What items do you bring on a cruise "just in case"?

Absolutely nothing. We used to but now we have gone minimalist and we very much like travelling with less. So much easier and less cumbersome.

The extra stuff we bring takes up almost no space and if we didn't bring it and needed it, we either would have to do without or spend a whole port day searching for it No thanks!

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In a sandwich sized ZipLock:

Advil (both a small bottle and a couple of packets)

One packet Tylenol

Imodium

Bandaids in a few sizes including a large one

Neosporin packets

3 days of DayQuil and NyQuil

Handful of cough drops

Allegra Allergy

Medrol Dose pack

In my makeup bag (I keep in there whether I'm home or away):

Mini sewing kit w/ mini scissors and a couple safety pins (wallet sized)

Mini LED flashlight

Corkscrew

Tweezers

EpiPen (comes with me everywhere anyhow)

Spare pair of sunglasses (only if I'm going someplace sunny where it might be hard or ridiculously expensive to buy a new pair)

Spare pair of reading glasses

All of that would fit easily into a quart sized Ziplock. We travel carry on only.

My husband always carries a CPR shield and vinyl gloves in his pocket. (He's EMS and a CPR trainer) Hopefully he'll never need to use them on a cruise.

We don't bring seasick meds as every ship will give them for free either at the medical center or guest services (or both).

Also, ever since I paid a huge price aboard ship for cough syrup, i carry it as well as cough drops, and cold pills.

If I really need it, I'm OK with paying the extra cost. I'd rather not worry about "what if"s and pay an extra $5 for cough syrup than have to plan and pack for any eventuality (that 1% of the time).

Different strokes...........

Both of our doctors give us a prescription for antibiotics to fill and take with us on a cruise.

Sigh.......I wish this didn't happen, but doctors are so afraid of saying "no" that they just don't see the big picture.

If I really need it, I'm OK with paying the extra cost. I'd rather not worry about "what if"s and pay an extra $5 for cough syrup than have to plan and pack for any eventuality (that 1% of the time).

 

Different strokes...........

Agree to an extent. We bring a few days of cold meds and a handful of cough drops, but they are all caplets and take no space. We had to buy cough drops and cold meds for DH while in port(s) in Europe when he came down with a nasty head cold.

Riccola cough drops were easy to find, the meds he got for the cold from the pharmacy we think were Soviet (yes, I meant what I wrote) surplus, directions printed in Cyrillic script with no instructions from the pharmacist. The nasal spray was like kerosene, he used it once and tossed it. The cough syrup/decongestant (we think) was also horrible but worked and he was feeling much better the next day. He took the amount he would have had it been Robitussin or similar and hoped he wouldn't die of an overdose.

It made me begin to pack enough DayQuil and NyQuil caps to get through the worst days of a cold.

Sigh.......I wish this didn't happen, but doctors are so afraid of saying "no" that they just don't see the big picture.

Yup. Mine sends me off with a Medrol Pack due to my food allergies, but her opinion is that if you are sick enough to need antibiotics, you are sick enough to be seen by the ships doctor.

I forgot on my "just in case" list, I also bring an extra inhaler.

Both of our doctors give us a prescription for antibiotics to fill and take with us on a cruise.

Not to be a total jerk, but antibiotics will not work on a virus (like Norovirus) only on bacterial issues. If you have the ability to differentiate between the two then this may be a prudent move.

Both of our doctors give us a prescription for antibiotics to fill and take with us on a cruise.

How do you know which type of antibiotics? Not all antibiotics work on all things. And often people take antibiotics to treat things against which they have no effect whatsoever. :cool:

Not mentioned yet. I always take three chargers with me. Two for camera batteries and one for the kindle. Can not purchase these items locally.

Bob

We take a large zip bag with OTC meds for any occasion. On our first cruise many years ago. One of us had a problem and went to the ships doctor. 2 Imodium and a quart of electrolyte cost $80. Never again.

Also spare batteries. Don't forget them for your cameras either. Very expensive and time consuming to find sometimes. Chargers are vital.

We also like the battery powered candles for nite lights. Harry :cool:

We take a large zip bag with OTC meds for any occasion. On our first cruise many years ago. One of us had a problem and went to the ships doctor. 2 Imodium and a quart of electrolyte cost $80. Never again.

 

Also spare batteries. Don't forget them for your cameras either. Very expensive and time consuming to find sometimes. Chargers are vital.

 

We also like the battery powered candles for nite lights. Harry :cool:

Travel insurance will cover the doctor visit.

I take an extra camera battery and charger plus an extra camera that uses double A batteries. You can find double A's anywhere. A friend paid $45 for a camera battery in Hawaii that you can get on Ebay for $3 (including shipping).

Also wear a watch that has indiglo light in it.

The battery operated tea-light candles are great, and I give them to the crew at the end of the cruise along with a pack of batteries.

We look for ways to minimize space, so our 'what if' bag is just a quart baggie.

Tiny ziplock bags are available in craft stores; use them for just a couple days worth of meds, and label them with the brand, dosage and key ingredients. "Advil/Ibuprofen, 200mg, Dosage 2/4 hours"; sometimes I'll cut the dosage panel off the box instead.

Old contact lens cases or pill organizers are great for carrying small quantities of ointments like Neosporin, Vicks Vaporub, excema cream, Vaseline, etc. You rarely need more than a dab. Label the case with sharpie marker.

By downsizing the quantity of each we carry, that quart baggie holds enough for many situations.

In the bag:

Tummy, pain and cold meds

Lens cleaning wipes, eyeglass repair kit

Sewing kit, safety pins

Band-aids in a couple sizes, butterfly bandage

I also carry almost all these items in a zippered pencil case in my purse every day (we call it the magic bag). The key is carrying a small amount - not the whole 500 count bottle of Advil, for example.

Spare spectacles

Spectacle repair kit

Tiny sewing kit that I stole from a hotel amenity basket years ago

First aid kit, band aids, various bandages

Hydrocortisone cream for insect bites

Rehydration salts

Paracetamol (called acetominophen in US I think) Great for reducing fevers

Never used the spectacles or repair kit.

Everything else has been needed at one time or another.

 

I also carry almost all these items in a zippered pencil case in my purse every day (we call it the magic bag).

We call it the magic bag too. Most problems solved as if by magic by items in the magic bag

Imodium, Don't leave home without it.

here here I agree. I bring it and never had to use it. *knock on wood*

We have not had one of these "what to bring" threads in at least a week. Do a CC search - there are hundreds of these threads. Each of these "just in case" threads usually have hundreds of item on it so if you bother to look at them, you will end up brings a couple of suitcases full of useless "just in case" junk.

 

The answer to your question is to bring no "just in case" stuff. Whatever you do not have you can buy. You won't need the stuff anyway.

 

DON

The known exception in my personal opinion due to disability, is spare prescription glasses. I have both regular and sunglasses, and this year I will get a second pair of prescription sunglasses, even though I do have a good sun hat, I personally find prescription sunglasses control the sun glare and I focus better. With only 10% eyesight due to Legal Blindness, that's rather important to me, but respect that other people have different priorities for themselves.

Crochetcruise :cool:

Imodium (which thankfully we didnt need) and a couple of extra sun-hats because I was worried one might blow off into the sea and I really need sun cover when on top deck or at ports. I didnt need the extra hats but then again I never actually saw any for sale in the ship shop or at the ports so I was glad I brought them along - just in case.

We have not had one of these "what to bring" threads in at least a week. Do a CC search - there are hundreds of these threads. Each of these "just in case" threads usually have hundreds of item on it so if you bother to look at them, you will end up brings a couple of suitcases full of useless "just in case" junk.

 

The answer to your question is to bring no "just in case" stuff. Whatever you do not have you can buy. You won't need the stuff anyway.

 

DON

I carry many "just in case" stuff and always have room for it in my suitcase.....and I have used just about everyone of them and was glad I had it with me. You may prefer to spend your time looking for things you need on a cruise and paying a premium for them. I do not. Personal preference. Things I bring, mostly in travel size, (and have used almost all at least once if not a lot more) include: small sewing kit, safety pins, eye glasses repair kit, immodium, benedryl, tylenol cold, cough drops, cortizone, visine, tylenol, motrin, tums, bandaids, neosporin, downy wrinkle releaser, tide stain remover, nail repair kit, spare glasses and contact lenses, cork screw (from NCL), bottle cap opener(from CCL), small roll of duct tape, small flash light, batteries...I'm sure there are more that I just can't think of at the moment. I keep all these items in my over-the-door 24/7 along with toiletries, hair supplies, and makeup. The over-the-door folds up and fits perfectly in a rolling back up that I use when we travel by car and if flying I stick it in a garbage bag and put it in the bottom of one of my checked baggage. When we get to our destination we just unfold and hang up and we are all set to go. When I get home I hang it on a bar in my closet and refill as necessary for our next trip. We use this for all trips and not just cruises. For me it is a convenience that I won't do without. I prefer to everything I need at my fingertips. I hate having to search for it on my vacation and pay a premium for it....like I had to do with visine, benedryl, cortizone, batteries and eye glasses repair kit before I got smarter.

Chocolate Covered Espresso coffee beans - just in case the ship cannot make coffee. I need my caffine fix. ;)

In a sandwich sized ZipLock:

Advil (both a small bottle and a couple of packets)

One packet Tylenol

Imodium

Bandaids in a few sizes including a large one

Neosporin packets

3 days of DayQuil and NyQuil

Handful of cough drops

Allegra Allergy

Medrol Dose pack

 

In my makeup bag (I keep in there whether I'm home or away):

Mini sewing kit w/ mini scissors and a couple safety pins (wallet sized)

Mini LED flashlight

Corkscrew

Tweezers

 

EpiPen (comes with me everywhere anyhow)

 

Spare pair of sunglasses (only if I'm going someplace sunny where it might be hard or ridiculously expensive to buy a new pair)

Spare pair of reading glasses

 

All of that would fit easily into a quart sized Ziplock. We travel carry on only.

 

My husband always carries a CPR shield and vinyl gloves in his pocket. (He's EMS and a CPR trainer) Hopefully he'll never need to use them on a cruise.

 

We don't bring seasick meds as every ship will give them for free either at the medical center or guest services (or both).

Undoubtedly. But for the uninitiated, here's my story: on my first cruise, I had no fear of motion sickness because of all the reading I had done that said the ships are designed so pax won't feel the motion of the sea. Turned out that was wrong, as I found out on our cruise with malfunctioning stabilizers in choppy seas. The first evening, when I began to feel queasy, I started taking the meds from the bowl at customer service, but it was well into the third day of the cruise before I felt better (it took that long for the medicine to work fully.) Now I always bring my own meds so I can take a pill the night before or the morning of boarding, to prevent any possible problems. If the cruise is calm, I discontinue the pills. I am unwilling to miss a day or two of my cruise waiting for the medicine to build up in my system, so I am now always ahead of the game.

Duck Tape - I have used it every single cruise - especially when they open my coke boxes to check them - I have it on my arm as I check in. Taped up mine and a few others that were losing their cokes on the way to the ship.

and I have fixed a suitcase and use it on the luggage tags on the way back

Cough Drops, Sinus meds and sea sick pills - have used every time

And bath room spray - Never leave with out it

I would bring an alarm clock for backup.

I would bring an alarm clock for backup.

Not "just in case" but "just because" I have a small travel alarm that I always take with me when I cruise or travel outside the US as I often wake up during the night and need to look at a clock to see if it's time to get up or time to roll back over for a couple of hours.

When I travel domestically I just use my iPhone, but when I'm out if the country I lock it in a safe most of the time. (We purchased cheap "burn phones" for Europe so if they are stolen, broken, lost, etc., it's the equivalent of $15 to replace. I'm not even sure if they have an alarm function. ;) )