What is the one thing that you wish you would have taken on a cruise.?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

Now that everyone else has given you one liners I'll give you my list that's based on 20 cruises. Some of this may be on the list you got from the cruise line. Always pack your passport and cruise documents in your carry on bag ONLY.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM, so take:
-swim wear (at least 2), shorts, tank tops and "T's", sandals, beach shoes,
-your snorkel equipment if you have it,
-sun glasses and sun screen, lotions,
-a cap or big hat for the sun,
-a book if you are a reader, your music player,
-sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym,
-good walking shoes,
-your camera, spare batteries and a charger

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. Don't over pack , take clothes that you can mix and match tops and bottoms and plan to wear each piece twice. If you are going to the Caribbean or Mexico you will likely be in shorts and/or swim wear most of every day so evening clothes don't usually get much wear.

Your cruise will have a formal night or two when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the shipâ€™s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. You will not be denied entry to the main dining room if you decide not to dress up, as long as you are at least sports casual. But most people do dress up. A gown or party dress for women and a suit or tux for men. Some people dress up both formal nights, some don't.

- 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, digital camera, 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.

- 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.

Susan C

a different partner...

dan

OMG! i wish i would have taken a flask. i would have saved sooo much money on drinks! cruises love to rape you on drinks! i actually found a website for cruise flasks. chekc it out

Stan

After my first cruise I wish I had taken a blender. Smuggle booze and mixers aboard and use fresh fruit from the buffet.

I've never made that mistake again.

Julie T

As an 8-time cruiser, we have learned something from every cruise...

- A power strip. There is usually one 1 power outlet in the room.
- Lanyard - for your room key and soda fountain card
- Alarm clock w/night light. Rooms are wicked dark
- A canvas tote bag to carry stuff for shore excursions and items you purchase while shopping in port.
- A good supply of $1, 5 and 10 in US dollars for shopping in the markets and taxis and tips for shore excursion personnel.
- a watch
- A XXXl Ziploc bag for dirty, sandy clothes
- a second swimsuit. Who likes to put on a wet swimsuit?
- water shoes/socks instead of flip flops for shore excursions.

"to go boxes" 'cuz their foods are so good (just kidding) of course, they won't allow you to take any food from ship to U.S.

To answer your question, it's really depending on where you're going and what you like to do on-board and off-shore.

On our first cruise, we were so excited and wanted to make sure we got everything we needed, so we packed our luggage weeks ahead and as the result, all of our clothes got this funny smell for staying in the bags for so long. As being a guy, I didn't bother bringing cologne or something to help with that smell. To make it short, make sure to pack some Bounce papers in your luggage.

Although these stuff are available on-board store, but what's in your medicine cabinet at home is what you really relay on.

Pepto Bismol: If you don't have healthy eating habit.
Diphenhydramine: If you're sensitive with climate change.

Wishing you to have great time. CRUISE ROCKS!

Tony

more ca$h

LMAO @ Susan C's answer. How funny! And I felt the same way once.

las vegas golfer

A power strip, most cabins are limited on plugs. If you have things to plug in ie. Phone, I-pod and the such, it will come in handy!

Mary L

Flipflops to wear on the HOT deck around the pool! And a tote bag to hold my ID card, casino cash, sunglasses, camera, and book!

Kristina L

DVDs. Many cruise lines have DVD players in the room and it's nice to be able to kick back sometimes and watch a fav movie before bed.

1Cheapcruise

camera

Kristin

A small backpack or something that I could bring water and stuff on the shore when we did excursions...sometimes buying a snack or something to drink can get expensive in the middle of nowhere. Plus if you buy something, do you really want to tote it around in your hand? It's the Caribbean, it gets hot (assuming it's the Caribbean).

**Bring some spare drinks or something if you don't plan on buying a soda card, but get tired of tea and lemonade.

If you are wanting to take some pictures while underwater (snorkeling or something)...buy a waterproof camera ahead of time! They are expensive elsewhere.

Question Guy

My video camera. I would have shot some footage like this:
http://www.bofads.com/stories/cruise.htm

melisa1211

Actually i think i had everything.. It was the first cruise. Just imagine after the second what ill forget..lol

Mark F

I wish I'd hired a solar-powered water-proof satellite phone. If I had then maybe I wouldn't have spent 4 freakin' years on that godforsaken island in the middle of the pacific ocean.....

What is the one thing that you wish you would have taken on a cruise.? pic 1

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