How Much Luggage Do You Bring On Cruises?

OK, I admit that sometimes I sneak a couple of things in my husband's bag and make sure that I unpack them before he finds the items. Sometimes he even offers that he has room.

You are doing a great job packing.

I now get free laundry service on Carnival. I start getting it on HAL with my next cruise in January. This is a big perk for me since it is a very long cruise.

Us too, we get four free bags, even in coach, with our favorite domestic carrier. On international flights we have been booking business class the last few years so no problem with luggage there either. What has made a little difference though is the 50 pound weight limit on our domestic flights, even though we can carry more weight international we have to limit at 50 lbs.

As I mentioned, for a three week cruise we have cut back to 2.5 checked bags and two small carry on. I have a day pack and my wife a small hand carry. Our biggest peeve right now on the domestic flights is when we ride coach, which is about half the time, is that when we get on board our overhead bins are stuffed already, by people sitting somewhere else with loads and loads of large carry on. I hate having to put my carry on under the seat in front as then my legs get cramped, that is one reason I try to keep the carry on tiny.

We normally bring two pieces of luggage and two knapsacks. We are careful with packing and use a very efficient method of bundle packing that helps maximize the space of any given piece of luggage. If the cruise is especially long, or if the weather is difficult to predict, it usually requires more clothing options - hence an additional piece of luggage.

Also, we fly on an airline which allow us to each check luggage at no extra charge (frequent flyer and/or credit card perk). It may be worth checking into frequent flyer and credit card perks to see if that helps. Flying business/first class also provides free checked luggage perks, if that is an option.

We get away with 1 checked + 2 carry on. Then there is my camera bag, and my wife's toteeverythingelse bag

Because of the airlines, we've downsized to one checked and one carry- on each. Although hubby says he might check two. He's thinking of checking a garment bag.

Thanks for the encouragement. Actually its my wife who really likes the dress up stuff. I'm afraid if that goes away her enthusiasm for cruising will be finished. Arthritis and other health issues have changed our manner of cruising, no more expedition cruises with 18 hour volcano climbing ventures. I can still manage some strenuous stuff but to do that I have to take a shore excursion and leave her behind, after returning one time from an all day one I found out that the excursion she had been on had left her behind in the dregs of a strange city because she couldn't walk fast enough to keep up. From then on I book the same as she does.

So, a decade ago there was all kinds of things that made cruising special for us, now we are down to such as formal nights, sea days and specialty restaurants.

Your husband. Wow, I wish I had that problem, tux too big. Being Alaskans we don't have much opportunity to dress well very often, in the summers I'm in the mountains all the time at our property there, wearing climbing boots and chain saw protective pants.

Remember, Benjamin Guggenheim on the Titanic? When he found out the end was near he went back to his cabin and put on his tux. Those were the days when the aristocracy brought on board a couple of steamer trunks packed with clothes just for the North Atlantic crossing. Sometimes, during formal nights, I like to imagine I'm rubbing elbows with Pierpont Morgan and John Jacob Astor. Haw.

Flying from Canada my wife and I each have a large suit case, that weighs handy to 50 lbs each and then we each have a carry on that we bring. Most of the time sovenirs have to go in the carry on due to weight restrictions and the foolish charge for over weight luggage. Packing for a man is a lot easier than a woman, so more often than not, my wife has some of her stuff in my suit case, LOL

My husband used to always bring his tux on cruises. It is too big for him now and he doesn't want to buy another one. Who knows how long we will continue cruising? We live the laid back life here in Florida. Weddings are often on the beach. There are almost no occasions for formal wear, near mind ties - maybe an occasional New Year's Eve some year. So he is happy with less formal nights. Neither one of us wants to dress formally every night as they do on Crystal. Yesterday he gave me a hard time about not wearing shorts to a luncheon. It is still in the high 70s - low 80s this month.

I think it is nice that you want to dress formally in a tux. Guys look so handsome in them. We booked on two HAL ships next year. We will dress for the formal nights in the MDR - just not with the tux for him or an evening gown for me. He will bring two dark suits. I enjoying seeing the tux and long gown on others. Many passengers will continue to dress to the nines on the lines you mentioned. I was really surprised that Celebrity made the big move to Evening Chic.

So wear your tux and enjoy the cruises. The nice thing about this is that there are cruises that cater to different styles. HAL will probably be my favorite line no matter what their dress code is. I do not, however, want to go to the MDR and see passengers in baseball caps, tees or athletic style shorts. I have seen all this on cruises.

We go to Patrick Air Force Base for many affairs throughout the year. There was always a very strict dress code there. In recent years, even they have lowered their standards. I guess that it is just the wave of the future. I sense you will go down kicking. I am all for your wish to dress formally.

Flying from England, we are normally restricted to cases of no more than 20Kgs so it is a case (no pun) of taking 2 cases. However, for a 7 night cruise on NCL you certainly do not require ball gowns or penguin suits and consequently, 2 cases for the both of us is fine