Clothes

[sjinnj]

Hello all,

 

I am not a new cruiser, but I haven't gone on a cruise in like 15 years.  The cruises I did go one were short 4- and 5-night ones.   Now that I am married with kids, we have an 8-night cruise coming up and wanted to know what folks for their clothes on longer cruises. Do you have them cleaned?  Do you just bring along enough clothes for the whole cruise?  How do you handle this?  Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

Thanks

Edited December 11, 2021 by sjinnj

[iancal]

We usually pack for 5-6days.  No matter how long we are away.   Carry on.   We  use the ships laundry offer...usually a bag full of clothes.   We only pack casual clothes.

 

We never go to the ship and then return home.  Always have land travels before and/or after.

Edited December 11, 2021 by iancal

[mom says]

For any cruise less than 2 weeks, we just bring enough clothes with us. For longer cruises we do our own laundry if the ship has self serve laundry rooms ( not all lines have these), or send it out. With kids, I can see a need to do laundry more frequently, so booking with a line that has passenger laundry rooms might be the easier route to go.

[Shmoo here]

3 hours ago, sjinnj said:

Hello all,

 

I am not a new cruiser, but I haven't gone on a cruise in like 15 years.  The cruises I did go one were short 4- and 5-night ones.   Now that I am married with kids, we have an 8-night cruise coming up and wanted to know what folks for their clothes on longer cruises. Do you have them cleaned?  Do you just bring along enough clothes for the whole cruise?  How do you handle this?  Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

Thanks

We typically do longer cruises (10+ nights).  We always pack mix and match outfits for 7-9 days.  Several of the cruise lines we use do have onboard self-serve laundry available.  But we've also used the onboard laundry service.  Not for underwear, socks, and light weight shirts.  But pants and jackets, and/or formalwear will go to the onboard service.

 

Remember, a lightly worn outfit can be worn again.  There's no need to wear different clothes every day.  People onboard are not going to remember you wore that same shirt 3 days ago.

[mammajamma2013]

We pack for four or five days if a laundry room is available on board. Carnival and Princess (both Carnival Corporation lines) do have laundry rooms, Norwegian does not; we've only booked on these three lines so far. If no passenger laundry room's available, we pack enough for the whole trip but wear items more than once except for socks and underwear. I've never done laundry in the sink, but that's also an option.

 

Your cruise line's website will tell you if passenger laundry rooms are available.

[butterfly4108]

Another option on some cruise lines is to wait for the "fill up a laundry bag event for 19.99"  They'll wash as much as you can stuff in it and it's usually about halfway thru your cruise if you're on a lengthy one!  I think we've had that option on all of our 2 wk+ cruises...

[Host Kat]

5 hours ago, sjinnj said:

Hello all,

 

I am not a new cruiser, but I haven't gone on a cruise in like 15 years.  The cruises I did go one were short 4- and 5-night ones.   Now that I am married with kids, we have an 8-night cruise coming up and wanted to know what folks for their clothes on longer cruises. Do you have them cleaned?  Do you just bring along enough clothes for the whole cruise?  How do you handle this?  Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

Thanks

 

Howdy @sjinnj and welcome to the Cruise Critic message boards!   

 

Thank you for your thread titled Clothes on the Ask a Cruise Question forum.  However, it is the forum for general questions regarding cruising. I see from your other posts you are sailing on RCI's Enchantment of the Seas. To help you out, I have moved your thread to the Royal Caribbean International forum where it will be on topic. The majority of your fellow Cruise Critic members that have sailed RCI frequent this forum and provide feedback here. Browse through the thread titles on this forum l👀king for threads of interest. You will probably find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that will be of interest to you.

 

I used the Search feature on the RCI forum using laundry as the key word. Here are the 28 results I found for you:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=laundry&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=51&updated_after=any&sortby=newest&search_in=titles

 

Cruise Critic is a great resource for new as well as experienced cruisers and we are so glad you found us!  Please feel free to browse the Cruise Critic Community Categories list. Read a few threads in the different forums to get a feel for what each forum is about. Make sure you read any pinned threads on the top of the first page of threads in a forum. You will find very important instructions or information there.

 

Wanted to let you know the Cruise Critic Roll Call thread for your line, ship and sail date will be the place for you to get to know the other Cruise Critic members sailing with you before the cruise. Your fellow Roll Call thread members may have important information posted in your Roll Call thread. Especially those that have sailed your line, ship or itinerary before. You do not mention the sail date for your cruise so I cannot direct you to the Roll Call thread for your cruise if it has already started.

 

Also, the Roll Call thread for your cruise is the only place on Cruise Critic where you and your fellow Roll Call thread members are allowed to post personal ads about sharing private tours, excursions, transportation etc. with each other to 💲ave money. That is ... if COVID-19 protocol allows by then. There is a "captive audience" since you are all sailing together!  You will receive a much better response to your share request if you take some time to read the entire Roll Call thread, post an introductory post about yourself, and continue on with more posts back and forth to get to know the other thread members and allow them to get to know you first before you post your share request. That is the spirit of our Roll Calls. 

 

To explain our Roll Calls and finding the Roll Call thread for your line, ship and sail date, please read What is a Roll Call? Everything you Need to Know and How To: Create A New Roll Call. For more information about our famous Roll Calls, please read the Roll Calls and Our Policy Regarding Facebook and Roll Calls sections in the Guidelines we all agree to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic memberships.

 

And don't forget, after your cruise be sure to submit your review for publication. Many cruisers will benefit from your experience!  See How To: Submit a Member Review.

 

I hope this will be helpful to a new member and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

[zoepipes]

I always end up bringing more than I need - probably because I do recycle outfits (without laundry!).  I do bring more than one swimsuit because the thought of putting on a damp swimsuit is gross (I do rinse them back in the room  ha!)  With the purchase of packing cubes, I am amazed at how much I can get in a suitcase!

[luckyinpa]

bring one more shirt than number of days and things will be fine. 

[SRF]

I rewear outer clothes.  Most times we are not doing anything strenuous that will require single wear.

 

My normal underwear is Duluth Trading Buck Naked, and it can be washed in the sink and dy by morning.

 

My socks take longer to dry. 😄

[topnole]

On 12/11/2021 at 9:18 AM, sjinnj said:

Hello all,

 

I am not a new cruiser, but I haven't gone on a cruise in like 15 years.  The cruises I did go one were short 4- and 5-night ones.   Now that I am married with kids, we have an 8-night cruise coming up and wanted to know what folks for their clothes on longer cruises. Do you have them cleaned?  Do you just bring along enough clothes for the whole cruise?  How do you handle this?  Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

Thanks

Always pack enough on a week long cruise.  No desire to wash something in my sink if I can pack enough for a week in a reasonable suitcase.  Also, no desire to gather up and sort laundry to send off for cleaning.  Only on a longer trip would I plan of this (like a 2 week trans Atlantic).  
 

  I might wear bathing suits, sun proof shirts, or athletic shorts more than once.  Maybe a few other things.  But packing for a 6-8 night trip can easily be done in one bag that is under the typical 50lbs for checking a bag for air travel.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 12/11/2021 at 1:40 PM, butterfly4108 said:

Another option on some cruise lines is to wait for the "fill up a laundry bag event for 19.99"  They'll wash as much as you can stuff in it and it's usually about halfway thru your cruise if you're on a lengthy one!  I think we've had that option on all of our 2 wk+ cruises...

I'd rather pay $30 for an extra suitcase... 🙂

 

We grossly overpacked on our first cruise, because we didn't know better. And we rented a tux, lol. Not anymore.

 

Also, OP, what you pack will depend on your destination - Alaska, Europe, Asia, Caribbean, and kids' ages. Who knows - you may need diapers and formula.

We only sail in the Caribbean for now and for 7-10 days only, so we pack lightly. We usually bring 3 carry-on backpacks with stuff we cannot sail without - all the meds, 1 swimsuit/trunks/rashguard each, 1 pair of flip flops each, 1 sunhat each, electronics, toothbrushes, documents.

 

We pack everything else into 2 suitcases, 40# each (since we usually fly on Spirit), for 3 of us - 2 adults, 1 child (started cruising at 3). We definitely wear athletic shorts and t-shirts more than once, since they don't get dirty. I usually wear the same pair of dressy pants to all of the MDR dinners for the entire week. DH alternates between nice slacks on a more formal day and jeans on a regular day.

 

Here is our list for a 7-8 day Caribbean cruise:

1 pair of nice shorts, 1-2 pairs of athletic shorts for each person

3-4 t-shirts for each person

1 nice long sleeved dress shirt for DH for MDR use, 1 pair of nice pants, 1 nice sweatshirt or a sweater

Me: 1 pair of nice pants, 2 nice tops for MDR, 1 long sleeve cardigan for colder A/C areas (may wear it on the plane to save space)

DS: 2 long sleeve nice shirts, 1 pair of slacks for MDR, 1 nice sweatshirt or a sweater

something to sleep in

underwear (add 2 extras for just in case), more if traveling with little kids who are freshly potty trained; socks

2 swimsuits/swimming trunks and a rashguard shirt for each person. DS gets 2 rashguard shirts because he is a pale redhead who needs it more than we do.

shoes

 

Here is my official list pinned to the fridge so that I can check everything off as I am packing it:

 

 

Passports, covid vaccine cards, negative tests, wallet, credit card, cash, printouts

Masks (during covid sailing)

Medications (stomach, echinacea, cough, ibuprofen, prescriptions, diarrhea, laxative, cold meds, thermometer, children’s meds, afrin, magnesium, vit C)

Lysol wipes (we wipe everything on the plane and in the ship cabin)

SPF lotion and spray

Swimming suits, trunks, rashguard, sunhats, beach bags

Sunglasses (prescription and regular)

Swim ring, floaties, vest

Water masks

Sand toys, small bucket

Shoes: flip flops or crocs, sandals, sneakers, proper, water shoes

Charging cables, phones, tablet and tablet holder (DS sometimes uses it in MDR during dinner to keep himself quiet and occupied, especially when he was a lot younger and was bored to death during dinner)

Truvia, thermos cup, water bottle, zip lock bags for snacks to take offshore for the kid

Shorts, underwear, pjs, t-shirts, shirts, pants

Toothbrushes, hair brush, toothpaste, lotion, body wash (DS's skin is sensitive)

Gloves, athletic pants and tall socks for skating

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Itchy&Scratchy

[shipgeeks]

We definitely re-wear things!  Ships are so clean; we never seem to see dirty cuffs and such that we see at home.  We mix and match both day wear (shorts, shirts) and evening wear (pants, skirts, shirts, tops).

Even for our usual 12-17 day cruises, I just pack enough undies to always have clean on hand, although I know I could wash in sink if needed.

I base my shoe choices on coordinating with my clothes.  If I take black dress shoes, my evening outfits go with those.  Another time I take bone shoes and those outfits.

Have a wonderful cruise!

[shoptom]

I use fabric refresher on anything I didn't sweat in and wear it again.  Two weeks with only a carry on is no problem.

[Cigar King]

We usually cruise for 14 nights minimum and bring enough clothes for the trip with no need to do laundry.  As an experiment on our last cruise I tried the wash and fold bag (we're D+ so it's free).  I only trusted it for things like socks and t-shirts but it worked surprisingly well.  I may try it again.

 

We usually travel with four pieces of luggage.  Two bags that weight ~35 lbs, and two that weigh ~25.  One thing I did to help with the weight is to buy ultralight luggage.  It shaved a lot of weight off each bag, and made life a lot easier.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Cigar King

[Cruiser_1977]

I've had to wash a few things in the sink/tub while traveling (not just cruising). I have found these detergent sheets helpful. You can cut them smaller if you're only washing a few pairs of undies/socks.

[sjinnj]

On 12/14/2021 at 11:11 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I'd rather pay $30 for an extra suitcase... 🙂

 

We grossly overpacked on our first cruise, because we didn't know better. And we rented a tux, lol. Not anymore.

 

Also, OP, what you pack will depend on your destination - Alaska, Europe, Asia, Caribbean, and kids' ages. Who knows - you may need diapers and formula.

We only sail in the Caribbean for now and for 7-10 days only, so we pack lightly. We usually bring 3 carry-on backpacks with stuff we cannot sail without - all the meds, 1 swimsuit/trunks/rashguard each, 1 pair of flip flops each, 1 sunhat each, electronics, toothbrushes, documents.

 

We pack everything else into 2 suitcases, 40# each (since we usually fly on Spirit), for 3 of us - 2 adults, 1 child (started cruising at 3). We definitely wear athletic shorts and t-shirts more than once, since they don't get dirty. I usually wear the same pair of dressy pants to all of the MDR dinners for the entire week. DH alternates between nice slacks on a more formal day and jeans on a regular day.

 

Here is our list for a 7-8 day Caribbean cruise:

1 pair of nice shorts, 1-2 pairs of athletic shorts for each person

3-4 t-shirts for each person

1 nice long sleeved dress shirt for DH for MDR use, 1 pair of nice pants, 1 nice sweatshirt or a sweater

Me: 1 pair of nice pants, 2 nice tops for MDR, 1 long sleeve cardigan for colder A/C areas (may wear it on the plane to save space)

DS: 2 long sleeve nice shirts, 1 pair of slacks for MDR, 1 nice sweatshirt or a sweater

something to sleep in

underwear (add 2 extras for just in case), more if traveling with little kids who are freshly potty trained; socks

2 swimsuits/swimming trunks and a rashguard shirt for each person. DS gets 2 rashguard shirts because he is a pale redhead who needs it more than we do.

shoes

 

Here is my official list pinned to the fridge so that I can check everything off as I am packing it:

 

 

Passports, covid vaccine cards, negative tests, wallet, credit card, cash, printouts

Masks (during covid sailing)

Medications (stomach, echinacea, cough, ibuprofen, prescriptions, diarrhea, laxative, cold meds, thermometer, children’s meds, afrin, magnesium, vit C)

Lysol wipes (we wipe everything on the plane and in the ship cabin)

SPF lotion and spray

Swimming suits, trunks, rashguard, sunhats, beach bags

Sunglasses (prescription and regular)

Swim ring, floaties, vest

Water masks

Sand toys, small bucket

Shoes: flip flops or crocs, sandals, sneakers, proper, water shoes

Charging cables, phones, tablet and tablet holder (DS sometimes uses it in MDR during dinner to keep himself quiet and occupied, especially when he was a lot younger and was bored to death during dinner)

Truvia, thermos cup, water bottle, zip lock bags for snacks to take offshore for the kid

Shorts, underwear, pjs, t-shirts, shirts, pants

Toothbrushes, hair brush, toothpaste, lotion, body wash (DS's skin is sensitive)

Gloves, athletic pants and tall socks for skating

 

Thank you, this is very helpful, and I will print it out for my cruise.

[SRF]

On 12/14/2021 at 4:36 PM, JennyB1977 said:

I've had to wash a few things in the sink/tub while traveling (not just cruising). I have found these detergent sheets helpful. You can cut them smaller if you're only washing a few pairs of undies/socks.

 

For sink washing, I just use the shampoo provided.  Pretty much all the liquid detergents are the same basic stuff, with some color and scent added.

 

For work trips, I carry a small squeeze bottle that I fill with Woolite.