We sailed on the Viking Iconic Western Mediterranean eight day itinerary in April/May 2026. The cruise sailed west from Rome to Barcelona. We spent one day in Rome before the cruise, for a total of 10 days. We were expecting beautiful weather with highs in the 70s F, so we packed for warm days and cool mornings. We were very lucky with great weather. I have posted mine and Steve’s full packing lists at the bottom of this article.
I used my Travelpro 22″ Maxlite 5 two wheeled bag and a 17″ Lovevook backpack. We flew together on this trip in United Premium Economy. We like the extra leg room we get with that fare class, but just can’t bring ourselves to blow 20 grand for a lay flat seat for an overnight flight to Europe, although it would be lovely. We even flew Premium Economy to South Africa on a 15 hour flight and it wasn’t as bad as we expected. There may have been alcohol involved. :) Someday we may change our minds, but for now we are pinching our pennies on flights, but still managing to spend our children’s inheritance.
Premium Economy includes dedicated overhead bin space. We do not check our bags on the way to our destination, but we often check them on the way home after we stuff everything in and unzip the expander. We were very glad we didn’t check them this time after our flight from Chicago to Louisville canceled and we rented a car and drove five hours home at 2 am. Good times. Anyhoo…United does not have a weight maximum for cabin bags or personal items. My bag weighed 24 pounds and my backpack weighed about 15 pounds as I carry a laptop. I had no problem fitting the bag in the overhead bin, and the backpack went under the seat. I know some countries and some airlines have weight limits, and I am very sorry if yours does. :) If you are interested, see our article to learn more about packing in a carry on.
We cross pack one complete outfit in each other’s bag, in case we are forced to gate check our bags and one is lost in transit. In addition, we also pack one outfit (and one pair of shoes for me) in our backpacks, for the same reason. If one bag is lost, we will each have the outfit we are wearing, the outfit in our backpacks, and hopefully one bag makes it so we will each have a minimum of three outfits. It’s not a perfect strategy, but we try to minimize our risk within reason.
I try to pack a capsule wardrobe when we travel, so every piece can go with every other piece in my bag. We like Merino wool, so we pack quite a few pieces of Merino on each trip. We also like Athleta/Gap or Eddie Bauer/Columbia type pants made from nylon or tech fabric. They wash and wear well and are very versatile if you don’t get the ones with logos. They are also quick drying and we alway sink wash a few items when we travel so we can pack a little lighter.
For this trip, I chose black, ivory, pink, and blue for my color palette. I packed four bottoms, six tops, and three layers to make different outfits. I wore everything two or three times each and we used the ship provided self service laundry machines once. I packed four pair of shoes including sneakers, flats, sandals, and wedges, but I never wore the flats. I also packed three scarves and only wore one.
As for liquids, I pare mine down as much as possible so I can be in compliance with TSA rules. I use a variety of small containers such as lip gloss tubes, plastic pots, and contact cases. I decant my liquids into these smaller containers and use out of them at home to see how long the product will last. Try this and see how you do. It’s a game changer for carry on travel. We each carried one quart sized zip top bag and had room to spare. I do not pack shampoo as I just use the hotel and cruise ship shampoo. Incidentally, Viking has very nice Freyja shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion supplied in the cabins. I normally pack a 3 oz lotion, but skipped it this time in favor of those products. Read my complete article on packing liquids for lots of helpful information.
I pack everything I will need for the overnight flight in a pouch in my backpack that I can pull out and put in the seat back pocket. That way I’m not digging through my backpack for things during the flight. I normally use a vinyl zip top pouch that can be wiped clean, but I read a tip recently that I wanted to try. Instead of a separate pouch, I used my leather cross body bag as an airplane pouch by removing the long strap. It worked perfectly, so it served double duty for this trip and kept me from packing a separate pouch that would only be used for the flight. In addition to the long cross body strap, I also packed a short strap that I purchased at Target to use in the evenings.
Overall, I think I packed pretty well for this trip. There is nothing I can think of that I would have done differently, except maybe leave the flats at home. I also packed a rain jacket that I did not need, but was glad to have it in case. See our article What to Pack for a for a Mediterranean Cruise more cruise packing tips and a downloadable packing list.
Ava’s Packing List
Steve’s Packing List
Steve loves his new Old Navy Hybrid Tech pants. There is one zipper pocket on the right, as well as the four traditional pockets, they are very comfortable, super lightweight, and dry quickly when sink washed. I think these will replace the pants from Eddie Bauer that he normally wears. They don’t have any logos, so they can be dressed up or down and are quite versatile. If you need a 36″ inseam, you’ll have to order online. He also loves Merino wool, and packed quite a few Merino items for this trip. The photos represent all the clothing he took, although some are not the exact pieces. The gray short sleeve button up shirt was a darker charcoal gray than what is shown in the collage. I did not include his toiletries and electronics in the list, but it’s all the usual stuff.
If you’ve been on a Med cruise, what did you pack? How did it work? Drop your tips, tricks, and questions in the comments, I am always learning something new.
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