This Type Of Luggage Is The Best Solution For Maximizing Space In A Tiny Cruise Cabin
If you plan to take a cruise sometime soon, you should consider shelling out the money for collapsible luggage. Despite being thousand-foot goliaths functioning like floating cities dedicated to relaxation and checking out gorgeous ocean views, the majority of these cruises have small passenger sleeping quarters. Even Royal Caribbean's supersized Icon of the Seas has cabins as tiny as the most cramped NYC studio apartments despite being intended for families. You likely don't want much of that vital space taken up by the suitcases of yourself, your spouse, and your kids.
Many first-time cruisegoers wonder where to put luggage during the trip — and the most popular answer is to stash empty containers under the bed. How much space you'll have for suitcases varies from ship to ship, but many have about 12" of clearance. Some passengers put their smaller suitcases inside bigger ones and slide them all under the bed together, but if your cases don't nest like that or are too thick to fit, you'll end up with bags taking up a lot of cabin space. Luckily, collapsible luggage makes storage a breeze.
The advantages of collapsible luggage
You may have figured out how to save tons of space in your luggage with packing hacks, but what about the space your bags take up? Fortunately, you can compress that into small, manageable sizes with collapsible luggage. You can choose from traditional foldable soft bags like backpacks and duffels. You can also get hard-shelled suitcases that collapse almost flat, ensuring they'll fit into even the narrowest under-bed space in your cruise ship's sleeping quarters.
Whether or not you use travel expert Samantha Brown's space-saving hacks when you pack, you won't have to sacrifice the amount of stuff you can bring on your cruise if you use luggage that can fold up. Collapsible luggage comes in both carry-on and full check-in sizes, so unless you like an old-fashioned steamer trunk for your ocean voyages, you should be able to find a comparable model. Some of these handy cases serve as an all-in-one, converting easily from super flat to carry-on size to check-in sizes, depending on how you zip them up.
Can you bring any luggage you want on a cruise?
You have many aspects to consider when planning your journey across the water, ranging from the most cost-effective time to book a cruise to logistical concerns like which cabin to choose so you don't get seasick — but what you can bring with you may be one of the most essential details. Cruises generally don't have baggage fees, so you have a lot of leeway regarding what you can have with you. The exact policies vary by cruise line, but some major companies like Royal Caribbean state outright that they allow basically all kinds of bags, from trunks to totes, so you should not have an issue bringing collapsible luggage onboard.
Carnival Cruises suggests bringing one bag per person for short trips and limiting yourself to two bags on longer voyages (over six days). It also officially doesn't allow oversized or extremely heavy bags, but these restrictions are pretty relaxed on most cruises. However, remember that unlike on an airplane, "checked" luggage goes straight to your room after going through security and travels with you. This means you have access to your belongings at all times, but it will also take up space in your room the entire trip, making collapsible luggage a fantastic choice for a cruise.