It is getting close to cruise time! Which means, I am in my practice packing phase of packing. I know this may seem a little crazy, but I have found that if I wait to pack at the last minute I usually discover that what I want to take wont fit in the suitcases and I end up adding more bags or leaving things behind.
For this 4 day cruise, we are trying a little experiment. We are going to TRY to pack everything we need, in as few bags as possible. The main reason for this is that I can see the circus style juggling act that could happen with me, to many bags, and 3 children. I mean, really, when my husband was alive, the amount of luggage (unless flying) was never really an issue, because he could carry them. I do not want to be toting around a million bags while trying to keep up with a two year old. That sounds like a recipe for grumpy disaster.
I will be packing for a 4 day cruise ( with one formal night), a dolphin encounter excursion (beach and swim stuff and LOTS of sunscreen!) , and one day spent in New Orleans. All of this for 1 adult, a toddler, and my boys (age 7 &11) who will want to bring every toy and electronic device imaginable.
My goal is to take 1 carry on size suitcase (but I will use my full size if needed), 1 rolling backpack, a small rolling carry on bag****this bag has already upgraded to a regular carry on! It was just too small*****a small weekender (for electronics & diaper bag items) and a toddler sized backpack. I will also give the 7 year old the option of taking his back pack for toys but he will be carrying it in addition to pulling the smallest rolling carry on. We will also be taking our small umbrella style stroller .
The rolling back pack and the weekender will serve as our carry on's for on-board the ship as well as for the hotel in new Orleans. No need to take all our luggage into the hotel, just to haul it back out the next morning.
It will be interesting to see how this works out once I actually start packing. I will post more, including photos, as it gets closer to trip time, and then I will post an update after the cruise to share what worked and what did not.
For this 4 day cruise, we are trying a little experiment. We are going to TRY to pack everything we need, in as few bags as possible. The main reason for this is that I can see the circus style juggling act that could happen with me, to many bags, and 3 children. I mean, really, when my husband was alive, the amount of luggage (unless flying) was never really an issue, because he could carry them. I do not want to be toting around a million bags while trying to keep up with a two year old. That sounds like a recipe for grumpy disaster.
I will be packing for a 4 day cruise ( with one formal night), a dolphin encounter excursion (beach and swim stuff and LOTS of sunscreen!) , and one day spent in New Orleans. All of this for 1 adult, a toddler, and my boys (age 7 &11) who will want to bring every toy and electronic device imaginable.
My goal is to take 1 carry on size suitcase (but I will use my full size if needed), 1 rolling backpack, a small rolling carry on bag****this bag has already upgraded to a regular carry on! It was just too small*****a small weekender (for electronics & diaper bag items) and a toddler sized backpack. I will also give the 7 year old the option of taking his back pack for toys but he will be carrying it in addition to pulling the smallest rolling carry on. We will also be taking our small umbrella style stroller .
The rolling back pack and the weekender will serve as our carry on's for on-board the ship as well as for the hotel in new Orleans. No need to take all our luggage into the hotel, just to haul it back out the next morning.
It will be interesting to see how this works out once I actually start packing. I will post more, including photos, as it gets closer to trip time, and then I will post an update after the cruise to share what worked and what did not.