leavnin in a week, what to bring from experienced cruisers please

[Reebster]

Other than the good advice you have already gotten, I always go to the dollar store and buy the biggest plastic cup I can find. This is handy for the buffet where they only have small juice size glasses. It also is great for days by the pool - a trip into the buffet everyso often for ice or tea and I am set. The cup doesn't take up much room as I usually stuff it with sox or something else small and put it in my suitcase. At the end of the trip, it usually stays behind since it didn't cost much.

 

Has everyone else been able to do this? I tried this on my last cruise, and the crew would not allow me to fill it at the buffet, even with just ice or water.

[Spike in FL]

I don't agree with leaving the over-the-door shoe holder home. That and my cheap pop-up hamper that I put in the closet have gone with me for 3 years and will be with me in June. The shoe holder holds things like Deodarant, bandaids, suntan lotion, hairbrush, hairspray, hair ties, neosporin, Qtips, sunburn spray, scissors, nail clippers, and I can't rmrmber all the things we put in there. There isn't close to enough room on the vanity for these things. Sure some of these things you could do without, but not most. I've used everything I've ever taken for my shoe organizer. love it. The pop-up hamper is like $3 and I've used it all 3 years. We put it in the closet and it keeps everything neat. I actually got both ideas from cc. Thanks...:D Have fun.

 

me too. couldn't agree more.

[MrLee]

Has everyone else been able to do this? I tried this on my last cruise, and the crew would not allow me to fill it at the buffet, even with just ice or water.

 

They're trying to be careful of norovirus. You need to fill one of their cups and then pour it into yours. A little awkward but much more sanitary. ;)

[zazou]

if you are in a inside, the room is pitch black. Great for sleeping late but not so much for waking up at the right time for the excursion. There is no alarm clock on the room (and I don't remember having seen a clock somewhere else on the ship). You cannot bring an electric one because the power is not constant and the clock won't keep the hour. You need one working with batteries. They have a new one at Walmart where it's illuminate by itself all night (some others, you need to press a button to see the hour).

 

The other thing that we cannot go without is the power bar because we have a lot of gadget needing recharging.

 

Have a great trip!

[joteacher]

In an inside cabin, I bring two small night lights...one for the bathroom and one for the vanity.

 

If you're in an inside room you can leave the TV set to the ship's bridge view station...you can tell it's night if the screen is black, and during the day, you'll have a nice "view."

 

-Joanne

[Barb Nahoumi]

I was on the two-week Panama Canal cruise on the Pearl.

 

It was easy to cut back on the amount of clothing, because NCL offers a $25.00 per bag, laundry special. I took advantage of this service, and my laundry was returned the next day washed, pressed, & folded. My shirts were on hangers, and undies were placed in a basket, wrapped in tissue paper.

 

I did bring an alarm clock, useful on mornings with early excursions. The hanging shoe bag is a great idea. I will bring one next time. If you take meds, pack them in your carry-on for easy access.

 

I love to read by the pool on sea days, so I brought 2 books.

 

Barb

[mllepookie]

For me personally...

 

Best advice: Over door show hanger thingy

 

Worse advice: Toilet paper :rolleyes: (don't remember who suggested this..but what a waste of valuable luggage real-estate.) There's nothing wrong with the ship's TP. Maybe others' butts are more sensitive than mine...

[weloverunning]

One hundred percent agree with shoe organizer. I am sure the cabin stewards love us because there is NOTHING on our bathroom sink. There is also no junk on our desks. Everything goes in. When hubby is using the bathroom mirror, I just grab my stuff out of the organizer and uses the desk mirror. I even take it with us when we are staying at a hotel for more than two days. All you wives will understand this....hubby doesn't need to ask over and over where anything is as everything is in the door organizer.:D

Don't forget air freshener:eek: especially since there isn't a second bathroom like there is at home to go to.

[Kancruze]

If you're traveling with friends or family, bring a small magnet to stick messages on your door. I've found that post it notes lose their stickiness from the heat and humidity and find them on the floor.

 

Also when buying an overdoor shoe hangar, buy one that has clear plastic pockets so you can easily see what's inside them.

 

And bring your relaxed mode personality along...most important is to have fun and not sweat the small stuff!! :)

[WinnieinWA]

I too must have the over door clear shoe hanger. Lots and lots of ones for tipping, post it's and highlighter and a coffee mug. Hair conditioner and travel sizes of everything else for bathroom. A small sample size room spray for the bathroom helps too!

The shop on the ship will have lots of things you might need but the prices will cost your first born son.

[lyndyb]

I know there is food all over the ship, but I take some of our favorite snacks - non crushable, of course.

 

As for the over-the-door thingy, DH balked. What I did instead was to take one large-ish cosmetic bag (maybe 8 inches by 6 inches) and put all the stuff you typically use in a bathroom - the soap, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, hairspray (small sized) in that one - and I kept it on the ledge under the sink. Everything in one place and tidy. The extras and my makeup and infrequently used stuff in a couple of small (4x6 bags) and I put them in one of the drawers in the closet. I dislike clutter and this worked well but organized and easily accessible.

[kmchaos]

Anyone going to the Caribbean with plans to hit a few beaches should invest in a travel-sized baby powder - like magic, it gets all the sand off of your feet. As a bonus, if the wet bathing suits cause a little chafing, you've got something for that too. Honestly, it can't be beat. Walking around with sandy feet can mean blisters - that can ruin a trip in a flash!

 

The trip on the Pearl on the 14th will be my 14th cruise or something like that. Other posters have hit some of the biggies, travel cup, over the door thing (give that 5 stars), the pop up hamper. No one has mentioned clothespins! We've used them for hanging wet swimsuits in the shower and securing my husbands wet tshirt to the chair on the balcony - that wind will launch it! We have done door magnets but sometimes they go awol. Lanyards are good, but retractable ones are good too. A pool bag and/or a backpack is essential. Folks, its tacky tacky tacky to carry your towels and sunscreen off the ship in a grocery bag! ...

 

hmmm, what else ... I come with a lot of electronics, laptop, cameras, etc. I do bring an extension cord (not a power strip, they are heavy). None of things I plug in are heavy duty - I just need an extra outlet or two.

 

Note: if you were planning on phoning home (most ships have coverage)check with your cell service - sometimes international roaming has to be authorized/requested in advance. Typical roaming rates on the cruiseships run 2.50/min - better than ship to shore. Bring a charger! And for skype fans - most cruiselines have blocked it because its a bandwidth hog. Consider meebo - it supports video too. Yes, I know I should step away from the keyboard and just enjoy the trip, but I am leaving my little people behind, they enjoy the video chats.

 

See ya onboard!

 

Karen :)

[mactrio]

On my list every trip we take:

 

Extra contact lens, extra eyeglasses, ambesol toothache swabs (nothing worse than a toothache or ear ache) prescribed ear drops (my son has a hole in his ear drum) sunblock, aloe gel, baby powder (for chafing, heat rash, removes sand from feet & body) post-its, hi-lighter (to mark on the daily) batteries or charger for camera, memory cards, passport or ID, $1 & $5 bills, lightweight sweater or wrap and go with the attitude that you will have the time of your life and above all expect to have fun!!!!!!

 

I didn't bring an over the door hanger last trip; but we will try it this time.

[kendallison]

We loved having a pair of binoculars. You can look at far away islands and ships while at sea.

[BarbRN]

Other than the good advice you have already gotten, I always go to the dollar store and buy the biggest plastic cup I can find. This is handy for the buffet where they only have small juice size glasses. It also is great for days by the pool - a trip into the buffet everyso often for ice or tea and I am set. The cup doesn't take up much room as I usually stuff it with sox or something else small and put it in my suitcase. At the end of the trip, it usually stays behind since it didn't cost much.

 

 

They frowned on using your own cup or water bottle, not sanitary on the dispensers.

[BarbRN]

Just back from my cruise. I never needed post it notes. I couldn't find a place to hang my shoe hanging bag. I used my power strip every night for two camera battery charges and sometimes for the computer. I wouldn't take the computer next time. The service was expensive and sporadic at dial up speeds.

 

I took one large case and I didn't have enough nice clothes for dinner time. Most people dressed nice for dinner, not formal but more than casual. I thought it would be cooler and took too many warm clothes. This was a 12 day cruise so we had to do light laundry once during that time.

 

Having mostly black/beige/khaki theme allowed me to mix and match. The safe was nice and large and we used it daily.

[MrLee]

They frowned on using your own cup or water bottle, not sanitary on the dispensers.

 

That's very true. What you need to do is use their cup to get your drink and then pour it into yours. ;)

[UandMe4Ever]

Hi all, what we find great are food storage bags for bathroom, misc. items. Pick up the bag, see exactly what you need, and then it goes under the sink and out of the way. Once the toothbrushes, etc., are out, they stay on the sink area! Misc. items, meds, etc., are very visible through the bags and easy to handle. We find it better than the 'over the door shoe bag'. Don't have to reach all the way in to pull up what we need.

 

Whatever works is great. JMHO...Happy Sails to all.

[Kancruze]

Hi all, what we find great are food storage bags for bathroom, misc. items. Pick up the bag, see exactly what you need, and then it goes under the sink and out of the way. Once the toothbrushes, etc., are out, they stay on the sink area! Misc. items, meds, etc., are very visible through the bags and easy to handle. We find it better than the 'over the door shoe bag'. Don't have to reach all the way in to pull up what we need.

Whatever works is great. JMHO...Happy Sails to all.

 

 

I like that idea!! It takes up less space than a shoe holder. I'll try it.

 

Happy Sails to you.

[WinnieinWA]

I also take several food storage bags in different sizes to allow me to bring a few nibbles from the buffet and keep them in the fridge. Cheese and fruit are a great evening snack.

[Pickels]

Has everyone else been able to do this? I tried this on my last cruise, and the crew would not allow me to fill it at the buffet, even with just ice or water.

 

We have ALWAYS taken a travel mug w/lid with us on all of our past cruises. We use them for coffee and never had any objection from anyone.

[jenn6743]

Make copies of your passports and put them in your wallet ( I get 4 passports on one sheet ) .

If your spouse snoors , Ear plugs , at least thats what they tell me ;)

 

This is an EXCELLENT TIP !!!! Last year my Wallet got stolen right before boarding and by change I let me employer copy my passport as a form of ID for me, and It saved me life. They allowed me to get a copy of it faxed to my hotel, and let me use it...

[Karysa]

The one time that we didn't bring antibiotics with us was the only time we needed them and the next time that I travel I will bring Tamaflu.

[Victorl]

I just cruised for the first time and I agree on alot of this. DEFINETELY bring a highlighter. I read too, and of course forgot. I also brought clothespins for our balcony room and it was so handy to dry out our suits on the chairs. I WISH we had binoculars. Also I wish I had packed nail clippers or a file. I broke 2 nails on the ship. If you can find a lanyard bring it, if not we bought ours for $6 onboard. SOOO handy and also great so you don't forget your casino players card in the machines. I brought a nightlight and that was helpful. I also brought a folder which I stuck all my daily itenerary's and pics we bought. Don't forget Dramamine or wrist bracelets!

[boltnut55]

Highlighter! This is my 6th cruise, and the only 1 that I remember bring the darn thing! It's helpful to highlight what I'll be doing; otherwise, I'll forget or have to read the whole Freestyle Review all day long.

 

Post its - I brought a small pack of 3x5's, but it was sort of accidental. However, it came in handy when my DD would write notes to me and stick to the mirror like "AT THE GYM."

 

A laundry "basket" - also the first time I brought this! I got one of those squishable ones from Walgreens and just put all the dirty laundry there.

 

Special hangers - We brought the three we have. They have 4 rungs on them, so you can hang 4+ pairs of pants on each.

 

Small bills like $1s and $5s for tipping, buying stuff at port - hard to negotiate if you give them a $20! :-) Happened to us several times. Plus, they will give you change back in their money at low exchange rate or high depending on which way you look at it.

 

NEXT TIME

Strong bar soap, like Irish Spring, with a soap box and Neutragena shampoo - It's to get the sunscreen off my body and hair! Can't wait to take my shower tonight! UGH!