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TOP 10 THINGS newbies forget to bring on their 1st Cruise...

cxxviii

By cxxviii,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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dpotter2

dpotter2

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With 4 of you space will be at a premium. We get one of theose hang-up clear shoe bag things (with the little pockets for shoes and you hang in your closet) Hang it in the bathroom and put all of your toiletries/lotions/band-aids/etc. in the pockets. This clears the vanity off and everything in in sight.

 

BTW.....No matter how many times you cruise or how careful you pack..You will forget something...Don't worry, just enjoy.:)

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Shelli

Shelli

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On my last cruise, my eyes always seemed to feel tired and they looked bloodshot-- must've been from too much sun and not enough sleep. I asked in the gift shop if they sold eyedrops... and they wanted something like $15 for them! Next time I'll bring my own. (No, I didn't buy them there!)

 

Also-- not sure if this has been mentioned-- bring a shower cap, ladies. Nice hotels provide them, but cruise ships generally do not.

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skyfire53

skyfire53

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1. Do as much research as you can about the ports you are going to so you can feel comfortable when you get there. You can find almost any thing you need to know here on CC. On our first cruise, I didnt have a clue so most of the excursions we did were not as enjoyable as they could have been. :mad: The next time, I researched, planned ahead and paid as many of the excursion deposits as possible so I didnt have to guess how much its going to cost. I printed out each reservation and put the amount of money left to pay on it into an envelope with the reservation. Then wrote the port name on the front of each envelope. When we got to our cabin, we put all the envelopes into the safe and took out the one we needed at each port. Then, once you have filled your envelopes, you can see how much you have left over to spend at the ports.

 

2. I go online and print off the deck plans for the decks that have things other than just cabins plus the one my cabin is on. Then, when Im sitting in my cabin or by the pool looking at the daily paper, I can look at the deck plans and see were each thing is I want to do so Im not wondering around aimlessly looking for the activity I wanted to do. That really helps especially on the bigger ships. I missed alot of things on my first cruise because I didnt know were every things was.

 

 

3. I have meds I need to take daily, so what I did was go to the travel size section at WalMart and got a set of 3 little screw on top clear plastic waterproof containers. They are small round plastic ones and come in different colors incase your other half needs to pack some too. I would put my daily meds in one and maybe a little extra pain meds and take them when we went on shore excursions. They keep them dry and are small enough you can put them in a pocket or where ever.

 

 

4. Always pre-pay the gratuities if at all possible and add money to your onboard account in the weeks before you leave as well. Its really nice to get off the ship and owe little or nothing.

 

5. Have fun and dont listen to complainers....they would complain if you hung them with a new rope...lol...:eek:

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nursebubba

nursebubba

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I don't believe you would need an alarm clock. You can program the stateroom phone very easily to ring you awake.

 

Oh, and I forgot something else: I take my old $20 watch that lights up at night, so when I wake up in the middle of the night, it's easy to see the time. Much better than packing a clock for that purpose.

Kathy

The only problem with the phone, at least on the inside jewel class is you have to get out of bed to answer. That can be bad if you are trying to let others sleep (kids maybe)

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cathhduh

cathhduh

Posted
Posted
power strip/extension cord

 

ive been told on many occasions an extension cord is on the list of things NOT to bring.

 

things i always forget

hair brush! its so obvious that i always assume i have it and end up forgetting it!

 

ALOE if you burn easily, espcially since this is your first cruise- you dont want to risk going down to the caribbean without aloe- the sun is so much stronger!

 

what i remember but people may not

an extra pair of sunglasses

 

extra bathingsuit

 

i never COUNT on wearing things more then once, what if you spill a glass of red wine on the tank top you are wearing on the first day but you also were planning on wearing it again because you expected it to just be lightly worn! or you sit on something, anything could happen!

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nursebubba

nursebubba

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On our ncl cruises the only plug is at the desk and if you need to plug something in by your head you need a long extension cord to run under the bed to the nightstand. They will give you one at the desk but make you return it the last night. That doesn't work if you need it that last night.

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PreciousCruiser

PreciousCruiser

Posted
Posted (edited)
With 4 of you space will be at a premium. We get one of theose hang-up clear shoe bag things (with the little pockets for shoes and you hang in your closet) Hang it in the bathroom and put all of your toiletries/lotions/band-aids/etc. in the pockets. This clears the vanity off and everything in in sight.

 

BTW.....No matter how many times you cruise or how careful you pack..You will forget something...Don't worry, just enjoy.:)

 

I totally agree with bringing one of these. I pack everything I could possibly need (I'm an overpacker!). I loved having everything I needed showing through the clear pockets of the over the door shoe holder. It made it so easy the find things and keep thing organized. Will never go on a cruise without one.

 

Some things I'm glad I packed were: a night light for the bathroom (kept the bathroon door closed, but not latched, so we had a sliver of light, but I wished I would have had the cover over the bulb of the night light) a small led alarm clock (to see when dark), a small surge strip (definitely used that for extra plugs), extra sd card for camera (for all those pics), extra battery(s) for camera (or make sure you charge it everynight, believe me I learned that), bug spray for the islands that others suggest it's needed, air freshener for the bathroom (small spray fabreeze, found in the miniture items in WalMart), and so many others, but I'll finish with clothes pins, especially if you're staying in a balcony cabin (for attaching towels, or anything you want to get dry to the balcony chairs)... I could go on and on, I'm sure I posted some repeats. :)

Edited by PreciousCruiser
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Isabella Benjamin

Isabella Benjamin

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i never COUNT on wearing things more then once, what if you spill a glass of red wine on the tank top you are wearing on the first day but you also were planning on wearing it again because you expected it to just be lightly worn! or you sit on something, anything could happen!

 

Thank you for giving me a much needed rationale for bringing way too many tops - I just like to have a lot of options, I guess.:)

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oreoandboots

oreoandboots

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Not sure if this is on here because it's so long, but I brought an over the door shoe holder. It worked great, we used it to store shoes, lotions, hair straigtener, receipts. I also would defintely bring a power strip cord. Bring your own cokes if you don't mind carrying them on board. We had no problems bringing Pepsi on board when we stopped in the ports. It saved us alot of money!

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cathhduh

cathhduh

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Thank you for giving me a much needed rationale for bringing way too many tops - I just like to have a lot of options, I guess.:)

 

haha its really just my own rationalization. but seriously id hate to have only brought five nice tops for a seven/eight day cruise and spill a glass of red wine on my favorite, you cant wear it for the rest of the cruise and you have officialy screwed yourself if you were planning on wearing it again

 

:rolleyes:okay so people might not see it that dramatically, but its something to think about!

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NCLcruiserGem

NCLcruiserGem

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Absolutely bring a lanyard for your room key! You will find the key is needed constantly, so just wear it around your neck. The ones on the ship are usually sold out practically on the first day, so bring it with you and when you get your card, the people at the check in will punch a hole in it for you right there.

 

I have a lovely beaded one that looks like a jeweled necklace, so it doesn't clash with my outfits!

 

Have a great time!:)

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BeckyMax

BeckyMax

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Posted
Visine. Between sun and wind it does soothe the eyes.

 

I second the visine. Also a good first aid kit. DS got a horrible blister which then filled with sand at the beach, cost us $105 for the ships doc to clean it out and cut off the excess skin

 

NCL Sky 3/19/12

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Medtech2

Medtech2

Posted
Posted
A lot of people that are married don't realize that you have to bring the marriage license for the wife, if you're not using a passport for those certain cruises you don't need a passport for!

HUH?????

 

Why, because I'm property?

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