Cruise ship holidays are a popular option for many British holidaymakers. One benefit of such trips is the greater flexibility when it comes to baggage allowance compared to airlines. However, there’s one thing cruisers should avoid doing when preparing for a cruise holiday. They should always make sure they pack holiday clothes in their cruise hand luggage.
The experts at website CruiseCritic has advised against spending the day in your travel clothes.
They recommend packing a set of holiday clothes in your hand luggage so you can easily access it should you want to change.
This could be vital if you have to wait a while for your luggage to arrive in your room.
Another important tip for luggage on your first day is to avoid taking the lift on the ship.
“The lifts are super-slow on embark day and crowded with passengers and crew ferrying luggage between decks. Take the stairs,” CruiseCritic advises.
Once in your room, it’s well worth unpacking straight away to get the job over and done with.
It’s key to make sure you pack well for a cruise holiday – and one useful item may surprise you.
Duct tape is an unlikely but versatile item which should be a staple in your suitcase.
One use for duct tape is that it can double as a lint roller – perfect for when you want to smarten up any clothes.
It can be useful for making sure curtains are shut properly, too – vital if you’re travelling somewhere such as Alaska or the Baltic when the sun never sets or if you hate being woken up by the sunrise.
Duct tape can also be very useful for fixing things such as broken luggage or flip flops.
There are also items which you should avoid packing – but again this may come as a surprise.
It is inadvisable to pack more than one book as more could take up too much of your luggage.
Bookworms need not fret, however, as cruise ships have libraries onboard with a good selection of tomes.
For readers wanting to bring along their own books, an e-reader is recommended as it will save both space and weight.
Travellers should research their cruise line’s luggage allowance before they travel as it can vary greatly.
For instance, Royal Caribbean cruises have a generous luggage allowance but it is capped at 90kg in weight.
Meanwhile, on a P&O cruise from Southampton, you can bring as much as you like – provided it “comfortably fits” in your cabin.
Each bag you bring, however, will have to weigh under 23kg “for safety and handling purposes”. It’s important to follow these rules as you may find your trip disrupted if your bags exceed the allowance.