Ladies, what to pack for 4-day Bahamas cruise in February?? (dinner, plane)
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Going on my very first cruise ever and super excited...but already fretting far too much over what to squeeze into the suitcase. Apparently the average temp in Nassau is in 70s in February...we have one day there. (Other day is Royal Caribbean's private play island, CoCoCay. Not worried about what to wear there :-). ) Then one day at sea and that's it...so...I know I am overthinking this because it's not really all that much time... there are 4 of us (in adjoining cabins) celebrating our mutual birthdays and one night is our special dinner...not sure where, we seem to be on reserve. But I've heard not to worry about getting "dressy"...but I do plan nice pants and a dressy top at least.
Shoes are the bane of my existence (wide feet, can't easily shop and just pick up something on the fly) so I'm thinking of maybe 2 pair sneakers, 1 pair sandals, 1 pair flipflops (if we hang around pool at all) maybe one pair ballerina flats.
My cabin mate is a very seasoned traveler and does one carryon for nearly everything and I'm not "that person." I know I can hand carry my CPAP machine and it's not supposed to count as a carryon, but I still have to schlep it and hopefully put it above the seats and not in my foot space.
Anyway...any thoughts appreciated on what really is important to have and what you never wore and would skip next time. Otherwise I'm of the school of "pack it until you can't get zipper closed."
If there's a great place to eat lunch in Nassau happy to hear about that too. We decided not to pre-purchase any excursions. We are all seniors so no one cares about ziplining or the waterpark thrill rides...and we'd be more inclined to a jitney excursion than a ton of walking.
Do not over pack. Four days is really short. When I do two week cruises, I only pack two pairs of shoes, my sneakers and a low heel slide on shoe in the color black. I'm also a one carryone type person.
You won't need that many clothes. On day one, wear something you can wear again on your departure day. If you have the one dressy dinner, only pack the one dressy outfit. For the other nights, wear business casual type clothes and get pieces you can mix and match.
Do not over pack. Four days is really short. When I do two week cruises, I only pack two pairs of shoes, my sneakers and a low heel slide on shoe in the color black. I'm also a one carryone type person.
You won't need that many clothes. On day one, wear something you can wear again on your departure day. If you have the one dressy dinner, only pack the one dressy outfit. For the other nights, wear business casual type clothes and get pieces you can mix and match.
Good points. And, don't worry about your sleep apnea machine. I believe that airlines are required to find a space in the overhead bins for all medical equipment. Some airplanes even have a dedicated space for items like that in the front of the airplane.
I did that same cruise on Royal Caribbean a few years ago. No, don't bother taking anything dressy. I stressed about having something nice to wear to dinner but no one got dressed up. I took a bathing suit and capris and several tops. Shoes were flats and flip flops. I may have taken a light sweater but I don't remember. I know I took a wristet instead of a purse because I wanted to carry something with me like money or kleenix or lipstick or a comb, sunscreen, but didn't want to lug a big purse around.
We got off the ship in Nassau but there wasn't much to do but walk around and it was the same at the other place they stopped. Mostly we stayed on the ship because the food was great and was available at all times, there were a lot of things to do, we enjoyed walking around the ship, and the shore stuff just seemed like a rip off. On the next to the last day, the fun thing was getting to shop in the ship's store with the free money they gave us.
The ship was beautiful and getting waited on all the time was fun. Being so far out at sea sort of separates you from all your land based problems. It was only four days but a good getaway. Enjoy!
1. Nassau is a tourist trap, you will be underwhelmed.
2. Cruises in general are NOT fancy like the Titanic was. You will see people wear flip flops through the main dining room! If someone were to wear a suit they would be bombarded with questions as if they work on the boat!
3. Coco Cay is very weather dependent, if the seas are rough they will cancel the excursion because they can't safely get you onto smaller boats to travel over to the island. You will likely see it as a Royal Carribbean themed tourist trap.
Do not over pack. Four days is really short. When I do two week cruises, I only pack two pairs of shoes, my sneakers and a low heel slide on shoe in the color black. I'm also a one carryone type person.
You won't need that many clothes. On day one, wear something you can wear again on your departure day. If you have the one dressy dinner, only pack the one dressy outfit. For the other nights, wear business casual type clothes and get pieces you can mix and match.
You've received very good advice here. Though I'd wouldn't say "business casual". Its even more casual than that, even at night. The one dressy outfit you are bringing for your combined birthday celebration - even with a sparkly top and slacks you will be 'overdressed' compared to many (most?) Of the other passengers. But who cares? You and the girls are celebrating! Enjoy it!
"I'm thinking of maybe 2 pair sneakers, 1 pair sandals, 1 pair flipflops (if we hang around pool at all) maybe one pair ballerina flats."
It's FOUR DAYS. Why do you need 2 pairs of sneakers??? Leave one pair at home! Wear them on the plane. Honestly, one t-shirt and capris would get you thru an entire day - breakfast, touring ports, dinner, then the shows. Sometimes I change the t-shirt before dinner. Add maybe one pair of shorts, 5 pairs of underwear (I like one extra), socks if you wear them, ONE bathing suit and ONE coverup, ONE nightgown, and your dressy outfit. A light sweater - wear it on the plane.) Done.
You are allowed one carry on piece of luggage AND a small personal bag a most people use their handbag for that. You will not.
You will put your clothes in the carry on luggage. (If plane is full, they may check it at the gate.)
You will buy a large tote bag (lightweight nylon preferred) which will be your small personal item that is allowed. Put your CPAP in there. Be aware you'll need to take your CPAP out of its case to be xrayed at TSA. Put the unit ITSELF in a clear plastic bag so it doesn't get contaminated.
Then put your your liquids in a clear quart size plastic baggie and in the tote bag. Put your meds in the tote bag. Put your SMALL purse or wristlet in the tote bag. Tickets, jewelry (which is better left at home!) and anything else you absolutely HAVE to have, and anything else you would be heartbroken to lose in the tote bag. I use that same tote bag in port.
Then enjoy your trip, without stressing about what to pack and potentially losing a checked bag.
Happy birthday.
Last edited by Jkgourmet; 01-18-2020 at 06:49 AM..
Yes, only bring one pair of sneakers. Another tip is to plan on wearing them on embarkation and disembarkation days. This saves space in your suitcase from having to pack these bulky items.
Going on my very first cruise ever and super excited...but already fretting far too much over what to squeeze into the suitcase. Apparently the average temp in Nassau is in 70s in February...we have one day there. (Other day is Royal Caribbean's private play island, CoCoCay. Not worried about what to wear there :-). ) Then one day at sea and that's it...so...I know I am overthinking this because it's not really all that much time... there are 4 of us (in adjoining cabins) celebrating our mutual birthdays and one night is our special dinner...not sure where, we seem to be on reserve. But I've heard not to worry about getting "dressy"...but I do plan nice pants and a dressy top at least.
Shoes are the bane of my existence (wide feet, can't easily shop and just pick up something on the fly) so I'm thinking of maybe 2 pair sneakers, 1 pair sandals, 1 pair flipflops (if we hang around pool at all) maybe one pair ballerina flats.
My cabin mate is a very seasoned traveler and does one carryon for nearly everything and I'm not "that person." I know I can hand carry my CPAP machine and it's not supposed to count as a carryon, but I still have to schlep it and hopefully put it above the seats and not in my foot space.
Anyway...any thoughts appreciated on what really is important to have and what you never wore and would skip next time. Otherwise I'm of the school of "pack it until you can't get zipper closed."
If there's a great place to eat lunch in Nassau happy to hear about that too. We decided not to pre-purchase any excursions. We are all seniors so no one cares about ziplining or the waterpark thrill rides...and we'd be more inclined to a jitney excursion than a ton of walking.
Thanks!!
I can't really add a lot to what has been said: pack light is just a simple thing and on a 4 day cruise you will be shocked at how little you use. Everyone here has given you good advice.
There are all kinds of travelers so whatever you decide will be just fine: I am closer to your travel companion: probably don't need it: we cruised one time with 2 other couples and compared the number of shoes we had brought. This was a 7 day cruise: one gal" 8 pair: one 4 pr and me 4 pair. Usually one pair of sneakers for a week is good, whatever I am wearing when I board may be another, sandles and maybe on other pair will work. Also remember clothes can be mixed and matched. Shoe wise I have even gotten by with 3 pair. Depending on what ship you are on, the storage space is not going to be great. On RCI we did a 4 dyer on the Majesty of the Sea; I have never seen so little storage space. I will admit we had an inside cabin.
Just try to keep the wardrobe simple, don't feel you need to dress up for dinner as it is a short cruise which is very informal. Check to make sure what the dress code is.
Now, go,have a good time and report back. But do keep the luggage at a min and love your cruise or not, remember a 4 dayer is just an introduction into cruising. When you decide to do a longer one, you may get a slightly different about what cruising is all about. For many a 4 day cruise does get them hooked and a 7 day or longer is really an awesome experience.
As for where to eat, I haven't been to Nasau for so long I could not even begin to advise you on where to eat.
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