First cruise - what to pack?

[diamond forever]

bring a small alarm clock and a personal watch of some sort

[m4yb]

bring a small alarm clock and a personal watch of some sort

 

Totally agree! On land I use my mobile (cell) phone to check the time. On a ship, the phone stays in the cabin, in flight mode. Despite being on holidays, there are so many activities one has to go to at a specific time.

Plus a timepiece is very useful in an inside cabin where one loses track of time when not seeing daylight.

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you!

 

Still a couple more:

 

At dinner, is wine/other alcohol included? I'm not much of a drinker, but it would be nice to have a glass of wine in the evening to relax.

 

Is it possible to buy something from the shore during the day (say a bottle of beer or wine) put it in your carry-on bag and take it back to the ship? Or do they check all carry-on bags at the port?

 

Generally speaking, wine or alcohol is not included. But they will sell you a beverage.

Check with your cruise line re taking alcohol onto the ship. Some lines allow it, some do not.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Remember manners and patience.

Don't sweat the small things.

[Bonnie J.]

We sail out of Charleston, SC a lot and can't stand the water the ship gets there. So, we bought a water filter for about $18 at Lowes. We have the room steward take off the nozzle on the bathroom sink and we put the filter there. Now we know we have good water. I also have a thermos I fill with ice water. It goes ashore with us and I have it with me for days at sea when I live on a chaise.

 

As for packing: for 7 days my husband brings 3 pairs of pants- who is going to realize he wore those pants two days ago?

I put on a bathing suit every morning. I have a cover up for the ship and can put shorts over the suit as we go to beaches. The bathing suit comes off when I dress for dinner.

 

We have cruised over 100 times since 1984 but still bring home something we didn't wear! And, we each only have a carry-on size suitcase and have do=ne 14 days & B2Bs with just them.

[peaceful85]

Generally speaking, wine or alcohol is not included. But they will sell you a beverage.

 

Do you know how much a glass of wine or beer costs aboard RC? (just an approximation).

[Sipsey]

Do you know how much a glass of wine or beer costs aboard RC? (just an approximation).

 

This has been my experience, and many posters here seem to have had similar ones:

 

Most drinks are slightly higher than what you would spend in a bar or restaurant stateside.

 

Some ships offer buckets of beer that offer a small savings over buying individual bottles.

 

I haven't bought a bottle of wine in the MDR, but from what I remember from reading the wine list, it's pretty pricey.

 

There's usually a drink of the day special that is about $1 or so cheaper than regular cocktails.

 

My rule of thumb is: don't plan on finding any bargains on drinks. You will probably spend more than you wanted to unless you are very disciplined. Cruise lines don't make much if anything off the cabin charges, and they make it up part of it on beverages.

 

You can get some good deals on liquor in the ship store, but they won't deliver it to you until the last night on board.

 

I am not going to quote prices since it's been a while since my last cruise, but I hope this helps you.

[puppycanducruise]

Do you know how much a glass of wine or beer costs aboard RC? (just an approximation).

 

Not sure about RC, but on ships we have been on, a glass of wine starts at about $7 for house wine, and the price of a bottle of wine starts at about $25, after that, the sky's the limit. Many cruise lines offer a wine package, and if you don't finish a bottle they will store it for you for the next time. Price varies by cruise line and wine.

Also, there may be a Happy Hour in the bars, buy the second drink for $1, and just carry your drink(s) into the dining room. Check your daily planner for time and location.

Drinks are not cheap on the ship, but it is your vacation.

Don't forget they add a 15% gratuity to the price too.

[peaceful85]

Thanks for the replies all!

 

Since it's a 7-night cruise, would it be a good idea to buy something (a bottle of wine) from a local store while ashore? Can you then take this bottle back to the ship in your carry-on bag? (Is this allowed on RC?)

Assuming one drinks two-three glasses of wine per night, I'd estimate savings of about $100.

 

 

Additional question:

Do some people stay in the ship during daytime? I.e. instead of going to shore excursions, stay on the pool deck etc.?

Edited December 19, 2013 by peaceful85

[Cruise a holic]

Thanks for the replies all!

 

Since it's a 7-night cruise, would it be a good idea to buy something (a bottle of wine) from a local store while ashore? Can you then take this bottle back to the ship in your carry-on bag? (Is this allowed on RC?)

Assuming one drinks two-three glasses of wine per night, I'd estimate savings of about $100.

 

 

Additional question:

Do some people stay in the ship during daytime? I.e. instead of going to shore excursions, stay on the pool deck etc.?

 

 

I am not sure if you can bring wine on board from the ports- I do not think you can. You are allowed to bring two bottles on board when departing. They will charge you a corking fee if you do not have your our corkscrew.

 

Yes, some people ( like my DH and I ) enjoy the ship when the crowds leave for shore excursions. We have been to so many islands multiple times that one of our favorite things is to stay on board a nice quiet ship.

 

Enjoy.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Cruise a holic

[Sipsey]

If you buy liquor or wine in a port, they will package it up when you get back on board and deliver it to your room before you leave. Same applies to booze you buy in the gift or liquor shops on the ship itself.

 

They pretty much have you by the short hairs if you want to drink on the ship. Budget accordingly.

[beachbum53]

I'm taking part in my first cruise - a week in the Caribbean during Christmas holidays. I'm getting a bit nervous on what to pack. I want to travel lightly, yet have all the necessities.

 

First, a question about drinking water - do I need to buy bottled water (the cruise operator is Royal Caribbean)? Can I do that at the port before the ship departs?

 

Can I pack some snacks in my suitcase, e.g. peanuts, granola bars etc., mainly for shore excursions? Or are those forbidden for some reason (do they check your luggage)?

 

Would it be a good idea to print out maps of the islands the ship visits?

 

Those are just a few questions that came to my mind. Feel free to give any other advice! :)

 

No need to buy bottled water (unless you like the convenience). We have a couple of Thermos brand leak-proof insulated water bottles that we take with us. Klean Kanteen is another popular brand. There are several to choose from. To us, it's important that the water bottle is leak-proof and insulated, so that the water stays cold, even in the hot sun. Stainless steel is more durable than plastic. For shore excursions, we both have packable backpacks, and each has mesh pockets on the sides for carrying water bottles. That's something you might want to consider, for carrying water, snacks, and any other essentials you might want to take ashore with you. And, a packable backpack takes up very little room in a suitcase.

[pandarider123]

I just want to add a couple of comments.

 

We like to take bottled water with us off the ship. It's important to stay hydrated.

 

If you think you will be hungry thanby all means bring some snacks with you for the ports and just bring them from home. Why waste time in port trying to find something.

 

And one way the other have a map. The lines we sail on provide one and if we think we need something better we make up a map or find one on the internet.

 

Keith

 

If you plan on going on long excursions I'd bring a water backpack..like 20 $ at walmart

[donaldsc]

Bring a highlighter for daily schedules that will be left nightly in your cabin so you can highlight your favorite activities.

 

As opposed to the ball point pen that you will find in your cabin?

 

There are many very long threads of "must haves to bring" in CC. Read them all and list everything that they say to bring. Then be sure to bring none of the items on the list. They are all useless.

 

I am being serious. If you brought 1/10 of the stuff on these lists. you would have 2 - 3 suitcases of totally useless junk.

 

Most people totally over pack on their 1st cruise.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

I am not sure if you can bring wine on board from the ports- I do not think you can. You are allowed to bring two bottles on board when departing. They will charge you a corking fee if you do not have your our corkscrew.

 

 

 

Enjoy.

 

On my last Princess cruise, we brought 6 bottles of wine on board. Two in each of our suitcases and 1 each in carry on. That way, if they found some, we would still have wine to drink. Even if we lost some which we did not, we paid less than half the ship price for the wine so if we did lose half of it (which would never happen), we would still break even. Anything less than 1/2 loss and we are ahead.

 

BTW - you do not need to bring your own corkscrew. The cabin steward was very happy to leave a corkscrew, daily wine glasses, and a filled 2nd bucket for the wine. We did forget the wine bottle stopper which was sort of a pain however.

 

We are going to be on a 26 day cruise out of Rio in March. I have already determined that there is a wine shop in the Rio airport and plan to use the same strategy.

 

DON

Edited December 20, 2013 by donaldsc

[pandarider123]

As opposed to the ball point pen that you will find in your cabin?

 

There are many very long threads of "must haves to bring" in CC. Read them all and list everything that they say to bring. Then be sure to bring none of the items on the list. They are all useless.

 

I am being serious. If you brought 1/10 of the stuff on these lists. you would have 2 - 3 suitcases of totally useless junk.

 

Most people totally over pack on their 1st cruise.

 

DON

 

Its all subjective some lists some people would never use the stuff on it and some find it useful. 3 bags? Could always be like me and bring a army surplus duffle bag..room of 3 bags in one duffle.