My husband Tom and I cruise 2-3 times a year.
Caribbean. Alaska. Mediterranean.
After 12 years of cruising, I thought I had the packing system down.
But every single time, the same problem haunted me.
I'd pack for every possible scenario: formal nights, casual dinners, elegant evenings, port excursions, pool days, sea days.
For our 10-day Mediterranean cruise last October, I packed six different dresses just for evening wear.
Plus backup options.
Plus accessories to match each one.
My suitcase weighed 62 pounds.
Tom's? 38 pounds.
Standing at the airport check-in counter, the agent said those words I'd heard too many times: "That'll be $120 for the overweight bag."
I paid it.
Again.
But here's what made it worse: By Day 4, I was rotating through the same three dresses anyway.
The other three hung in that tiny cabin closet, taking up precious space, mocking my planning.
On Day 7, at the Captain's Dinner, I overheard two women at the breakfast buffet the next morning.
"Did you see that woman in the burgundy dress last night? That's the same dress she wore to the welcome dinner on Day 2."
They were talking about me.
I felt my face flush hot.
I'd spent $120 on baggage fees, weeks planning my wardrobe, and I was STILL the woman wearing the same dress twice.