Good question!
After hearing that we are taking a 111 day world cruise and asking about our different destinations, folks ask the question that has perplexed us the most from the beginning -- how do we pack for almost four months, making sure that we have everything we need, yet not go crazy overpacking?
This post is for folks who are considering taking an extended cruise and wondering what we packed. At the end of the cruise, we will let you know which items became indispensable, and which were unnecessary, or perhaps never used at all.
The most helpful strategy of all is checking off items from lists, which helps me remember what I already packed.
Another "tried and true" method is laying out all of your clothes, perhaps according to category, to make sure everything goes together. For example, one day lay out all of your formal night outfits, with all of the accessories, shoes and jewelry that goes with them. Then lay out your casual outfits and shoes, checking to be sure that you have enough for the excursions and your leisure time on board. Lay out the outfits you might wear to a nice restaurant in a port city or to the ship's main dining room. Then, of course, swimsuits, coverups, pajamas, socks and underwear are important to lay out as well. Bottom line, don't pack any clothes that you don't love, or shoes that are uncomfortable (leave the sky high heels at home), because it would be a waste of luggage space.
Research and Checklists
Searching the internet uncovered numerous recommendations for shorter cruises, but very little for world cruises. Certain sites provided ideas about making the stateroom more comfortable. Our favorite, most informative You-Tube videos are from "Life Well Cruised."
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tKM6AJ2vtw
One of the best suggestions we discovered online was the idea of printing "calling cards" with our photo, names and city/state of origin, stateroom number, and email address. We love meeting new people on a cruise; the cards will save the time and energy of writing the information down for folks. This was an inexpensive creation, and we had so many of the cards, that we tucked a couple into each suitcase, along with a copy of the luggage tag, just in case the luggage tags break off the suitcase handle.
We also ordered plastic sleeves for our luggage tags.
Another inexpensive purchase that we love are luggage locks for every piece of luggage, including our backpacks.
I made checklists from what I learned online, based on our individual needs. Unanticipated purchases for your stateroom are only a few of potential hidden
costs for World Cruises (which I will talk about in a separate blog post).
We purchased quite a few items for our stateroom, including:
A small, quiet portable fan that can stand alone or clip onto another object, such as the neck of a lamp, to provide air circulation and provide "white noise." The fan we chose is charged through a USB cord.
Nightlights, also charged through USB cords.
Magnets to decorate our door, making it easily identifiable.
Magnets to attach to the walls inside our stateroom for holding cruise schedules and publications, keeping the desk free of papers.
Strong magnetic hooks for hats, backpacks, purses, etc.
A magnetic dry erase weekly calendar to mount on a wall.
A large, laminated world map for tracking our voyage, to be attached to the wall using our numerous magnets.
Plug-in multiple USB and electrical cord chargers, which must NOT be surge protected.
Towel clips, which can be used not only poolside, but also to hang clothes to dry in your bathroom.
Folding cloth bins.
A 24 pocket shoe organizer to hang in the bathroom, to be used for toiletries.
Travel jewelry organizer
Tiny travel alarm clock (battery)
Mini travel bathroom scale
Poo-Pourri spray
Also, based on recommendations, we packed the following items that we already had around our home.
Small binoculars
Two small flashlights
Thank you cards (for the crew)
Note pads, journals, writing utensils, Post-It Notes, rubber bands, paper clips, and tape, highlighters and markers, address labels (You must purchase each country's international stamps for mailing overseas.)
Spare glasses and sunglasses
Sewing kit
Shoe polish kit
Zip Loc bags
Bubble wrap (for souvenirs)
Two small umbrellas
Two water bottles with clips
Bottle brush
Small spray bottle
De-wrinkle spray
Clothes pins
Folding laundry mesh bag
Disinfecting wipes
Extra batteries
Toothbrush holder
Nesting coat hangers (Although you may request extra hangers once you arrive on the ship, we were concerned we might still not have enough.)
Items that may not necessarily have been recommended online, but which we thought were important to take, are as follows:
Blood pressure wrist cuff
Oximeter
Thermometer
Covid testing kits
Face masks
Hand sanitizer
As you can imagine, just the items listed above can fill an entire large suitcase. However, that is just the beginning.
Medications, Vitamins, and Supplements
Have you ever tried to pack four months worth of any medication or supplement? Imagine four months worth of fish oils (4 per day for each of us), flax seed oil (4 per day for one of us), vitamins (C, E, D3, etc.), allergy medications, motion sickness pills and patches, cough drops, creams and ointments, eyedrops, pain relievers, antacids...the list is longer than most of us realize.
Prescription Drug Challenges
Our biggest challenge was obtaining enough prescription drugs for 111 days. Our prescriptions are filled for 90 days. Three of our prescriptions took multiple phone calls to our insurance company; one of them I ended up paying for out of pocket so that there would be enough for the entire cruise.
Toiletries
Although cruise ships usually provide a combination shampoo/conditioner and liquid soap, we have specific products that we prefer or need. We made an extensive checklist. These items take up considerable room in our luggage, so if that is a concern for you, many of these items may be purchased onboard or onshore at ports, especially if specific brands are not important to you.
Examples of what we packed, involving a four month supply, include the following:
3-4 toothbrushes per person
Toothpaste
Razors and extra blades for each of us
Deodorants
Cologne/perfume
Mouthwash
Lip balms
Facial cleansers
Moisturizers
Insect Repellant
Sunscreen
Cotton pads
Lotion
Dial white soap (16 bars -- very heavy)
Hair spray
Makeup
Q-Tips
Dental floss and picks
Of course, I also packed the following:
Combs and brushes
Electric travel curlers
Hair pins, clips, barrettes
Nail clippers and small scissors, tweezers
Bandaids, Neosporin, Polysporin, antiseptic
Laundry detergent sheets (unscented)
Small bottle of dish detergent
Tide sticks
Documents
We made copies of every document, just in case, and packed important lists, which will all be locked inside our stateroom vault. Examples include:
Contact information for doctors, friends, and family members
Medications, with specific dosages (We packed medications in their original containers that have the doctor and prescription numbers on them.)
Allergies
In case they are stolen, copies of all of the following:
- Credit/debit cards
- Driver's licenses
- Medicare and insurance cards
- Passports
- Vaccine cards, lists of vaccines, and yellow cards
(for yellow fever vaccines)
- Visas
What about clothes?
Packing just the right amount of clothes, accessories, and shoes is an enormous challenge. We won't know how well we did until we embark on the cruise. Our biggest concern is that once everything is unpacked, there won't be enough room for US in the mini-suite!
Again, I made extensive checklists, thinking about our needs in categories. We were careful that clothing was mix and match, and were favorites that we knew we would wear multiple times. Fortunately, the Island Princess has a laundry room with a number of washers and dryers, irons and ironing boards. The ship offers laundry and dry cleaning services as well, but it can be quite expensive.
Casual for daily activities and relaxing on the ship. Boat shoes and sandals secured at the heel, along with lightweight slacks and shorts, and both long-sleeved and short-sleeved tops.
Excursions -- We researched the clothing most appropriate for each location and packed accordingly. For example: shorts and rain gear for hot and/or rainy weather; water shoes; athletic shoes for walking tours; scarves for covering hair and shoulders in churches and mosques; lightweight slacks. I made a chart for the types of weather we would encounter in each port. I researched the different cultures and made sure that we had appropriate clothes for each. When in doubt, wear athletic shoes on all tours to protect your feet.
Pool attire -- swim suits, coverups, long-sleeved sun blocker shirts, sturdy flip flops, and hats.
Main Dining Room and Specialty Restaurants -- Men are not allowed wear shorts; attire is a little dressier. We packed dark wash jeans, slacks, polo shirts and loafers for Cliff. I packed black jeans, lightweight dresses, slacks, blouses, sandals and comfortable shoes for myself.
We have gone on only one cruise before, which was Norwegian Bliss in 2019, and it was very casual. We read that Princess has "numerous" formal nights, but when we tried calling the number provided, the representative had no clue about how many there would be. We learned that formal nights generally take place on "sea days." We wish that Princess would provide specifics well ahead of time.
- For Cliff, we packed a tux with a pleated white shirt, suspenders,
cuff links and studs, four different bow ties, and two cummerbunds
(black and red); six dress shirts; six ties; four pairs of dress slacks
to mix and match with two sports coats in solid colors; black formal
shoes; socks to mix and match.
- For myself, I packed one long evening dress, three calf-length
cocktail dresses; one formal pants outfit with a sequined top;
evening jewelry to mix and match; one pair of sparkly sandals;
two pairs of low heeled dressy shoes; a small evening bag. We are not sure
about how many formal nights we will attend, but we will rotate our outfits, like
everyone else.
One lightweight jacket each for colder weather, for layering; one hooded water-proof jacket each; heavier tops and vests for colder weather for Cliff; cashmere and sweaters (many women prefer a pashmina), and warm socks for myself; hats and caps.
Several pairs of pajamas for each of us; a couple of exercise outfits each; a warm "sweats" outfit; and two caftans for myself.
Handkerchiefs and belts for Cliff; 10- 14 pairs of underwear for each of us.
What if my luggage is lost?
Having your luggage lost or items missing from your suitcases can be a nightmare. We shipped our largest and heaviest three suitcases ahead of time through a service provided through Princess. That leaves us with one large suitcase, two carryons, and two backpacks. While shipping your luggage is expensive, we felt it was worth it, because now that we are older, we don't want to throw our backs out trying to wrestle all of that luggage into and out of the car.
Fortunately, we live in Florida. Because we are driving to the port, we don't need to worry about airlines losing our luggage. If you are flying in (hopefully at least one full day ahead of boarding in case of inclement weather flight cancellations), be sure your carryon has medications, toiletries, pajamas, underwear, maybe a swimsuit, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a change of clothing.
I recommend the following steps, just in case any luggage might be lost or anything might be missing from a suitcase,
Purchase the appropriate amount of insurance if you are shipping the luggage.
Take photos of the inside and outside of each suitcase.
Place a copy of the cruise ship luggage tags and your contact information inside each suitcase.
Use TSA approved locks on each piece of luggage.
Type up a list of everything that is inside each suitcase; keep a copy on your phone or computer, and carry a paper copy with you.
Whatever you do, at the end of the cruise, don't forget to pack a separate carryon bag for that last night on the ship (a change of clothes, toiletries, medications, pajamas, underwear), before you place your suitcases outside of your stateroom door to be picked up by cruise staff during the night. I could be embarrassing to leave the ship still in your pajamas.
Hopefully, this information will be helpful to you if you ever have a chance to go on an extended cruise.
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