Sunwing's luggage rules – Cuba – Debbie's Carribean Reviews Forums

travelchick 2011-06-10 00:59:27 UTC #41

Steffie, I wholeheartedly agree with you that flying Club Class is well worth it. We recently flew to Cuba for our stay at the Royal Hideaway and treated ourselves to C.C. It was just lovely! Try as I might ;), we never got our bags above 40 lbs when we were allowed almost double that!! And like you, I couldn’t manage only a carry-on bag for even one night away. ;D

shirleyujest1 2011-06-10 02:43:22 UTC #42

We have flown First Class a number of times lately with Alaska Airlines to Mexico and Palm Springs for a week and we still only use carry-ons.

Once you fly Club Class or First Class or whatever the airline calls it, there is no turning back!

Although it offers more luggage weight, I will still only fly with carry-ons. I can’t stand the rudeness of people waiting at the baggage turnstiles. >:( :-*

eeeefarm 2011-06-10 10:18:11 UTC #43

We have flown First Class a number of times lately with Alaska Airlines to Mexico and Palm Springs for a week and we still only use carry-ons.

I could probably manage to bring my stuff in a carry on, but what about the items you can’t take through security? If going to Cuba, you can’t count on being able to buy what you need once you arrive…

travelchick 2011-06-10 12:17:48 UTC #44

eeeefarm ~ I was wondering about that. Certainly no large bottle of suntan lotion is allowed in a carry-on bag and at some resorts in Cuba, it is a ridiculously high price! >:(

shirleyujest1 2011-06-10 13:50:14 UTC #45

I put all the sunscreen in 100 ml bottles (4 bottles usually is enough for a week in the sun but sometimes one of us carries an extra bottle) so we each have 2 (or 3) bottles of that in our zip-lock baggie.

Then, if we have any other gels or liquids we want to take, we just make sure they are small enough to fit in the baggie.

What else would you need? :-*

travelchick 2011-06-10 15:36:16 UTC #46

[quote=@shirleyujest] I put all the sunscreen in 100 ml bottles (4 bottles usually is enough for a week in the sun but sometimes one of us carries an extra bottle) so we each have 2 (or 3) bottles of that in our zip-lock baggie.

Then, if we have any other gels or liquids we want to take, we just make sure they are small enough to fit in the baggie.

What else would you need? :-*[/quote]

More power to you, suj! I just cannot fathom how you do this micro-packing. I carry body lotion, suntan lotions, facial moisturizers, cough syrup, etc., which all go in my suitcase. Breaking all the liquids and creams down into the 100 ml plastic bottles to go into two baggies would not be possible. I think the amount of suntan lotion required for us for a week would be one whole baggie itself. Anyway, it must be really nice for you and your dh to cruise by everyone waiting at the carousels for their luggage.

eeeefarm 2011-06-10 16:49:36 UTC #47

[quote=@shirleyujest] What else would you need? :-*[/quote]

Razors, perhaps. Tweezers. And I can’t live without Nivea creme, which is decidedly more expensive to buy in the under 100 ml containers and messy to transfer to smaller ones. I suppose it is possible to find solutions if you look hard enough. And for a business traveller it makes a lot of sense to pack light. But especially when going to Cuba it is good to know you have everything you might need without going shopping.

eloisegirl 2011-06-10 16:57:13 UTC #48

I pack for Cuba the same way I would pack to camp in the Interior of Algonquin Park – if I don’t bring it, I’m SOL. I am also travelling single, not as part of a couple. Having travelled to Cuba and packed like I’m going to Mars, I have to remind myself when I go to the States or Mexico, “it is okay if you forget something, you can buy it when you are there.”

yvrck 2011-06-10 18:26:28 UTC #49

[quote=@eeeefarm]
I suppose it is possible to find solutions if you look hard enough. And for a business traveller it makes a lot of sense to pack light. [/quote]

Often seems I travel lighter when I go on vacation than for business. No equipment to take along and I’m not wearing safety footwear. Steel toed boots weigh a lot- and reek havoc when going through security- but at least it doesn’t hurt my toes when people step all over me to get their suitcase off the luggage carousel first. LOL!

I always ask the cosmetician if she has some sample sizes of the products I like to use when I buy a regular size bottle of my favourite creams/lotions, and take the samples in my carry-on liquids Ziplock bag. Same goes for dental products like toothpaste and floss. I save up the samples my dentist hands out for vacation time. If you use a pump dispenser to fill your travel size bottles, it eliminates the mess.

Biggest weight savings of course comes from using CUC to tip resort staff rather than lug along gifts. Everyone loves and can use cash!

eeeefarm 2011-06-10 18:38:36 UTC #50

I can think of a few more things that won’t go into your carry on. How about a diver’s knife? Some people feel naked without one, and they are not easy to find in Cuba. (sailors also are wise to carry a knife, although not many do. I usually have one available when I trail ride as well…any place where getting tangled in a rope is a possibility and dangerous)

eeeefarm 2011-06-10 19:53:01 UTC #52

The problem is, CATSA may be O.K. with disposable razors and tweezers, but if you want to bring them back, Cuba may not allow it in your carry on. I had both taken from me in Cuba a few trips ago…losing a couple of Bic razors is O.K., but losing favourite tweezers, not so much. And you never know exactly what security in Cuba is going to find unacceptable. They don’t care about liquids and gels, but there may be some innocuous item they take exception to, and then you are going to lose it. Annoying. Especially since security is such a joke…nobody has a clue how to do it properly, except perhaps for the Israelis.

shirleyujest1 2011-06-11 02:28:21 UTC #53

Packing light is not for everyone, I will agree to that. And it all depends on what you plan to do when you get to your destination.

We took tweezers and nail clippers with us, as well as a really great Venus razor that I loved (but I can replace it at home). Those were in our ‘general’ carry on suitcases.

I also take a really good hair conditioner and my favourite face cream (I, too, use Nivea and I ‘splurge’ on the travel sized ones).

There are a few other liquid / gel items we throw into the baggies but have yet to have any TSA tell us we couldn’t take our well packed baggies on the plane.

Everything else we could possibly want comes in either pill form or wipes (facial cleansers, bug repellant, disinfectant wipes, etc).

There was something ‘questionable’ in our suitcase as we were leaving Victoria to fly to Montreal so the TSA checked through our luggage and found a carabiner, of all things. So you never know what things may show up as questionable on the scanner.

It just works for us. :-*

eeeefarm 2011-06-11 10:28:55 UTC #54

Packing light is not for everyone, I will agree to that. And it all depends on what you plan to do when you get to your destination.

And it doesn’t hurt to be bound for Cayo Largo!

gardengal 2011-06-11 11:30:44 UTC #55

[quote=@shirleyujest] Packing light is not for everyone, I will agree to that. And it all depends on what you plan to do when you get to your destination.

And it doesn’t hurt to be bound for Cayo Largo! ;)[/quote]

Agree!

My brother-in-law does it for travel all over the world wearing his business suit while travelling, bringing an extra sports jacket, a number of shirts, etc. ~ All enough for a few days wherever he ends up going.

I’d really be interested in trying it, too, at some point!

Shirelyujest, would you consider sharing what you wear while travelling, and bring along that can be worn for breakfasts and dinners (lunch would be bathing suits & cover-up, for sure) for a whole week at an all inclusive resort, with perhaps 3-4 a la cartes? LOL, I guess the main question is how many shoes do you bring?

Inquiring Minds! ;D

GG

system 2011-06-11 14:35:37 UTC #56

[quote=@shirleyujest] We have flown First Class a number of times lately with Alaska Airlines to Mexico and Palm Springs for a week and we still only use carry-ons.

Once you fly Club Class or First Class or whatever the airline calls it, there is no turning back!

Although it offers more luggage weight, I will still only fly with carry-ons. I can’t stand the rudeness of people waiting at the baggage turnstiles. >:( :-*[/quote]

I don’t know if we have just been lucky or Air Transat is starting to live up to their claims of “priorty bags” for Club Class. On our last 2 trips, our bags have been among the first onto the carousel both going and coming home. The upside, no battling the crowds at the baggage carousel in Varadero but, the downside is you still have to wait about 1 hour, on the bus, for everyone else ::). Now, if I could get my hands on a mojito rather than a beer, it would make the waiting okay :D. When we returned to Vancouver, we were off the plane, had our bags and were putting them in the trunk of the car at Park ‘n Fly 30 minutes later. I LOVE the new fast check through at Customs at YVR!!! We couldn’t have done it much faster with just carry ons. As for carry ons, we just couldn’t pull off SUJ’s feat. My hubby’s is pretty much filled up with the two cameras (digital and video) and their accompanying underwater cases (not small by any means), battery charges, etc and mine has other valuables, 100ml bottles of necessities in case our bags get lost and misc. other stuffs. The past few years we’ve arrived around breakfast time so I pack beach wear to change to incase the room is not ready until later in the afternoon. It doesn’t take long to fill a regulation size carry on :P. Statistically, most travellers to Cuba go for 1 week so meeting luggage weight restrictions should be easy to do; it’s a whole different ball game when you go for 2 weeks or longer. Do you want to waste beach/pool time doing laundry? As for paying to have it done…not at the prices they charge, thanks very much! I’ll stick to the larger bags and pack clothing, etc. necessary for our stay.
Tip for those concerned about the weight of their bags, buy a fish weighing scale. They work like a charm and are light enough to take with you to weigh your bags before coming home to make sure you haven’t gone over weight! We’ve ended up lending ours numerous times to other guests.

eloisegirl 2011-06-13 15:46:10 UTC #57

Hand scale is the greatest – and bring it with you on the trip. Sometimes your weight may increase due to the humidity in the air (as well as the rum bottles!). I wear my “heaviest” clothes down, i.e., runners, capris, hoodie. In the morning I put on my bathing suit, and wear a sundress over it, so I can enjoy meals at the restaurants. While fugly, Crocs are great to pack (lightweight and you can put your rum bottles in each shoe), make a great beach shoe, and rinse easily. Then I bring a lightweight pair of ballet flats or light dressy sandals for evening. Another travel tip I have adapted is rolling clothes instead of packing flat. Put your heavier items at the bottom of the suitcase, otherwise if they are at the top, they will mash everything down. Packing with ziploc bags (the larger ones) is a great way to keep things sorted, and the bags are great for bringing back slightly damp swimwear, or bottles wrapped in t-shirts. Not sure where you get the giant ziplocs in Canada, I always pick mine up in Niagara USA.

verycoldcanadian 2011-06-14 00:02:53 UTC #58

, and the bags are great for bringing back slightly damp swimwear,

Funny, we never seem to have any of those from Cayo Largo.

system 2011-06-14 13:11:08 UTC #59

Packing with ziploc bags (the larger ones) is a great way to keep things sorted, and the bags are great for bringing back slightly damp swimwear, or bottles wrapped in t-shirts. Not sure where you get the giant ziplocs in Canada, I always pick mine up in Niagara USA.

I’ve started using the clear plastic travel bags where you “roll and squeeze” the air out of them. Similar idea to the big storage bags that you suck the air out with a vacuum. Although they don’t cut down on your weight, they compress your clothes to help you maximize your luggage space. Like ziploc bags, they protect your clothing from spills and breakage that might occur in your luggage. They come in a set of various sizes.

Spunky 2011-06-14 21:12:06 UTC #60

We use those large zips too. Rolling is the way to go.

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