Long Cruise - What did you forget?

[bergjd]

In September we are going on our longest cruise yet, 69 nights.:D There are so many experienced HAL cruisers on CC, I was hoping you could help me prepare for the trip. On our last long trip (38 nights on the P'dam) I ran out of hair spray and the ship wanted to charge me $33.:eek:

 

Could you please tell me your experiences on what you have forgotten and any tips on how not to forget the "must have" items? Are there items that aren't really "must have", but make your cruise more enjoyable for the long trips?

[aliaschief]

Obviously enough toiletries and meds to get through the cruise. This might sound inane but a small roll of duct tape. Why? In rough seas the tape can help keep that closet door shut instead of listening to it bang around all night.

 

I'm sure there will be many more responses. Have a great cruise. Wow 69 nights!!:D

[TracieABD]

I would bring the big bottle of (motrin, advil, ibuprofin)...:)

[jtl513]

I would bring the big bottle of (motrin, advil, ibuprofin)...:)

You can get all the aspirin or acetaminophen you want for free in the infirmary. Also meclizine and band aids.

[soldham]

An iPad or Kindle loaded with LOTS of books.

 

Small store bought 1st aid kit (it is amazing what you can do with some of the stuff in there!)

 

Sewing repair kit (for buttons that pop as my girth increases :eek:)

 

A bottle of antibiotics (just in case....)

 

Lots of floss

[May4]

I'm getting better about remembering this. I like to pack plenty of my pretty clothes for being out and about at dinner and around the ship during the day.

 

I need to remember to pack one or two more comfy t-shirts for hanging around in the cabin. It's so nice to go get a cup of tea, put on pjs, and watch a mushy movie.

[TracieABD]

You can get all the aspirin or acetaminophen you want for free in the infirmary. Also meclizine and band aids.

 

I suppose you can, but when I want some ibuprofin in the middle of the night, the last thing I want to do is schlep down to the infirmary for a hand-out. Chances are, they will not have the gel caps that I prefer. It is worth it to pack it. (not a fan of aspirin or acetominiphin, either...).:)

[Berk987]

wow. I'm so jealous. this cruise is on my bucket list.

have a fab time.

[RuthC]

Years ago I started a list of absolutely everything I could possibly want to take with me on a cruise. Length of cruise, or destination---didn't matter. As I thought of it, on the list it went. Everything from heavy coat to lightest t-shirt, from electric triple tap to dog biscuits (yes, dog biscuits. never know when you'll meet up with a dog you need to make friends with. quickly :eek:) is on that list.

Now, I print the list out, mark what I want to bring on this cruise, and check it off as I pack it.

What do I forget? Not a -dam thing. :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

I always take duct tape -- do agree about rough seas -- have had them many times and have had to tape drawers shut as well as closets.

 

So far we have never forgotten anything on longer cruises -- 26 days has been our longest -- thanks to computer lists.

 

I always make certain that we have at least an extra week's worth of medications.

[esther e]

I always have a new prescription for a good cough medicine and Z-pack of antibiotics -- just in case! If someone comes on with "something" and it goes through the a/c, my asthma airways get constricted and only certain cough meds help. If I don't use the meds during the year, out they go. And yes, I always bring a week's worth extra meds for my husband, just in case.

[serendipity1499]

In September we are going on our longest cruise yet, 69 nights.:D There are so many experienced HAL cruisers on CC, I was hoping you could help me prepare for the trip. On our last long trip (38 nights on the P'dam) I ran out of hair spray and the ship wanted to charge me $33.:eek:

 

Could you please tell me your experiences on what you have forgotten and any tips on how not to forget the "must have" items? Are there items that aren't really "must have", but make your cruise more enjoyable for the long trips?

 

We normally take longer cruises up to 30 days & I have lists of the things we always take in addition to our clothes...

I keep two long narrow bags, which have 4 clear pockets in them, always packed with incidentals...They were old lingerie bags & can be :)laid flat in our luggage..We put these two long bags on the two hooks on our cabin bathroom door..I'll be happy to send you the list of incidentals if you click on my signature & send me an e-mail..

I make up our clothing lists for each trip & the number of days we will be away & number each outfit...I take my clothing list with me & as I wear each outfit I put the corresponding number next to the day..For 30 days I'll take approx 15 outfits & plan to wear them twice..

Of course we have laundry done by HAL while on our trips..

Have a wonderful cruise..

Cheers......Betty

[surfsidemary]

I have been agonizing over whether it is necessary to pack enough toiletries for the whole 69 days. That stuff can be heavy (body lotion, mouthwash, etc.) Surely that kind of thing, though not necessarily my favorite brand, will be available for sale on the Amsterdam. Must I seriously expect $33 hairspray and pack accordingly?

Mary Ellen

[TracieABD]

You could always do a bit of research to see if there is a place where you can find a "Walmart" type store to restock. Then on one day, instead of a shore-ex, you can take care of your shopping. For me, this would be as much fun, as I would get to see the less touristy parts of the city I was visiting.

 

Also, once on board, as the crew where they shop. The have limited space, so they cannot possibly bring everything they would need for the length of their contract.

 

You will have a wonderful time on this cruise! I am so jealous, that I am turning green, as we speak!

 

[bergjd]

You could always do a bit of research to see if there is a place where you can find a "Walmart" type store to restock. Then on one day, instead of a shore-ex, you can take care of your shopping. For me, this would be as much fun, as I would get to see the less touristy parts of the city I was visiting.

 

Also, once on board, as the crew where they shop. The have limited space, so they cannot possibly bring everything they would need for the length of their contract.

 

You will have a wonderful time on this cruise! I am so jealous, that I am turning green, as we speak!

 

 

These are some good tips. The Walmart idea is one we plan on using at the beginning of the trip. Once we fly into Seattle, we thought we could go to Walmart and buy any liquid toiletries, hairspray, mouthwash and a couple of cases of wine and soda. No use paying extra to fly them to the coast.

We normally take longer cruises up to 30 days & I have lists of the things we always take in addition to our clothes...

 

I keep two long narrow bags, which have 4 clear pockets in them, always packed with incidentals...They were old lingerie bags & can be :)laid flat in our luggage..We put these two long bags on the two hooks on our cabin bathroom door..I'll be happy to send you the list of incidentals if you click on my signature & send me an e-mail..

 

I make up our clothing lists for each trip & the number of days we will be away & number each outfit...I take my clothing list with me & as I wear each outfit I put the corresponding number next to the day..For 30 days I'll take approx 15 outfits & plan to wear them twice..

 

Of course we have laundry done by HAL while on our trips..

 

Have a wonderful cruise..

 

Cheers......Betty

I've never made a list of my clothes before, but sounds like it's time to start. I usually just "eyeball" it and mix and match. However, I also usually end up taking more clothes than I actually wear.

 

I always take duct tape -- do agree about rough seas -- have had them many times and have had to tape drawers shut as well as closets.

 

So far we have never forgotten anything on longer cruises -- 26 days has been our longest -- thanks to computer lists.

 

I always make certain that we have at least an extra week's worth of medications.

 

I think the duct tape is an excellent idea. Thinking back on past cruises I can see where it could have come in handy.

 

Great ideas. Keep them coming!!!! :D

[bergjd]

I have been agonizing over whether it is necessary to pack enough toiletries for the whole 69 days. That stuff can be heavy (body lotion, mouthwash, etc.) Surely that kind of thing, though not necessarily my favorite brand, will be available for sale on the Amsterdam. Must I seriously expect $33 hairspray and pack accordingly?

Mary Ellen

 

I ran out of hairspray on the Black Sea/ Med cruise. I thought I wouldn't have any problem in Europe finding anything I might need. Well, I could find it, but the Euro exchange rate made everything very expensive. Finally ended up paying about $15 for the hairspray at a small pharmacy. $15 seemed cheap after what the Spa on board quoted me. The ship store didn't have anything. Spent most of the day looking everywhere for it. How was I to know that I was the last woman on earth who still used hairspray?:eek:

[SwissMyst]

DH forgot his extra pair of prescription glasses on a 42 day cruise. I forgot to pack less.

[epixx]

DH forgot his extra pair of prescription glasses on a 42 day cruise. I forgot to pack less.

 

 

Well my problem was in a similar vein. I went to Europe with the contact lenses, but I left home the contact lens solutions. Believe it or not, I was unable to find the right solution for the whole 2 weeks. At least I didn't forget the glasses.

[SwissMyst]

With the weight of most long time supplies of shampoo, conditioners and hand creme, it pays to see if you can find your favorite brand or at least something similar at your embarkation destination if you have some time to do a little shopping. There are often western brand places close by ports or something like the UK Boots chain, Watson's in Asia where you can find a lot of familiar products so you can save that airline baggage weight.

 

I took a chance not taking a big supply of my favorite shampoo and lost the bet after searching all over our embarkation port Hong Kong before we left. And on the ship tour our first day out, right there in the ship salon was my favorite brand. Never looked at the charge for that, but I bet it was pricey too, but very welcome.

 

We also bought a dryer rack for in-room laundry in Hong Kong and a few more baskets and drawer organizers to make the cabin work better for us, but this ship had pretty basic cabin amenities. We waited until we saw the room before we went shopping to see what we might need to make it work for that 42 days. We also added an extra clothes rack and a bunch of hangers to hang everything up and get it out of our suitcases. (See my over packing confession above) I ended up actually wearing about half of what I brought, and washed out way more than I expected.

 

Where we travelled was really hot (back and forth across the equator) so our clothes got so well-used so they needed to be rinsed out anyway so it seemed easier to simply wash and re-use them than putting them back in the closet in their (ahem) ripened condition. We found we could just soak 100% linen shirts in the sink, then rinse them with the shower wand, smooth them out on a hanger and they would be dry by the next morning. No wringing or twisting. Real drip dry and one of the best fabrics for the heat.

[serendipity1499]

I have been agonizing over whether it is necessary to pack enough toiletries for the whole 69 days. That stuff can be heavy (body lotion, mouthwash, etc.) Surely that kind of thing, though not necessarily my favorite brand, will be available for sale on the Amsterdam. Must I seriously expect $33 hairspray and pack accordingly?

Mary Ellen

 

Oh Yes...We've gone that route too & have learned to take what we'll need for the entire cruise..When we fly, we try to get to the port at least one or two days before & buy the things we need...The ship's store has very little & things are pricey on board...

 

You could always do a bit of research to see if there is a place where you can find a "Walmart" type store to restock. Then on one day, instead of a shore-ex, you can take care of your shopping. For me, this would be as much fun, as I would get to see the less touristy parts of the city I was visiting.

 

Also, once on board, as the crew where they shop. The have limited space, so they cannot possibly bring everything they would need for the length of their contract.

 

<snip>

 

Agree....On our last B2B had to find a Walmart, as ran my last pair of black hose which I needed with pumps....Found one in one of our Mex. ports, which fortunately was within walking distance of the ship..My Friend & our DH's came with us..We all had a fine time shopping for my hose plus some wine..Many of the Crew were shopping with us..LOL

 

 

Oh I love your frog!

Cheers......:)Betty

[mamaofami]

I forgot my eye drops on one cruise and really needed them. Now they are on my list.

[EviesCruisin]

I second the small roll of duct tape. Silences rattling drawers, etc. I had a fellow roll call buddy coming to borrow my duct tape to mend a suitcase also. My "Gin Gin" candy was also popular with everyone but this was on Princess not HAL - think they give out candied ginger at dinner (Yum Yum man).

 

I would bring a clothesline and some laundry detergent and large ziploc bags if you want to wash clothes (underwear, etc) in your room instead of sending everything out. We used Rick Steves Clothesline which we hung in bathroom or on balcony using the chairs to connect to. No "pins" required the clothesline stretches open to grab the clothes.

 

Plenty of $1s and small bills for room service tips. Comfortable shoes.

 

I also brought one of those cement dental things in case my crown broke. Mine didn't but another cruisers did and I gave to him. Kept him OK until he got back to get it fixed.

 

One thing I forgot (on a short cruise) was a hairbrush! They did NOT sell them onboard or in the spa so I had to wait till first port to get one. With that said don't forget many ports will have drugstores you can restock if needed.

 

For small toiletries and medicines you "might" need but don't want to pack lots of check out minimus.biz - they have all sorts of trial size items and they do free shipping over $20.

[TracieABD]

 

 

Oh I love your frog!

 

Cheers......:)Betty

That would be my "green with envy" frog... (or Kermit, whatever...) :)

Thanks, Betty--

 

TL

[EviesCruisin]

http://upl.codeq.info/ - try this universal packing list. Put dates of travel, min/max temps. You can specify things like "It might rain" "I'm traveling internationally" "I'm bringing digital camera" "I might snorkel" that kind of thing, that you are on a boat. Gives you a list by category it is very comprehensive. Might give you a few things you've forgotten.

[RuthC]

I would bring a clothesline

Every cabin on every ship has a clothesline on the shower/tub.