Unpacking once doesn’t mean bring everything

[Jason]

Cruises: unpacking once doesn’t mean bring everything

The mysterious formula for determining what to pack for a weeklong cruise — a blend of quantum mechanics, doctorate-level meteorology and chaos theory — could make a NASA scientist run off and buy a hermit shack in Montana. And, frankly, it makes packing for three weeks in Europe seem like a stroll around the block.

As if the formal nights requiring a suit or formal gown and dress shoes aren’t enough, there’s sitting at the same table with the same people all week (which means taking more than one good shirt and one tie). Add in the fact that dressing for night and day are as different as, well, night and day.

On the plus side, you only have to unpack once. Here are a few ways to make the voyage without needing your own shipping container:

•A black suit, two good shirts and a pair of slacks can go eight nights without repeating an outfit, more than enough for the two formal nights and two semi-formal typical of a weeklong trip. Women get similar results from mix-matching tops and skirts (go-withs) instead of bringing dresses.

• If the ship has alternative dining (Freestyle on Norwegian, Personal Choice on Princess), you can probably get by with fewer combinations because you won’t necessarily see the same people night after night.

•Most cruise ships rent men’s and women’s dress shoes for about $12 (check with www.cruiselineformal.com). If so, just bring walking shoes (on your feet) and flip-flops (in the luggage).

•Find out in advance if your ship has a self-serve laundry and pack accordingly. Sending it to the ship’s laundry service instead can be pricey, as well as a little risky with better items.

•Carry the usual change of underwear in your carry-on, as well as a spare dress shirt or crumple-proof dress. I shared a table with a couple whose luggage didn’t arrive until the fifth day of a weeklong cruise — and the clothing allowance from the cruise line (given only if it was clearly the company’s fault) doesn’t go far in the overpriced boutique onboard.

•Don’t take jeans. There are too many lightweight alternatives that work on shore and in the dining room — where jeans usually are verboten.

•Don’t sweat wrinkles too much. Use the roll method when packing and hang up everything when you get into the cabin. Also, if there is a self-service laundry, it probably has irons.

•Take a lightweight rain jacket for Caribbean rains and, with a fleece jacket underneath, for Alaskan winds.

•Pack assuming you can leave some items behind and will buy new ones. I tend to recycle ball caps by giving them to local kids in ports; I pack very few casual shirts knowing I will buy some along the way.

Source: Spud Hilton, San Francisco Chronicle