Top 5 Things You Must Pack

[4boys4mom]

The over the door shoe organizer is a must. Have taken one each cruise for the last four. I also take one of those pop up hampers, folds flat, for dirties. I ususally leave them behind for the steward, 3 times they hinted how clever they were...so I leave that and the hamper, remember they live four to a room a little smaller than an interior. I also leave a calling card in a thank you note, along with an additional tip (hell, I know what it is to clean up after my family:rolleyes: ) and usually the book I finish on the cruise.

[773 Miles Away]

Twin-size flat sheet for the beach. Sand brushes right off, and it will dry in no time hanging over the shower curtain or your balcony chair. Lightweight to carry in luggage.

 

THIS is genius.. I don't know why I never thought of that before. Does the sheet get nasty though when you lay down after going in the water? I can't imagine sand.. soaking through.. but.. I can't imagine it holding up like towels do..

 

Other things to bring.. Aloe sunburn spray, drycleaner plastic bags to put nice outfits/dresses/suits in so they won't wrinkle when you pack them, a watch - you'd be surprised how often that is forgotten.. and that's bad when you don't want to miss the ship!, a fancy purse if you insist on bringing one to dinner - otherwise your casual one REALLY clashes with your formal gown.

[Nate'sMa]

First Cruise on Thurs. What do you use the over the door shoe holder for?

[back2tampa]

what do you need duct tape for?I have read threads and the only thing i can think of is to tape your boxes up when you leave the ship...

[jckvpa0]

First Cruise on Thurs. What do you use the over the door shoe holder for?

 

You can use it on the bathroom door to hold all your incidentals because there isn't much counter space. Great for holding suntan lotion, brushes, body lotion, sun glasses, you get the idea.

[haras]

Gina: I agree about the conditioner......which product do you recommend??? Thanks!

 

Mona,

 

I swear by pantene. It's not very expensive, but it's the best! I have really fine, thin, long hair and it's the only conditioner that will get my tangles out.

 

Love this thread!

[haras]

Oh I feel stupid -- I didn't even look at the date of the OP...well, I hope Lee had fun! :p :o :D

 

I just realized how old this thread was! haha. Oh well...it's a great one and since my cruise is in 9 days, i was very excited to see it. I responded to the OP too, so you're not the only one feelin' silly. :rolleyes:

[haras]

First Cruise on Thurs. What do you use the over the door shoe holder for?

 

I don't know about you, but I always tend to bring 7 or 8 pairs of shoes. The closets are small and it makes life easier by having the shoe hangers.

[KaddyKappy]

Get some of those clips attached to a suction cup at the office supply store. You need at least two to stick to each side of the shower for the curtain, otherwise, your shower curtain will "owe you a nice dinner" for the pleasure!

 

:):):)

[daaling]

just returned this week from "Holiday"..must haves...suction hooks..4/1.00 dollar tree..fab for wet towel in bath/hang up..nighty..steam or wrinkle release use..clothes pins u/d shower curtin edge kept from slapping me..over the door shoe holder.. DT again..for toilet items..use a wreath hanger ....extra hangers..go to dry cleaners for xlong bags .25 ea..for formal attire in hang bag or accordian fold in suitcase. a tall insul coffee glass for morning..sipper for pool area..shampoo in sm cont.as well as toothpaste , deo, hairspray etc..go to pharm sample area.. I got extra male/female gifts for steward/din rm(spray perf, writing notes paks, russ stover chocks)..also $1.00's n $5.00's ..new..take to printer n hv glue edge applied...50 ea. to peel off for tips..Mexico loved them..prices arereduced for US$..even on items over $100....I got 50 1.00's $120 in 5's.got offered price redux on purchase. Also free Marg coupons on line for Panchos Backyard...biz cards..or personal calling cards w/email addy for those new friends.ext cord..3 plug outlet..nite lite for IS cabins..phone/charger will alarm n tell time, or small clock..cabin phone has wake up feature too..get kids $5 mini bungee cord watches to keep trak of time..a canvas wallet w/separators for tiks, cash, id, passport note paper, copies of ins card, pp, dl, cc..in place other than where origs are. wash ups /towels for on shore.just daiky living stuff...judi

[tvleaker]

The absolute best thing I have ever taken on a cruise is a fan....keeps the air moving and most importantly drowns out any noise day or night...sleep with one at home and never travel without them...And a fifth of wiskey and Tylenol PM

[773 Miles Away]

also $1.00's n $5.00's ..new..take to printer n hv glue edge applied...50 ea. to peel off for tips..

 

You can do that?? you mean take dollars and turn them into a notepad? If so.. that's amazing

[truecruiser]

Oh I feel stupid -- I didn't even look at the date of the OP...well, I hope Lee had fun! :p :o :D

 

that's okay pucarter -- theses types of threads are always helpful. My top 2 picks: a digital alarm clock (so you can see what time it is in the middle of the night); and an insulated (travel) coffee cup (together with sponge wand to clean it).

[tankersbabe]

Gina: I agree about the conditioner......which product do you recommend??? Thanks!

 

I actually found the tubes of conditioner that they give you with hair color now work the best. Easily transportable and strong enough to get the job done while on board.

[Lonedaddy]

This is the list I have put together. We are traveling with a small family group so I plan to share this with them. You might not need all of these things. I am known for always being prepared so I might pack things you would never need. Thanks for the tip about the twin sheet, I added that. :)

 

Packing List for Cruises

 

· Binoculars

· Ginger Root Capsules

· Clothespins

· Power Strip

· Night Light

· Pepsi & Bottled Water

· Sinus/Headache Medications

· Visine

· Imodium

· Band-Aids/Neosporin

· Ones and Fives for tips

· Photo Mailer to pack pictures in.

· Hairdryer

· Jacket/Sweater

· Ziploc Bags

· Sewing Kit

· Travel Mugs

· Highlighter & Pen

· Post It Notes (Large Sized) & Sharpie

· Solid Air Freshener

· Ozium

· Sunscreen

· Hand Sanitizer- Bottled and Wet Ones individual packs for excursions/beach/pool

· Fanny Packs

· Snacks for Excursions (Individual packs crackers, fruit snacks, etc.)

· Lysol & Clorox Wipes

· Door Decorations

· Aloe Vera Lotion

· Clothes Steamer

· Scotch Tape

· Book

· Swiss Army Knife

· Bubbles for Sail Away

· Hair Dryer

· Golf Balls for mini-golf (the ship’s disappear)

· Crystal Light single serve packs

· Twin Flat Sheet for beach

 

 

so are swiss army knives allowed - I know they are not on planes but what about the ship

[NorthAlabama]

I have always...be it cruise or land based vacations, taken a can of Lysol and sprayed my room down well, right after entering it. Spray all the door

handles, bathroom fixtures, tv remotes, telephones, even the fabric covers on chairs and the bedspreads. Anywhwere that there could be

germs hiding...spray them. With the recent outbreak on the Liberty, I think this is worth reminding others of as well. A little prevention goes a

long way in such a situation as this.

 

Along the same lines...HAND SANITIZER....take a regular sized bottle to keep in the room and a small bottle to keep in your pocket or purse. This

is handy when going to the buffets or dining room as well as for when off the ship in the ports. You never know what kind of creepy crawlies you may encounter and what kind of hand washing facilities you may or may not have available.

 

Also---my last cruise was an Inside Room and I had read many post regarding taking a night light for the bathroom since these rooms are quiet dark. What I found and what I had not read, was that the night light needs to be a "power failure" type of light. I was on the Fantasy and unless we had the power switch to the bathroom in the "on" position, there was no power to the electrical outlet in the bathroom and thus a

standard nightlight that operates off of power did not work. Oh well.....

lesson learned.

 

On a previous cruise, I found that the room airconditioner was quiet well at putting out cool air, however the blower did not move it around well.

Back in September when preparing for my last cruise, I found the small

desktop size, childrens fan's on clearance for something like $2.24. They

had them in a Hello Kitty and Super Hero's design. This fan really put out some air and did a great job on circulating the cool air and kept the room

comfortable as well as providing just the right amount of "white noise."

 

I have found that rather than pack all items on a return trip home, I have chosen to leave them behind in the room---hoping that the room steward

will take them for themselves. I often wonder how they replenish their stocks of personal supplies when they have so little time off ship in ports.

The items I typically leave behind are the can of Lysol that was used to

spray down and sanitize the room....the bottle of Soft Soap hand soap brought along for use in the bathroom, a UNLIGHT candle used to freshen the room air, and usually several packs of gum or mints. This last cruise,

I left an almost full bottle of Dove hand lotion and Halloween decorations.

(We got off the ship the day before Halloween)

 

I did have a ship employee tell me recently that one of the items they have a hard time getting replenished is socks. They can pick up most

Health/Beauty aids in shops at ports, but that items such as socks require

them finding a department store and that sometimes that proves to be a challenge for them. Next cruise....I will take along a couple packages of

socks to leave behind.

 

Oh well..enough rambling from me....time to go plan that NEXT CRUISE.

[Guest CRUZIN' SUZIN]

1) Advil, Aspirin, Tylenol, or the like.:(

 

I need those for those early mornings that are surprisingly just a few short hours after my very late nights with Foo-Foo's at the dance club:eek: Last cruise, I ran out and almost panicked. Found out they had pain relievers at the purser's desk (they only give you a few at a time better to have your own supply) and I almost kissed the Purser's assistant when she handed me a little pack of "Hang Over No More's" (a.k.a. Advil)

 

2) For a 7 night cruise I bring a mesh laundry bag so that my dirty clothes are kept in one place out of the way and do not have to share space with my clean clothes.

 

3) Small bottles (trial size) of Aloe Vera, hand sanitizers, body lotion, hand soap and lip balm. I take these in a small Glad ziploc bag with me on my beach/tour excursions.

 

4) Plastic garbage and food storage bags to place items that may spill or are damp when packing to go home.

 

5) Expired charge card/old sail and sign to use for the safe so as not to damage an active credit card.

[shawilson]

aqua socs or the like - some beaches can be rocky

 

cell phone charger - cell phones are great for an alarm clock, mini light to get to the bathroom, but if you forget the charger.....

 

Prep H - you might be eating differently than you body is used to so......

 

Those mini packs of toilet seat covers and tp rolls - very tiny (I think mine are Charmin), can fit in a small purse, but priceless when the situation presents itself during an excursion in a foreign land

 

I don't go anywhere without my Purell (mini version again) in my pocket. Everyone might what to pick up some for Christmas shopping at the mall. I noticed last weekend that stores have started putting waste bins right by the last door to the restrooms, so you can use the paper towel to open the door, then toss it, without direct hand contact to the restroom door.

[Jsme]

What a cool older thread.

 

These are not in order like priority to number 5 and I bet mine will be repeats of what others have said already.

 

1. Leave in conditioner - cuts the frizzies

2. Pen and highlighters

3. Walkie talkies

4. Post it note pads- to leave notes for the kids on the mirror

5. A lanyard and hole punch. Punch a hole in your card and put on the lanyard. I also buy a watch from the dollar tree that I can put on the O ring on the lanyard. I have a cool anti bacteria Purell holder that I also attach to the lanyard. This way I have the important things around my neck.

[mabecruzin]

Hi.

 

In regards to digitals pics, we brought our laptop and we had a thumb drive. We ended up meetings some great people, so my hubbie transferred all the data from the TD to the laptop and transferred our pics over to it so they have a copy of all our pics, and they in turn allowed us to download their pics from their card to our laptop. So by the time we got home, I was able to put together a web album on picasa for all to see.

[sjcruiser]

The top five items I got off this board that I will take on my next cruise.

1. Duct Tape, Duct Tape, Duct Tape. How many people laughed and then wanted to borrow my duct tape!
   
2. Air freshener-speaks for itself. LOL
   
3. Shoe Rack from Dollar Store -Hangs out of the way and stores everything from shoes, sunglasses, all those receipts and other items.
   
4. Power Strip-For cellphone charger, computer charger, digital camera battery charger, IPod charger.
   
5. My own Medicine Cabinet-Pain Reliever, Sea Sickness Meds, Anti Diahrea, Pepto Bismal, Band Aids, Etc.

I think I used some of everything or gave someone else some of everything I had.

[frawgdawg26]

duct tape....for whatever comes up....suitcase repair....to fix your window after a rogue wave!.......

gonna need more than duct tape to do repairs after a rogue wave!:eek:

[mntravler]

These are all great ideas thanks. I'm going to try the fan for the cabin this time, and also spray sunscreen I saw a lot of people with it and it looked a lot easier and you can get all the places you forget about.:D 33 days for us:eek: :eek:

[jandjfun]

A FLASH LIGHT!! After seeing the video of the fire on board the Princess ship(?) I will pack my flashlight before I pack a bathing suit! It looked DARK!!

[ladycaveat]

Don't forget a good set of earplugs if someone in your cabin snores . . . :eek: