First Time Cruisers

[Domino D]

Enjoy your trip.

 

A refillable water bottle

A lightweight sweater or jacket to wear on deck at night

A hat

Over the counter medicines (stomach, cold, pain relief, etc.) 

Headphones and downloaded podcasts or music (for me this is a must as it increases my patience and happiness while in lines)

 

and if you are like us....

Layout your clothes, then put half of them away and pack the other half.  Even then I bring back clothes I never wore. 

[birdofsong]

Thing I can't do without:  my portable clothes steamer.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[SRQbeachgirl]

One thing we could not live without when cruising with our son was a shower curtain to hang from magnetic hooks so that it separated the cabin dressing area from the rest of the cabin. This allowed someone to change clothes in privacy without being trapped in a steamy bathroom. We also used this in some of the hotel rooms at Disney World when the dressing area wasn't separated from the room with a door.

[bighairtexan]

Skip the clothes steamer. They're on the prohibited list and there are plenty of photos on here of the "naughty table" where they've been confiscated.  (from the RCI webstite of prohibited items.... )
 

• Candles, Incense, Coffee Makers, Clothes Irons, Travel Steamers & Hot Plates. (Items that generate heat or produce an open flame. This includes heating pads, clothing irons, hotplates, candles, incense and any other item that may create a fire hazard. NOTE: The only exception to this policy are curling irons and hair straighteners. Matches and normal lighteners are allowed onboard. However ""torch lighters"" and novelty lighters that look like guns are not allowed onboard. Torch lighters emit a powerful concentrated flame, and therefore are prohibited.

[poncho1973]

1 hour ago, birdofsong said:

Thing I can't do without:  my portable clothes steamer.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

 

This isn't good advice.  They are not allowed.

[Doug S]

If you are gonna do the pools / water excursions, I'd bring 2 swimsuits per person. Wearing on alternate days allows time for them to dry.  If you are space challenged you can 'blow dry' them, but they still always feel damp to me.  

 

Stuff like sun screen, batteries, common meds, basic first aid supplies, toiletries cost too much in ship's shops, so pack what you think you may need or try to buy in port. 

 

Potty spray. 4 people - one tiny bathroom.

 

If you do bring hangers, just pack cheap wire ones and toss them at the end of the cruise. No need to pack them home.

 

No need for a hamper.  I use one of my large unpacked suitcases to collect all my dirty clothes.  Slides under the bed. They are going to end up there anyway.

 

I try to pack as few shoes as possible. My early cruises I felt I had to pack brown and black dress shoes, casual loafers, workout shoes, walking shoes, sandals, slaps.... and I'd wear my nice boots on (Texas).  Our shoes took up a suitcase. Now I pack  2 pair, and wear one. Less is more.

 

In tight quarters, especially with 4 in a cabin, a shoe holder works great to keep stuff accessible.  If its just my wife and I in a JS there is plenty of room and its not needed. Easier to coexist if everything has a place and stuff isn't thrown all over. 

 

We usually just drive a few hours to port, so we have room to pack one of those bladeless fans. Bulkier than the little 12 volt ones, but nice to have in the room.

 

We use a small bedside clock that has a flashlight on it when you pick it up. I originally got it at Brookstone. I also have a strong small rechargeable flashlight that can be used to charge phones and such in emergencies. Some like a small battery-tea light as a night light.  

 

Pack an empty expandable duffle to allow for purchases and such.  Always seem to come back with more than we took.

 

If you are going to use lanyards for seapass cards, you can get those at office stores, at home store in the key section, or online before you get there. For kids at least, the lanyards work really well. For adults its a love it-or hate it debate. I use one with my fav sports team on it, and just clip card off and pocket it on formal nights.. 

 

If you wear glasses, pack an eyeglass repair kit. They take no room, and I have had my glasses come apart several times on vacation.  Never sitting at home???

 

Straws..  Not a fan of the falling apart paper ones they are using now.  Bring reusable ones, or grab a handful at McD's...  

 

Beach/pool bag(s) for toting stuff to pool deck or excursions.

 

 

That's probably more than you need to know, but I got carried away...

[Ren1216]

We bring several of the items mentioned already, but also: 

 

travel size insect repellent (not sure if it would have helped, but really got chewed up by sand fleas in Mexico one time)

extra battery for the camera plus rechargeable AA & AAA as needed (and charger)

extra memory card, they can malfunction and I never want to miss out on vacation pics (plus I back photos up every night to prevent loss)

couple safety pins, never know when something needs a quick repair

a couple ponchos especially for the kids, rain happens (we got drenched one day, was miserable)

a small Tap Light or battery tea light is a good idea for the bathroom, that light is fierce in the middle of the night (no outlet in the bathroom)

travel size Febreeze... ya never know what might need a little freshening

 

Have a wonderful first cruise!  I've no doubt the whole family is going to have an amazing vacation.  Cheers!

[ashley0308]

9 hours ago, Doug S said:

If you are gonna do the pools / water excursions, I'd bring 2 swimsuits per person. Wearing on alternate days allows time for them to dry.  If you are space challenged you can 'blow dry' them, but they still always feel damp to me.  

 

Stuff like sun screen, batteries, common meds, basic first aid supplies, toiletries cost too much in ship's shops, so pack what you think you may need or try to buy in port. 

 

Potty spray. 4 people - one tiny bathroom.

 

If you do bring hangers, just pack cheap wire ones and toss them at the end of the cruise. No need to pack them home.

 

No need for a hamper.  I use one of my large unpacked suitcases to collect all my dirty clothes.  Slides under the bed. They are going to end up there anyway.

 

I try to pack as few shoes as possible. My early cruises I felt I had to pack brown and black dress shoes, casual loafers, workout shoes, walking shoes, sandals, slaps.... and I'd wear my nice boots on (Texas).  Our shoes took up a suitcase. Now I pack  2 pair, and wear one. Less is more.

 

In tight quarters, especially with 4 in a cabin, a shoe holder works great to keep stuff accessible.  If its just my wife and I in a JS there is plenty of room and its not needed. Easier to coexist if everything has a place and stuff isn't thrown all over. 

 

We usually just drive a few hours to port, so we have room to pack one of those bladeless fans. Bulkier than the little 12 volt ones, but nice to have in the room.

 

We use a small bedside clock that has a flashlight on it when you pick it up. I originally got it at Brookstone. I also have a strong small rechargeable flashlight that can be used to charge phones and such in emergencies. Some like a small battery-tea light as a night light.  

 

Pack an empty expandable duffle to allow for purchases and such.  Always seem to come back with more than we took.

 

If you are going to use lanyards for seapass cards, you can get those at office stores, at home store in the key section, or online before you get there. For kids at least, the lanyards work really well. For adults its a love it-or hate it debate. I use one with my fav sports team on it, and just clip card off and pocket it on formal nights.. 

 

If you wear glasses, pack an eyeglass repair kit. They take no room, and I have had my glasses come apart several times on vacation.  Never sitting at home???

 

Straws..  Not a fan of the falling apart paper ones they are using now.  Bring reusable ones, or grab a handful at McD's...  

 

Beach/pool bag(s) for toting stuff to pool deck or excursions.

 

 

That's probably more than you need to know, but I got carried away...

 

Do the kids need to have the seapass cards on them at all times??  Can I carry the cards in my lanyard? Do they need them at the kids club?

[Doug S]

11 minutes ago, ashley0308 said:

 

Do the kids need to have the seapass cards on them at all times??  Can I carry the cards in my lanyard? Do they need them at the kids club?

Been a while since mine were that age (youngest is now 27) but if they are going to have a soda package or play any arcade games they would need it on their person. Not sure of rules/need for kids club. If they are going to have any free roaming privileges at all they would need them for the room key. Unrelated side note on arcade games - be careful as they can run up some serious charges.Set limits.   

[gmryan]

16 hours ago, birdofsong said:

Thing I can't do without:  my portable clothes steamer.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

I purchased one for our upcoming cruise in March on the Oasis and then read in different posts that I could not bring it onboard.

[gmryan]

2 minutes ago, gmryan said:

I purchased one for our upcoming cruise in March on the Oasis and then read in different posts that I could not bring it onboard.

Forget my response - I read further down that they are prohibited.

[poncho1973]

On ‎10‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 11:11 PM, Doug S said:

If you are gonna do the pools / water excursions, I'd bring 2 swimsuits per person. Wearing on alternate days allows time for them to dry.  If you are space challenged you can 'blow dry' them, but they still always feel damp to me.  

 

A handy trip several on this board have shared is to hang them up for a while, wring them out, and then roll them very tightly in a dry towel.  I couldn't believe how well this worked.  I still put them in a trash bag just in case they aren't totally dry.

[SherieW321]

Another thing I forgot to mention was to bring a small travel digital clock (battery operated) or wrist watch that isn't a smart watch. As the ship crosses time zones, it does not necessarily always mean that the "Ship Time" reflects "local time". Make sure you refer to the ship time, which you can always view in your RCI app. We carry a very small, compact travel alarm clock (seriously so tiny that it folds closed and is smaller than a deck of cards) so we don't set our phone alarm and have them auto update to local time when we dock somewhere and then potentially miss our excursion. 

[wishuponasea]

We bring a pad of paper and a pen.....in case we need to write notes (cabin attendant, etc.). A small container of laundry detergent -- to wash items in the sink. a thin rope to string across room (use with strong magnetic hooks), to dry more items. We recently bought a circular "clothes hanger/dryer" -- that uses a magnet to connect to the ceiling -- it has clips and works very well. Also, some Tide To Go Pens -- for stains. I "don't leave home without them"!  You will have a Wonderful Time! 🙂

 

[vacationlover_mn]

My favorite extras to bring are: ziploc bags for cookies, metal hooks for the walls, clip magnets for the walls (for paperwork), Lysol wipes to wipe down the remote control, door knobs, etc.