<p>I don’t wish to hijack the other thread, but I would like to benefit from the expertise of those who’ve done long cruises. I’ll be gone this summer for over 2 weeks (cruising 12 days plus a few before and after the cruise) and I’m struggling with what to pack. I’m considering going with khaki, black and white skirts and/or cropped slacks and mix and match tops. The more I think about it, the more boring my plan gets! Shoes are always a problem for me and they take up so much room! I will need walking shoes for the excursions, dressy shoes for dinner, plus sandals, etc. for the ship. I’m determined to take just one case plus my carry-on. Otherwise, it becomes unmanageable. </p>
<p>For those who’ve done similar trips, how did you plan? Any tips/must-haves?</p>
<p>Just chiming in on the shoes, as I just went shopping for my honeymoon… I found a great pair of gold metallic sandals that went with EVERY outfit I bought, casual and dressy, so they’re perfect. I will pack those, flip flops for the beach, and walking shoes and NO OTHER shoes-- and I’ll wear the walking shoes to the airport, so I am only packing two. I’m convinced one very versatile pair plus walking shoes is the way to go.</p>
<p>Where are you going on your cruise? I’m not being nosy; that determines what you need to pack. An Alaskan cruise calls for different stuff than a cruise in the West Indies. </p>
<p>Went we went, I brought black walking shoes that looked OK even with dressy black slacks, plus another pair of shoes. I wore those walking shoes on the plane and packed the other one. You can easily dress up slacks with nice tops and scarves/jackets for accents.</p>
<p>Agree that it does matter where you will be. In Alaska, folks were pretty casual (though some DID dress up). I brought nice tops and jackets, as well as thermals and they kept me toasty in all conditions. H brought a tweed sports blazer and thermals. We both brought ski jackets (can’t stand being too cold).</p>
<p>My friend brought a lot more footwear and dresses and I did; we packed everything into our carryon suitcases plus a small backpack. Ours was an Alaska cruise in September–10 days or so total.</p>
<p>Last year we cruised with a large group in the Mediterranean out of Barcelona. 8 of us who traveled on the same plane ended up without our luggage for the entire trip. There were others onboard who were also without luggage, as there was a baggage handlers strike going on in Spain. We survived by borrowing from our relatives, buying stuff on the ship and on shore, and on the ship’s “lost and found” cabinet. Whatever you decide to take, make sure you have a change of outfits in your carry on and whatever you can’t live without for a week!</p>
<ol>
<li>Lots of sun screen. Most cruise lines sell it onboard at highly inflated prices. If you burn easily, consider getting one of those protective long-sleeved shirts. </li>
<li>Several pair of sunglasses. You’re almost guaranteed to lose at least one pair and again you will pay too much if you have to replace them.Plus, it’s awful to have to waste your limited time shopping for a pair.</li>
<li>At least 2 swimsuits. They are slow to dry in the airconditioning. You don’t want to have to put on a wet suit–especially when you are heading to a beach off the boat. </li>
<li>A hat of some sort. It gets HOT! HOT! HOT! </li>
<li>Shorts or bermudas–even if you don’t wear them at home. </li>
<li>Some sort of device to carry a small amount of cash, your passport, and your ship boarding pass with you without it showing.</li>
<li>A small pair of binoculars</li>
<li>Work out clothes, if you think you’d like to join in the exercise classes on board. </li>
<li>Sneakers. </li>
<li>Underwater camera, especially if you are going scuba diving. It’s good to have a waterproof camera even if you are just going to the beach.
11.Hate to mention it, but motion sickness medication, just in case. </li>
</ol>
<p>Don’t pack:
A hairdryer. Check , but every ship I’ve been on had them in the cabins, so there was no need to bring one. </p>
<p>Second the motion sickness meds, however they did have them in the ship medical facility if you don’t have any. I needed them on several of the excursion tours which wandered around mountain roads.</p>
<p>Ginger in may forms is helpful for some folks with motion sickness. Marazine is also a very useful motion sickness medication (recommended by my aunt who is a retired doc and fishes on her boat regularly. It is sold over the counter in her community in Oregon but not online, in Los Angeles, Honolulu, or Arlington, VA, when I checked.</p>
<p>Power strip…not enough outlets in cabin for everything that needs recharging
Flashlight…for the cabin just in case
Hand sanatizer…small size in pocket or handbag
Spare eyeglasses…if applicable
Prescription medicine… enough to last the trip. Over the counter pain reliever since what sold on board is overpriced </p>
<p>If the OP is wondering what clothing to pack: Check Vivienne Files, which has extremely useful tips on mixing/matching clothing to get lots of wear out of a few pieces. Cruise Critic also has good information about cruising. I can picture your idea of black, khaki and white bottoms with various tops working.</p>
<p>Check your cruise details… some offer a midtrip bulk rate laudry service. Our NCL Western 1 week cruiise had one. It was May 2012 - we found great tips on Cruise Critic website. There was even a specific thread for our cruisew/week. Some groups arranged private sheore excursions </p>
<p>Our ship last month had laundry facilities on every floor with cabins. If you choose to pack light (which I would do if I ever cruised again, but I likely will not), take some laundry detergent pods so you can do your own. There were 2-3 washers and dryers in each laundry room.</p>
<p>I always get my doctor to prescribe Transderm Scop patches for motion sickness, especially if you are prone to it. Nothing worse than to get sea sick. You only have to change one every 3 day.</p>
<p>A must have: travel size liquid laundry detergent, so you can do a hand wash on an item in your bathroom sink. I hate competing for washing machine and dryers with my fellow passengers.</p>
<p>For my days at sea, I’m pretty much by the pool with a book so I found having a sundress type coverup was perfect for those days. I could toss it on over my suit to go to lunch, shows, or the casino if needed but that was my day time wear. I then dressed for dinner. Walking shorts (I actually prefer skorts) were great for day time excursions that were tour like. I did have a few pairs of shoes but my feet are awful and hurt a lot so having different shoes to switch to when my feet hurt helps. Sneakers, a good pair of walking sandals (like Teva sandals- I don’t do flip flops), slides for the pool and then a variety of ballet flats did me well. The flats could be worn with capris/skorts/skirts/dress pants and don’t take up much space. I had a nice pair of black shoes for the dressy nights. </p>
<p>If your shore excursions include churches/cathedrals then you’ll need to dress appropriately - knees and shoulders covered is expected. I travel with a lot of big, brightly colored very lightweight scarves that take little room to pack and are nicely versatile. They’re perfect to throw in your day bag so you can wear a comfortable tank top when it’s blistering hot, and then whip out your scarf to throw over the shoulders when necessary.</p>
<p>Also I bought some Zenergy Neema Emma Cargo Crop pants from Chicos and they are great for travel, especially during warm summer months. The super lightweight fabric is so comfortable, won’t wrinkle and it’s easy to wash in the sink since it dries really quickly (roll them in a towel to squeeze out excess moisture and they dry overnight).</p>
<p>The ship’s dining room may be chilly at dinner so it’s nice to have an elegant shrug or pretty cardigan for evening. </p>
<p>We most recently cruised with Windstar and they offered a per cabin laundry package which was the best thing I’ve encountered in cruising. I literally could have packed in a carry-on for 7 days or longer. We left our laundry in a bag outside our cabin by 9am and it was back by 4pm that same day. No dry cleaning, and to be honest, I don’t think I’d send anything expensive or delicate, but it was great for t-shirts, shorts, my husband’s button-downs etc., not to mention underwear and socks! Our cruise was casual, so no need to dress for dinner beyond a casual dress or capris and top, and that made things a lot easier. Our port days were beaches, so we didn’t need touring clothes this time, but from past experiences I recommend long shorts or lightweight skirts with a shawl for churches etc. Otherwise, I lived in bathing suits with cover-ups. Have a great time! </p>