First time cruisers--what to bring?

[travgurl]

What are the most necessary things that I need to pack for the cruise?

What do you recommend to prevent sea sickness?

[mustwork2cruise]

We bring Zofran ~ It is prescription and our DD calls it the "Magic Pill".

Most Importantly ~A positive attitude!

Have a great time and remember even a bad day on a cruise is better that your best day at work!

[habby]

What are the most necessary things that I need to pack for the cruise?

What do you recommend to prevent sea sickness?

 

Necessary:

Proof of citizenship (birth certificate/passport)

Photo ID (license/government issued ID/public school ID)

Proof you can pay for your sail and sign charges (cash/credit card/debit card)

 

Anything else is up to you!!

[Loralie]

Proof you can pay for your sail and sign charges (cash/credit card/debit card)

 

 

I was planing on using my debit card which has a mastercard logo on it. What kind of proof do I bring for that? Do you bring a bank statement? Sorry...just a little confused. LOL

 

Loralie

[RLG1023]

I took bonine about an hour before getting on ship and I never got sick, we even had rough seas a few nights bc we were going around a storm.

[kiffrig]

It's pretty windy on the ship, especially at night. This is true of every cruise I have been on (all of them have gone to either the Caribbean or Mexico). I always bring a sweatshirt or sweater that I can wear at night when we go up on deck. I tend to get chilly in the evenings for some reason.

 

I also always bring a small first-aid kit (band-aids, aspirin, tums, etc), more batteries than I think I could possibly ever need for my camera, and thanks to reading these boards---an extension cord for the room. You only get 1 outlet in the room, so an extension cord is a MUST.

 

My contributions to the list:

 

-sweater or sweatshirt for the evening

-first-aid kit

-batteries (lots of them!)

-extension cord for the room

 

 

Happy Cruising!

[Cotton]

:) I just replied to your seasickness question on another post.

 

Besides the necessary documentation that Habby posted....

 

1 - Take about HALF the clothing/shoes you think you'll need. I've learned to mix and match my outfits.

 

2 - Leave the iron, candles, etc. at home.

 

3 - Take any meds with you that you normally take.

 

4 - Take some good walking shoes for days on shore.

 

5 - Take some $1 bills to tip the guys at the dock who take your luggage...$1 per piece of luggage. Also for the room service delivery person - $1-2 each time they bring an order.

 

6 - Take a GOOD attitude. Everything may not go perfectly on a cruise, but it's too short (and expensive) a trip to grumble about it.

 

HAVE FUN!:)

[ndsumfun]

I was planing on using my debit card which has a mastercard logo on it. What kind of proof do I bring for that? Do you bring a bank statement? Sorry...just a little confused. LOL

 

Loralie

 

no proof needed for your debit card. that is what I use also.

[TexBear]

I was planing on using my debit card which has a mastercard logo on it. What kind of proof do I bring for that? Do you bring a bank statement? Sorry...just a little confused. LOL

 

Loralie

 

Unless you're sure you'll have enough funds in your debit card account, don't use it for the cruise! You could end up overdrawn and have to make payments with your credit card at the purser's desk!:eek:

[Cotton]

I don't own any credit cards. I use my debit card to book the cruise, establish credit on board, and that's it. Never a problem, but of course I make sure there's plenty in my account so there won't be any question.:)

[Ehpride]

I used my debit card too without a problem.

 

I took ginger and bonine for motion sickness (I'm prone to it). I took ginger everyday when I got up and took bonine for tenders, rocky seas etc...never once got sick.

 

My contributions:

-battery operated alarm clock (if you plug one in it can mess with the time)

-camera with extra film/memory and batteries (take pictures of everything!)

-camcorder if possible (we bought the travelogue but the video we took on grandma's camcorder was the best!)

-old gift card with magnetic strip for the safe

-a great attitude!

[gigem85]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=558468

[KOOLBEANS]

Ditto on the debit card and attitude and cord, no problems Mon! I bought an inexpensive watch 10.00 in the giftshop which glowed in the dark also for nighttime. Also, need to keep an eye on your time so you don't miss events going on....so much to do and so much fun you get carried away on the time...have to hurry up and rush to some more fun, fun, fun!!

[sunlover5]

Sticky notes!! I did use these to leave little notes for our cabin steward in case we missed him/her. I also used them at our precruise hotel in SJ since we were there for 3 days. They came in handy.

A watertight container for your sail/sign cards, money etc. when you go on a shore excursion.

Yes, make sure you have a battery operated clock. This past cruise we plugged ours in and it was the first cruise our clock when crazy. I will definitely remember the batteries next time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great cruise, you will love it!!

[TravlGrl]

Take LESS clothes than you would think. Don't overpack. Use the most of the space you have. I think someone already said to mix and match. That's really the best way to handle it so you don't end up with extra unnecessary luggage.

 

You'll probably want to buy some souvenirs while in port, so bring an empty tote bag with you that you can later fill with souvenirs and use as your 2nd carry-on when returning home at the end of your cruise.

 

Have FUN! :D

[TravlGrl]

Sticky notes!! I did use these to leave little notes for our cabin steward in case we missed him/her. I also used them at our precruise hotel in SJ since we were there for 3 days. They came in handy.

 

What kind of notes do you leave for your cabin steward? Do you leave little thank you notes, or are they little notes asking them to do things such as fill the ice bucket, leave more towels, etc (stuff that they may miss)? Or, are they little love notes? Just kidding. :eek:

[Fergus]

Don't forget a highlighter so you can mark any activities in the Capers that you don't want to miss! Mesh bags from the $1 store are great for stowing dirty clothes away, and a small hanging shoe type organizer works great for keeping little stuff like sunscreen, lanyards, camera, hair brush, etc. up off the limited counter space.