How to Pack for a 7 Day Cruise...

from Lexi Eddings

...without lugging home a suitcase full of clean clothes!

Yeah, you heard right. We did that. The DH & I over-packed for this 7 day cruise on the Carnival Dream. We actually could have made do with one big suitcase for the two of us. We really did bring home a LARGE rolling suitcase (read: the biggest honking bag in our set of luggage!) full of clothing we did not wear.

So I thought I'd save you from a similar fate. I made a detailed inventory of our dirty clothes because that's all we should have packed (and that's all we will next time!) Here's the list.

For Her: 

Undies, 11         Bras, 10         Socks, 4         PJs, 1        Swimsuit, 1       Cover up, 1

Tops, 10
     white crinkle tunic
     yellow shirt
     navy 3/4 sleeve
     blue print 3/4 sleeve
     black long sleeved
     peach twin set (ok, this is sort of 2 items--a sleeveless shell & matching sweater)
     black & gray top
     teal tunic
     salmon tunic
     sweater, berry-colored cardigan
Pants, 7
     white jeans
     olive khaki capris
     black
     navy
     winter white
     khakis
     navy capris
Gym wear-black yoga pants & matching black top with shark-bite hem. (Not that they saw much use. Hey! It's the thought that counts!)
Formal Wear: Black palazzo pants, black tank, black & gold jacket, red pashmina (These pieces got me through 2 formal nights very nicely.) 
Shoes, 4 pair: red loafers with non-skid, deck-friendly soles, blue walking sandals, pink flip-flops, fancy black sandals for evening

For Him:

Undies, 9        Undershirts, 5        Socks, 8 casual, 4 dress      Swim suit, 1
Tops, 18
     colored T's, 7
     polos, 2
     dress shirts, 6
     Hawaiian, 3
Bottoms, 7
     dress pants, 3
     casual slacks, 1
     shorts, 3
Tie, 3
Belt, 2
Shoes, 4 pair: dress shoes, walking shoes, flip flops, & sandals
(Please note: There ought to have been a suit jacket and blazer as well, but Someone--not naming names--left them hanging on the bedroom door at home. Good thing we weren't cruising with Cunard. He'd have been in trouble!)

Of course, we did have a couple of carry-on pieces that held our toiletries, travel docs, jewelry & other essentials. But otherwise, we really could have packed in just one big bag. 

Our next cruise is a 7 day out of Seattle to Alaska on the Holland America Eurodam. I'm going to try to shoehorn us into one bag for that, but as my DH points out, it'll be colder in September and our clothes will be thicker.

Will I manage it? Only time will tell...