Fun packing for a 41 day cruise — So many questions!

Fun packing for a 41 day cruise So many questions!

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

By Trilla Cook

There are many people out there who travel extensively and are no stranger to long journeys. This is not my case!

The longest cruise Ive taken previously was five days to Cozumel and back to Galveston! And the funny thing is that I packed two suitcases full of stuff that I really didnt need for just five days!

My 41 day cruise on April 21 will be on the Mariner of the Seas (Royal Caribbean Cruises International) from Galveston to Singapore. Its really three cruises tied up in one! RCCI is repositioning the ship to Singapore.

From the time plans began for this journey of a lifetime, many questions started to gnaw at me: What to pack? How to secure things at home? Visas? Mail? Jewelry? And everything in between!

Because we will fly back to Houston from Singapore, and only two checked 50-lb bags are allowed, I see a dilemma. If I packed two suitcases for a five-day cruise, how in the world will I pack for 41 days in just those same two bags?

I feel good about checking the following things off my list of worries:

Visas Our good friends at Kingwood Travel helped us get our visas from India, which was the only visa required. Our passports will do just fine for all the other stops. The India visa can also be requested online.

Jewelry That one is easy because all I have to do is bring a bunch of costume baubles and leave the good stuff at home! Done.

Mail Just go online and place a request to hold the mail until I return. Check.

Security at home Family, friends and neighbors will help out with that problem, along with a security system. Done.

Pets Dont have one at this time, so that worked out good. Whew!

The category of Everything in between means all the little things like updated wills, pool service, newspapers picked up off the drivewaythis list goes on and onBUT,

How to pack for a 41-day cruise THIS IS MY DILEMMA! Do I use the two regular suitcases and one carry-on bag or do I switch to two large fabric bags that will save 10 lbs. each for extras on the flight home? Hmmmthis could be a good idea. Also, we have a full day in Singapore before we catch our flight back. We can check our bags but what to do with the carry-on bag? No one wants to tote along a carry-on bag while touring a new city. I guess well cross that bridge when we come to it.

In the meantime, if anyone has suggestions, please let me know! Bon voyag-ee!

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Fun packing for a 41 day cruise — So many questions!