Gosh Darn It

[Oakman58]

I'm not complaining, just stating a fact.  My travel packing checklist keeps getting longer and longer as I get older.  Added to my list over the many years (in chronological order) eyeglasses, then medications, then came a partial denture, then batteries for my hearing aids, and now more recently I've added compression socks to my list.  Getting old ain't for wimps but it does beat the alternative.  Like I said, I'm not complaining, I'll wait until I have to add Depends to the packing list before I start complaining.  Just saying. 😀

[NSnJW]

As long as you are packing you are travelling.  As long as you are traveling, you are living, not just alive.

Enjoy your cruises.

[Von & John]

@Oakman58

Packing Depends could be very freeing...

You wouldn't have to interrupt your day to take a restroom break...

I hear College Students enjoy them 🙂

[iancal]

We are the opposite.  We are  in our late sixties.  We both travel with carry on only since retiring nine years ago.  One week or eight weeks.  

[lenquixote66]

On 1/19/2020 at 11:35 AM, Oakman58 said:

I'm not complaining, just stating a fact.  My travel packing checklist keeps getting longer and longer as I get older.  Added to my list over the many years (in chronological order) eyeglasses, then medications, then came a partial denture, then batteries for my hearing aids, and now more recently I've added compression socks to my list.  Getting old ain't for wimps but it does beat the alternative.  Like I said, I'm not complaining, I'll wait until I have to add Depends to the packing list before I start complaining.  Just saying. 😀

Mine began with eyeglasses then medications then compression socks then a CPAP machine then a cane then a walker and it just continues.

[lenquixote66]

58 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Mine began with eyeglasses then medications then compression socks then a CPAP machine then a cane then a walker and it just continues.

I was healthy until I retired.Now I have 13 illnesses.

[honumaui]

We are packing LESS too !  No more formal wear., not even jackets or ties..fewer shoes..more multi  use light weight outfits .

( hearing aid batteries, extra glasses, medications don't take up much room) But we do find that we also need a check off list now.  We are spending more on airfare though...Over 77 and refuse to fly coach any more. Old enough to remember when flying was fun. Also spending more on our cruises as we will not cruise on any ship over around 800 passengers ( well maybe if it was free ). Years ago RCCL and Hal were our favourites. Now it is Windstar, Regent & Oceania. Thankful we can keep cursing.

[Canuker]

Ah, yes, remember your younger days when all you needed to take were shorts/bikini and a credit card.

[honumaui]

Not really..when I was that young I couldn't afford to cruise.

[iancal]

canuker...we are in our late 60's.  Leaving in a few days for 7-8 weeks in Mexico.  Essentially all we take in our carry ons are shorts, tops, undergarments, bathing suit (s) and a pair of sandals.  Only extras....ipads, blood pressure pills for spouse,  and credit cards.  And the casual slacks we wear as we are leaving the snowy north.   We have met up with many our age who are doing the exact same as us.

 

We may decide to come back a little early, stop en route home,  and grab a last minute cruise from FLL or MIA if the itinerary, ship, and price suits us.

Edited January 25, 2020 by iancal

[Lois R]

5 hours ago, iancal said:

canuker...we are in our late 60's.  Leaving in a few days for 7-8 weeks in Mexico.  Essentially all we take in our carry ons are shorts, tops, undergarments, bathing suit (s) and a pair of sandals.  Only extras....ipads, blood pressure pills for spouse,  and credit cards.  And the casual slacks we wear as we are leaving the snowy north.   We have met up with many our age who are doing the exact same as us.

 

We may decide to come back a little early, stop en route home,  and grab a last minute cruise from FLL or MIA if the itinerary, ship, and price suits us.

Hi, so if you cruise on cooler itineraries? Still the same shorts and tops? I am going on my first TA crossing and then

a river cruise after that....no way would shorts, sandals and bathing suits be the way for me to pack for this trip.

I am in my early 60s...…….

[iancal]

The only cooler itinerary was South America in Feb.   We had five weeks of pre and post cruise in warm climates wrapped around it.  Different though.  But yes, we only do carry on now no matter where we go.  We do layers.

[Lois R]

27 minutes ago, iancal said:

The only cooler itinerary was South America in Feb.   We had five weeks of pre and post cruise in warm climates wrapped around it.  Different though.  But yes, we only do carry on now no matter where we go.  We do layers.

ok....whatever works...…...layering is good.  So you do bring some longer pants? I am just curious really.

Shorts work for all the venues you visit?

[iancal]

One pair of slacks.  I wear them on the plane because I get cold and I will be wearing them to the airport tomorrow because it is winter where we live.  We are doing a high end AI for five days so I might wear slacks for dinnner...not certain. Otherwise it will be shorts for just about the entire 7-8 weeks in Mexico. We have done exactly the same over the past five winters in Thailand.

 

We gave up packing for formal nights on cruises years ago.   Our first extended trip after retirement included a South African safari.  The safari has a luggage limit.  We decided at that point to bite the bullet and move to carry on.  We have previously met a retired couple in a laundromat in Florence what had just finished two months on a rail ticket and bought another month or two.  They were doing carry on.  At first it was challenging for us, now not at all. 

Edited January 28, 2020 by iancal

[Lois R]

Very interesting.  I was not referring to "formal evenings" necessarily.  But you must cruise with lines that basically

have a very casual dress code overall--dinner included.   I prefer pants and not meaning "formal ones"....but

pants none the less.

 

It is good there are so many different types of vacations for all of us

 

 

[iancal]

We have been skipping formal nights in the MDR for quite some time.  Well before the switch to more casual on those nights.  At one time we enjoyed them but this has not been the case for a long time.

 

Add to that our habit of adding a weeks of land travel and our preference not to carry about any clothes for the then more formal dress code simply to wear  for a few hours on two to four nights.  We would  eat in the buffet on those evenings.

[iancal]

Lois R...we cruise on all the lines.  Our first go to lines are typically Celebrity, HAL, Princess, and RCI.  We have also had a few on each of NCL and Carnival.    Since retiring we mostly do last minute cruises.  Our selection criteria is always itinerary, ship, price. We do not care about the logo on the funnel since there is so much inconsistency these days.

Edited January 28, 2020 by iancal

[Lois R]

I just retired on Dec 31st......maybe I will end up doing some last minute cruises one day too.  Right now I have

3 booked for definite dates.   Will see what happens going forward.

[iancal]

We have done a number of last minute cruises from FLL/MIA.  The closest was 3 days out on a Carnival ship. We were in Dayona.  We did a ten day on NCL and a 10 day on Celebrity, both during Christmastime.  At least four late booking Med cruises that I can think of offhand.  Always a balcony.  So far we have never been disappointed but we do research the ship first to ensure that they suit us.

Edited January 28, 2020 by iancal