Packing - Ugh...

[Bramcruiser]

Oh it happens from time to time. Usually I am good at packing (I tend to take a full day to do it though) but on my last cruise.......................well, I shouldn't be saying this but I forgot my sleep pants! Just glad there was no need for an emergency evacuation of the ship in the evening!

[bepsf]

OK, Part of my dilemma was the fact that after the cold of NYC and the warmth of the Caribbean, I'm also spending over a week at my Sis' place in VA w/ her and her kids - so you see the clothes that I'll wear in NYC and on the ship won't be appropriate w/ the kids and animals in the Virginia countryside - and the excess luggage charges are just too much (besides the prospect of schlepping all those bags through Penn Station myself! :eek: )

 

She and I chatted on the phone yesterday, and she suggested that I UPS some casual clothes out to her home before I leave SF - that way they'll arrive way before I get to her place and when I arrive in VA, I can ship the formalwear back to CA!

 

I'll let you know how much UPS charges to send a suitcase cross-country later today!

:)

[HeatherInFlorida]

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but this is a heck of a load of MY mind!!!!!:) ;) :D

[jhannah]

Whew! Saved by UPS. ;)

 

That's a great idea.

[DesertDiva]

That's EXACTLY what I was going to suggest. My ex-boyfriend had his elderly parents often fly from Chicago to Albuquerque. They often would stay several weeks at a time. They would ship their clothes via UPS so they wouldn't have the bother of transporting luggage, etc...

 

Have a wonderful cruise and visit with your sister!

 

She suggested that I UPS some casual clothes out to her home before I leave SF - that way they'll arrive way before I get to her place and when I arrive in VA, I can ship the formalwear back to CA!

[MrsMuir]

To Brian and everyone who's enduring the oh so terrible trial of packing for a cruise: hie thee to the nearest Target (not WalMart!) and get a few of their plastic travel bags. They have holes in one end and a zipper lock in the other. Put your delicate underthings (or boas, t-shirts, or whatever) folded, in the bag. Zip the lock. Put said bag on the floor. Lie on floor next to bag. Starting at the locked end, roll upper body on bag, releasing air through holes in top of bag. Voila! A flat, searchable, non-touchable item for your suitcase. You'd be amazed at how much you can cram into a suitcase with this method.

 

After running out of the official travel bags, I used the large Ziploc storage bags, to similar effect. The only difference is you must zip the bags shut but leave space for the air to escape as you roll your zaftig self over the bag. Then you seal it real quick so it stays flat.

 

I envy anyone who is ready to pack for a cruise. Being a detail-oriented person, I do a dry-run packing about two weeks before the cruise, just to make sure those dozen pairs of shoes will fit. I put the radio on the local soft jazz station and would stay up all night with my suitcase if I didn't have to go to work in the morning. Some of the songs I hear while packing turn out to be memory triggers for that happy, pre-cruise time. DH, on the other hand, thinks about what he'll take the day before we leave.

 

Brian, Reverend Neal, Stephen, and all, have a WONDERFUL time aboard the beautiful new Noordam!

 

Mrs Muir

[bepsf]

DH, on the other hand, thinks about what he'll take the day before we leave.

 

Must be a guy thing...

;)

 

Thanks for the excellent suggestions and well wishes - only two more sleeps till we board!

:D

[HeatherInFlorida]

MrsMuir, I love those travel bags! I have several. A neat little tip when using the Ziploc bags (and this works even when just putting food in them) ... when you leave the little hole in the top of the bag, insert a straw and suck out the extra air. If the bags are really good, it works exactly like a vacuum seal!

 

People laughed when they first saw me do this, but now they do it!!!:D