What is the one thing that you should have taken on your first cruise??

[lee0070]

A battery operated alarm clock. One that glows in the dark. When room service knocks and you sleep naked you have to scurry. :D

[rkaplan]

A power strip, there are never enough plugs in the room.

[GeckoGirl]

A coat. When we left our house it was hot. When we got to Galveston it was about 50 and the wind was howling off the ocean. I couldn't find one my size on the island and when we got to Key West, I bought one. By then I didn't need one.

 

That happen to us on our first cruise. We live in FLorida where it's hot most of the year and we thought, well Bermuda is hot too so we only packed shorts and short sleeved shirts. Didn't realize that Norfolk Virginia was around 55 degrees when we got there, us in our shorts and flip flops, LOL. So we hightailed it to the mall down the street from the port and had to buy coats which were somewhat expensive.

 

But it was a good thing we got them because the cruise over to Bermuda was cool and windy and rainy the whole way so the coats really came in handy. We recently got to wear them again when the weather here dipped down into the 40's Brrr.:eek:

[BallFour4]

Christie Brinkley?

[GlendaleCruiser]

Aloe Vera--it was very expensive on board ship.

Power strip--always take one now.

Glow in the dark travel alarm.

[CanWeGoYet?]

Better sea sickness medicine, for one. But had I known about cruise critic back then, I would have had tips & a basic working knowledge of so much I had no clue about. Price drops, what cabins to avoid (say for example "upgrade" to freaking bow of the ship - way up high :rolleyes:), what to pack, etc etc etc! Did not find cruise critic until I was preparing for my 4th cruise, the transatlantic.

[Cindy]

The hubby and I will be leaving on Sunday for our first cruise on the Valor. I have our bags packed with everything that I think we need, but what is something that you wished you would have taken on your first cruise that you bring now??

 

We should have taken a lot less than we did!:o I took all kinds of possible clothing combinations with me, and wore about a third of it!:rolleyes: Even now, I still tend to overpack, but I've gotten a lot better.

Something thing I've added to my packing list is a big insulated coffee cup and a bottle of flavored creamer.:D

[Buffettlovertina]

Less clothes! I so over packed for our first cruise. We came home with a suitcase full of clothes we never wore. Now we pack much lighter.

 

I try to pack lighter. Never works.lol

[LarAndShar]

Solarcaine/dermoplast

bottle opener for beers

[craigandjessica]

I know everyone on here says to pack the clothes you think you will need and then remove half. I did that on my first cruise and ran out of clothes by the end . Didn't want to spend my cruise doing laundy. Next cruise I will keep it all in my suitcase. Didn't like having to rewear shorts that were sandy and dirty from the beach!! I would rather bring home a few unworn clothes then have to rewear clothes I don't feel great and clean in. It is a vacation and you want to feel your best. But I did stay in a suite and closet space wasnt an issue so I think that made me angry because I took the stuff out to save space in the room and then realized we had all of the extra space anyway. Lesson learned

[MagnoliaFly]

My travel gnome! I have a big one but I'm going to get a tiny sized one for pictures and such. I regret not taking one on our first cruise.

[Rusty Aligator]

A better captain,....I was on the Mardi Gras when we ran aground leaving Miami in 1972 or 73 on her maiden voyage. Well, the drinks were free anyway.

[rbbarker]

A small power strip to expand the single power outlet.

[travelfreak]

I always take a large insulated mug...because the drinks you get are in small cups.....I fill this up with ice in the restaurants and fill it up with tea or lemonade / also ask the bartender for a "double" .....Don't have to return so often for drinks:) I take this into ports too.... A few other things will make folks laugh, but I always use them: scissors, rubber bands, post it notes!

[okgirl]

A more thorough understanding of the ships layout.......

 

I didn't do any studying of the ship deck plans before boarding the HUGE 37,000 ton Carnival Festivale :p and I stayed lost for the week.......

 

I can't imagine what newbies feel today. But it continues to be one of the biggest complaints.

[nbsjcruiser]

The hubby and I will be leaving on Sunday for our first cruise on the Valor. I have our bags packed with everything that I think we need, but what is something that you wished you would have taken on your first cruise that you bring now??

 

Over the counter back pills that I occasionally take. My back flared up when we arrived in Miami I thought "no sweat, I'll head to Walgreen's and get some muscle relaxants". Wrong! Can't buy them over the counter down there like I can home. I suffered needlessly for 3 days before things were "back" to normal.

[crusinpsychRN]

In reality, you can do without pretty much anything for 1 week!

 

Not without a contact lens case! They sell them on some ships--once I found them in the liquor store on board!

[crusinpsychRN]

A better captain,....I was on the Mardi Gras when we ran aground leaving Miami in 1972 or 73 on her maiden voyage. Well, the drinks were free anyway.

 

That voyage is how Carnival became the Fun Ships! Featured at every past guest party.

[kbmeow]

Extra conditioner and leave in conditioner. My curly hair was a frizzy mess

[jagsfan]

A better captain,....I was on the Mardi Gras when we ran aground leaving Miami in 1972 or 73 on her maiden voyage. Well, the drinks were free anyway.

 

Good Grief! If you hadn't run aground you wouldn't be part of Carnival history. The

entire cruise industry was laughing, but now most of it is owned by the Arisons, and

the other part wants to be.

[junglecat]

Ziploc baggies for shells, and wet bathing suits. Less clothes & shoes. You're in your bathing suit more than you think. You do NOT need clothes for every single day.

[westview1]

More than one bathing suit. I now bring at least 3. No one likes getting into a wet bathing suit. Also power strip and my own hair dryer.

 

When I think back to our 1st cruise it's funny how clueless we were. Thankfully we had dinner with seasoned cruisers who really helped us with tips and tricks!

[Rowan555]

Small ziploc baggies to bring cookies, croissants, etc back to the cabin for our kids to snack on throughout the day/night. We never thought to do this until several cruises in. It comes in handy when there's nothing available but pizza and room service and you or your kids just want a quick snack before bed. We grab an extra danish or croissant at breakfast, and a few cookies at lunch, and usually by bedtime someone eats them. It's saved us having to wait for room service several times.

 

Also - sunblock and sunglasses - both are very expensive to buy on the ship, and often even in port, if you forget yours.

 

This is kind of random, but was a learning experience for us. EXTRA SHOES! I pack very, very lightly, and usually bring a pair of sandals and a pair of dress shoes for me, and a pair of crocs and a pair of dress shoes for my kids. Well, on one cruise, I brought new casual shoes for myself, and by the middle of the cruise my feet had blisters from them. I bought a $15 pair of flip flops in Costa Maya to wear instead, and they were AWFUL. I threw them away when we got home. More recently, my daughter was enjoying the Waterworks area on the Fantasy before we set sail from the first port. When the ship left port, the wind kicked up, and one of her Crocs flew overboard. It happened so fast, no one could do anything about it. She spent the rest of the cruise wearing dress shoes (uncomfortable Skechers mary janes with a bit of a heel) - to the beach, to Camp Carnival, to the pool - and that sucked. So yeah, even though I still pack light, EVERYONE gets an extra pair of shoes in the suitcase!

[luvcdays]

More pictures! It was our Honeymoom cruise in 1979 and I can only find 2 pictures and one of them is me with our waiter. Thank goodness for memories...

 

Have a great first cruise!!!

[FamilyDoc]

We bring an over the door, clear, shoe rack with us every cruise. We hang it on the closet door and it collects all of the misc stuff that otherwise doesn't have a home in the cabin. (Camera, batteries, scrunchies, sail and sign card while in the room, extra casino chips, hair brush, ziplock baggies, mp3 cords, sunscreen, memory cards, hmm, lots of other little things.)

 

Oh, another thing we always bring is small portable speakers for our MP3 player. (There isn't a radio in the room.) If you are at all prone to diarrhea when you eat rich food, bring your own Imodium. They don't sell it on board and if you go to the infirmary for it they will quarantine you. (That being said, if you are feverish or ill with it--go. Diarrhea can be a sign of several contagious illnesses.)