I put 2 extra day outfits (shorts/pants/tops), swimsuits and sandals or flip flops in the carry-on. Plus our items for the overnight prior to the cruise so I didn't have to open and go rooting through the other 2 suitcases until they arrived @ our cabin onboard.
Great tip, Judy!!
Most of my cruise clothes are the type you can wad up in a ball and they won't wrinkle. They are very lightweight and dry very fast if needed.
Now that my 12 night Med cruise with 1 day pre and 1 day post cruise is over I can say that I didn't do too bad with my packing!
I took one 26" roller suitcase and one 21.5" roller carry-on. I was a little concerned about my 21.5" carry-on being too large, but it fit right in the luggage tube thing at Newark International for Continental I wanted that 21.5" with me since this was a trans-atlantic flight and I didn't want to be without any luggage if mine went missing. We were on a non-stop flight to Barcelona from Newark so that helped a little with my luggage lost anxiety
I tried to pack so that I would be able to function if I only had one of my suitcases with each suitcase. I split my clothes pretty much right down the middle of what went in each suitcase. The toiletry items were a little more difficult because of the TSA requirements, so I bought small 1 ounce travel size things as back-ups for the carry-on and the regular sized items went into the checked bag. One thing I do is to put each larger bottle of shampoo, conditioner, etc. in it's own quart size zipper plastic bag and then put all of them into a gallon size plastic zipper bag before putting them into a toiletry bag. I always worry about something leaking in my checked bag and prior to the TSA regulations my toiletries were always packed in my carry-on. I also packed an empty backpack in the checked bag since I planned to check both suitcases for the flight home and just used my backpack as my carry-on. My thought was that if my luggage went missing I have everything I need at home so I'll get them when they finally track them down. This has happened to me before on 2 different trips that I flew into Philadelphia, but my luggage didn't make it on the flight with me, they delivered it to my home either later that day or the next. Not sure what would have happened from Newark? But my delivery of luggage when returning from Alaska worked out very well since I didn't have to cart it through the airport
One tip for people travelling internationally; if you buy dual voltage appliances you will only need an adapter and NOT a converter! Most camera and phone chargers are dual voltage already. My travel sized hairdryer was already dual voltage and I bought a hair straightner that was also to eliminate the need for a converter. Just look on the appliance itself or cord and if you see a range in the "Input" area of something similar to "100 - 240V~ 50/60Hz" this appliance will only need an adapter (plug). Local pharmacies, in addition to luggage stores, sell both of these items with the adapters (usually a set of 5 or 6) being around $15 - $20 and the converter and adapter combo being $40 or more. Onboard the ship (Brilliance OTS) appliances used US electric voltage, no adapter was needed but I did need my adapter in Barcelona.
Even though I thought I packed light, I still came home with some clothes I never wore
This may seen like a joking reply ... but think about it!
When we fly anyplace, my DH tells me the same thing. He says that it's not worth my time, worry, and effort to try to stay within weight limits ... just to pay the extra and take (within reason) whatever I wish ....
This may seen like a joking reply ... but think about it!
When we fly anyplace, my DH tells me the same thing. He says that it's not worth my time, worry, and effort to try to stay within weight limits ... just to pay the extra and take (within reason) whatever I wish ....
Lulu your DH makes a very good point! Of course some of those overweight limits are hefty though, so check with your airline's website to make sure it won't cost you a fortune!
I packed my suitcases for the Med cruise and then had to try to weigh them Of course the suitcases didn't want to sit on a regular scale, so I had to weigh me 3 times and then try to weigh me holding the suitcase 3 times also then subtract my weight to make sure that the suitcases weren't overweight! I tried doing this while my DH was not home and couldn't read the scale without moving the suitcase out of my way and got 3 different readings
I ended up waiting for DH to come home and do the above while I read the scale. The whole time all I could think was that I should have set up a video camera earlier!
Tried that approach. I am buying a travel scale (it is like a fish scale) for our next cruise. Just attach it to the loop and let it dangle while reading the weight.
This may seen like a joking reply ... but think about it!
When we fly anyplace, my DH tells me the same thing. He says that it's not worth my time, worry, and effort to try to stay within weight limits ... just to pay the extra and take (within reason) whatever I wish ....
Quote:
Originally Posted by nealberk
Tried that approach. I am buying a travel scale (it is like a fish scale) for our next cruise. Just attach it to the loop and let it dangle while reading the weight.
LuLu, I was semi-serious semi-joking. Our last trip I put most of my shirts into the garment bag and payed the extra bag fee. This freed up space in my suit case allowing room for my G/F to allow overflow from hers into mine. Worked perfect. The extra bag fee is less then over the limit fees... But I have just paid the stupid fees too, not worth the headaches.
Neal, also last trip, we used the Wii Fit. Not only did it yell at me for not using it in a while, but it also asked if I have been working out I guess cause the 45 pound bag is less than I was/am.
I am thinking about getting one of those hand scales, saw one in walmart for like 20 bucks, seems like it pays for itself as you can pack it and use it to make sure you did not buy too much stuff.
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