Helpful things to bring on the cruise

[Murphy&Bailey]

We will be travelling in Jan 2010 on the Emerald Princess. This will be our 2nd cruise with Princess. Our first cruise was about 10 years ago on the Sun Princess. What items should we bring on the cruise that being a newbie we would not think of bringing?

 

Thanks

[happycat Bainbridge Is]

• an alarm clock
  
• a clothes pin to keep drapes closed if you have a window or balcony
  
• a plastic hanger top with a clip at the bottom to hang up wet swimsuit to dry (and/or undies or other hand laundry)
  
• a thermal cup with a lid so you can carry a hot beverage with you
  
• lots of small bills for room service tips and on shore taxis, tips etc.
  
  • a shoe organizer with pockets to put over the door and hold your sunscreen, glasses, paperback and other little clutter-y stuff
    
  • a spare pair of glasses or contacts just in case of loss or breakage
    

   

  I'm sure others will have some good ideas as well! Happy sailing, HCBI

[karinad]

That door organizer is a great idea, for alot of stuff! I never brought one before, but will now. I'm going to try to find one that you could hang in the closet. Thanks!

[2 to cruise]

That door organizer is a great idea, for alot of stuff! I never brought one before, but will now. I'm going to try to find one that you could hang in the closet. Thanks!

 

I have one that is a shoe organizer - holds 10 pair of shoes, has velcro at the top and fits over the closet rod and stays together very well. It is already put together, just unfold it. It is made of canvas and if I ever have spare "holes" I don't use I put in evening bags, scarves, bathing suits, etc.

 

It came from Wal-Mart, don't remember how much I paid for it but I know it wasn't any more than $20, if that.

[DougandEric]

1. An expired credit card to be used for your room safe.

2. Power strip for additional outlets

3. Ear plugs just in case

4. Travel alarm clock

 

Doug

[SanDiegoSue]

Sorry...maybe I'm dumb...but why an expired credit card for the safe?

[tahitiluvr]

a watch ( if going somewhere tropical, a waterproof watch )

a foldable poncho that you can leave in your bag

[DougandEric]

Not dumb. If you use a valid credit card you can't put it in the safe. We carry nothing around on the ship but our ID and cruise card. You can also hide the expired CC in your room and don't have to worry about loosing it - since it's expired, the only thing it will work on is the safe. I don't believe your cruise card will work on the safe but if it does, they caution against using that. Instead of a CC, you may be able to use any other card with a magnetic stripe - insurance card, Sam's Club card, etc. I have found some won't work but many have mag stripes now so one probably will.

 

Doug

[DougandEric]

a watch ( if going somewhere tropical, a waterproof watch )

a foldable poncho that you can leave in your bag

 

Good idea about the watch - a cheap one to take on tours and the beach so if it's lost no big deal.

[cruze610]

Not dumb. If you use a valid credit card you can't put it in the safe. We carry nothing around on the ship but our ID and cruise card. You can also hide the expired CC in your room and don't have to worry about loosing it - since it's expired, the only thing it will work on is the safe. I don't believe your cruise card will work on the safe but if it does, they caution against using that. Instead of a CC, you may be able to use any other card with a magnetic stripe - insurance card, Sam's Club card, etc. I have found some won't work but many have mag stripes now so one probably will.

 

Doug

 

I don't understand the credit card for the safe thing. Why do you need a cc for the safe? isnt there a key pad on the safe to open it?

[SingerEsq]

I don't understand the credit card for the safe thing. Why do you need a cc for the safe? isnt there a key pad on the safe to open it?

 

Looks like the poster has only been on one Princess ship. All the ones we've been on, the safe is open upon arrival. You key in a code that you make up the first time and use that for the duration of your cruise. No credit card required.

[bluenoser2]

We've cruised on Emerald and Sapphire Princess, and never needed any credit card for the safe - just programmed a code into the keypad on the safe.

[DougandEric]

My apologies! I have only been on one Princess ship and forgot it used a keypad - HAL uses a swipe card as do others we've been on. Blame it on less than 30 days before we sail - or I'm just loosing it altogether!

 

Doug

[Dustyone]

A small roll of duct tape is a good idea - it can be used in so many "emergencies" - perhaps a damaged suitcase; a squeaky drawer or something else loose in your cabin; temporary watch strap repair; for the ladies it may be used as temporary stitching; temporary shoe repair - really the list becomes endless for "duct tape" repair. I wear contact lenses and always take a small flashlight when travelling in case I drop a lens in a shadowy or dimly lit area - the flash light will quickly cause the lens to shine. A small spare gym/kit bag is often handy to carry items (books, sunglasses etc) to the pool or beach. I always take a small aluminum flask which might be used to take a little extra booze in your kit bag - very handy for travel anywhere/anytime. If you don't have alot of memory on your camera, take an empty disc as you can download to the disc in the photo gallery - I was recently on a long cruise with 2 x 256mb memory cards - I was getting low and it cost me $9 or so for a disc at the photo gallery (far cheaper alternative to a memory card) - I mentioned a memory stick to the photo shop attendant, however, he told me they didn't have the technology to download to a memory stick. A rainproof hat that won't blow off will come in handy as well. Really the list is endless - a neck lanyard is used by many to secure their cruise card ie the front desk or gift shop will punch a whole in your security card to be attached to the lanyard. Happy Cruising and hope some of you find some useful hints here. A small bungy cord can be useful as well to secure a couple of suitcases together if need be.;);)

[billie5]

A couple of obvious things that I have forgotten in the past:

 

1. Sunglasses

2. Tiva's (waterproof sandals) for the beach

3. "Medjet Assist" or other insurance card for evacuations, medical care

4. Windbreaker

5. Swiss army knife (but must go in check-in luggage for air flight)

6. Hard candies in your pocket for air landings

7. Laundry bag for isolating used clothing

8. Business cards

 

The last item is very popular with Europeans and Asians, less so in the U.S. - unless you are an executive. However, if you have some, they are convenient for giving your address info to new friends.

 

Bill

[imsulin]

A credit card with a zero balance and a million dollar line of credit.

Chapstick

 

 

(These are the two items I forgot on my last cruise. On my next cruise, I won't forget the Chapstick!)

[CanadacruiseRN]

We have often been in an inside cabin...darker than the inside of a cow!.....so we take a small night light. It provides enough illumination to see your way to the facilities and doesn't take too much space.

 

We also take a card (like a business card) with our names and contact information to give to new friends we have made on our cruising adventures.

 

We carry earplugs and have used them occasionally.

 

I carry a small battery operated fan for hot occasions. LOL!

 

Have a great cruise!:D

 

Laurel

[CowgirlColleen]

Love the duct tape suggestion! Great for a quick fix on a dress or pants hem!

 

Have had to resort to using staples in the past... but duct tape works even better.

 

These are some great suggestions.

[imsulin]

Ha Ha!! Glad I'm not alone.

 

You're definitely not alone! I would of gotten of the boat earlier, but my cabin stewart adviced me that I had to go to the dinning room for the mustard drill, and he knows alot about cursing! After a day in Antiqua, I stopped at the bursar's desk to check on my shore excurtion in St. Marteen. When you crusie, its' really impotent to no you're way around, as their are alot of things that will make you're cruse funner!

[Off2China]

We have often been in an inside cabin...darker than the inside of a cow!.....so we take a small night light. It provides enough illumination to see your way to the facilities and doesn't take too much space.

 

Laurel

 

I LOVE that!:D:D

[temeculagirl]

I have one that is a shoe organizer - holds 10 pair of shoes, has velcro at the top and fits over the closet rod and stays together very well. It is already put together, just unfold it. It is made of canvas and if I ever have spare "holes" I don't use I put in evening bags, scarves, bathing suits, etc.

 

It came from Wal-Mart, don't remember how much I paid for it but I know it wasn't any more than $20, if that.

 

If you have a Nordstrom Rack near you, they have a canvas shoe holder, that has velcro at the top and fits over the closet rod, folds completely flat. I got it for $4.00 last week. They only had two colors, ugly and uglier, but at that price who cares what color it is!

[sillysailor 1955]

Ha Ha!! Glad I'm not alone.

 

I'm glad your knot a loan two:D

[SingerEsq]

Ok ... need a break from work, so I'll really chime in this time. So here's my top 10:

 

1. We always make sure we have a travel maglight flashlight in our cabin (and in our carry-on for that matter), just in case of a disaster (or less important, a power outage). I'm an ex-cruise worker (who experienced fire onboard); partner/husband ex-flight attendant. I guess it wouldn't help if were weren't in the cabin, but nice to know it is there if we need it in the middle of the night. At least that's when the earthquakes seem to happen around here. :eek:

2. We carry a power strip b/c we're tech heavy ... laptop, cameras, ipods, phones, shavers, etc. One outlet just doesn't do it. Plus, if you use a laptop, there are surges onboard and it will protect a laptop.

3. Love my pop-up dirty clothes hamper from CVS or RiteAid, that I learned about here on CC years ago and keep on the floor of the closet. Glenn fought it for years (doing laundry on board, that is), but now is a believer. Stows flat in my suitcase for storage. Best thing yet.

4. With reference to No. 3, usually a roll of quarters and a travel bottle of our preferred detergent.

5. Travel size spray Lysol and/or wipes .... we spray everything ... don't forget the TV remote, phone, light switches, hair dryer .... not a germo-phobe, but it's so easy to just spray it. Better safe than sorry. Hang around the Horizon Court for a while and just watch .... :eek: You'll understand why.

6. With reference to 5 above, I carry a pump-sized hand sanitizer for the cabin and use it always (though I've heard, you have to make sure to by a special brand that kills norvo ..... ?? maybe someone else can weigh in);

7. Luggage scale ... got it from Target, I think. You check the weight of your luggage before getting to airport and realize it's over 50lbs:eek:. It's easier to transfer things in your cabin then on the floor of the airport

8. Off-Wipes .... Ok, absolutely love these. They're little towlettes. Sometimes tough to find. Look in the camping section of Target. Easy to stow. I had completely forgetten that I had them from the Panama Canal. We went zip-lining in Puerta Vallarta ... (incredible) but the mosquitos were the size of small pigeons ... I looked in my Princess small bag (another great thing) and had some left over from the Panama Canal ... saved the day ... and for the family in front of us, at $5.00 a wipe:D (just kidding). Now, I carry them everywhere. Great, even for the beach to keep away sand fleas.

9. Sunscreen ... I know, this sounds ridiculous ... but you usually need a lot more than you think and it's really expensive on the ship or in tourist areas.

10. Wine ... and lots of it.

[SingerEsq]

Bonus: 11. I love the suggestion of duct tape ... they should make it in a travel size. If you're ever had a cabin that has something "jiggling" .....

[Fore on the Floor]

itouch

It has everything you need

alarm clock

flashlight

world clocks

maps

wifi to check emails

music player

video player

game player

translator

level to check if ship is tilting to one side

book reader

will store deck plans

contacts for people you meet

 

all in the palm of your hand