What things have you pack that you wish you didn't?

[abhb]

I got such great information about things to never leave at home without. I am going out this weekend to buy one of those shoe holders.

I was wondering what items you have packed and never needed or wished you never bothered with? Since space is at a premium, I don't want to waist any space with things I won't need.

Amy

[stowaway2k]

Well, there's a general 'unwritten' rule that's true for me, when it comes to clothing.

That is, pack what you want to take, then remove half.

I'm a chronic over-packer, I always take clothes that I don't get around to wearing.

 

So, that's it for me, too much clothing.

 

Take half the clothes you think you'll need, :o

and

Take twice the money you think you'll need. :eek:

[musicmansmom]

Well, there's a general 'unwritten' rule that's true for me, when it comes to clothing.

That is, pack what you want to take, then remove half.

I'm a chronic over-packer, I always take clothes that I don't get around to wearing.

 

So, that's it for me, too much clothing.

 

Take half the clothes you think you'll need, :o

and

Take twice the money you think you'll need. :eek:

 

half the clothes and twice the money--so true ;) . i also wish i had not brought my own toiletrees. the basket in the cabin has all the things i needed. AND TOO MANY SHOES. all i really needed was 1 pair for formal night, 1 casual pair for other nights, flip-flops for pool and the tennies i wore on ( make sure they are broken in and comfy for port walking ). all the rest stayed in the bag that i lugged around 'that was way too heavy'. travel light, you will be glad you did. if you need more t-shirts buy them in the ports :D . have a great time.

[Andee]

After reading these boards, I bought one of those over the door holders. Never did find anything to use it for on the ship and gave it to Goodwill when we got back.

[Nliedel]

I always pack too many shoes. I have a shoe issue.

[cruizinmama]

Well, there's a general 'unwritten' rule that's true for me, when it comes to clothing.

That is, pack what you want to take, then remove half.

I'm a chronic over-packer, I always take clothes that I don't get around to wearing.

 

So, that's it for me, too much clothing.

 

Take half the clothes you think you'll need, :o

and

Take twice the money you think you'll need. :eek:

 

So So true.Way too many clothes.I also brought a few too many shoes and I packed a few things suggested on these boards I never used which are...

big plastic bags,individual crystal light(drank lots of water & mixed drinks).

Next cruise I will totally take everything I brought and cut that in half but mostly the clothes

[Happy ks]

My #1 rule is, if I don't know what an item is used for, I don't pack it. I've eliminated most items I read about on packing lists, so much of what is "just in case" stuff is not really needed and much of it you can improvise, do without, or purchase where you are.

 

#2 is to only pack what is not already provided for you, I take exception to the toiletries, though. I've never liked what they provide, too much perfume in it, I color my hair :eek: and don't want the color destroyed and I don't believe you can shampoo and condition at the same time ( years of being a hair stylist, I know products pretty well).

 

#3 is that you really can re-wear some articles of clothing and no one will notice or care. I'm pretty much a clothes horse, so this did take some getting used to. Hang all your stuff together before you pack, you can see what goes together better, what you can eliminate, what shoes will go best with the most outfits.

 

#4 is you really don't need all those shoes. Take the ones that are comfortable, leave home the cute ones that only go with one outfit.

 

#5 is, clean out your purse or wallet before you leave home and only take what is necessary to the trip. I have an aunt (a lovely person) who has the heaviest purse on the planet, she has neck problems but still will not lighten her load of totally useless receipts and other paper junk. I'm sure she has a hard time seeing me with my wallet on a string, one credit card, my health insurance card and my ID and one lipstick.

 

#6 always take along a small first aid kit, with limited amounts of medications for common ailments and a few bandaids.

 

All things are subjective, though. Some women cannot live without 12 pair of shoes on a 4 night cruise, some will not even consider that a ballgown will take up its very own suitcase and half the closet space. Then there are some men, like my husband, who want to open the closet and feel like they are at home, with all their choices at their fingertips. I can pack in a carryon, he cannot!

 

The over the door shoe thing is useful for overpackers and for families. Hung onto the back of the bathroom door, it keeps the clutter to a minimum, the clear pockets make it easy to identify the contents. We use one (when the kids are in our cabin with us:rolleyes: ) for sail and sign cards, hair brushes, sunglasses, sunscreen, brochures, receipts, sun visors, MP3 players, flip flops etc... We also take along the sweater/shelf type of closet organizer, to keep the shoes off the floor, very important when there are 4 people in a cabin.

 

I've learned that if you pack the bare necessities to get by, it makes travel easier, more organised and you don't stress out over what to wear. Packing, repacking goes smoother, less laundry when you get home. There are more pluses than negatives for me. Each and every trip the load gets lighter.

 

Finally, the most important item to take is your most comfortable walking shoes or sandals for daytime use. Your vacation will be much more delightful if your feet don't hurt.

[momofmeg]

half the clothes and twice the money--so true ;) . i also wish i had not brought my own toiletrees. the basket in the cabin has all the things i needed. AND TOO MANY SHOES. all i really needed was 1 pair for formal night, 1 casual pair for other nights, flip-flops for pool and the tennies i wore on ( make sure they are broken in and comfy for port walking ). all the rest stayed in the bag that i lugged around 'that was way too heavy'. travel light, you will be glad you did. if you need more t-shirts buy them in the ports :D . have a great time.

 

That little basket you are talking about I think is only on Carnival. So no toothpate and deodorant when you cruise on RCCL. Most lines do supply shampoo and conditioner but as my hair looks like cr$^^p unless I use a certain brand I still pack my own.

[MiniMom57]

I wish I hadn't taken the over-the-door shoe holder.....the brackets were too narrow for the door so we had to re-bend them, and I put stuff in it just because it was there, not because we didn't have enough storage space!

[pootsien2]

7 outfits for 7 days! I'm thinking 5 this time! I spent more daytime in a swimsuit and cover up than I expected--more thought is going into those choices this time!

[beach08]

Too many shoes !!!!! As the boards recommend, clothepins for shower curtain =NO, extentension cord = NO, Extra Hangers = no, Over the door organizer= NO....Just my opinion----I did not use any of these.

 

BUT ONE THING I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WORKS WONDERS= DOWNY WRINKLE RELEASE....IT'S GREAT ;) ;)

[Makai4]

Too many shoes is a given. Some of my shoes are very well-traveled, they've been all around the world with me, but most of them never seem to leave the room.:D

 

Don't bother packing a robe or a blow dryer. They are standard in a suite, but even if you are not staying in one, just ask your room attendant for them and they will get them for you.

 

I do bring my own hair conditioner, but always use the RC shampoo. My hair is colored (blonde) and I have never had a problem.

[Bonnie J.]

My husband and I have been on more than 45 cruises. It took us to our last 4 to only have ONE suitcase, a garment bag (my dresses, his tux, long pants) and a carryon! We finally realized no one is going to know if we were wearing the same shorts we had on two days ago and who cares if they do! Last cruises (7-11 days) I had 4 shorts and 4 tops (including pair I wore on to ship), one pair of dress shoes, sandels and the sneaks I only wear on to the ship, plus my water shoes for beaches,etc. I have three coverups that are like sun dresses and wear those on board and to the beaches. When I get up every morning I put a bathing suit on, then a coverup or shorts (my bathing suits have separate tops so they are not tucked in). I get out of my bathing suit when I dress for dinner. My husband now takes 3 or 4 pants, 3 or 4 shorts, his tux and depending on the ship, a sports jacket. He does take at least two polo type ****s/T-shirts for each day beause he perspires quite a bit and always changes his shirt when we get back on board from ports.

I have yet to figure out what you put in those over the door shoe holders - are you bring a suitcase just for those things? We do bring our toiletries like you do whenever traveiling. We have a bag just for them that we attach to our carryon.

[fishinglady]

I took an over-the-door shoe hanger last year on the Pride and never took it out of the bag. However, there were just two of us in the room, and plenty of storage space. On a previous cruise, there were 3 of us, and the holder really helped keep all of our cosmetic and toiletries clutter close but stored, especially since with 3 the closet and drawer space becomes more of an issue.... So it depends on the situation...

[seacrystal]

I agree with most of you - the shoe hanger has to be tossed! I bought a plastic one and couldn't believe how heavy it was in my suitcase.

 

Another laughable one was the coffee pot. Before our cruise to Alaska, I had read so many threads that said how bad the Princess coffee was :eek: . I was paranoid about my morning coffee. I bought a small 4-cupper and a small container for my coffee and it filled up half of my carry-on. I was a little embarrassed when we went through security too. Much to my surprise the coffee wasn't that bad. Since I add cream, it is drinkable.

 

You live and learn:D

[MississippiMom]

Then there are some men, like my husband, who want to open the closet and feel like they are at home, with all their choices at their fingertips. I can pack in a carryon, he cannot!

 

 

 

Finally, the most important item to take is your most comfortable walking shoes or sandals for daytime use. Your vacation will be much more delightful if your feet don't hurt.

 

My husband tends to be the problem packer in our family. I have always accused him of packing "like a girl." :p After traveling a couple of times with him, I did make some changes. The first thing to go were all of the regular size toiletries. I made him go purchase the travel sizes and/or empty out the travel size bottles and fill them up with the products he used. That also meant getting a travel size blow dryer (which often stays at home, depending on the destination), and teaching the man that he didn't need to pack his own (nice) hangers. He still takes entirely too many shirts/shorts/pants, but it is slowly getting better.

 

When I was still single and traveled with other single family members and friends, I was always amazed at the poor planning when it came to shoes. Most of the females were great at coordinating an outfit, but not great at remembering to pack walking shoes. Comfort is important, in my opinion.

[luv2cworld2000]

Things I wish I left behind.

• Too many books. I keep thinking I’ll sit by the pool and catch up on my reading/studying (trying to teach myself Italian), but there is so much to do and so little time to read and never did do any studying. Next trip I will cut back to one book for the plane ride.
  
• Too much jewelry. I usually take almost my entire jewelry box including an assortment of watches. But next time I am going to cut it down to a few pieces that will go with everything and leave most of the expensive pieces at home.

[Nliedel]

Things I wish I left behind.

• Too many books. I keep thinking I’ll sit by the pool and catch up on my reading/studying (trying to teach myself Italian), but there is so much to do and so little time to read and never did do any studying. Next trip I will cut back to one book for the plane ride.
  
• Too much jewelry. I usually take almost my entire jewelry box including an assortment of watches. But next time I am going to cut it down to a few pieces that will go with everything and leave most of the expensive pieces at home.

 

That's why I started hauling ebooks. I am hoping to get a reader later this year. I can drag along many books in a small space (I take a laptop, but I write). If I get bored I have a book. If not I am not taking the Library at Alexander on a cruise.

[momofmeg]

one thing also. Most cruiseships have a blow dryer in the bathroom-so no need to haul that!

[Nliedel]

one thing also. Most cruiseships have a blow dryer in the bathroom-so no need to haul that!

 

I haul mine along. I have long hair and the blow dryers on the ships are not adequate to dry it in a timely manner. Normally when I travel I leave it at home, but not on a cruise. It works great for my husbands hair, which is short. Mine? Not so much. I wish it did cause even though mine dryer folds, it still takes up vaulable shoe room. :p

[nalady98]

I always pack too many shoes. I have a shoe issue.

 

I hear ya girl- mine is purses!!:eek:

[beaming90]

I think for our 4 day Fantasy cruise we took probably 10 pair of shoes for 2 of us (not including the ones we wore on the ship). They made the suitcase so heavy, and we only used 3 pair each (Including the ones we wore on the ship). So next time I am packing a pair of dress shoes, sandals, and tennies. That is it! And we never wore all the clothes we packed either. But one thing we learned is we save trial size bottles for toiletries and then when we were leaving the ship, most were empty and we just threw them away. :p

[Nliedel]

I think for our 4 day Fantasy cruise we took probably 10 pair of shoes for 2 of us (not including the ones we wore on the ship). They made the suitcase so heavy, and we only used 3 pair each (Including the ones we wore on the ship). So next time I am packing a pair of dress shoes, sandals, and tennies. That is it! . :p

 

BLASPHEMY! Comments like this DO NOT belong on the boards. I should report you for heinous shoe evils!!! :D

 

Dang. How can anyone not wear all their shoes? You only have to change twice a day. That's not too much to ask!!!!

 

LONG LIVE OVERPACKING OF SHOES

 

No, I do not have an issue. I don't know what you people are talking about. No, I will not enter a twelve step program.

[Rena921]

Hi, my name is Serena and I am a shoe-aholic:cool:.

 

I too have a shoe problem, however our last cruise I discovered flip-flops. They come in all colors, some have pretty beads, and even some have heels:eek:. The flat ones pack so well and they fit together so nicely. I do have to pack the dress shoes for formal night, the dressy sandals for the dining room and they have to somewhat match what I'm wearing....no brown sandals with black Capri's for me. Then of course, I definitely need to bring along my sneakers.

(You don't even want to look in my closet, DH says that I can open my own shoe store)

Next cruise is in 24 days....I NEED TO GO BUY MORE SHOES!!!!!!!!

 

I would leave the duct tape home, never had a need for it and it cut into my shoe space.

The booze that appeared miraculously in the suitcase was not touched either, it was too inconvenient to head back to the cabin for a drink.

Didn't need the clothes pins either, but the bungee cord was great for the balcony door.

[Nliedel]

Serena. I'm so proud of you for admitting it. Now go out and buy more shoes. LOL!

 

I love flip flops too. The nice ones with the beading. So comfy and packable.