"I wish I knew before..."

[GrandBistro]

What's your next cruise Frank? I think mine is also about 35 days.

Edited February 8, 2010 by GrandBistro
Wrong name

[GrandBistro]

Oh! And I ALWAYS take an ace bandage/elastic wrap after spraining my ankle in China. That is now always the first thing that goes into my bag!

[bdupont]

Wine - seriously??

[lilcheg]

Wine - seriously??

 

 

What is this in reference too? Haha

If it is about taking wine...well of course :), but not all lines allow you to take wine

Edited February 8, 2010 by lilcheg

[GlendaleCruiser]

 

I have an over-the-door shoe holder that I used once. The bathrooms are tiny, but there is plenty of storage. At the desk there are cabinets to hold all your hair products and makeup, you won't want to be in the bathroom to do those things anyway. It's too steamy and there is no electrical outlet for a hair dryer.

I keep seeing "oh, you won't need that. There is plenty of room" comments. But you don't say how many people are in a room. We have three grown women and the over-door shoe hanger is a great storage area. Three wardrobes. Three make up kits. Three shoe collections. Most of the "you won't need it" comes from people who are one couple--are you in a suite? They have TONS more storage.

We take:

A small mending kit

I take the freebie kind. The size of a deck of cards.

A travel sized blow dryer as backup, I've had too many non-working blow dryers on ships, they sometimes cut out about half way through dry time

waste of packing space to me. I would call engineering until I got one that worked.

travel speakers

would never pack those. Not in the cabin enough and takes up too much packing room.

My DVD player (my one over-packing item as I can't sleep without it)

wouldn't dream of taking one unless for airplane

 

If we're driving to port our pillows, if flying we just suffer the week without them

a BIG waste of space, but I always have to fly in

 

A very small fan, although these can be confiscated and held at port until disembarkation

another waste of space.

I leave home from experience:

Duct tape, highlighter pens, water wallets, money belts

And I take all those things from experience.

 

If you post that something is helpful or not necessary, you should state what kind of suite/stateroom/cabin you are in and how many people had to share that storage.

[sassy5683]

Just got back from our cruise. We took the advice about packing less...we packed just the right amount of clothes. I had two dresses that I ddin't wear but I also didn't plan on buying dresses in any of the ports and did.

 

We brought a pack of highlighters that never got used. So we wont bring those again.

 

I found a small over the door shoe holder at dollar tree and am so glad we had it. We probably could have gotten by without it but it was nice to have stuff hanging and not on the counter spread out. Also had things in it that I needed for the shower...instead of having it in the shower I could reach out as i needed it and then put it back.

 

We brought a power striip...very glad we brought that it was used each and everyday.

[CanadaDeb]

Thanks to all of you for all these great tips! I will be thanking you all throughout my cruise!

 

I saw one post that said they bring a small fan....I hope I don't sound stupid but do the cabins not have their own temp control? I don't like it hot when I sleep so I am curious....

 

Thanks!

[CptSticky]

Thanks to all of you for all these great tips! I will be thanking you all throughout my cruise!

 

I saw one post that said they bring a small fan....I hope I don't sound stupid but do the cabins not have their own temp control? I don't like it hot when I sleep so I am curious....

 

Thanks!

Most people that pack a fan, do it for the noise.

[UPCrawfish]

Each cabin has its own thermostat for temperature control ... Fans, or anything which would create "white noise" are something to consider....

[Frank Jess]

What's your next cruise Frank? I think mine is also about 35 days.

 

Carnvial Valor to the Western Caribbean. And to be honest, it's not my first but it will be my sister's! She's turning 30 and hasn't been on a warm beach- ever! LOL We are from the Pacific NW. ;-)

 

I was trying to remember all the great tips I could but am totally swiping all these great ideas for her as she is nervous. Silly girl!

[5waldos]

Carnival sells frames that match, but any craft store sells matte. I've never had a problem with that.

 

Buy a larger frame and mat the picture- looks nicer anyway.

[denyed]

Thanks for this wonderful thread everyone. I now have a list of things I would not of thought to bring, but would definitely be missing when we leave on Feb 21! This site in general has been a gem!

[StaceyCT]

Most people that pack a fan, do it for the noise.

 

A white noise machine is much smaller than a fan, so easier to pack.

[GlendaleCruiser]

A white noise machine is much smaller than a fan, so easier to pack.

 

I just take cheap ear plugs

[JohnMI]

I just take cheap ear plugs

 

A lot of people need the fan or whitenoise to sleep -- not silence. People get used to sleeping with fans or other noise at home -- and want it on the cruise too.

 

So, it isn't a matter of ear plugs being a solution for them -- because they aren't looking to make it more quiet necessarily.

 

Just to note it.

 

- John...

[Mikayla's Mom]

1) I leave my passport in the safe. It wouldn't hurt to take a photocopy of your passport with you in port.

 

Why would you leave it on the boat? the whole point in having it for us is if we get left behind, have a medical emergency, etc and have to fly home or the next port. If you get left and it's on the ship and you are on land you are SOL.

[Mikayla's Mom]

A lot of people need the fan or whitenoise to sleep -- not silence. People get used to sleeping with fans or other noise at home -- and want it on the cruise too.

 

So, it isn't a matter of ear plugs being a solution for them -- because they aren't looking to make it more quiet necessarily.

 

Just to note it.

 

- John...

 

There is a great little noise machine that is available for the iphone, so it will take up very little room.

[GlendaleCruiser]

There is a great little noise machine that is available for the iphone' date=' so it will take up very little room.[/quote']

 

I would advise against having an I-phone on while your internet capabilties roam from tower to tower. If you make sure you disable the internet option that might work, but if your I-phone is surfing the net while you are gone, it will cost you thousands$.

[GlendaleCruiser]

Be careful ;)

 

For our first cruise I was so very excited I purchased and packed all the items I saw listed on the cruise forums I read. Much of it never got used, some of it is still in a box under my bed with the tags still attached. If you don't think of it yourself, you probably won't need it and it will take up precious packing space and weight.

 

 

Yes, that can happen. I think most of us compiled our lists as we cruised. Every time I went I wished I had "that one thing" that I hadn't taken and someone else had. I certainly don't take things that I don't use on a regular basis, and a lot of these things don't take up much room at all.

[Mikayla's Mom]

I would advise against having an I-phone on while your internet capabilties roam from tower to tower. If you make sure you disable the internet option that might work, but if your I-phone is surfing the net while you are gone, it will cost you thousands$.

Oh yes- You must turn off wi fi and also put it in airplane mode. Then it's just an itouch.

[freefallen]

 

5.Use two credit cards for your cruise: one for your shipboard account and a separate one for shopping. The reason is authorizations. When you check in, the credit card you use for your onboard account will get an authorization request for about $200 per day for however long your cruise lasts. This authorization freezes that much of your available credit line so an 8-day cruise has just frozen $1,600 of your available credit – even if you don’t spend a dime. The authorization will expire some time after your cruise has finished and you are home.

 

Gasp. Is this true? I can't afford the cruise freezing 1k of my credit.. :eek:

 

<-- the poor graduate student.

[CptSticky]

Gasp. Is this true? I can't afford the cruise freezing 1k of my credit.. :eek:

 

<-- the poor graduate student.

Well, being a poor grad student, this might not be a option for you, but you can "prepay" your card what you expect to charge on the cruise. That way you will have a larger limit. Or, you can call the card and ask for a limit increase, but in this envirnoment, that might not get you very far. Also, some of the cruises will set up a cash account for you, but I think it has to be paid off by the last day of the cruise. Don't know, never went that way.

[nkereina]

5.Use two credit cards for your cruise: one for your shipboard account and a separate one for shopping. The reason is authorizations. When you check in, the credit card you use for your onboard account will get an authorization request for about $200 per day for however long your cruise lasts. This authorization freezes that much of your available credit line so an 8-day cruise has just frozen $1,600 of your available credit – even if you don’t spend a dime. The authorization will expire some time after your cruise has finished and you are home

 

 

I was concerned about this because I do not have a high limit on my credit card. I asked my travel agent how much Carnival would authorize on my card when I boarded and she told me it would be $500. My cruise is a 5 day cruise. Is she mistaken or could that be accurate? My limit is $1000, and I don't mind if the whole limit is consumed as we have cash for spending money. But I don't want my card to be declined due to not enough funds for authorization - I have no other option. What do you think?

[abaci]

Or just use a debit card w/ a few grand in the checking account. thats my plan

[2CruzAddicts]

Wish we'd known about this before our first cruise - which we just came off of but definately less clothes and more money, double check your cruise account OFTEN as they screw it up constantly, booked tours are disappointing, preplan your port activities and know where/what you want to see and then take public transit or negotatiate a cab fare, much better deal, more fun and more enjoyable-often you get a real "personalized" tour and an insight the "organized" ones won't give you. Ignore the "shopping" deals, they don't exist and the sales reps are rude when you try to collect your "free" stuff. Watch the booze - mega expensive. Be prepared to be treated like you're at a cattle call. But if you can ignore all that annoying stuff, you'll have a great time!