Pack “Small” For Your Next Cruise

When packing for my recent Alaska cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas, I was faced with squeezing a week’s worth of bulkier-than-usual clothing in my 26” suitcase.

Sweaters, fleece jackets, and wool scarves take up more room than shorts, tee-shirts, and bathing suits, so in order to fit it all in and still have room for shoes and accessories, I “compacted” everything in Hefty OneZip Big Bags. The XL storage slider bags with handles are the 11 gallon size and come four to a box*.

Once each bag is lightly filled, zip the top almost shut and then carefully sit on it to squeeze out the air before zipping the top the rest of the way until it’s closed. Two bags fit perfectly in my suitcase with room to spare. The photo here shows the suitcase with only one bag inside and you can see how much additional space there is.

A bonus to having all your clothing encased in plastic is that everything inside stays dry. That’s important if it’s raining, either at your embarkation port or when you (and your suitcase) are changing planes en route to your cruise. Your luggage—and its contents—could get wet.

* NOTE: I first purchased the Big Bags in my local supermarket, but subsequently they were difficult to find in local stores. Instead of using multiple bags in smaller sizes, or buying pricier space saving bags, I turned to Google and found the Big Bags on Amazon.com.

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