Help with cruise stuff...?

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Michael

For personal use, you should bring these items: belts, pajamas, a robe, slippers, a jacket or sweater, bathing suits, hats and if applicable, gloves. If you love your hair dryer you'd better bring it. The one on the ship probably won't be as powerful.

When selecting clothes for cruise trips take a few minutes to consider the ports of call you'll be visiting and imagine the activities. (Will it be buggy at any of those ports? Don't forget to throw DEET in with your toiletries.) Pack a small medical kit of Band-Aids, antacid and aspirin too. You can get these onboard, but if you need them you'll appreciate having them at your fingertips.

-Michael

Julie T

Everyone has made good suggestions...

A few other items-
- A power strip. There is only one power outlet in the room.
- A nightlight. Rooms are wicked dark.
- An alarm clock for early shore excursion wake ups
- One of those new XXXL Ziploc bags for dirty, sandy, yucky clothes
- A second swimsuit. The suits never seem to dry in the cabin and who likes to put on a wet swimsuit?
- Plenty of 1, 5 and 10 in US dollars for shopping in the markets
- A large canvas bag to taking stuff on shore excursions.
- Sunburn relief meds
- Water shoes are good for shore excursions.
- A watch...to make sure your on-time returning from port
- A light sweater or jacket if your cold natured..it can get very cool at night or on deck
- Mark the handles your luggage with brightly colored plastic marking tape (from the hardware store) or wide ribbon. The crazier the color/pattern the better. This will help you identify your luggage in the claim area..you would not believe how many pieces of black luggage you will see there!
- $1 tips for luggage porters (if you use them)
- $$ to tip shore excursion personnel or taxis

TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

Here's my suggestions:

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage.

- Pack using the vacuum clothing bags (about $20 for 3 at Target) so that you can get more in your bag AND so that if the TSA at the airport opens your bag they can see what's inside without rummaging through your things.

-Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two. ALSO, take extra batteries and/or a charger for your camera.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer and/or hand-wipes. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

-If you plan to get into the pools or hot tub as soon as you get on ship (they will be open), bring those clothes in your carry on bag; you other luggage may not get to your cabin until much later in the afternoon.

- Take a can of air freshener for your cabin bathroom. The bathrooms do not have exhaust fans.

- Take a few zip lock bags of various sizes; they always come in handy.

- Take some one dollar bills (also maybe a few $5's) for tipping the porters in the airport, at the pier (they do not work for the ship), and they will come in handy in port stops for buying small items in the markets and at vendor stands; especially bartering places.

- If you can take a six-pack of bottled water for your cabin and also a six pack of your favorite soft drinks (16 oz plastic bottles for these).

- Take with you a thermal mug or cup with a lid; one that you can use for hot and cold drinks. It will come in handy.

Boggy

Clock as already said and sea sickness pills. Even big ships move. Some sort of light bag for towel book etc. when sunning on deck.

quinnline

alarm clock or something to keep track of time, there are none in the rooms.

goaheadnfireme

Neosporin, Band-aids, a few soft drinks (on board they are 3.00), sunscreen (a travel size bottle will be fine, or squirt some into a small bottle), a HUGE travel bag (one of those cheap mesh ones, you know, they're ugly and you can get them at Wal-Mart.). You'll need it to carry your treasures that you buy! If you go to Mexico, candy for the children or little toys. Many of the children have little or no toys. You will see many at the Plazas. They love candy (who doesn't). You'll feel good if you give them some.

Anyway, you'll also need those wristbands for sea sickness. DON'T TAKE THE PILLS. You'll be so sleepy and groggy, you won't be able to enjoy the cruise for the first 2 days. The wristbands work WONDERS. You can get them at CVS, Walgreens, etc.

If you GAMBLE, you'll need extra money. STAY AWAY FROM THE QUARTER PUSH. It's got a bunch of quarters and a little shovel that pushes them to the edge and they fall off. Total ripoff. My dad spent $400 trying to get some stupid quarters to fall out. But he had fun! Also, gamble on the first and second nights, THEN STAY OUT OF THE CASINO. My husband and I won enough to pay for our cruise the first night.

NON-SLIP SHOES/SANDALS. Listen to me on this one. You are going to see so many people slip on that Lido deck that you could send in videos to America's Funniest Home videos.

Cough/throat drops. In case the sea air dries you out.

phantom_of_valkyrie

To me, I like to bring a few bottles of water. I ask for them to take the others (the expensive Fuji) out of my room. I bring a water bottle and get some ice, then dump my water into the bottle for a shore excursion.

I like to bring my own snorkel gear so that if I'm at an island and it's got a gorgeous area (like for example I was with a bunch of people eating lunch on St Maarten when two of us decided to snorkel while we waited. it was a gorgeous area) you can just snorkel for a few minutes.

I like to bring music for the room so we bring our i-pod and one of those portable speaker units (for us this cruise will be a boom bucket).

Bring a waterproof camera like one of those disposable ones since they are very expensive on ship. Bring several sea sickness ideas if you are unsure. Some people don't know how Dramamine will knock them out until they take it and you don't want to be without a second choice.

I can't think of much else--I mean the obvious like what to wear for dinner each night is self explanatory. Most people completely over pack when it comes to cruises. Really you just wear a bathing suit and a coverup during the day and then I don't change after dinner. I like wearing my dresses.

If it's your first cruise get a lanyard or a badge holder in order to carry your room card. One of my favorite things is a small tote or baby bookbag. Then I can carry my souvenir glass around (it's cheaper to get refills that way), my book and my towel around. Some women carry these huge totes that they end up not carrying b/c it weighs a ton and it's 90 degrees outside. A nice lightweight baby bookbag is great b/c you can throw your snorkel gear in there or if you buy a souvenir in port you can throw it in there.

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