I am very curious....

[LaShea]

I have read on a lot of threads about people bring so many things for their cruise. I read a lot of these threads before my first cruise last December and we only really used the Lysol spray for our cabin. It seems that so many people practically pack their house up to go on a week cruise. Do y'all do this on land vacations also or is this just a cruise thing?:confused: If I didn't find CC before my cruise I would have never thought of things that some people bring along. Just curious... Thanks!!:D

[CWcruisers]

Land vacations depend on where you are going. If you go to Panama, your weight allowance is 27 lbs!:eek: Some countries, the weight allowance is 45 lbs. And if there is bus travel involved, they have their own guidelines.

 

So I usually pack far less for land vacations, but my own blowdryer is a must no matter where I am going. I have a dual voltage blowdryer and with that, I am not limited to just using the one in the bathroom, freeing up the bathroom for DH to take his shower.

[uppitycats]

I have read on a lot of threads about people bring so many things for their cruise. I read a lot of these threads before my first cruise last December and we only really used the Lysol spray for our cabin. It seems that so many people practically pack their house up to go on a week cruise. Do y'all do this on land vacations also or is this just a cruise thing?:confused: If I didn't find CC before my cruise I would have never thought of things that some people bring along. Just curious... Thanks!!:D

 

I don't bring MOST of the things that appear on the "gotta pack this!" lists! I pack as I usually do for a land vacation: How many days will I be away from home (and set out clothes to suit); what do I expect to do on this vacation(swimming? eating at a fancy restaurant (MDR)? and make sure I have the clothes I need for those things); what "must haves" do I need to bring (medicines, some basic first-aid stuff), and I'm done.

 

I think people "panic" about packing because they're going out of the country for the first time, aren't going to be on land where they can run to the nearest wal-mart to "stock up", or buy what they've forgotten, and think, somehow, that cruising is "different", that they need "different things".

 

Each person is different, each level of comfort is different. But for me, I'm on vacation. I may never see these people again...so who cares if I don't bring shoes to match every outfit, or if I wear the same thing twice, or if I don't dress up for a fancy dinner but instead go to the buffet that night?

 

I've not even brought a spray can of Lysol! Yes, "stuff" stinks when someone uses the bathroom. Stinks at home, too. I really don't run in there every time someone uses the bathroom and "freshen it up"..any more than the cabin steward doing that, 2-3 times a day.

[blindrid]

First of all, I do not pack all of the crap that others do.

 

I pack the same regardless with the exception of I do overpack sun screen. My philosophy is less to haul, less to worry about flight weight limit and if I need it I can buy it.

[MamaParrotHead]

I think about 85% of it is insanity as well. Other than "just in case" meds list, I think most of those packing lists circulating are nuts.

[LaShea]

I don't bring MOST of the things that appear on the "gotta pack this!" lists! I pack as I usually do for a land vacation: How many days will I be away from home (and set out clothes to suit); what do I expect to do on this vacation(swimming? eating at a fancy restaurant (MDR)? and make sure I have the clothes I need for those things); what "must haves" do I need to bring (medicines, some basic first-aid stuff), and I'm done.

 

I think people "panic" about packing because they're going out of the country for the first time, aren't going to be on land where they can run to the nearest wal-mart to "stock up", or buy what they've forgotten, and think, somehow, that cruising is "different", that they need "different things".

 

Each person is different, each level of comfort is different. But for me, I'm on vacation. I may never see these people again...so who cares if I don't bring shoes to match every outfit, or if I wear the same thing twice, or if I don't dress up for a fancy dinner but instead go to the buffet that night?

 

I've not even brought a spray can of Lysol! Yes, "stuff" stinks when someone uses the bathroom. Stinks at home, too. I really don't run in there every time someone uses the bathroom and "freshen it up"..any more than the cabin steward doing that, 2-3 times a day.

 

The Lysol I brought was more for the germ factor then freshing up the bathroom, but I see your point!! Thanks...

[LaShea]

I think about 85% of it is insanity as well. Other than "just in case" meds list, I think most of those packing lists circulating are nuts.

 

Thank you...I am glad I am not the only one! When I started reading those before my first cruise I was so nervous that everyone takes all this stuff with them for a week vacation. Then when I got on the ship I remembered back to the lists and couldn't figure out why they were bringing all these things. I know we are all different, so, to each his own.:p:D

[okwriter]

*Fun Pass

*ID and passport

*Cash and/or credit card

 

If these were the only items I had at boarding, I'd be fine. :D

[bankerbabe]

I think that there is a lot of stuff on some of the packing lists that are overkill. That said, however, I do tend to pack a little more when we cruise than when we go on land vacations. That's because on a land vacation there are shopping options to pick up things that you may need, and you don't have to wait until the next day's port or pay exorbidant prices in the gift shop.

 

For example: in Cancun we didn't pack enough sunscreen. A quick bus ride to Wal Mart fixed that problem. There is no Wal Mart on the cruise ship. If I catch a cold in Mexico, odds are that I can go pick up some cold medicine at a decent price, whereas the stuff on the ship is through the roof.

[golfadj]

After the first cruise the average cruisers bring less and less each time.

Now that we re platinum we take about 1/3 of what we took the first time.

The only exception is meds. That has gone up as we have gotten older.

[k2t2]

I seem to pack a lot b/c of our children. We have 1 in diapers so we HAVE to pack wipes, diapers, etc...also all the meds (daughter is on 5 alone plus her nebulizer). So I guess it just depends on what your needs are...we like to have some prepackaged snacks for port days & also the kids can really only have 1 kind of juice (that doesn't upset their stomachs) so we take that too. A lot of it is knowing that we can't find the brands we use in the other countries so I want to make sure they are comfy...but as far as going off of a list from all the websites....nah...I've got what we need for a 7 day cruise pretty much memorized now!

[shelkate1]

The first cruise we took I overpacked a bit. Not as much as some but more than we needed. The next time we packed pretty much just like any vacation and I did pack some Clorox wipes to wipe down the remote, phone, knobs,etc. I have since started doing that in hotel rooms as well. So I lived and learned. This next time will be even less as we aren't bringing the children with us.

So yeah, most of that stuff is overkill.

[LaShea]

I seem to pack a lot b/c of our children. We have 1 in diapers so we HAVE to pack wipes, diapers, etc...also all the meds (daughter is on 5 alone plus her nebulizer). So I guess it just depends on what your needs are...we like to have some prepackaged snacks for port days & also the kids can really only have 1 kind of juice (that doesn't upset their stomachs) so we take that too. A lot of it is knowing that we can't find the brands we use in the other countries so I want to make sure they are comfy...but as far as going off of a list from all the websites....nah...I've got what we need for a 7 day cruise pretty much memorized now!

 

I see you've only got 1 day left!! Have a great cruise!!:D

[firefly333]

I used to think of the Beverly Hillbillies and that overloaded car when they arrived at their mansion when people were talking about slapping on luggage tags on water and bringing blenders and all the other stuff people lug onboard .. and then they sneak to their cabin, because its "inconvenient" to manage all the carrys ons they brought.

[LaShea]

I used to think of the Beverly Hillbillies and that overloaded car when they arrived at their mansion when people were talking about slapping on luggage tags on water and bringing blenders and all the other stuff people lug onboard .. and then they sneak to their cabin, because its "inconvenient" to manage all the carrys ons they brought.

 

LOL...Thanks for the laugh! I pretty much thought of the same thing.:eek::D

[tulsacubfan]

I've wondered this myself...but moreso on the fans, blenders, coffee makers, sheets, blankets, etc..... Do people take these things with them if they are staying in a hotel? Seriously?

[elcuchio24]

I bring clothes, toothbrush, wine, cigars, thats about it. DW packs a little more than I do, but still not much. When we first started to cruise we brought a ton of stuff, everytime we bring less as we just don't use allot of stuff. Most people bring way more than they need. Imo try to get down to just carryone eventually.

[Warm Breezes]

We have an over the door shoe holder that we keep our first aid kit, OTC medicines, spare contacts/solutions/glasses, suntan lotion, toiletries, make up, hair supplies, jewelry, and cards in. We keep this stocked and ready to go for land and cruise vacations. It rolls up and fits perfectly in a rolling back pack. For everything else I use lists. DH and DD(13) always ignore my lists and pack 2x what I tell them too. DS(16) and I stick to the lists and normally have half the stuff they do. They always come home with a ton of clothes they never wore. DS and I usually only have the one spare outfit we packed left clean...everything else had been used.

[Katty891]

I've wondered this myself...but moreso on the fans, blenders, coffee makers, sheets, blankets, etc..... Do people take these things with them if they are staying in a hotel? Seriously?

yes on the fan! I CANNOT sleep without it! I eveb took it to friends house during sleepover when I was a kid!!

[RWolver672]

If I catch a cold in Mexico, odds are that I can go pick up some cold medicine at a decent price, whereas the stuff on the ship is through the roof.

 

Oddly enough, on our AOS cruise, I came down with a horrible cold. The AOS had absolutely nothing for colds in their stores. When we got to St. Maarten, we went ashore looking for a grocery store. Low and behold, they don't sell health and beauty aids in grocery stores in St. Maarten. We had to go find a drug store. When we finally did find one, I had to ask the pharmacist for it. They kept them behind the drug counter.

 

As for clothing, we found that we no longer pack t-shirts. We usually buy one from each island so now we just wear them to the next island.

[uppitycats]

We have an over the door shoe holder that we keep our first aid kit, OTC medicines, spare contacts/solutions/glasses, suntan lotion, toiletries, make up, hair supplies, jewelry, and cards in. We keep this stocked and ready to go for land and cruise vacations. It rolls up and fits perfectly in a rolling back pack. For everything else I use lists. DH and DD(13) always ignore my lists and pack 2x what I tell them too. DS(16) and I stick to the lists and normally have half the stuff they do. They always come home with a ton of clothes they never wore. DS and I usually only have the one spare outfit we packed left clean...everything else had been used.

 

We bought one of those over-the-door things when we were preparing for our first cruise. Just got in the way. We left it onboard. There's usually plenty of room in the bathroom or cabin to stow all our stuff, even in the sparsely furnished handicap-accessible bathrooms we need. But the lists certainly do help cut down on all the extras.

[Warm Breezes]

We bought one of those over-the-door things when we were preparing for our first cruise. Just got in the way. We left it onboard. There's usually plenty of room in the bathroom or cabin to stow all our stuff, even in the sparsely furnished handicap-accessible bathrooms we need. But the lists certainly do help cut down on all the extras.

 

I love our over the door. Everything is always ready. I keep it hanging on the back of our bedroom door and re-stock it as necessary at home. It fits perfectly in our rolling back pack fully loaded. There is no packing/unpacking. We get to our destination, hang it on the door and we are done. Everything has there own place. People can grab what they need when others are in the bathroom. Counters aren't cluttered with everyones junk. With 2 adults and 2 teenagers its been a wonderful investment for us. I love my lists too...I just wish DH and DD would learn that Mom really does now best.

[grrl2grrl]

There are 2 wonderful things I picked up from the lists here. The shoe holder & the hanging air fresheners. We are only 2 adults in a cabin, but I so value my over the door clear shoe holder! We use it for EVERYTHING. Our S&S passes at night, sunscreen, all the medications and toiletries, and also all the little things that fill my pockets through-out the day that I save for scrapbooking.

(Yes I over-pack for a land vacation too.)

Sure the bathroom at home will smell just like the one on the ship, but in my house I don't have to stay in the same room while the odors clear. If a small hanging air freshener makes my stay more pleasant - why not?

I also always bring the suggested duct tape, but luckily have not needed that yet!

I can't wait to overpack for my next cruise :)

[LambKnuckles]

I always need a power strip... and I do take this on land vacation, since it has surge protection.

 

And over the door thingie to stay organized to find things early in the morning or late at night to not wake everyone in cabin when I get in or leave. (yes on land trips)

 

Camera, recharger; phone, recharger; small laptop to download photos from card and keep journal up to date, and email if I buy minutes. (yes on land trips)

 

Travel mug... I take EVERYWHERE and ALL the time, 24/7 -- it's right here next to me full of Diet Dr. Pepper.

 

Duct tape; post-a-notes; highlighter. (yes on land trips)

 

Sun hat, day pack for excursions, sun glasses, sin screen, 'skeeter spray. (Yes on land trips)

 

Then the regular stuff like toiletries, medicines, clothes, a book, etc...