How many suitcases for a family of 4 (two teenage boys included)?

[Smurfygirl75]

My husband and two teenage sons (14 and 18) will be going on Adventure of the Seas for 8 days this summer and now that they are getting older I'm wondering what configuration of luggage might work best. In the past when they were little we'd take at least one large suitcase that would contain a bit of everyone's clothes, plus a garment bag for fancy clothes. I'm sure we had at least one wheeled carry-on size luggage for shoes and things (or was it two?). Anyway, I haven't decided if it would be best for us to take maybe two large main suitcases that share our clothes, or perhaps individual travel size suitcases for each of us (not including a garment bag or other extras needed).

It's been quite a while since cruising and I need recommendations on what has worked for others! Thx.

 

[seamom]

You don’t mention where you are travelling to but I’d guess that with the informality in dressing on cruises lately that carryon is the best for each to avoid loss of luggage. We’ve travelled to Alaska in April and June with carryon with compressed puffy down jackets. So much easier than lugging big bags and no delayed baggage or loss of clothes.

 

[Smurfygirl75]

You don’t mention where you are travelling to but I’d guess that with the informality in dressing on cruises lately that carryon is the best for each to avoid loss of luggage. We’ve travelled to Alaska in April and June with carryon with compressed puffy down jackets. So much easier than lugging big bags and no delayed baggage or loss of clothes.

We are stopping at Curaçao, Aruba, and CocoCay in the Bahamas. Although we have noticed a trend toward informality over the years, we still like dressing fancy for the formal nights and smart casual for the rest of the dinners. Makes it more annoying for packing though, since we have to have a little bit of everything!

 

[seamom]

Does make it trickier if you ware leaving from a warm country to the hot Caribbean for Men’s jackets but not impossible to go carry on if you hang for wrinkles. In Alaska, I did dress pants with twinkly tops. Summery dresses can pack up thinly. Consider, but if you go with large cases, make sure everyone divides their wardrobe evenly between the two in case one gets lost and take carry one with swimsuit, personal items and a change of clothes to make sure all bases are covered!

 

[mosin jack]

For a family of four, especially with teenage boys, I’d recommend two large suitcases for shared clothing and a carry-on for each person (or at least for the teens). This way, you have flexibility while packing and don’t have to rely on one giant suitcase for everyone’s things. A garment bag for fancy clothes is still a good idea if needed. Having each person with their own carry-on can also be helpful for shoes, toiletries, and personal items. Hope this helps!