Packing For Your Cruise. 6 Things You Should Be Doing

75% of cruise passengers say they get packing for a cruise wrong. I share my cruise packing tips based on the 78 cruises I have done at time of recording this. How to pack for a cruise and make sure you do not take too much and still have everything you need.

ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 77 cruises I have done to date.

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00:00 Start
00:36 Size Matters
02:15 Clean Up
03:17 Day By Day
05:00 Specific
06:02 Codes
07:01 Active
07:45 Shoes..
08:53 Must Have That
10:25 It Is Time

[bolaplenty]

Gary, I have to say you look great in a tuxedo.

[sunnyscott]

I love it when you say "smart trousers".
We've gotten to the point no one cares what anyone is wearing.
It's just awful. Thanks for being a charming gentleman. ❤💖❤

[georgefraser]

I’m a great believer in choosing clothes of the same colour. By that I mean choose blue clothes ranging from light blue to navy. You will find that you can mix and match more easily.

[KarD]

I am opposite of my husband. I pack very light, a true "carry on" traveller. My last 5 cruises were all packed with a carry on bag, including my Alaskan cruise + an extra week in BC after the cruise. Tip - Key is to avoid bulky, thick, heavy clothing/shoes and think of layering that will give you the versatility to adjust accordingly to weather without the need to pack too much.

[richards.]

I watch Rick Steves travel and his method. I bought his carry on/ with backpack straps. Flew to Madrid for 3 nights, then on to Lisbon for 3 nights, 10 night cruise to Barcelona, 2 night there, then return to the USA. So much easier at airports and the cruise. The carry on defined how much to take. Did laundry in Madrid, Lisbon in our Air BNB and once on the ship.

[ZForce]

Have your first aid stuff. I cut my foot at the pool once. The store was sold out of bandaids and the doctor’s office refused to give me one. I had to bleed all over the ship. I don’t go on many cruises, but when I do, I make sure all medical supplies are in my bag.

[deniseharwood]

Hubby and I went to Italy for 11 days with a tour group and I was determined to do it in a carry-on. Took a while, but I detailed out our activities each day and evening, and exactly what clothes each of us would wear each day. "green cargo shorts/dk blue t-shirt/sneakers" "black ankle pants (rolled up)/red tank (not tucked in) etc. I made it work, but it was kind of funny when he would pick up a black t-shirt and I was like "no! that's for tomorrow!'. I actually printed the list out 4 days to a page and cut them up to create a little booklet for each of us. A bit of overkill, but it made kind of a fun scrapbook addition.

[enjoyslearningandtravel]

One of my methods of packing light is take shorts and trousers, of course depending on the climate of cruise, of a basic color such as khaki or tan or olive green or navy blue. And then polo shirts, button-down etc. of a few different colors that go together so you feel like you have something different with just a few things.

[alladreamwedreamed]

Best tip - keep your suitcase small so you can self-disembark! I do this too. I lost a checked suitcase flying once and ever since I've been loath to let go of my bags, ever. It causes me to pack lighter all the time.

[gwenmarshall]

I have found that the 'packing cubes' make it easier to pack and unpack while on the trip. Basically, I just unzip the bag and leave the contents in many of them before putting the cubes in the drawers or on the shelves. Also, when I was cruising more often, I didn't really unpack after a trip - I still have stuff in my suitcase from when I was going on a March 2020 cruise.... I do hand wash laundry during my trip and hang items to dry in my shower/bath room using the 6 plastic hangers that I bring with me. I don't have to take a bunch of dirty laundry home with me that way and I don't need 30 pairs of underwear when I'm on a month long trip. I am eligible for getting a free bag of laundry done, but don't use that perk. My roommate was thrilled to have that when she used my coupon on the trip she went on with me. I do bring 'first aide' supplies with me for colds, allergies and so on and too often have needed that as well as the huge assortment of vitamins I take each day. This does lead to extra weight in my luggage as well as my camera gear so I tend to take less items of clothing than most women who cruise.

[lisaspikes]

I always make a list. I spend a few days thinking about where I’m going and what I’ll be doing, and anything else I may need. I hone it down, eliminating superfluous things, then I take the list and pack. As I put an item in my bag, I cross it off. It’s always worked for me. I’m a great packer!

[smalls]

I like to pack socks and underwear into my shoes that I pack. Saves some space since shoes can take up a lot of space in the bag.

[davidh]

I'm an overpacker. After 10 years (with a notable gap...) of cruising, I've almost got it down pat. First, there is an onboard laundry, and while pricy, the on board dry cleaner is superb. I have found in my travels that invariably, something horrible spills on me in flight. This never happens on the ground, only while in transit. I wear a travel outfit that in a bind can be worn in decent company. Shoes. ALWAYS 2 pair, plus sneakers/trainers if there is going to be any walking or hiking, sandals for routine travel, and my flip flops for the pool/beach. I'm a swimmer, so wherever I go, I've got my ONE bathing suit, goggles, swim cap, flipflops. They absorb virtually no space in the suitcase. 3 pr trousers packed, plus the travel outfit, 4 and ONLY 4 long sleeved shirts, 4 decent short sleeved polos, two maximum short sleeved shirts. Underwear: 7pr shorts, 3 tee shirts, one worn in transit. I wear my tees to the pool, only, I don't need 7 pr. Socks, 5pr including 1pr worn in transit. Packing packing: Gary, one of your final scenes shows you properly folding your long sleeved shirt. WRONG! You do NOT want to fold it, you want it flat on the bottom of the suitcase. It is amazing how much volume a folded shirt absorbs. For the same weight, you buy extra volume by NOT folding. Same with tee shirts, especially tee shirts and shorts, and socks. It's amazing how much volume a rolled up sock eats up, and how little if just left flat. I travel will a roll aboard, as does my wife. The two of us share (yeah, right) a MEDIUM sized suitcase that can be checked, and briefly lost in transit. That contains the shoes, the accessories, etc. If I travelled with a suit, it would go in the checked bag. Same with my blazer which does get packed, just not schlepped by hand. Essentials like laptop, my medical kit/stethoscope (I'm an MD), phone charger, papers, tickets go in the carryon handbag. And it works. We have almost 7 weeks of back to back cruising pending this fall. Maybe we will both pack an extra outfit, but if it doesn't go into the carryon, checked bag, and hand bags, it isn't coming.

[pxn]

I always try to make all my clothes match everything else, so I don't have to worry about that, and near the end and I don't have worry about not having anything that goes with each other.

[peggyhernandez]

i have been on ALOT of cruises by MYSELF. I hold onto my clothing months before the cruise that’s getting a little older or ratty looking and instead of throwing it away I take it on the cruise… Disposable clothing! When it’s dirty I just throw it away… Old panties… Old pajamas… Even at the end of the cruise bathing suits that has seen better days. My friends all laugh at me because I’m known to carry a full luggage on the cruise and return with very little in the bag.

[makomadns]

One of my “must travel withs” is a small 3 plug power strip with 4 usb ports. Helps keep chargers down to a minimum. And adds a couple extra outlets which are often a rarity in the cabins. This is obviously down to what electronics you & your roommate have. For me 4 usbs isn’t always enough between us so i often also take a multi port usb wall charger. This way everything we have can get plugged in at the end of the night without worrying about remembering to swap devices to charge.

I also bought some very short (6”-1ft) charging cords so i don’t have a bunch of longer cables making things messy. As an apple user i also bought a combo cable that i use to charge my watch & earpods using just one cable.

Finally I usually take 2 usb batteries. One small one i keep with me during the day. However the second one i use to charge my phone at night next to my bed, this way I don’t have to worry about having a free plug next to my bed (especially since i use a cpap) nor run long cables.

[IMOO]

I learned a great tip from friends I met on a Hawaii cruise. They would put back clothes throughout the year that weer still wearable, but they no longer enjoyed wearing ( for one reason or another) with the intention of donating. These were the majority of day clothes they brought and just left the clothes behind, to lighten their home bound luggage, and allow space for souvenirs.

[Jenesis]

I took my mom to a 3-week land based trip in Nov every year. Between us we shared a 20” carryon, a 16” carryon, and an Osprey Farpoint 40 backpack. I can carry the backpack and a carryon in each hand to walk up and down staircases. My mom is in her 80’s therefore I don’t want her to handle any luggage. The two wheel carryon is my preference because it won’t run away on slanted ground and easier for me to pull. I am a female that used to backpack in the backcountry during winter so I’ve perfected the art of packing and traveling light lol.

[thehangmansdaughter]

As a boarding school girl I can assure that a check list is the best option. There will always be small things you forget, which will cost a small fortune on board, I should imagine. Print out your list and attach it to the inside lid of your case, ensuring you leave nothing behind when packing to go home. Also, always pack warm socks, there's nothing worse than cold feet when you're trying to sleep.

[gregcarpenter]

To Gary and fans of Gary, this worked well for me in the Mediterranean and Carribbean: casual, below-the-knee knit dresses to wear with walking sandals and a light shawl in port, fine for touring churches and museums. Back on board, put on sparkly sandals or low heels, a jacket and a bit of