11-day cruise tips?

[cruisin2gether26]

We haven't cruised in a while and never on an 11-day cruise!  I'm so excited!  How much should we pack? We are on the Odyssey of the Seas, and I don't want to miss a thing! Thanks for your help! 🥰

[Biker19]

Just now, cruisin2gether26 said:

How much should we pack?

Enough for 11 days. 

[cruisin2gether26]

18 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Enough for 11 days. 

I guess that was silly! I usually over pack for 7 days, but 11 days? - I'm sure we will utilize the free Laundry Service. 

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, cruisin2gether26 said:

I usually over pack for 7 days

Pack that much for 11 days. Check the app for things to do. 

Edited August 21 by Biker19

[ARandomTraveler]

26 minutes ago, cruisin2gether26 said:

I guess that was silly! I usually over pack for 7 days, but 11 days? - I'm sure we will utilize the free Laundry Service. 

You don't need the laundry service, if you spend most of your day in a swimsuit and cover-up, or shorts and a t-shirt, you can Re-wear those a couple times, and they can usually be rinsed out in the sink or shower if need be. If you're working out every day you may decide to send sweaty/smelly clothes to the laundry service if you don't want to pack enough for 11 days, but you should be fine if you're just casually walking around each day. 
 

I did a 30+ day vacation last summer and didn't need to do laundry until day 14 or 15, but I brought a lot of sweat wicking clothes, swimsuits and sundresses that generally don't need much washing. I also checked a bag. I guess if you're trying to pack in a carry-on you may not have room to pack enough clothes to last that long. But 11 days on a ship doesn't really warrant laundry service generally. 

[notscb]

Someone once reminded me that on a cruise, the only person who is going to notice if you re-wear or re-use articles of clothing is you. Wash what you need to in your cabin and hang dry/balcony dry if you have it, but don't overthink it*

 

*with the exception of certain itineraries like Alaska and possibly Norway where you really should overthink it a bit when it comes to cold and layers.

[Tatka]

In the winter out of NJ? We do it every year now.

i take about 10-12 tshirts (I don’t wear them all)

About 7-8 blouses … 4-5 various skirts, pants, 4 dressy jackets. Mix and match all this.

Shoes: crocs, sandals, nicer evening shoes, sneakers.

 

3 swimming suits with coverups for pools (especially Solarium!)

 

For beaches I have special swimming tshirts (I don’t need to burn) 

 

I never use laundry services onboard. Medium to large bag for each of us + backpack with toiletries etc is enough. 

Edited August 21 by Tatka

[Ashland]

We often use the RCI wash/fold option (for certain things) even for just a 7 night cruise but for us it's a free perk.

[fenton04]

After COVID lockdown and cruising started ramping up.  We junp started cruising.  We had 4 cruises lined up. First cruise no issues.  Second cruise not so much.  Airlines were “losing” luggage at an alarming rate.  Of course one of our luggage was somewhere in luggage purgatory.  That was the first of our three 11 day cruise. Not to be undone by the airlines we did the next 2 eleven day cruise’s carryon only. The only way we pulled it off was the laundry perk. Just sayin.

[soremekun]

Semi disappointed.  I thought this was another tipping post.

 

In loving memory of @thorben-hendrik

Edited August 21 by soremekun

[shipgeeks]

We pack pretty much the same for our 9-night and 12-night cruises as we used to do for 7 nights. More undies, more pills, I guess. It's still the same one toothbrush each, one hairbrush each, one pair black shoes, one pair sneakers, or whatever. We don't use or do laundry.  It all goes by so quickly no matter how long the cruise is.

[Tatka]

2 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

We pack pretty much the same for our 9-night and 12-night cruises as we used to do for 7 nights. More undies, more pills, I guess. It's still the same one toothbrush each, one hairbrush each, one pair black shoes, one pair sneakers, or whatever. We don't use or do laundry.  It all goes by so quickly no matter how long the cruise is.

 

Same. I do not need to wear it all. If something is not worn it just stays in luggage for the next cruise. 🙂

[gmerick]

Maybe it's a guy thing -- I don't pack much at all -- even for 16 day Panama transit. 

I arrive in Bayonne dressed for winter - North Face jacket, jeans, long sleeve shirt. Slipon walking shoes.

Passport

1 qt. ziplock bag with pills, toothbrush, toothpaste, Bic razor.

2 pair Dockers,

4 Polo shirts (no i don't "dress formal")

6 pr underwear

6 pr socks

(I use the laundry service - twice!  It's cheaper than checking a bag on the airline) 

Jammers, t-shirt, hat. (for topside, shore-ex, swim wear)

Fleece track suit (doubles as pajamas and topside wear on cool days)

Empty duffel bag.  (if I just gotta have souvenirs, they get airline checked in what was my carry-on, and I carry the duffel)

A stack of good old fashion US greenbacks.  (keep it under 10 grand to avoid undue attention)

 

[Tatka]

Well, we drive, so no airlines. 🙂

[Billy Baltic]

Pace yourself. Coming off 14 days on Odyssey I had to take a break from tequila 🙂. 
We found it was great to be able to space out the entertainment so the evenings were more relaxed. We loved the book (went twice). Showgirls was also very good, as was Gold art duo. 

[fenton04]

2 hours ago, Tatka said:

Well, we drive, so no airlines. 🙂

We thought about that.  But the logistics of driving to Copenhagen Denmark was a nightmare!

[HBE4]

9 hours ago, soremekun said:

 

In loving memory of @thorben-hendrik

 

Kudo's to you for remember how to spell his name. 👍

 

I miss Herr Thor. He brought a certain energy with him 😇

[soremekun]

3 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Kudo's to you for remember how to spell his name. 👍

 

I miss Herr Thor. He brought a certain energy with him 😇

Does anyone know him personally?  Is he ok?  Or does he go by another handle?

[HBE4]

9 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Does anyone know him personally?  Is he ok?  Or does he go by another handle?

 

I hope he's okay.  Not sure what happened, I guess not everyone thought as highly of him  & he was placed in the permanent naughty list.

 

Just my guess. Pretty sure if he went under another name, we'd notice. He had some pretty distinct viewpoints. 🙂

Edited August 21 by HBE4

[neverbeenhere]

No matter how long the cruise, all you need is tong and tongs. 

[Mum2Mercury]

For 11 nights, I'd pack: 

 

- 6 dinner outfits, assuming each would be worn twice ... I'd make a couple of these casual enough that they could be used for daywear 

- 4 pairs of shorts & 3 shirts to match each ... wear ashore shorts that're on their "last wear" 

- 2 casual tee-shirt type dresses for daytime 

- 1 pair of shoes to match all dinner outfits, 1 pair tennis shoes, 1 pair comfortable walking sandals, 1 pair of water shoes (if you deem them necessary for shore excursions) 

- 3-4 swimsuits + 3-4 cover ups 

 

 

 

Edited August 22 by Mum2Mercury

[brillohead]

Back when cruising started up, my longest combo was ten weeks, and I did it with one suitcase and one carry-on.  I did get up to D+ earlier that year, so I got one bag of wash-n-fold laundry per cruise that I used for undies, socks, and some of my t-shirts and pants. 

My more delicate t-shirts, pants, and blouses plus swimwear got hand-washed (the mystery-goo in the shower works great for laundry detergent, too).  I would layer wet items between towels, roll them up, and walk on them -- gets out more water than wringing, and doesn't stretch/damage the fabric.  These magnet hooks are sturdy enough to support a wet garment on a hanger, without adding too much weight to your luggage. I have heavier-duty magnets, but I've always found these to have plenty of strength, so I leave the heavier hooks at home.

I also have a small fan like this one that I travel with.  I point it at the laundry when I leave for dinner, and most things are dry when I come back to go to bed -- any heavier items are always dry by morning.

It all depends on what you want... some people don't want to bother with doing laundry on vacation, and just pack enough clothes for the whole trip.  Some people don't want to spend money on laundry service, so they wash their own midway through. And some people just pay for the laundry service and don't care about the cost.

[Tatka]

16 hours ago, fenton04 said:

We thought about that.  But the logistics of driving to Copenhagen Denmark was a nightmare!

 

Is this a port you usually cruise from? 🙂

 

We do cruises from Europe from time to time, but definitely not every year.

Usually it is 4 cruises from Bayonne, NJ and one from Baltimore.

[fenton04]

Just now, Tatka said:

 

Is this a port you usually cruise from? 🙂

 

We do cruises from Europe from time to time, but definitely not every year.

Usually it is 4 cruises from Bayonne, NJ and one from Baltimore.

My goodness no.  We are in the Midwest.  It was a lame attempt at satire.  You know driving from the Lou to Copenhagen.  It was a Baltic Sea cruise on the Voyager.

[Tatka]

5 minutes ago, fenton04 said:

My goodness no.  We are in the Midwest.  It was a lame attempt at satire.  You know driving from the Lou to Copenhagen.  It was a Baltic Sea cruise on the Voyager.

 

 I've been to Copenhagen. 🙂 Lovely city. I hope you had a great time there and cruise.