"Essentials" prices onboard

[Clarea]

6 hours ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

Lol@ Pringles being included as an "essential"😂😂

 

You never know when the cruise ship will run out of food.

[Starry Eyes]

25 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

You never know when the cruise ship will run out of food.

Hmm, are Pringles really food?😀

Edited June 12, 2019 by Starry Eyes

[Dajbman22]

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

 

You never know when the cruise ship will run out of food.

 

LOL, Honestly though I can see the demand for it as sometimes late at night all you want is a simple salty snack, not pizza, finger sandwiches or desserts. My wife usually desires that kind of food later in the evening, but we make sure to stock up a couple "back up" bags of chips from Park Cafe for the room for just such an occurrence. 

[johnjen]

A can of Pringle's might be essential for some, LOL. I remember they were $6.50 on Anthem last year.

[Lionesss]

One of the spray on sun screens was $17.00 on board the Allure.

 

We priced it because we were running low.

 

Purchased the same product in Puerto Rico for $8.00

 

Safe travels

[hancogran]

I forgot to bring hairspray on our Vision Transatlantic this past April and the only place that sold it onboard was the Spa.... Price for a small spray bottle was $34.95 USD!      Needless to say, I went with messy hair until we got to Ponta Delgada!! 

[CRZR58]

Last cruise we went on, we just took carry on baggage on the plane. Instead of buying special and expensive travel sized, we stopped at a pharmacy close to the dock to pick up essentials. Left the leftovers behind.

[Bailey & Sophie]

17 hours ago, Starry Eyes said:

Hmm, are Pringles really food?😀

Yes. It's actually in the food pyramid. 😄

[vacationlover_mn]

One thing we’ve never seen for sale onboard is pepto/Imodium.  If you need that, I think they want you to go down to medical, in case you have Noro.  Both my DH and I occasionally get a “nervous stomach” when traveling, so we always bring some with us.

[bucfan2]

All 'essentials' are greatly overpriced, and worth every penny if you're in dire straights, unorganized when you pack, or simply too lazy to shop elsewhere...I'm grateful for what they offer, and hope I don't need to purchase any of the items.

Edited June 13, 2019 by bucfan2

[crochetcruise]

I'm on prescribed medication, so will check with the Pharmacist what product/s I can safely use, and buy from my local chemist, so I know the risk of a reaction should be controlled. Watched my mother have a reaction between a prescribed and an over-the-counter medications, scared the heck out of Dad and I, so we are both now VERY cautious about mixing prescribed and over-the-counter medications. I won't even choose a different brand of vitamin without the Pharmacist's guidance, and I admitted to being afraid of making a mistake. He laughed and told me, "I'd rather you asked for my guidance rather than get sick with a clash of medication, 1 of yours is strictly regulated." I've been with the same pharmacy for several years, and the staff know me now.

 

I will be organising a basic First Aid Kit and Webster Paks packed and supplied by the Pharmacist containing prescribed and over-the-counter medications when I travel. I had a fall the other week resulting in an ambulance trip to hospital, no serious damage just a very big fright! It's cured me of going into darker areas with my walker, didn't realise there was a sloping driveway and a drop at the end of where I was walking, until the walker went down and I followed!

[vacationlover_mn]

4 hours ago, crochetcruise said:

 

I will be organising a basic First Aid Kit and Webster Paks packed and supplied by the Pharmacist containing prescribed and over-the-counter medications when I travel. I had a fall the other week resulting in an ambulance trip to hospital, no serious damage just a very big fright! It's cured me of going into darker areas with my walker, didn't realise there was a sloping driveway and a drop at the end of where I was walking, until the walker went down and I followed!

We are paranoid about one of us getting sick on vacation (probably because one of us usually does), so we always pack a small supply of cold meds, tummy meds, etc.

[cynt]

I had to purchase contact solution a few cruises ago.  That looks about right $13 or so for it. I remember it was less than $20 but more than $10.  I keep a toiletry bag packed and I didn't check the amount of contact solution in the bottle so of course I ran out on the cruise. LOL!  We always take $100 for incidentals on most vacations. So it wasn't a big deal. 

[crochetcruise]

22 minutes ago, cynt said:

I had to purchase contact solution a few cruises ago.  That looks about right $13 or so for it. I remember it was less than $20 but more than $10.  I keep a toiletry bag packed and I didn't check the amount of contact solution in the bottle so of course I ran out on the cruise. LOL!  We always take $100 for incidentals on most vacations. So it wasn't a big deal. 

 

Respectfully, would it be practical to check if anything needs replacing or refilling in your toiletry bag a week or 2 before the cruise?

 

I try to check when I come home from a trip, and just before I need to leave, so I can buy anything that is running low, and have a back up with me. I do not need contact lenses, but I wear glasses, so must make sure I have lens cleaner in my toiletry bag. THANK YOU for discreetly prompting me, I could so easily have forgotten to pack the bottle!

[vacationlover_mn]

On a related note, I always remind my DH to double check he has packed his spare glasses every time we travel.  He is legally blind without them, so if his only pair broke, it would be tragic 😞

[crochetcruise]

15 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

On a related note, I always remind my DH to double check he has packed his spare glasses every time we travel.  He is legally blind without them, so if his only pair broke, it would be tragic 😞

 

A VERY good point! I am also Legally Blind, so have written myself a note to make sure the previous prescription sun and regular glasses are packed as a Back Up. THANK YOU for mentioning that, I didn't even THINK about taking spare pairs!

 

Looks like it might be an Inside Cabin with a Virtual View for me pricewise. A good reason to be out and about exploring the ship.

[Starry Eyes]

17 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

On a related note, I always remind my DH to double check he has packed his spare glasses every time we travel.  He is legally blind without them, so if his only pair broke, it would be tragic 😞

That is a good reminder.  We pack our spare glasses, too.

 

Contact lens wearers should bring extra lenses and even those who think they “never wear their glasses” should nevertheless pack glasses anyway.  On a recent cruise, a women in the D lounge was lamenting that her contact lenses fell off the countertop into the toilet.  She forgot spare contacts and she never brings glasses.  Listening politely, I thought mostly of reasons one can temporarily not use contacts (corneal abrasion, ulcer, infection) and would need those glasses.  Seems like bad karma and silly not to pack them.

Edited June 14, 2019 by Starry Eyes

[Sancho_proudfoot]

Yep, l wear contacts and lost one during the day at work - 75 miles from home. (Weaker eye/stronger lens, too) Didn't have either a spare or my glasses with me, made for an uncomfortable/extra careful drive home.

 

As l use daily disposables, l now have a spare couple in the glove box of the car.

[er345]

Back to the prices in all those photos, some of them are not unreasonable.  Yes they are more than if you bought them at home. But many of those items were less than double the normal cost. 

 

Of course we all plan to be prepared. But as OCD as I am with my lists and advance packing and double checking, over the years I have had to make numerous extra purchases for the one thing I left behind, or didn’t think of.  It’s a running joke in our family that DH has to buy new sunglasses on pretty much every trip and I seem to never have earbuds. 

 

And having experienced surprise severe flu symptoms on several vacations, I wouldn’t care if the medicine was $50.  If you are desperate to feel better, you are just so grateful to find relief.

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, er345 said:

Back to the prices in all those photos, some of them are not unreasonable.  Yes they are more than if you bought them at home. But many of those items were less than double the normal cost. 

 

Of course we all plan to be prepared. But as OCD as I am with my lists and advance packing and double checking, over the years I have had to make numerous extra purchases for the one thing I left behind, or didn’t think of.  It’s a running joke in our family that DH has to buy new sunglasses on pretty much every trip and I seem to never have earbuds. 

 

And having experienced surprise severe flu symptoms on several vacations, I wouldn’t care if the medicine was $50.  If you are desperate to feel better, you are just so grateful to find relief.

We have occasionally forgotten or misplaced an item while on a cruise.  Though we pack OTC meds, once in a while we deplete our supply or develop an unforeseen need.  Then, the prices can seem far less important.  I am glad the shops have some items available.

 

It might be risky to count on such availability, though.  I recall a sadly funny thread (not sure which cruiseline) where a woman needed feminine hygiene supplies (lost luggage, maybe?) but none were available in the shop.  A cabin stewardess was kind enough to take up a collection some from fellow crew members to help the guest until she could purchase at next the next port.

Edited June 14, 2019 by Starry Eyes