Packing for a World Cruise

Just in case one has never traveled before, there are websites containing “Travel Packing Lists”, some of which are configured specifically toward cruising.  I googled and read and googled and read and printed.

 It’s not like I have never traveled before – I was just looking for specific items that I might not think of bringing.   Alas!  These lists and packing advice all seem to be for much shorter trips.  Many folks wrote that they could travel on a cruise with only carry-on bags.  Holy Cow!  How is that possible??  Maybe I could - for a one-week cruise - but four months – never!!

I have a major character flaw – I confess.  I don’t know how to pack properly.

So, that’s why I haven’t written any blogs lately.  Been too busy packing.  Those who know me can attest to my inability to pack lightly.  And, packing for this cruise is no exception.  Arrgghhh!

When I traveled in the motor home, I knew I was ready to leave when my house was empty.  Seriously.  Empty.  After a while, I had purchased enough items to have duplicates.  Which became a problem when it was time to clean out the camper for winter storage – then my garage would be full of “duplicates”.  I had to sell a camper once when, after removing everything (I thought!) for the winter,  unbeknownst to me, a package of spaghetti noodles had fallen behind the door and a mouse got inside and when I tried to trap it, it bled all over the electronics under the fridge and still escaped.  What a mess!  Solved that problem by full-timing – no winter storage fees because I was camped out, in a new camper, in the Arizona desert, having a grand time, during the winter months.

Once a friend and I traveled six weeks on VIA Rail Canada – taking all but two spurs on the entire Via Rail line.  We had set out to explore Canada and the famous Canadian National Hotels, staying at least 3-5 days in each place, from a period spanning late summer into early autumn.  Montreal, Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Jasper, Vancouver  and more – what an amazing trip.  At the train station in Montreal the first day, my biggest suitcase burst open.  Seriously overloaded!  So, in Halifax, I had to purchase a 200 lb capacity luggage cart.  At Percé on the Gaspé Peninsula a couple of weeks later, I managed to ship home 12 pounds of clothes I wouldn’t need as we headed westward into cooler weather.   And, we managed to do hand laundry at each hotel – clothes strewn over chairs, shower rods, etc.  The best one was in Jasper where we had a ceiling fan – bras and socks rotating like fair-goers on the swings.  So, it’s not like I couldn’t have traveled with fewer belongings, maybe.

For an around-the-world cruise spanning four months with (a) at least a week or so in colder temperatures of South America/Antarctica, (b) 18 formal nights, (c) 94 nights of casual smart dinners, (d) swimming gear, (e) exercise gear, (f) electronics, (g) PJs and underwear and nylons, (h) dressy and casual shoes, (i) exercise gear, (j) sightseeing gear, (k) shorts and t-shirts, (l) toiletries and makeup……the list was endless.

Helpful tips included, “bring one black skirt or pants and 18 different tops”, or “bring one black dress and 18 scarves”.  Ahhh, thanks, but I don’t think so!

Knowing how small my cabin would be (see the photos on an earlier blog), I decided the best way would be to pack in collapsible duffles that would fit under the bed when empty.  That was all fine and good until I ran out of duffles.  And, I really didn’t want my formal dresses to be so squashed, so in they went into a big suitcase.  I set up a couple of clothes racks and a table in the bedroom to accumulate “stuff”.   One clothes rack fell over from the weight of all the dresses I hung there!

I started a list in early summer to track how many days it took me to go through a tube of toothpaste, a bar of Dove, etc.  I know Holland America provides shampoo and conditioner and body lotion and some soaps, but sometimes I can’t use those (allergic to fragrances).   Better to bring my own.

Anyway, the deadline to call Holland America was December 5 for the luggage service.  FedEx would pick up the bags at my house, and when I stepped into my stateroom on January 6, all my luggage (theoretically) would be waiting there.  No touching the bags once they left my house.  Cool!  All for a fee, though.  Small bags (1-30 lbs) = $70; standard bags (31-50 lbs) = $115; oversize bags (51-75 lbs) = $140, not to mention insurance at $25 per $1000 worth of coverage.  That’s one-way.  Once the cruise was almost over, these bags to be shipped home would be subject to another “one-way” fee.  But, again, once the bags were placed outside the stateroom door, I wouldn’t have to see or touch them until they arrived back at my house a week after the cruise ends – come to think of it, it will probably take me a week or two just to “repack” – oh no!

That leaves me with one checked bag and the two carry-ons to bring on the plane with me, which would have to include jewelry, medicines, electronics, cameras, and something to wear while at the hotel prior to the cruise and also on board that first night, and whatever else I might need just in case the shipped bags didn’t arrive (not likely!).

I had a miserable time packing those last two weeks of November.  The pressure was on to pack and make the lists and call in the number of bags and the weights of each by December 5.  And, once called in, the bags would sit until December 27 when FedEx would arrive on my doorstep.  Do you know how hard it is to see luggage and not try to get into it to rearrange or add or delete stuff?  For me, anyway!  My usual packing strategy is to put everything I own into suitcases, which then I can’t push or pull  or carry.  So, I unpack everything and start over, deleting items and adding others until I “get it right”.  I didn’t have that luxury this time – the deadline was fast approaching!

So, here I sit, looking at the mounds of luggage, ashamed to even tell anyone how many bags there are.  More than most people will bring, maybe not as many as some? 

Perhaps I should go bake some cookies for the poor FedEx guy – or get him a box of Wheaties.