I learned over the years that pretty much any job was made easier when I used the right tool for the job. If you cook, you know that the right pot or pan is often a key ingredient in the success of a recipe. If you need to cut a piece of wood, there are a number of saws that can be used. Dog owners know that all leashes are not alike.
Taking the same view about luggage makes just as much sense.
First, consider the application. You are going on a cruise, not an jungle safari. I never really understood that until we did a Transatlantic sailing on the Queen Mary 2. We had always cruised round-trip from American ports before. On this cruise we began in New York, ended in England and had to fly back home. No way were we going to be able to bring 3 or 4 suitcases per person.
So we took a lesson from flight attendants we had seen in the airports. Many of them had luggage that was slender enough to fit through an x-ray machine, but longer than normal to accomodate much more inside. So we searched online to find something like that which would work for us.
At www.ebags.com we found just what we needed in This Victorinox Tourbach™ cargo bag boasting a large u-shaped opening for the main compartment and dual side pockets
But what turned out to be the best benefit was not so much being able to carry everything in one bag, but being able to do the self-disembarkation offered on most cruise lines. As opposed to waiting around for the normal disembarkation process when leaving the ship (can be hours and a real headache), if you can carry all your luggage off yourself, you walk off the ship pretty much as soon as it is possible to do so. This is a real time-saver for those with an early flight or those driving to and from the ship.
So now we sail with one of these bags, a carryon and maybe a purse or briefcase. It’s easy to do and forces us NOT to take everything including the kitchen sink.
