5 Things We Do Differently When Driving To Port

Should you pack differently when driving to port?

In this episode we talk about what we do differently when driving to port versus flying. After flying to our most recent cruise, it got me thinking, it’s a different process. We may pack a lot of the same things, but how we pack them, and how much – it’s a bit different.

Driving to port – 5 things we do differently

1. Pack drinks
2. Pack hand soap
3. Go bigger! Sunscreen, suitcases, full size toiletries
4. Pack less light- more shoes for sure
5. Carry on bag is geared to embarkation day and not the flight

Rather than packing a fight carry-on bag, driving to port allows us to put our focus on our embarkation day carry on bag. What you put in this bag is totally up to you, but we generally pack things we can’t live without for the first 5 hours of our trip.

While it’s rare, some cruise ships are slow to deliver luggage on day 1, so I always prepare by taking things I’ll need before dinner-time, as a general role. This varies by destination, but may include:

• Passports & boarding docs (nowadays, that may mean vaccine proof and/or a clear COVID test)
• Sunglasses
• Swimwear
• Clothing for dinner onboard (I consider this SUPER optional because you can wear casual clothes on night one!)
• Sunscreen
• Toiletry bag (hey, I may want to brush my teeth!)
• Cameras
• Wine/champagne/water/sodas (this is a requirement- beverages cannot be checked)
• Medications
• Phone & device chargers
• USB Charging hub

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