Need Great Ideas of clever things to bring

[Cruisin Christi]

Very good list above poster, thank you!

[Sea rabbit]

Just came back from 9 day Bermuda/Caribbean trip- here's my tips!

 

We used the shoe rack for the first time- LOVED IT! With 2 women (DD and I) in the same bathroom there were too many items for the storage areas. This allowed us to put shower items away and pull out just what we needed each time- kept the shower clear! The small sink area was clear too! I'm sure our cabin attendant was happy! Even had room for suntan lotion and hair stuff! Be sure to get one that is only 4 sections wide so it fits across the small door. Only 1 compartment was blocked by the door handle- and that could house small items easily.

 

We also used a ShamWow a few times to help swim suits dry- it helped for sure, but the suits were still a bit damp. It would be a big plus if the deck chairs were damp in the morning (ours were not as we had great weather! :))

 

My travel mug was great for in-room coffee. The cups that come with room service are tiny so I could fill the mug and enjoy 2 cups worth out on the balcony! Kept it piping hot too!

 

Extra wire hangers allowed us to hang most of our clothes since there was very little drawer space. We left them there. I would do that again.

 

I bought the "boca clips" that people have talked about here (at Bed, Bath and Beyond). They were great too! Better than plain clothes pins- although they would be an easy substitute. The clips were large enough and strong enough to hold a beach towel on the metal parts of a beach/deck chair in very windy conditions! Ours never came off.

 

Hi All what is a ShamWow? I am English and wondering if this is what we would call a chamois leather? Also what are these Boca Clips? Can I get them online? Thanks for the help. Loving the info from all you veteran cruisers. My first in July. Very excited x

[Polomom]

Hi All what is a ShamWow? I am English and wondering if this is what we would call a chamois leather? Also what are these Boca Clips? Can I get them online? Thanks for the help. Loving the info from all you veteran cruisers. My first in July. Very excited x

 

A sham-wow is like a chamois- I think it is a synthetic version. Soaks up lots of water from spills or wet clothing (roll the wet suit up in it and squeeze or step on it to get the moisture out!) Boca Clips are large plastic clothespin type clips. They have a very large clip area that will fit around the metal frame of a deck chair. You can securely hold a beach towel or swim suit without fear of it blowing away. Both are available online I am sure. I would not pay for a whole box of sham-wows... try to buy just 1 large one somewhere. (they last forever and can be machine washed)

[sailin'fun]

:D PACKING LIST

Purse/Back Pack:

Travel Pack - Originals see below. Keep with you!

Small bills for Porter gratuity at pier ($2 per bag in NYC)

$2 bills for special “little” tips

Pens, notepad, deck of cards

Carry On Bag: (Keep with u at all times)

Travel Pak - Photocopies see below.

Toiletries – see below

Bathing Suits, cover-ups, flip-flops/water shoes, hat or sun visor,

Sunglasses, eyeglasses/contact lenses & solution (pack the case too!)

Dinner appropriate change of clothing, jewelry

Pajamas, slippers

Camera, film, storage cards, batteries, recharging cords, underwater camera

iPod/MP3 & accessories, hand held games & accessories

Lightweight jacket or wind breaker, rain gear, umbrella

 

TRAVEL PAK: (personal document kit)

ORIGINALS - Make two photocopied sets. First set kept in Ziploc in your Carry-on-Bag. Second set kept at home with someone):

Cruise Documents

Forms of identification: Passport(s), Visa, Birth Certificate & Drivers License

Health Cards/Forms, Prescriptions

Travel Itinerary, Airline Tickets, Hotel Confirmations, Shore Excursion Confirmations, Travel Insurance/Baggage Loss Documents, Picture of all Luggage,

Travelers Checks & receipts, Credit Card & Numbers

Packing List

TOILETRIES

Prescription Medicines

First Aid Kit: Tylenol, Advil, Sea bands, sea sickness pills, Benadryl, throat lozenges, Antacids, Imodium, Waterproof Band-Aids, Butterfly Closures, Antiseptic Cream, Antibiotic Ointment, Moleskin.

Toothbrush, toothpaste & dental floss, mouthwash,

Shampoo & conditioner, Comb/brush, hair styling products, hair accessories

Soap, Moisturizers, Deodorant,

Sun screen, sunburn aids, Small insect repellent wipes,

Make-Up, Cologne & perfume,

Q-tips; cotton balls, baby powder, nail polish & remover wipes.

Clothes Pins, Plastic cable ties, duct tape, Clorox clean up wipes.

“CHECKED LUGGAGE ITEMS”

Razor, blades & hair removal products

Nail file; nail clippers; tweezers; small scissors

Beach bag, travel mugs with lids, candy & gum

Snorkel Equip.

Large & small Ziploc bags

Clothes pins, Small laundry detergent, collapsible mesh hamper, sewing kit

Binoculars, pocket-sized solar calculator,

Flash light/night light, small alarm clock, power strip/extension cord

Addresses & stamps, post-its; highlighters, envelope for receipts

Garment Bag (Use tissue paper in between delicates to reduce creasing)

Suitcase( Half of Matching Sets)

Suitcase (Other Half - Matching Sets)

I just cut and pasted your suggestions to make a copy. Wonderful! Thanks ever so much!

[sailin'fun]

Too cute! I may make a 'flat daddy' of my hubby to take, too. My kids are 19, 16, and 14 so they'll either be TOTALLY embarrassed or really get into it! Thanks for the tip! Loved the video!

[blueyesdm]

Can you purchase boca clips in the stores or only online?

I'm not sure I've ever seen these in the store before....

[cherjoe5]

Can you purchase boca clips in the stores or only online?

I'm not sure I've ever seen these in the store before....

you can get them at bed bath and beyond...........

cheryl

[donolyn]

Hi, our second cruise this Sunday on NCL Jewel (second time on same ship), how can I sneak my alcohol onto ship in Rum Runners?

 

I don't remember from my last trip if we had to go through metal detectors and have our "carry on" bags scanned at the port before we boarded our ship.

 

We are NOT flying, we are driving to the port, so if anyone has traveled on Norwegian recently, can you tell me if you had to put your bags through an xray machine before boarding ship.

 

thanks!

[johug]

We went to our local bank an get several "pads" of $1.00 bills. These are 100 $1.00 bills that are bound ( glued )together along the top edge like a note pad. When you want to tip, you just tear them out like a piece of paper from a pad and hand them out. We get them at Zions Bank in Utah. They charge an extra $3.00 for them but it is worth it. They are numbered in order so you can keep track of how much you have tipped and how much you have left. I believe you can get them online, but they are way more expensive. Check with your local banks for availability

[Cruisin Christi]

We went to our local bank an get several "pads" of $1.00 bills. These are 100 $1.00 bills that are bound ( glued )together along the top edge like a note pad. When you want to tip, you just tear them out like a piece of paper from a pad and hand them out. We get them at Zions Bank in Utah. They charge an extra $3.00 for them but it is worth it. They are numbered in order so you can keep track of how much you have tipped and how much you have left. I believe you can get them online, but they are way more expensive. Check with your local banks for availability

 

That is just awesome. Do I just ask the bank if they have 'pads' of ones?

[star09]

I am going to steal your awesome idea. Love it!!!

Me Too!!!

[itzhappyme]

Some of these ideas are great. Think we will need a door sign for easy recognition. DS wants it to say "Captain Awesome (and his mum)" ;)

[kayleesmeme]

I love the idea for the chocolates with the tips , and especially the thank you note attached.

 

Last year, I lost my voice right before we sailed. I forgot cough drops. The ship had some thank goodness, but they were a bit pricey. So I will have some , just in case next cruise.

 

We took the plastic shoe holder that hung over the door. It was heaven sent. It held all the small things so I didnt have to dig for them. I just opened the door.

Edited May 11, 2011 by kayleesmeme

[lassie21]

Flameless, battery operated candles - they add a nice, romantic glow to both room and balcony !

[JLvacation]

Everyone says duct tape.

 

Use for tapoing things, marking luggage, repairing anything, and as a lint roller.

Duct Tape is definitely a all around good thing to bring :D

[Nean29]

 

See you are from Marion, OH. DH was born in Marysville. I'm from Richwood. We were both born at Marion Hospital in 1947, long before it was known as Marion General Hospital.:D

 

I take hard candies as well as chocolate bars -- but we get the biggest smiles from the chocolate candy since the crew knows it's hard to transport it from home to ship.

 

I watch out for Hershey's special kisses prior to a cruise, i.e., Hershey's produces mint flavored chips around St. Pat's day, cherry flavored chips around Valentine's Day, etc.

 

Kit Kat bars seem to be the favorite of crew on all the ship's we sailed over the past few years.

 

Dianne

 

I made up little "goodie" bags with some candy and a phone card/other goodies along with a thank you charm and handed them out to staff that were helpful but usually don't get tipped i.e. guest services, etc. This was in addition to any tip.

 

I also made up a gift bag with goodies for our room steward and gave it to them on the first day as a pre-thank you for their hard work. Made sure they knew that it wasn't replacing their tip just an added thank you. I must say that we got really really good service for the whole cruise along with appreciation.

[JLvacation]

if you plan on doing any snorkeling ... bring cheerio's ... another guess showed us this trick .. you don't really need to bring them because they have them on the cruise .. just remember to bring them if you go snorkeling ... zip lock baggies and a little cheerio's will make you very popular with the fish :D

[Habenero]

After noticing that the majority of my cabin stewards came from areas that have a very spicy diet, I started giving some of my own chile blend (Habenero is 1/3rd by weight) to them. It brings a touch of home to them, as the ship board food is often bland by comparison!

[How'sBartCruisin'?]

I bought a Donald Duck, in a sailor suit, t-shirt with the sentence, "I'm on a Boat," above Donald. It gets a lot of looks during pre-boarding check-in and as I walk around the boat that first day.

[Habenero]

Another thing I like to bring is something small and odd enough that when photographed at a port of call, my friends can agree that I must have been there! On land vacations or while on board the ship, one of the little green men does a nice job. But in order to be seen in public with my wife, I have to resort to something considerably smaller and less conspicuous. ;)

[rhcpchika1]

Thanks for all of the tips and tricks! I copied and pasted a ton into an email; now I am going to go weed through them all and see what is pertinent for our family!

[deladela]

I read this thread before my first cruise(a lot has been added since then)and was SOOO glad I did. Our first cruise was DH and I AND our 2 teens in one cabin...the over the door shoe holder was amazing! Our cruises since have been the two of us, but I still wouldn't want to be without it. If I left everything else from these lists home, I would still bring the shoe holder. Next would be the power strip...ipods, cell phones, handheld games, hair dryer, curling iron/straightener, etc....the extra outlets come in handy! The highlighters, post-its, clothes pins are also handy...the rest I could do with or without, but these are the ones I think make my vacation more relaxing without too much added luggage space.:) Just my 2 cents!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

A sign for your cabin door.

[fesgrs]

omg! such a long interesting thread I have learned alot and have taken notes!

;) can't wait til Nov 6!!!!:D

[razldazlberi]

Before our last cruise I bought a money folding origami book. I would give animal tips to our steward and other kind wait staff. Our steward was so impressed with the little dollar animals. I gave him the book and bought another for our next cruise.

Our last cruise we stopped off at a clinic and donated medical supplies that I had been collecting, Band-aids, toothbrushes,aspirin,Tylenol etc.