Top 5 must brings!

[weltek]

My top five things I'd take on a CRUISE specifically (things I wouldn't otherwise take on standard vacation):

1) Highlighter for marking up the daily activities/specials handouts

2) Bug spray for Caribbean destinations

3) Ponchos. On land based vacations, I'd just stay in the hotel or go to a museum all day. Not for me on a crusie!

4) Little elegant purse. Great for throwing my cards in and some lipstick for an evening on ship.

5) Powerstrip. There's never enough outlets in the stateroom (well, for us poor folk that can't afford large suites and villas!)

 

Can I add 6? I'd say a backpack for a day in a location where I might need a change of clothes, change of shoes or snorkel gear. It's rare I need this, but there's often one stop in the Caribbean where we're far from the ship all day and have lots to do.

[Harleycat]

1) a set of sheets (I'm allergic to most detergents)

2) medications

3) a good book

4) spare battery and card for the digital camera

5) dramamine - I usually only need it one or two nights

[Greselda]

1. One 21" and one 25" suitcases for all our clothes and stuff (not each)

2. Small clock = you don't know how many times you look at it!

3. DH's french vanilla powdered coffee creamer (makes any coffee tolerable)

4. Extra Rx glasses, sunglasses (2), and extra Rx medications

5. Cold, Flu and headache meds

 

Sorry that these are over 5.....but they are lifesavers:D

[Senoj84]

travel alarm clock or cell phone alarm clock

passport

camera

bathing suit

sun shades/sun screen (I've got to look fabulous & protect my eyes and skin, lol)

my waist pack to carry my necessities on board

 

I know it's 6 but can't help it!

[Senoj84]

 

5. An awesome partner in crime who knows how to have just as good of a time as you!!

 

Your # 5 is very important. I always seem to get stuck with wet blankets.

[NWHairGal]

To hold the door open.

Nice! We'll be doing our first "balcony" this next trip and wouldn't have thought of a bungee cord! Awesome tip!!!

[katz]

A roll of bubble wrap and scotch tape for any breakables that I might purchase.

A copy of our passports

Phone numbers of credit card companies in case one is lost or stolen.

Our laptop, so that we can download our photos each night and put them in a folder for that day. Makes things easier once we are home and trying to remember what picture we took where.

A ziplock bag with an assortment of OTC meds---just in case.

[NWHairGal]

Nice! We'll be doing our first "balcony" this next trip and wouldn't have thought of a bungee cord! Awesome tip!!!

One more thing we bring. Those tiny inner tube floaties (sold at Walmart for 99cents). The ones that you can fit a thigh through (literally). They are tiny, so they are easy to pack, cheap so you can toss them out at the end of the trip, and blow up/deflate fast. They are little so, literally we can fit one thigh through, but they are just big enough to float you in the water from your chest up. We each get one. I tried to bring one of those net loungers, but we always went back to the tiny inner tubes as they were more handy. Sounds strange but they were so fun!

[euro cruiser]

I read this thread before my cruise this summer and was very glad I brought a power strip and an over-the-door organizer based on what others had said. I also bought a water bottle but forgot to pack it, unfortunately. It would have come in very handy for iced tea by the pool - the glasses they provide are too small and glass near the pool is a no-no.

 

Whenever I travel, regardless of whether I'm on a cruise or a land trip, I carry lots of different sized zip lock bags, my own over-the-counter medications, and a small makeup bag that holds a variety of pens, pencils, highlighters, post-it notes, a corkscrew and a calculator. After a bad experience at London Heathrow where my luggage was left on the tarmac in the pouring rain between flights, I now pack everything inside my bags in space bags and zip lock bags. Inside each I include a fabric softener dryer sheet to keep things smelling nice and which can also be used if I do laundry on the trip. I even put things in my carry on inside zip lock bags - it makes it so much easier to repack when the TSA folks go through my stuff. It also prevents a rerun of the time a TSA person pulled my "just in case" change of clothes out of my carry on and dropped my underwear on the floor :eek:.

[Drumbum1977]

1. Flipflops

2. Ipod

3. New book

4. sunglasses

5. Wife

[scapel]

WHAT DO I HAVE FOR A CRUISE.

Rubber band around wallet to impede pickpockets. Use extra one to keep the wrap around one attached and prevent loosing it.

Bungy cord- help hold back our sliding veranda door one time. Also use it to secure a coat to outside of carry on.

Duct tape—repair work if needed.

Extension cord and an additional three way to make 5 receptacles from one.(lighter and takes up less room than a power strip and extension cord usually longer) I actually had two extension cords on last cruise and used them both.

My cell phone is also a PDA, so I have to bring it. Has the Itin. Readily available.

Always carry a copy of passport in carry on and also a copy of birth certificate.

Pack a small tool kit to fix things needing fixing on board. (don’t put in carry on)

Highlighter for daily program things to remember

Sticky Notes- pad to leave messages for cabin attendant.

Clock

Small flash light at bedside

I like the suction hooks for extra hooks on mirrors- Won’t stick to wood.

Mug to put drinks in to keep them cold and also not have to refill juice so often.

Put name and cabin number on mug so honest people know where to return it if left.

Sometimes an extra thermos to get coffee if room service poor.

[MrsPete]

I'm going to assume that this question doesn't include basics that no one would leave home without: Cruise documents, bathing suits, sunscreen, and the like. I'm assuming that this question is asking for extras or niceties, things that would enhance the vacation.

 

My five:

 

Kindle electronic reader, which holds a plethora of books, and which also holds copies of our passports

Prescription sunglasses -- I don't know how I ever lived without these things!

Camera & extra batteries; pretty much, photographs are the only souveniers we care to bring home

Lanyards for the kids' Sea Passes, otherwise they'd always be locked out of the cabin

Depending upon excursions planned, my own snorkel gear -- I am not using snorkel stuff that's been in someone else's mouth. If something else is on the excursion menu, I might bring something else island-specific.

 

To tell the truth, I had a hard time coming up with five. Beyond your own clothing and toiletries, you don't need much to enjoy yourself on a cruise.

[Zubsin]

1 A couple bottles of Wine

2 a few extra hangers

3 beach bag to carry towels and stuff to the beach

4 snorkel gear

5 DH

[jocap]

I thought I'd packed- then I saw this thread had come back up the page, and as I read, I've been up and down collecting what you've reminded me of.....binoculars-clothes pegs-WINE!-. I've just got a new passport, and think I'll take the old one that comes back with the corner cut off- might be better than a photo copy, and might give someone in Barcelona a nasty shock if they nick it!- jocap.

[mactrio]

I've read tons of tips on packing for a cruise - but my question is really about cruise-specific items that you cannot live without on a cruise ship in particular = e.g. your travel mug, extension cord etc.

 

What are your top 5 items that you MUST take with you on a cruise ship?

 

1. Family (hubby & son)

2. Glasses/contacts

3. camera/memory cards

4. meds for seasickness

5. passport

[mickieandlee]

1. stainless steel coffee mug

2. over the counter medications (on the ship a tiny tube of cortisone

cream was $16)

3. my pillow:)

4. hanging air fresheners for autos (put them in stinky shoes overnight or in dirty laundry bags).:p

5. several copies of passports

[NWHairGal]

OK, got back from our vacation and have to say the bungees are excellent!! We brought 2 longer ones. Just slipped them into an outside pocket in a suitcase. Although we didn't use them to hold the door open, we were able to hook them together and hook them to the edges of the balcony banister, which made an excellent clothes line. I also brought a handful of clothes pins in a zip lock bag and clothes were ready by morning!!! (one bungee wouldn't have been long enough to stretch the length of the balcony)

[silverado44]

1. Passport

2. money and credit cards

3. smuggled booze

4. condoms

5. board shorts

[Dani24]

My top "musts" include:

 

1. Extension cord. We use it a lot, for all of our various chargers (camera, Kindle, toothbrush, electric razor, iPod, laptop, etc) and for my hair dryer/flat iron/curling iron (I'll frequently have 2 or even all three plugged in at the same time, plus a charger or two!)

 

2. Extra contact lenses. I'd have an awful time if something happened to the only pair I had, and I was forced to not see the rest of the cruise.

 

3. Lanyards. Often times I'll be wearing a dress or swimsuit and wrap, and won't have any pockets. The lanyard saves my tush every time.

 

4. An extra duffel bag. I bring one that folds down compactly, and use it in case we need more room for souveniers. I think we used it on all but one of our cruises! Of course, we haven't taken a cruise since the new baggage fees went into effect...

 

5. Ziplock bags. I bring a few of various sizes. I use these to secure and/or separate items in my shore bag. I use them to separate cash for various things (a different bag for the money for each shore excursion, one bag full of $1s and $5s for tips, one bag with casino money, etc). I also use them to pack wet items for the trip home, like swimsuits and stuff from the shower/bathroom, so it doesn't get other stuff wet. And I use them to pack any items that I think may leak (like shampoo or sunscreen or even breakable items bought in a port that have liquid inside). That way, if it breaks/leaks the mess stays contained!

 

6. Mini bottles of Purell on the rubber "clips". These bottle have the rubber thing around the bottle that allow you to clip it onto a bag or belt clip. We keep this with us so we can always sanitize without having to find a bathroom or hand sanitizer station.

 

7. Photocopies of our passport, ID, credit cards, travel insurance policy, and other travel documents. We'll take one set of things with us while at port (along with everything else, we always have a copy of our travel insurance policy in our shore bag, in case we get abandoned at the port and need to contact someone), and leave copies of everything in the safe in case our bag is lost/stolen.

 

8. Tote bag, backpack and/or Camelback. Perfect for toting a twoel/book/sunscreen/etc up to the pool, and also good for using in the ports. The camelback is great to have in the ports so we always have fresh/clean water.

 

9. Magnets. On Princess, at least, the stateroom walls have steel underneath, so you can use magnets on them. We use the magnets to hang the newsletter, tickets for tomorrow's excursion (so we don't forget them), notes to each other, or whatever.

 

10. Our appetites! I saved the most important for last. You can't go on a cruise without it!

[GirlWriter]

The ones that you can fit a thigh through (literally). They are tiny...

 

You obviously have not seen my thighs ... ROTFL ... if I got one big enough to fit my thigh through (each of which is larger than my waist, sadly), I'd end up having to pay a surcharge on the luggage.

 

:D

[choirchick]

Flexible should be the operative word on any cruise!

A sense of humor and a flexible attitude! :-)

[poobears]

#1 all the basic necessities clothes, meds, contacts etc

 

#2 bottled water

 

#3 Dh of course :)

 

#4 Passports

 

Hmm can't think of another, usually a mini fan but probably will try to survive without one this year since Carnival won't allow plug in ones anymore.

[silverado44]

One more thing we bring. Those tiny inner tube floaties (sold at Walmart for 99cents). The ones that you can fit a thigh through (literally). They are tiny, so they are easy to pack, cheap so you can toss them out at the end of the trip, and blow up/deflate fast. They are little so, literally we can fit one thigh through, but they are just big enough to float you in the water from your chest up. We each get one. I tried to bring one of those net loungers, but we always went back to the tiny inner tubes as they were more handy. Sounds strange but they were so fun!

 

I dont understand. If you can only fit one thigh through (LITERALLY), then how can you float from your chest up. Wouldn't you float from the thigh, up? Or maybe your thighs are higher than your chest?

[rigldbrg]

I simply cannot get on a cruise ship without:

 

5. Camera

4. I-pod

3. Bathing Suit

2. Dramamine (sp?)

1. My wife!!!!!

[NMLady]

I presume that clothes are a given on the must have so here are my 5:

 

 

The 'first aid' kit I made: Bonine, Imodium, cold pills, aspirin, etc.

 

Camera

 

at least one novel

 

my journal for writing each day about the cruise

 

my research notes on the various ports