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12 suitcases and more....!?


AmandaLMcL
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On 7/8/2019 at 1:41 PM, ed01106 said:

Why the two half full suitcases? I get needing space for souvenirs, but why not just leave  one of the suitcases home and pack a duffel bag that can pack flat in one of your bags for the anticipated expansion. Even if the souvenirs are too fragile for the duffel just use it for laundry.

 

Duffel bags are a great idea for purchases.

 

With all due respect to GoBucks whose travels I have followed for six months, I can't imagine two large suitcases plus one rollaboard for each of us. For our 4 month, mostly hot weather WC, I suspect one large and one 22" each, plus small carryons. I might be wrong when it comes down go it.

 

Edited by Wendy The Wanderer
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How many bags you take will vary significantly by person/couple.

 

Why?

 

Weather.  Some World Cruises involved both hot and cold temperature and some warm/hot.  

 

Any special clothing requirements.  When we have done overland safaris we have brought clothes/shoes specific for this such as insect repellant clothing.

 

Evening attire.  A world cruise where evening attire is the same each evening versus one that has formal nights and/or informal nights can add to the amount of clothing you bring.

 

Any special daytime require/items.  For example I workout a lot so we bring a lot of workout clothing.  I take indoor cycling classes so bring clothing for that including shoes that clip.  I play paddle tennis so bring one or two racquets.

 

Variety is the spice of life.  We take more clothes than is necessary because we like to change things up.  If you are on for three to four months some people get bored repeating things over and over.

 

On our last World Cruise which also included two cruises prior to the start of the World Cruise and three following it for close to 140 days plus a 10 day river cruise following it we took eight large (29") bags.  

 

We did have a mix of weather, had formalwear, had the sports requirements.  

 

We also do not want to waste time in port purchasing toiletries/cosmetics/medicines so one of those eight suitcases contains all of this.  We can reuse the suitcase for gifts and other items we take home.

 

Like most things everyone does things their own way.  I would say that the average World Cruise couple takes six large suitcases plus two carry ons.  Average means some take more and some less.

 

Keith

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I agree Keith that it's going to vary. And yes, variety will be important for so long a time. We will likely be coming into Miami by car, so we will have our toiletries etc. in shopping bags or duffle. No formal nights for us, but I do like to change it up on a cruise. Lots of hot weather gear for us.

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21 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Duffel bags are a great idea for purchases.

 

With all due respect to GoBucks whose travels I have followed for six months, I can't imagine two large suitcases plus one rollaboard for each of us. For our 4 month, mostly hot weather WC, I suspect one large and one 22" each, plus small carryons. I might be wrong when it comes down go it.

 

Wendy - we also travel with 4 large cases. Normally 1 is filled with first aid kit, and the variety of consumables we require for 4-5 months, as like Keith we prefer not wasting time shopping. I get about 3/4 of one case and the rest is for DW. All 4 cases are identical spinners and I can easily walk with all 4.

 

Whatever DW purchases on the cruise fills the void in the consumables case heading home.🙂

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2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Wendy - we also travel with 4 large cases. Normally 1 is filled with first aid kit, and the variety of consumables we require for 4-5 months, as like Keith we prefer not wasting time shopping. I get about 3/4 of one case and the rest is for DW. All 4 cases are identical spinners and I can easily walk with all 4.

 

Whatever DW purchases on the cruise fills the void in the consumables case heading home.🙂

 

I can imagine that, but then I wouldn't use the 22" rollaboards as well.  I can certainly imagine filling one large suitcase with consumables (good way to put it).  And having spinners is great--obviously I have to buy some new cases since we only have one large spinner at the moment--we've often travelled recently with just our two 22" (non-spinning) rollaboards; they have held up very well so no need to replace them, and we have small carry-ons that fit on top of them for drugs, electronics, jewellery and the like.  We've had very good luck with Travelpro.  I'll probably pick up a couple of new large spinners next winter while in Florida--we live really close to a discount store that has great deals, or I can pick them up on Amazon or bags.com.

 

As I might have said, it looks like we'll be driving to Miami from our home in Florida for the cruise, so we can hit Walgreens before leaving for the consumables. But maybe a spinner is the proper way to carry that stuff, even briefly. (Just thinking I might not spend the money on Travelpro quality for this one, ha ha.)

 

What's your take on travel cubes?

Edited by Wendy The Wanderer
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Until our last WC we had a mixture of rolling & spinners, but with age it was becoming more of a pain moving them. Since we already had 2 Samsonite spinners, we opted to stay with them rather than have to purchase 4 Travel Pro. With 4 identical cases I can easily handle 4 of them on most surfaces - 2 back to back in each hand. Only extra we have is carry on.

 

Although the Samsonite & Travelpro aren't cheap, DW researched for a number of months and ended up finding an excellent price online.

 

I read of numerous complaints about wheels being knocked off, but we have been lucky so far and they have been on many flights.

 

Travel cubes - never used them and never will. Cases are heavy enough with everything we must take. I am perfectly able to organise my packing from years of experience travelling with multiple uniforms, so I consider them an unnecessary weight and they also take up volume.🙂

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I use travel cubes for parts of our stuff. For example a special one for folded shirts. One goes into my carry on with a set of clothing.  Never know whether our suitcases arrive with us or not. Other cubes for underwear and small stuff. 

 

It is true that they take up more volume than judicious packing without them. On land trips with hotel changes, I find cubes more useful than on a cruise ship where we unpack once. 

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15 hours ago, Floridiana said:

I use travel cubes for parts of our stuff. For example a special one for folded shirts. One goes into my carry on with a set of clothing.  Never know whether our suitcases arrive with us or not. Other cubes for underwear and small stuff. 

 

It is true that they take up more volume than judicious packing without them. On land trips with hotel changes, I find cubes more useful than on a cruise ship where we unpack once. 

 

Thanks, that's useful.  I'm thinking they might still come in handy on the cruise ship as storage for things like underwear and socks, especially since I believe some of our closet space is open shelving not drawers.  

 

I can't imagine that they add much weight or bulk.  Most look very lightweight.  

 

Oh, and Heidi, we have never ended up with matching luggage because I just won't spend the money to replace all just so they can be the same.  Can't imagine doing that.   It turns out that our two 22" rollaboards are Travelpro, and good ones with lots of features, just not spinners--they must be 10 years old, but our one big 25" is also Travelpro, a more stripped-down product without all the features that I would have liked (the devil's in the details when you shop online).  Our little carryons are Air Canada, left over from our last big bags that 'had the biscuit' quite quickly after being thrown around on airplanes a few times.

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On 7/9/2019 at 5:18 PM, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Duffel bags are a great idea for purchases.

 

With all due respect to GoBucks whose travels I have followed for six months, I can't imagine two large suitcases plus one rollaboard for each of us. For our 4 month, mostly hot weather WC, I suspect one large and one 22" each, plus small carryons. I might be wrong when it comes down go it.

 

 

I actually have 4 large suitcases, a 22" carry on and a small carry on!

 

2 of the large ones will be shipped home (cruiseline perk), so I'll be checking the other 2 on the plane. 

 

I had packed 2 of the large suitcases only half full each so now I have one totally available for things I purchased along the way.

 

Many, many of my fellow passengers brought as many as I did and still had to buy another suitcase! Most shipped the extras home but some took them on the plane. I'm pleased with the amount of stuff I brought...used virtually all of it plus I wore most all the clothes.

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On 7/10/2019 at 5:29 PM, Wendy The Wanderer said:

I can imagine that, but then I wouldn't use the 22" rollaboards as well. 

 

I took the 22" carryon because I took 4 overland tours where we left the ship for 1 or 2 nights (stayed in hotels) and just needed a small suitcase to take enough stuff for 2-3  days.

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7 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

I took the 22" carryon because I took 4 overland tours where we left the ship for 1 or 2 nights (stayed in hotels) and just needed a small suitcase to take enough stuff for 2-3  days.

 

Good tip, of course we'll need the same! Especially with luggage forwarding and flying home from Barcelona. 

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32 minutes ago, KatieBelle said:

Just curious, Wendy.  What are the parking fees at the port for 4 months?

 

Oh no, we won't be bringing our own car, just getting a one-way rental for the day.

 

(And I got my first set of packing cubes to start testing them out!)

Edited by Wendy The Wanderer
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In the end there is no right or wrong on how much and what type of luggage to take.

 

We each take 22" pieces and my wife a large purse for the flight and embarkation and I now take a backpack as my personal item.  We keep in these electronics (we each bring a computer, iPhones, all sorts of cords, two cameras, jewelry  prescription meds, a bunch of print outs (hotel reservations, spreadsheets, clothing lists, flights, and so forth), passports, money, cruise documents and on and on).  We can use the 22" for overlands as well.  We fill them. My wife takes a lot of jewelry as as World Cruise provides a nice opportunity to wear it as most of it is no longer worn at home.

 

We then bring seven to nine large suitcases.  On our last cruise we had seven large pieces of which five were shipped in both directions.  We began December 18 with pre-cruise stay and got back late May.  Sailed from late December to early May on World Cruise and other voyages before and after and then flew to Vienna for a River Cruise.  Mostly clothing for the warm weather but some for cooler weather.

 

We take the equivalent of a large suitcase just for toiletries and cosmetics, and other stuff such as thank you cards, some gifts, etc.

 

We also take two sets of sports shoes each, spin shoes for me, two paddle tennis racquets for me and lots of clothing.

 

Our ship has formal nights. If you don't you don't worry about it.

 

And for us we have found if you are on a cruise for a few months you can get bored with your clothing.  Some don't.  We do.  So we take more than we need because of this reason.

 

We know some people who take far less. We know some who take the same.  And we know others who take more.

 

Each circumstance is different.  Also weather is a factor.  And what you do on and off the ship.  I workout a lot during a day and often wear two to three athletic shirts in one day from the workouts.  

 

Keith

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I can and do pack light for most traveling. But lengthy cruises are another animal altogether. Since this will be home for multiple months, and since I unpack once and am done with it for a long time,  I give myself license to pack whatever I think I'll need or want. For multi-month cruises, many lines will provide for shipping up to a certain amount (usually the equivalent of two large suitcases). 

 

It's not just clothing. There's a multi-month supply of toiletries. And we all have our favorites that we may not be able to find in distant ports. Nor do we want to spend valuable port time looking for them.  Little things, like an over-the-door shoe bag, electronics, first aid kit, etc., start to add up.  Then there's shoes. I take a lot of walking excursions, so make sure I have at least two pair of walking shoes. Then there's slip-ons, a couple of dress shoes, sandals, etc.  And, if the cruise is going to multiple climates, clothes for each climate. Plus changes of clothes from daytime casual to "elegant casual," which means account for at least two outfits per day (understanding the much laundry will be done along the way). And there will be galas on a world cruise, so at least one truly dressy outfit.  Two swim suits, since I hate putting on a damp suit and ports with snorkeling (or good days for pool time) tend to be bunched together due to simple geography.

 

It adds up.

 

Over the course of the last decade or so, I've managed to take 3 lengthy cruises, ranging from 72 to 120 nights. No matter what, my travel buddy and I always wind up with the same amount of luggage: 2 large suitcases, 1 medium suitcase, and a small carry-on each.  

 

 

Edited by wishIweretravelling
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I read in another thread somewhere here about people taking those flocked hangers that come in sets of 10, that you can buy at Costco and some dollar stores, and using them in the closets instead of the bulky wooden ones provided by most cruise lines.  Anybody done this kind of thing?  Is this overkill?  My husband would almost certainly think so, but those wooden hangers, as nice as they are, have gotten in my way even on short cruises.

 

Definitely going to have some kind of hanging shoe thingy.

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4 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

I read in another thread somewhere here about people taking those flocked hangers that come in sets of 10, that you can buy at Costco and some dollar stores, and using them in the closets instead of the bulky wooden ones provided by most cruise lines.  Anybody done this kind of thing?  Is this overkill? 

 

We have often asked the steward for extra non-wooden hangers.

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I am also curious about how to pack the over the door shoe holders and hangers etc. We are on Regent Mariner and I hear room storage a weak spot so I may be bringing more than the usual storage items. Do you ship these things and waste valuable space with luggage forward? We are now strongly considering driving to Florida, leaving a car with our son and renting a car to drive across Florida to Miami. I am super picky with toiletries and as I have had multiple skin cancers will load up on sunscreen. I also will load up on over the counter items. I do not want to waste time in port shopping. Am I overthinking?

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4 hours ago, travelwell said:

I am also curious about how to pack the over the door shoe holders and hangers etc. We are on Regent Mariner and I hear room storage a weak spot so I may be bringing more than the usual storage items. Do you ship these things and waste valuable space with luggage forward? We are now strongly considering driving to Florida, leaving a car with our son and renting a car to drive across Florida to Miami. I am super picky with toiletries and as I have had multiple skin cancers will load up on sunscreen. I also will load up on over the counter items. I do not want to waste time in port shopping. Am I overthinking?

 

I don't think so.  I've also heard that they've removed storage from the rooms in the last refit.  You have a PH I think, so you'll have more room to stash things, but we all need organization.  I haven't looked at the shoe organizers that go over the door yet, but perhaps they pack up really well, and flat.  As do those hangers, if I buy a couple of sets of, say, 10.  I wish I could walk around the stateroom and measure it, so I could optimize, but won't be until we cruise.  But I do remember that horrible shoe rack that they usually have on the closet floor, and how useless it is.

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On 9/6/2019 at 10:36 PM, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Oh no, we won't be bringing our own car, just getting a one-way rental for the day.

 

(And I got my first set of packing cubes to start testing them out!)

 

Wendy, try the compression cubes from Eagle Creek.  They’re most costly, but the double zipper that you use to really compress the contents down has enabled me to pack quite a bit more than I otherwise would be able to in the same space.  They’re great for things that won’t wrinkle, like socks, underwear, swimsuits, pajamas, etc.   People say you can accomplish the same thing by using gallon zip lock bags and really squeezing the air out, but I’ve never been able to do that and get as much packed in as I can with the compression cubes.  I was really skeptical until I tried them.  

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WtW, we are In a Horizon Suite, it is all about the balcony but storage seems less then a penthouse. Early on we will have you and David up for drinks on the balcony and we can compare notes. Until then I will be picking a lot of brains on CC.

 

Aungrl, Did you use the compression cubes only for placing items in luggage or did you keep clothes organized in them on the ship? I think we have open areas in the closet and wonder if you can organize items and stack the cubes. 

 

I sm still trying to figure out how the shoe holders work over the closet or bathroom doors. Will the doors shut?

 

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Although our cruise line would provide them we bring lots of hangers with us.

 

This includes wire hangers, white plastic ones (these are for items we wash and don't dry), some of the hangers where you can hang multiple pants and a few hangers for my wife dresses.  We use very few of the wooden ones from the ship and have the others removed.  This creates more closet room.

 

We do bring something that hangs in our closet to hang additional shoes for my wife.

 

We also bring a collapsible laundry basket.  While they provide a laundry bag we find it easier to use getting to the laundry room.

 

We also bring magnets so we can hang certain items on the wall such as a spreadsheet I create with information on planned tours and restaurant reservations. We hang on the wall any invitations and special World Cruise letters.


We also bring photos of the family placed in these clear plastics that are magnetized so we can hand those on the wall.

 

Keith

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I'm doubtful magnets will work on our ship.  I've been told that the wallpaper is now too thick.  Still I'll probably take a couple for the doors.  But can't count on being able to up family pictures.  Guess I'll just use my laptop for that. And social media.

 

I have a shoe tree that hangs in my closet (cloth, collapsible).  It's only 6" wide, 3" velcro strap around the closet bar.  I'm thinking I'll just bring it with me!

 

And yes, a couple of plastic hangers is a good idea, since I tend to rinse things out myself that I do not want dried in a dryer.

 

Travelwell, I wouldn't worry about it.  Your suite looks amazing, although I admit, I'd give my eyeteeth for a PH right now!

 

Aungrl, I can see using the compression cubes for socks and underwear, and a couple might even be useful on the ship, since drawer space is apparently at a premium.  Thanks.

Edited by Wendy The Wanderer
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8 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

I'm doubtful magnets will work on our ship.  I've been told that the wallpaper is now too thick.  Still I'll probably take a couple for the doors.  But can't count on being able to up family pictures.  Guess I'll just use my laptop for that. And social media.

 

I have a shoe tree that hangs in my closet (cloth, collapsible).  It's only 6" wide, 3" velcro strap around the closet bar.  I'm thinking I'll just bring it with me!

 

And yes, a couple of plastic hangers is a good idea, since I tend to rinse things out myself that I do not want dried in a dryer.

 

I took strong magnet hooks (from Amazon) that did stick to some areas and the ceilings, but after Oceania's remodeling the walls are no longer magnetic. I would stick a hook on the ceiling (near the wall) and hang up wet clothes to dry.

 

I had a hooks-over-the-door shoe rack that I kept on the inside of the closet door...it was a lifesaver. Left room on the closet floor for my laundry bag.

 

To store purses, tote bag and knitting paraphernalia, I went to Walmart at my first port and bought a large storage cube that doubled as a footstool on the balcony. It was too heavy to lug home so I told my cabin stewardess that I was leaving it and she asked if she could have it...of course I gave it to her...she was so excited!

Edited by Go-Bucks!
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