Please Help!

[stephaniemason0316]

My husband and I are leaving March 21 for the Mariner of the Seas March 21st to Mexico. I have some questions for anyone who not only has been on this line but also anyone who has any experience with cruising. Thank you in advance!!

 

1. I need a list of things to pack/ not to pack?

 

2. How will the weather be in Mexico?

 

3. What excursions should be do or "extra" site seeing should we go to?

[waterbug123]

1. I need a list of things to pack/ not to pack?

2. How will the weather be in Mexico?

3. What excursions should be do or "extra" site seeing should we go to?

 

What to pack....clothes for daytime: a couple of bathing suits so you always have a dry one available, some shorts and t-shirts, flip flops, and maybe a hat to block the sun by the pool. When you book excursions, see if there are any special requirements; depending on the activity some of them may require closed toe shoes for example. If a lot of walking is involved, take tennis shoes/socks. For beaches or related excursions you might want water shoes.

For nights, you'll have a couple of formal nights and the rest are casual. Formal for men can mean tux, suit, coat and tie, or even just a shirt and tie, and some people skip the main dining room altogether on formal night and just wear their shorts and tees to the Windjammer or order room service. Ladies will be in everything from evening gowns (not many), to cocktail dresses to "church" type outfits. Casual nights generally mean khakis and a collared shirt for men, and casual pants/capri outfits for ladies, or casual dresses/sundresses.

Your cabin will have a shampoo dispenser in the shower and soap, but unless you're in a suite, that's all you can expect to find as far as toiletries, so take your own conditioner, lotion, etc. Don't forget sunscreen, and if you're prone to seasickness, or don't know if you are, take some Bonine, although it's also available on the ship.

Some people take a highlighter to mark activities in the daily Cruise Compass that they don't want to miss, or post-it notes to leave notes for the room steward or for each other. Those are both small items so if you think they'd be handy, pack them.

You'll also probably hear from some posters that you should take everything from duct tape and power strips, to over the door shoe hangers to hold toiletries etc., white noise machines and alarm clocks, and a slew of other "just in case" items. Personally, I never take any of those things. I have never needed duct tape for anything in the middle of a trip (and you could probably get some from your room steward if you did), power strips arent' necessary unless you have half a dozen things you need to have plugged in at the same time, I use the alarm on my cell phone, and find the cabin has plenty of storage without needing over the door organizers.

You do not need to pack beach/pool towels. The ship has them, and you are allowed to take them ashore for swimming/snorkeling type excursions.

There are probably a zillion things I'm forgetting, but that covers the highlights of what you need to pack/not pack. Enjoy!

[leslieart]

I can't help you on the specifics of this cruise, but I can address your packing questions. This is a 7-night cruise, so you will have two formal nights in the dining room. Since you are celebrating your anniversary, I suggest that you request that the celebration be on one of those nights. Formal nights can be as formal as you would like, from tuxedos and gowns, to sport coat and pantsuit. On other nights, the dining room is casual...wear what you would normally wear out to a sit-down restaurant that doesn't have nachos on the menu. Other than that, think beach vacation - lots of shorts and flip flops. Of course, everyone is different, but here is my basic packing list for a 7-day cruise:

 

Little Black dress for formal nights + accessories

black pumps

2 pairs of capri pants for other dinners

3 blouses to mix & match for dinner

nice sandals

3 swimsuits

4 shorts

8 tanktops/t-shirts (sometimes fewer because I know I'll buy a couple t-shirts)

1 sundress

3 pairs of flip flops (I know... it's excessive)

1 pair comfortable walking shoes for excursions

undies/sleepwear

workout outfit (I actually do workout onboard) and workout shoes

toiletries ESPECIALLY SUNSCREEN

SUNHAT!!!!!!!!

Sunglasses

a light jacket or sweatshirt (it can get chilly on deck at night and sometimes the AC in the theatre is too much)

 

That pretty much covers the essentials. Now the extra handy things:

• Power strip - there is only one outlet in many of the cabins.
  
• Over-the-door shoe holder. I use this to hold toiletries, prescriptions, cameras... and all those flip flops. There is very little counter space and I find this to be very handy.
  
• Travel clock. There are no clocks in the cabins and your cell phone clock may not work.
  
• Beach towels. I have brightly colored ones that make it easy to find my spot among all those RCCL towels on the beach. Plus, they charge you $20 if you lose theirs and I don't like that responsibility.
  
• Water bottle. It's hot in the tropics and buying bottled water gets expensive and sometimes is inconvenient.
  
• Highlighter for marking up the daily schedule.
  

 

I think that pretty much covers it. I'm sure others can help you with your Mexican Riviera questions. Have a great cruise and happy anniversary!

 

WHAT NOT TO PACK:

TRAVEL IRON

LIQUOR

[Larryhnj]

My husband and I are leaving March 21 for the Mariner of the Seas March 21st to Mexico. I have some questions for anyone who not only has been on this line but also anyone who has any experience with cruising. Thank you in advance!!

 

2. How will the weather be in Mexico?

 

3. What excursions should be do or "extra" site seeing should we go to?

 

 

You might want to try going to ports of call on cruise critic and read what other people have done. We did an excursion in Matzalan and we did a private excursion with a whole group from our roll call with "Randy's Happy Horses which was great and cost less than the ship excursion. In fact almost all private excursions are less than RCCL excursions and you usually get more for your money as well.

 

Larry

[leslieart]

You might want to try going to ports of call on cruise critic and read what other people have done. We did an excursion in Matzalan and we did a private excursion with a whole group from our roll call with "Randy's Happy Horses which was great and cost less than the ship excursion. In fact almost all private excursions are less than RCCL excursions and you usually get more for your money as well.

 

Larry

 

I thought this was true, but sometimes the prices are the less on RCCL for the exact same excursion - this happened to our table mates on Grandeur for the Dolphin experience at Chankanaab and I also found it on the America's Cup excursion on our upcoming Liberty sailing to St. Maarten.

[kath00]

Have you joined our roll call? We have a very active group for the March 21st sailing!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=945702&page=12

 

Hope to meet you,

 

Katherine

[Tika]

I can't help you on the specifics of this cruise, but I can address your packing questions. This is a 7-night cruise, so you will have two formal nights in the dining room. Since you are celebrating your anniversary, I suggest that you request that the celebration be on one of those nights. Formal nights can be as formal as you would like, from tuxedos and gowns, to sport coat and pantsuit. On other nights, the dining room is casual...wear what you would normally wear out to a sit-down restaurant that doesn't have nachos on the menu. Other than that, think beach vacation - lots of shorts and flip flops. Of course, everyone is different, but here is my basic packing list for a 7-day cruise:

 

Little Black dress for formal nights + accessories

black pumps

2 pairs of capri pants for other dinners

3 blouses to mix & match for dinner

nice sandals

3 swimsuits

4 shorts

8 tanktops/t-shirts (sometimes fewer because I know I'll buy a couple t-shirts)

1 sundress

3 pairs of flip flops (I know... it's excessive)

1 pair comfortable walking shoes for excursions

undies/sleepwear

workout outfit (I actually do workout onboard) and workout shoes

toiletries ESPECIALLY SUNSCREEN

SUNHAT!!!!!!!!

Sunglasses

a light jacket or sweatshirt (it can get chilly on deck at night and sometimes the AC in the theatre is too much)

 

That pretty much covers the essentials. Now the extra handy things:

• Power strip - there is only one outlet in many of the cabins.
  
• Over-the-door shoe holder. I use this to hold toiletries, prescriptions, cameras... and all those flip flops. There is very little counter space and I find this to be very handy.
  
• Travel clock. There are no clocks in the cabins and your cell phone clock may not work.
  
• Beach towels. I have brightly colored ones that make it easy to find my spot among all those RCCL towels on the beach. Plus, they charge you $20 if you lose theirs and I don't like that responsibility.
  
• Water bottle. It's hot in the tropics and buying bottled water gets expensive and sometimes is inconvenient.
  
• Highlighter for marking up the daily schedule.
  

 

I think that pretty much covers it. I'm sure others can help you with your Mexican Riviera questions. Have a great cruise and happy anniversary!

 

WHAT NOT TO PACK:

TRAVEL IRON

LIQUOR

 

We just returned from a 12 night Southern Caribbean EOS cruise and the one thing I missed packing was enough beach cover ups to wear over bathing suits for beach/water excursions. Duct tape and power strip cord a must! Lots of high SPF suntan lotion!!!!!!!!!!!

[NordicPrince]

I find having a good back pack to be an essential item to have so you can easily carry your towels, sun tan lotion, sunglasses, extra shirts and

cameras with you on excursions or go shopping. It also helps when you bring stuff up to the pool with you.

 

I like to bring 1 or 2 long sleeve cotton t-shirts to cover up with at beach or pool as I am sun sensitive.

 

To cut down on packing the ships do a laundry service on Wednesday of cruise, $25 for small to medium bag, wash and fold overnight. This cuts down on washable items you need to bring by a third i.e. socks tshirts underwear cotton pullovers. You can also use the ship's dry clean/press services on slacks etc reasonable cost to cut down packing even more.

 

Hair dryers are supplied, leave home.

 

Bring nylon jacket of some kind because pool deck gets windy and chilly at night even in warm climate.