Where to start.....??

[Bazzgurl26]

So we are 3 1/2 weeks away from our cruise... I dont tend to rush things but I really want to be prepared.

 

Where do I start? What do I do first? What do you do to prepare for your cruise? When do you start packing?

 

There are 4 of us going (My husband and I and our friends...we all live together) we all work full time and pretty much have every weekend booked till we leave. Needless to say I want to get as much done my few availble hours after work each day so when its time to leave I am ready.

 

Any tips would be appreciated!

[paul929207]

We are leaving on a three week trip in 11 days. My wife is just starting to pack, but we are retired, so time is not the issue it is for us.

 

Have you cruised before? If so, you probably know what you want to take. If not, you need to start making lists of things to pack, things to do, things to buy, etc.

[Keith1010]

Paul has hit the right items.

 

In terms of packing, make a nice list of what each person needs to take. Remember that some outfits can be reworn as for example in the evening many time you are only wearing the outfit for a few hours.

 

Don't stress about this. It will all come together and you will have a great time.

 

Keith

[uppitycats]

So we are 3 1/2 weeks away from our cruise... I dont tend to rush things but I really want to be prepared.

 

Where do I start? What do I do first? What do you do to prepare for your cruise? When do you start packing?

Many people start packing immediately upon booking their cruise..a year away from sail date...so get packing, already!! :p Lay out all the clothes you think you'll need and want to take with you. Set aside all the money you plan to take. Put away half of the clothes, add about 1/2 more in cash...that should take care of that! :p

First things: go to the web site of your cruise line, and download your cruise documents. You'll need your confirmation number to do this. There should be paper luggage tags on there as well.

Make sure you know where your airline tickets are, and your passport (or certified birth certificate and driver's license, if you don't!) Put all that together in a safe place -- and make sure it ends up in your hands as you go out the door.

Get everyone who is going with you to do this, and make sure they all have these documents in a safe place.

If your entire household is going away, make sure you've arranged for someone to pick up your mail (or you've stopped it), papers. If you have pets, get them tended to. Plants? Get someone to water them.

There are 4 of us going (My husband and I and our friends...we all live together) we all work full time and pretty much have every weekend booked till we leave. Needless to say I want to get as much done my few availble hours after work each day so when its time to leave I am ready. Start looking at ports (there's a section on this site where the ports are listed). SEe if there are excursions you' want to go on, or whether there are private excursions you can book that will save you money. Book them.

 

Any tips would be appreciated!

 

Be ready to head out the door..and have a great cruise!

[mtaylor04]

We book our cruises well in advance - so it seems like we are always planning :D We cruise in 91 days and we are in the process of booking our hotel and shore excurions.

 

We always rent my DH a tux and it is in our stateroom when we get on the ship. No packing it for us - and it is ready and pressed when we arrive.

 

We have a suitcase in the spare room, and we drop things in it when we run across them that we might need - or we keep them in the suitcase year around - like flashlight - extension cord - ducktape - highlighters - sticky notes - deck of cards - scissors - corkscrew

 

Take extra batteries for your camera - and memory card :)

 

Make a copy of your passports - leave original in your room safe and take copy on shore with you.

 

I keep a packing list and a couple of weeks before we sail - I check everything off to make sure it's packed. The packing list is also useful in the chance my luggage is lost (which has happened) because you have to itemize what was in it.

 

Toiletries are added the morning we fly out - and are always put in ziplocks. Put at least one complete outfit and a bathing suit in your carryon.

 

We pick up a case of water at the port - slap a luggage tag on it and drop it off with your luggage - it will be delivered to your stateroom :)

 

Happy Sailing

[Happy ks]

Start with a packing list. It's essential to what you need for yourself and helps you to #1 not forget anything and #2 pare down to what is really essential.

 

I find the thing that takes the longest to pack/figure out is the toiletries. I have everything we need always packed because of this, I just refill bottles since we need the same stuff whether gone overnight or 2 weeks. I don't like what any hotel or cruise ship provides, I don't need that mystery so we always bring our own. Don't wait until the last minute to find travel sizes of stuff, or have to run to the store at midnight the night before leaving because you forgot the sunscreen. Even then, remember you can purchase most everything you need (although at twice the cost) onboard the ship.

 

Figure out your clothes, set them aside. I use a rolling rack, some people have spare bedrooms. But have it all together, clothes, shoes, accessories etc... and pack it all at once. The times I have packed ahead of time I will forget what I packed and then overpack or worse, forget something crucial.

 

I don't actually pack until the day before or the morning of leaving. It really only takes minutes to actually pack a suitcase if you have everything organized in advance.

 

Don't forget a small first aid kit, something as simple as a bandaid turns into a big hassle to acquire onboard. Just typical OTC meds for ailements that may occur, headache, upset stomach, cold or cough...not a lot.

 

The biggest don't (to me) is to read what others take on packing lists. You would think they are going on a month long camping trip with all the paraphernalia they drag along. Keep it simple: clothes, shoes, bathing suits, cover ups, toiletries, camera, first aid kit and what is essential to you to get through a week. The ships are going to have everything else you need.

 

At least a week prior to leaving, go online and make sure you have all your information given to the cruise line. Each line calls it something different, RCI calls it "Set Sail Pass", it makes check in at the terminal easier and lets you know if you have everything you need. Print these passes out more than 3 days in advance, many of the cruise lines will shut down the reservation a few days prior to embarkation and I've read more than once here on CC about a person not being able to print their pass. Not to worry, you can still check in, it just takes a few more minutes.

 

Most important:

 

Don't forget to make sure that you have the proper travel documents needed. A Passport or birth certificate (legal, not hospital) and photo ID (drivers license). Double check before you walk out the door that everyone in your party has this information or you are simply not going to be able to board the ship.

[Happy ks]

After I posted I saw that you are cruising on NCL, their check in page is here:

 

https://www.ncl.com/nclweb/secure/bookedGuestLanding.html

 

My apologies if you already knew this.

[suezyq50]

I have a packing list I use. It should be easy to find a cruise packing list. It is very easy to overpack. When packing, keep excursions in mind. I start laying items aside 2-3 weeks before and see what I might need to get. I have a manilla envelope I gather important things, passports, documents, etc.

[maryann ns]

You also need to organize your banking and things at home.

 

If you are going to be out of the country you need to alert your bank and credit card companies. Otherwise their computers may kick in and refuse payment thinking it is fraud.

 

Do you need to arrange pet sitters? someone to keep an eye on your house? lawn mowing? cancelling newspaper delivery? etc.

 

Are you going with ship's tours (easy, but expensive and out of your control) or diy or private tours? It is getting late, but you can still arrange private tours. Go to the roll call for your cruise.

[chipmaster]

Packing is quick! We throw it into a suitcase often in an hour or less whether is cruise or a two week trip to the far east.

 

The important things:

 

1) Excursions and port plans: You wanting to do independent or decide on the fly while on the ship? We found port information from the cruise to be spotty and tour info even less even. Research and selection and reservation of the best and high demand port excursions takes months and if you don't reserve months ahead could be full. But for Alaska don't dispair if you are willing to pay the most desirable are all offered by the Cruiseline at a price and of course the downside of the big bus affiar for most.

 

2) Supplies: for Alaska things like layered clothing, rain gear and such. Living in Oregon you'll be ready. Bring your december rain gear and layers and you'll be good. Other stuff like binoculars, camera, batteries, big zoom lenses? If you are planning on buying them don't want to do this last minute.

 

3) passport? Likely don't need it if not going to Canada/Victoria.

 

Alaska should be a blast!

 

So we are 3 1/2 weeks away from our cruise... I dont tend to rush things but I really want to be prepared.

 

Where do I start? What do I do first? What do you do to prepare for your cruise? When do you start packing?

 

There are 4 of us going (My husband and I and our friends...we all live together) we all work full time and pretty much have every weekend booked till we leave. Needless to say I want to get as much done my few availble hours after work each day so when its time to leave I am ready.

 

Any tips would be appreciated!

[Happy ks]

Packing is quick! We throw it into a suitcase often in an hour or less whether is cruise or a two week trip to the far east.

 

The important things:

 

1) Excursions and port plans: You wanting to do independent or decide on the fly while on the ship? We found port information from the cruise to be spotty and tour info even less even. Research and selection and reservation of the best and high demand port excursions takes months and if you don't reserve months ahead could be full. But for Alaska don't dispair if you are willing to pay the most desirable are all offered by the Cruiseline at a price and of course the downside of the big bus affiar for most.

 

2) Supplies: for Alaska things like layered clothing, rain gear and such. Living in Oregon you'll be ready. Bring your december rain gear and layers and you'll be good. Other stuff like binoculars, camera, batteries, big zoom lenses? If you are planning on buying them don't want to do this last minute.

 

3) passport? Likely don't need it if not going to Canada/Victoria.

Alaska should be a blast!

 

This is where misinformation can ruin a trip. This particular cruise starts in the US and ends in Canada. Even if they didn't get off the ship in Canada they would still need a passport to board the ship since technically they are entering Canada.

 

US citizens must have a passport to enter Canada. This cruise the OP is going on is not a closed loop cruise, they disembark in Canada. I think they may be able to enter and drive back across the border to the US with only a Nexus card.

 

 

So I do hope the OP and friends have already obtained the necessary passports/cards or they will either have to pay an exorbitant fee to get them or not be able to board in Seattle.

[Jimnbigd]

Start trying on the clothes you want to take. I found I could not get into my swimsuit anymore, darn it. Shorts too. I usually wear these only on a cruise (even in hot Dallas), and I don't want to find out on the ship that nothing fits or is worn out.

 

Buy suntan lotion, extra over-the-counter reading glasses (just in case), and straps to keep glassed on. Check on meds like pain reliever and Nyquil and buy now if low, because you might need these on the cruise. Tums or Rolaids too. And something like Tide Sticks for clothes spots.

 

That's what I do a couple of weeks before the cruise. Yes, it seems we always have to make a Wal-Mart run anyway at the departure port. Sigh.

[Orlando Dale]

I'm looking for a packing list. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Happy ks]

I'm looking for a packing list. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Do yourself a major favor and make your own. It seems everyone has their own must haves and you don't want to add anything you don't need just because it's on someone elses list. I have one on Excel that I just tweak for every trip, you can also do one on a word program. A list is great for 2 reasons #1 you won't forget anything and #2 you can see where to easily cut back.

 

Start with toiletries, list what you use on a daily basis. They do have mystery shampoo and icky bar soap on board, if you don't care what your hair looks like, some people say it's fine. If it's a warm weather cruise and you will be in the sun a lot, a full bottle (8 oz.) per person is crucial. A hat if your in the sun.

 

Take clothes and shoes for day and evening, cut back as much as you comfortable can. Take at least 2 bathing suits if it is a warm weather cruise, rain gear if going to Alaska.

 

Take a small first aid kit with sampling of typical OTC meds.

 

Take a good camera with plenty of battery power, memory or film. Binoculars if going to Alaska.

 

Make sure you have the proper travel documents to fly and get onboard the ship.

 

Everything else is extra and completely up to the individual. I see lists on here that I can take 75 items off of and never miss a bit of it. Cruise ships are very sophisticated and provide everything you need outside of your personal effects. They also provide plenty of storage, you don't need to bring along storage aids.