What are those "Odd" things some of us would never think to bring?

[justluv2cruisewithhubby]

Travel size Lysol spray to spray down the shower curtain, need I say more :)

[HeyPaul413]

I never forget my "Boca Clips". These clips attach to your towel to the pool loungers. Towel always stays in place even during a windy at sea day. These clips are GREAT! I found them at Bed Bath & Beyond. This thread as been so helpful. Thanks

[kag19]

I second the ziplocks. Dead useful for tons of stuff. Also, wildlife safe sunscreen and our vinni bag (with wine going, and any breakable souvenirs coming home)

 

That is amazing!!! I want!!

[JulieRose]

That is amazing!!! I want!!

Yep, they're awesome... They're reusable and waterproof too so even if the bottle does break (which it really shouldn't) you're covered. With the price to do laundry, they're totally worth the investment. My mother had a bottle of wine break in her luggage on her last cruise and it cost her way more than one of these bags to clean it up.

[denamo]

Hooded rain ponchos.. have gone on every cruise and land vacation with us, even though we have never had to use them.

 

We put these in our backpack that also serves as a carry on when flying and take along on excursions. We have used the ponchos on an Alaska cruise. Also good for some of the Caribbean islands when afternoon showers happen. We also carry a small travel umbrella along.

 

4 clothespins - for balcony or shower drying of bathing suits.

Lots of $1 - for tipping and shopping in port

PATIENCE - let everyone else rush to go wherever, I'm on vacation!!!

 

Another great use for the clothespins: If you are on a cruise ship with a shower curtain rather than doors, clip the clothes pins along the bottom of the curtain to weight the curtain from "attacking" while showering. May want to take four extra clothes pins just for this.

 

One suggestion I recently saw on the boards is a list of medications including the dosage amounts for yourself or any travelers with you. If an emergency happens, this information can be valuable especially if you have a traveler who can't tell you. Also if under a stressful situation, it's may be hard to remember.

Edited November 29, 2012 by denamo

[melbur]

Yep, they're awesome... They're reusable and waterproof too so even if the bottle does break (which it really shouldn't) you're covered. With the price to do laundry, they're totally worth the investment. My mother had a bottle of wine break in her luggage on her last cruise and it cost her way more than one of these bags to clean it up.

 

or there is the "WineDiaper" - similar concept, works great!

 

http://winediaper.com/index.html

[marci22]

Auro-dri in case you get water in your ear. I have 3 kids so it has come in handy.

 

Powder to get the sand off if you go to the beach.

 

Ziplocks.

 

Sun visor.

 

ps I have packed 4 inch scissors in my checked luggage on every cruise I have taken and they have never been confiscated.

Edited November 29, 2012 by marci22

[JulieRose]

or there is the "WineDiaper" - similar concept, works great!

 

http://winediaper.com/index.html

 

I like that those have a handle and will absorb spills but they're also not see-through so I would imagine that you are more likely to get stopped and asked to remove the bottle from it to prove that it is wine and not something else...

[marci22]

Why not just buy a box of large huggies/pampers and use a few of those to pack your wine in. Tape is already on it.

Edited November 29, 2012 by marci22

[cruise3122]

One blank personal check for "just in case $$". After I get onboard, I usually just put it away in the safe with our passports. RCL will cash one personal check for $200 for you on the cruise (with driver's license/I.D.). Gives me peace of mind that I'll will always have cash available at the end of our trip for tips, gifts, taxis, baggage handlers when we debark or at the airport, etc. Most times I never use it, however a few times it has come in very handy!

[Candleonwater]

I like the idea of Post-its... so DD can at least let me know she's alive!

 

I couldn't help myself this past cruise... looking at the mirror, thinking... it would be SO easy to bring some kind of marker (non-permanent of course)... to scribble messages back and forth on it...

[MonaCK]

If you are prone to stomach sensitivities due to the richness of food, make sure you bring diarrhea medicine with you. They do not sell this on the ship - you will have to go to the ship's doctor to get some so that they can verify you do not have Noro. After years of traveling with my mom who had some severe stomach sensitivities due to the leukemia medicine she was taking, this has become a must not leave home without.

[JeffKoz]

If you are prone to stomach sensitivities due to the richness of food, make sure you bring diarrhea medicine with you. They do not sell this on the ship - you will have to go to the ship's doctor to get some so that they can verify you do not have Noro. After years of traveling with my mom who had some severe stomach sensitivities due to the leukemia medicine she was taking, this has become a must not leave home without.

 

My ex used to have the opposite problem...could not do anything in new environments and that would lead to some pain about day 3. She started bringing correctol with her and saved a lot of aggravation without having to use something harsh like milk of magnesia.

[coasters]

Aside from those already mentioned by others...

I always pack a copy of our itinerary in each suitcase - just in case it gets separated from us.

I keep a list with me of everything I packed (and in which suitcase) ...

I keep a photo of my suitcases in case asked to describe if lost.

Good wine bottle corkscrew

Extension cord with multi tap (to charge several items from 1 outlet)

Upload to cloud (or thumbdrive) images of important papers I may need to reference while traveling (insurance, credit card, passports etc.)

Small safety bathmat and suction cup bath handle

Downloaded PDF's of all the user manuals for electronics I have with me.

Small flashlight

blank DVD & CD's to record and/or share copies of photos taken for safe keeping.

Keep a list of inoculations each of has had and when.

I make sure before leaving home that I have important email addresses just in cast I need to reach them in the event of emergency.

Hope this helps...

Jerry

[cathep]

Love this thread!

 

If you're driving to the port, bring your own snorkeling equipment. I buy it when it's marked down at the end of the season if I know we have a cruise coming up. You can get it 50-90% off which is so much cheaper than renting it there.

[LAatl]

that's a great idea (the ziploc bags)

Edited November 29, 2012 by LAatl
forgot something

[Sequim88]

if we had sought to do harm or make mischief with sharp objects, we could easily have gone to the Windjammer for a knife.

 

Always amazed me that airlines and other venues allowed bringing music CDs or disks for laptops. Not so much an issue anymore with MP3 players and jump drives but snap a CD in half and it makes a virtual box cutter - especially with a little touch up sharpening with an emery file. :eek:

 

One indespensible item for me is my thin zippered three-ring binder with pockets for cruise and airline documents and place to clip copies of all the hotel and other reservations & confirmations. Also pockets for photo copies of the main page of passports. As confirmation pages and touristing tips pages are no longer needed they get tossed and replaced with Cruise Compases.

 

#2 item is printed cruise specific "business" cards with our names and email addresses. Easy to print sheets of detachable cards and great for passing out to people we meet for sharing pictures and memories later. Usually take 50 just in case but use maybe 20.

 

#3 - heavy duty plastic spring type wood clamps - like industrial strength clothes pins. Better for drying on balcony chairs if windy. We only dry while ship is moving so the extra hold is necessary.

 

Ditto on the small LED light by bedside when getting up without waking partner.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Sequim88
can't type

[LAatl]

We buy a $5 pop-up hamper (walmart) to put under the desk/table...that way we throw dirty clothes in there and not the suitcase. We also bring a dry-erase marker to post notes to the cabin steward...they just wipe it off. We always bring a sharpie and post-its...allows us to leave notes to other members of the party if left on their door. plastic cup (with lid/straw) to bring iced tea and water from restaurants to common areas and my room.

[alphakitty]

#1. Moleskin for blisters

 

#2. A body pillow sized pillow case. I always sleep with a body pillow at home. When going on a cruise, I pack the pillow case. It works well with 2 pillows in it. Just ask the steward for extra pillows.

 

#3. Not novel by any means, but the over the door shoe holder really does work wonders to contain so much clutter.

[pcur]

We also take a handheld scale with a hook on one end to weigh our luggage after packing to go home. We usually come in at 49.6 - 49.9 lbs.

 

A fan that works on batteries or an electrical adapter. Hubby likes a cool bedroom and doesn't want to take a chance the a/c is not up to the task in our cabin.

 

I take a uv blocking travel umbrella. It cuts the temperature underneath by about 15 - 20 degrees, and comes in very handy while standing anywhere in tropical places. I also use it for walking in unshaded places. It's also my rain umbrella,and I just pop it in my bag whenever we get off the ship anywhere.

 

Like the previous poster: LOTS of moleskin and bandaids for my feet.

Edited November 29, 2012 by pcur

[waterbugohio]

I use travel space bags (the ones that you just roll) to pack my clothes in.

 

then unpack the clothes and use the bags as "dirty clothes hamper" A day or two worth of dirty clothes. Roll the bag up and put in in the empty suitcase. It also makes packing to go home much easier.

[KBD1516]

I don't want to forget anything important :)

 

Door decorations. Magnetic clip and papers to hold for notes from other people (cabin door is steel). We got a small magnetic dry erase board for our door for notes. Magnets to hold those invitations or lists on the wall inside.

 

Window clings to decorate window or balcony - makes the cabin easier to spot from the dock.

 

Call your credit card company and tell them your location(s) and dates. That way they won't stop them if they see a charge from a "strange" place.

[Clarea]

We also take a handheld scale with a hook on one end to weigh our luggage after packing to go home. We usually come in at 49.6 - 49.9 lbs....

Agree with this. Back in September we had 3 suitcases at 49 pounds. If we didn't have the scale, we would have been moving things around at the airport check-in counter.:o

 

Bob

[melmar02]

Luggage tags!!

 

Last cruise DH's color tag had come off during debarkation, and they put it with the rest of the unidentified bags. Because he didn't have a luggage tag on the bag, they didn't want to give it to him when he finally found it - they wanted proof it was his bag first (I thought that was odd since the color tag pick up is kind of an unmanned free for all anyway). We usually have copies of our passport id page in our luggage, but for some reason this bag didn't get it's copy before we left. They finally gave his bag to him when he realized he had torn off an old airline luggage tag with his name on it and stuffed it in the side pocket. All our bags have those plastic tags now just in case.

[m*u*g*]

that's a great idea (the ziploc bags)

 

I always pack quart and gallon ziploc bags on every trip, cruise or otherwise. Someone always find a need for one.

 

Roll them up and put a rubberband around them.