Packing Tips/Tricks and Cases of Wine

Several people have asked me about packing cubes.  I use a canvas and mess reusable cube.  No loose items in my suitcases, everything in a bag, bags can be moved around from luggage to closet/drawers very easily. Makes a small cabin onboard the ship manageable.


eBags

I organize clothing in each cube.  Workout clothing in a separate cube, afternoon outfits in another, evening gowns in a large cube.  Durable excursion clothing in a mess bag with dryer sheets.  Cubes give me a sense of organization.  I can quickly place the cubes in the cabin where they are easy to access.  Jewelry is packed in a hanging slotted zippered organizer.  This organizer can be rolled and will fill gaps in the suitcase.  I have several different sized cubes which range from very small (phone, Kindle, watch chargers) to extra large for gowns.

Dryer Sheets
This year, I'm using dryer sheets in each cube to keep clothing fresh.  I had used small cedar blocks on previous trips and recently switched to dryer sheets.  Certainly they are lighter.  I can also use the sheets to remove static cling I tend to get onboard.

Cosmetic Packing
This is the challenge area.  I need lots of stuff .... 3 curling irons ... creams, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, hair putty and spray.  I have tried to size the bottle to the length of trip.  My hope is to NOT bring much of this stuff home.  The plan is to use it all up prior to disembarkation.  I have a special cube for curling irons.  I am able to put a hot iron in the cube and it will not melt or burn anything.  The cube is similar to an oven mitt.  This has been very convenient onboard.  I don't have to leave irons on the counter to create clutter while it is cooling.  Space is a premium on a ship.

Utilizing cubes is how I pack, my husband packs completely freeform.  He hates the cubes, he makes piles of items and stuffs them in the suitcase.  Once on board the ship, he sends out all his wrinkled clothing for pressing.  This is certainly one way to do it :-)   Thank goodness we have enough Mariner Rewards to receive free laundry services.

Okay so its 4 Sue, 2 Leon.

Cases of Wine
Mettler, Michael David, Klinker Brick, Wente, McGrail, Le Crema, Round Pond and Berghold are just a few of the wineries we have selected from.  Napa, Livermore and Lodi represent the regions we tend to like.  We pack the wine in cardboard cases, Leon makes a handle for each and I print luggage tags for each case.  I give the porter a generous tip and he loads the cases in the luggage cases to be loaded on the ship.  After we set sail, the Bar Manager pays us a visit to our cabin.  We pay the corkage fee and his staff unload the cases into an alcove in our cabin.  Many cruisers will say Holland America only allows one bottle per person at embarkation.  This is not the complete story.  You can carry on one bottle on board without corkage fees.  This policy is not particular to the Grand World Cruise, we have done this on 7 day cruises as well.