!!

[tarheelmjfan]

Me too. The words "mix and match" makes me shudder.

 

Me too! lol I'm thinking, "they're wearing dirty clothes". :eek:

[cincicruisers]

Me too! lol I'm thinking, "they're wearing dirty clothes". :eek:

 

Yes I had the same thoughts. I need to have two outfits one for travel there and one for travel home.