Dear LCT friends -

Pat & I will be on Mariner for the first leg of the Grand Circle South America, from Ft. Lauderdale to Lima, departing Ft. L. on Dec. 27. We will then be going on to Cusco and Machu Picchu on our own for a few days. Therein lies the problem - luggage!!

Luggage Express has pulled out of South America, leaving us few, if any, ways to send extra luggage home before going on to Cusco and M.P. We are therefore trying to figure out how to minimize our luggage. Clearly, the easiest way would be to eliminate the clothes for formal nights. Does anyone know what Mariner does in terms of dress code for that trip? One would hope that in the hot equatorial zone there would be a minimum of "dress up" nights. But then we are also at sea on New Year's Eve on the way to Costa Rica, which might indicate a formal night. Any reflections, recollections, or even wild speculations would be most welcome.

Thanks, Fred & Pat

Fred & Pat:

You might investigate International Port Services.

We used them for domestic shipping, but I believe they take care of interntional destinations as well. They were recommended to us by RSSC on our last cruise.

It is a good idea to travel light when going to Cusco - enjoy, it's a marvelous place to visit.

Hi Fred and Pat! We did the first leg of the SA cruise last year from SF to Lima. There were 2 or 3 formal nights. La Verandah also adhered to casual dress everynight (similar to Voyager); the public areas follow the dress code after 6. You should be able to store excess luggage in the hotel in Cusco without much difficulty while you visit MP.

We packed lightly (one 22" suitcase and a carry-on backpack apiece) for that trip and found we had enough clothing choices (including a dark suit for Gary and a cocktail dress for me) with a few extra visits to the laundry room. It was one of the best trips we've taken. Cheers, Anne

Hi and Welcome!

The Mariner has a self service laundry facilities at no charge which, in our opinions are great for wash and wear items --- eliminating the need to take so many. As I posted to you on "another board" a dark suit can do double duty for men --- add a white shirt and tie for formal night and a dress "T" for informal. Shoes can do double or tripple duty too. For men, a pair of black wingtips will do for all evening dress codes, and are fine in port with slacks or jeans. And cleaning and laundry services through your stewardess onboard are not overly expensive.

Another thing that can help you take less with you; those casual cotton slacks for men and women that are treated with a material so as to be stain proof. They work, and eliminate the need to take so many pairs "just in case." And for women, that "little black dress" that can be accessorized up or down is indispensible.

We have to go through this everytime we cruise ---to try to keep luggage weight and bulk down to what can be taken on airlines and what we can handle during those times on our trip when Radisson isn't there to take our bags. We are expecially concerned about our upcoming Venice to Athens cruise on the Diamond, as it has no laundry facilities and smaller closets than other Radisson ships. So THAT cruise will be a real challenge in this area.

Hope this helps,
Richard :) :) :)