"I wish I brought ______ on my last cruise"

Hubby and I are likely heading to the mall for a little this afternoon (we have some gift cards to Macy's and some Macy's money expiring today) and might do a little cruise shopping while we're out

Anything you'd recommend bringing or wish you had for your last cruise? Hubby forgot his sunglasses on our honeymoon and wore mine most of the time because the gift shop only carried tacky women's styles (with rhinestones, etc) and there wasn't much outside of the resort. He'll definitely be bringing sunglasses this time around :D

What do men normally wear on "formal night" ? What kind of shoes would you recommend for ports?

I wish I had brought 100 FEWER POUNDS on my last cruise. That way, I'd have plenty of wiggle room in my drawers, and could eat even more...

we bring:

Pop up hamper--found at dollar stores (we put it in the closet so there is a place for dirty clothes)

a hanging shoe cubbie--hang it in the bathroom or behind a door to put small things in like hair clips, combs, brush, sunglasses, camera, ect so you have a small place for everything.

Rain slicker--dollar store

Battery alarm clock

small extention cord and powerstrip

I can't think of anything else at the moment... :D

My husband and I are also sailing on the Valor in May. We always take our bubba kegs with us. They're great for always having a cold drink on deck.

we bring:

Pop up hamper--found at dollar stores (we put it in the closet so there is a place for dirty clothes)

a hanging shoe cubbie--hang it in the bathroom or behind a door to put small things in like hair clips, combs, brush, sunglasses, camera, ect so you have a small place for everything.

Rain slicker--dollar store

Battery alarm clock

small extention cord and powerstrip

 

I can't think of anything else at the moment... :D

wow, those are all great ideas! I dont think we thought to bring any of that

Regarding what men wear on elegant night (formerly known as formal night): Usually the majority wear a dark suit or at least a sport coat and tie; don't let anyone tell you this is not true, it is fact. I always wear my tuxedo which I bought for cruising. We actually look quite good when we are rubbed out and waxed.

Doc

we bring:

Pop up hamper--found at dollar stores (we put it in the closet so there is a place for dirty clothes)

a hanging shoe cubbie--hang it in the bathroom or behind a door to put small things in like hair clips, combs, brush, sunglasses, camera, ect so you have a small place for everything.

Rain slicker--dollar store

Battery alarm clock

small extention cord and powerstrip

 

I can't think of anything else at the moment... :D

The pop up hamper we had on our Disney cruise was the best thing we took. Having 4 kids in their own room it worked wonders!:)

Fewer clothes. More money.

There was nothing I needed. Brought none of the additional things that people bring. Used our suitcases left open under the bed for dirty clothes. Got up without alarm clocks. Had enough storage space. Didn't use the extension cord with multiple plugs. Didn't need a bungee cord. Didn't need duct tape. I like not having vast amounts of "stuff" to cope with.

Although I admit to wishing to have brought fewer pounds too!

Regarding what men wear on elegant night (formerly known as formal night): Usually the majority wear a dark suit or at least a sport coat and tie; don't let anyone tell you this is not true, it is fact. I always wear my tuxedo which I bought for cruising. We actually look quite good when we are rubbed out and waxed.

 

Doc

Well, on our cruise there were MANY men without dark suits or sports coats.

So, despite being told not to tell you this, I will anyway. There were fewer tuxedos than last year at the same time, prompted I'm sure in part by the fact that ANY baggage other than carry on is now considered excess and charged for. And I saw fewer women in long dresses.

But this is a HOT TOPIC on CC so I am sure I will get flamed for saying this.

I wish I brought less clothing, I am gradually learning to do it and get better each cruise.

Love my over the door shoe hanger, couldn't go without it because I hate clutter!

Downey Wrinkle Release and a few plastic clothes pins for hanging up our wet bathing suits. I am also in love with the website www.minimus.biz

A pair of travel Ipod speakers

Although my guys liked to wear their sports coats since they don't get many chances to wear them for dinner, there were LOTS of men without sport coats. Did not bother us at all. We don't go to dinner to measure what the men wear. Having said that men in tuxes did stick out. Not in a bad way but they certainly were in the minority.

We brought a very small nightlight. Our girls were in an inside cabin and it came in very handy. We had an ocean view cabin and it was nice to have a little bit of light at night.

We also found the extension cord very handy as there was only one outlet in the cabin.

I brought the over the door shoe organizer as others suggested, but there was actually plenty of room in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and throughout the cabin that I didn't even end up using it.

The wrinkle release spray is also quite handy.

I wish I brought less clothing, I am gradually learning to do it and get better each cruise.

 

Love my over the door shoe hanger, couldn't go without it because I hate clutter!

Downey Wrinkle Release and a few plastic clothes pins for hanging up our wet bathing suits. I am also in love with the website www.minimus.biz

A pair of travel Ipod speakers

i agree with you on the clothing. i am gradually getting better with bringing less as well!! also will be skipping formal night this cruise, wayyyy to much hassle!! bring a small backpack for in port so you can carry water, camera, snack, and anything you buy. also this cruise i think i will invest in a small handheld fan....it gets toasty in mexico!!

Jessica Alba;)

Hubby and I are likely heading to the mall for a little this afternoon (we have some gift cards to Macy's and some Macy's money expiring today) and might do a little cruise shopping while we're out

 

Anything you'd recommend bringing or wish you had for your last cruise? Hubby forgot his sunglasses on our honeymoon and wore mine most of the time because the gift shop only carried tacky women's styles (with rhinestones, etc) and there wasn't much outside of the resort. He'll definitely be bringing sunglasses this time around :D

 

What do men normally wear on "formal night" ? What kind of shoes would you recommend for ports?

The extension cord or multiple outlet thing is a must if you want to charge ipods etc and still have a plug for your hairdryer etc.

I don't think anyone answered you about shoes for the ports...my answer is depends on what you are doing! If you are beaching it, then tevas or some kind of water shoe...if you are waking/shopping, then tennis shoes.

I pack one pair of dress sandels (formal night), 1 pair everyday sandals (regular dinners), tennis shoes (exercise and walking trips), flip flops (knocking around during the day) and tevas (beach).

I find that during the day, I wear swim suits and cover ups or cotton workout shorts and t-shirts - I am VERY casual. I change at night into my dress or capris. I don't wear a lot of regular shorts like denim or kakhi, though I live in those at home in the summer. The one thing that I am always glad I have it a jogging suit and/or yoga pants and a hoodie - I get cool in the afternoon on the balcony after a day in the sun...or I throw it on lounging around the room before bed. Whatever you do, don't over pack...you can always run a load...no biggie.

That read: "THIS IS NOT YOURS!"

Someone mistook our suitcase for theirs during the debarkation scramble and it took about 20 phone calls, 5 hours of being on hold or being transferred to another person who didn't care and 20 days waiting before we got it back (thankfully complete with all that we had in it).

Our bag was black (of course) and had tags on it with our contact info (the lady who took it did call us on the second day back after she realized she had our bag...wonder why it took so long???)

Anyway, next cruise I'm thinking of spraypainting a pink or lime-green X on all of our bags.

Any over the counter meds you might need, like tylonol, etc. Very expensive on the ship.

The one thing I forgot on one TA cruise was blistex (for fever blister), never go without it now, also chapstick. By the way, we were in Barcelona and when I asked where there was a Walmart to purchase some, the person looked at me like I was crazy!

We tie bright colored heavy ribbon on our luggage and never a problem spotting it.

Any over the counter meds you might need, like tylonol, etc. Very expensive on the ship.

 

The one thing I forgot on one TA cruise was blistex (for fever blister), never go without it now, also chapstick. By the way, we were in Barcelona and when I asked where there was a Walmart to purchase some, the person looked at me like I was crazy!

Unless you go to the bursar's desk- many otc meds are free there. Including tylenol. Although bringing your medications is a must.

As far as a Walmart in Barcelona- well..... enough said.

i wish i had brought more v8 splash and malibu rum. i brought two 64 ounce bottles of the v8 splash and one large bottle of malibu, but with four people mixing drinks, it ran out by day four. so i went to the bar and bought one glass of pinapple juice, and one glass on cranberry, that cost four bucks for those tiny little glasses.

i could have taken my 64 ounce bottles down to the buffet in the morning and fill them with passion guava, but something told me that would be tacky.

That read: "THIS IS NOT YOURS!"

 

Someone mistook our suitcase for theirs during the debarkation scramble and it took about 20 phone calls, 5 hours of being on hold or being transferred to another person who didn't care and 20 days waiting before we got it back (thankfully complete with all that we had in it).

 

Our bag was black (of course) and had tags on it with our contact info (the lady who took it did call us on the second day back after she realized she had our bag...wonder why it took so long???)

 

Anyway, next cruise I'm thinking of spraypainting a pink or lime-green X on all of our bags.

I edge mine with some colored reflective tape. For the cloth suitcases I'll trick out the plastic parts and the handles in reflective blue or silver.

Don't use the ribbons and such. They can get caught in the luggage machinery.

Hubby and I are likely heading to the mall for a little this afternoon (we have some gift cards to Macy's and some Macy's money expiring today) and might do a little cruise shopping while we're out

 

Anything you'd recommend bringing or wish you had for your last cruise? Hubby forgot his sunglasses on our honeymoon and wore mine most of the time because the gift shop only carried tacky women's styles (with rhinestones, etc) and there wasn't much outside of the resort. He'll definitely be bringing sunglasses this time around :D

 

What do men normally wear on "formal night" ? What kind of shoes would you recommend for ports?

On the cruise elegant evenings you will see men in suits, tuxes, sport jackets, and also in dress shirt and slacks - with or without a tie.

All are acceptable - whatever he (and you) feel comfortable with.

Personally I was very glad they made the code less dressy since my suits don't fit anymore. I would have to buy a suit or a sport cost if needed.

Last 2 cruises I dressed in a black dress shirt with a tie and black slacks. I was very comfortable (in more ways than one).

I did notice that more people took advantage of the relaxed dress code in February than they did in October when it was still somewhat new.

What do men normally wear on "formal night" ? What kind of shoes would you recommend for ports?

Choice of shoes depend on the destination and excursion plans I think. Tennis shoes, at least what I think of as tennis shoes, are great for Caribbean walkabout but not suitable for a full day of walking through say, the cobblestones streets of Barcelona or Rome. When I go on an excursion I always over do it. Sturdy, comfortable shoes are needed.

Casual, dressed up athletic shoes are very popular with a broad range of ages, especially in Barcelona for example and are very comfortable. Or a good pair of walking shoes such as from New Balance, Rockport, etc. Some models can be quite dressy and yet made for walking so may be doing double-duty. Good ones are not cheap but neither is the vacation.

And speaking of shoes, a couple of things I was happy I brought along on a tour of Italy a few years back was proper socks like for running or hiking (synthetic blends are best) and a runner's foot lubricant (such as BodyGlide). It is not as messy as Vaseline. You can find it at jogging / running stores (perhaps not at mass market but enthusiast type stores.) Comes in an tiny stick applicator like deodorant and is applied to heels, bunions and bumps on your feet so that those new shoes do not give you blisters on a long days' journey. Takes up almost no room in your luggage but can save a lot of agony.

sunscreen, sunglasses, aloe and more $

We always bring air fresheners for our room and anyone traveling with us. It gets the stale smell out. We also bring 2.5 Gallon Zip Locks for shampoo during travel.

Next cruise I will bring more clothes hangers:)

We had to double-up on things and DH did not realize it (for two days) and thought he had left some shirts at home:p