What to Pack-New 2 Cruising

[ciera123]

Lots of great ideas already! I'll add a couple of things I always take...A room freshener from Bath and Body Works. They are small and come in handy in such small quarters. Also, I always take our travel white noise machine. Again, it's small and helps so much when you're trying to get some sleep and people in the hall or in the room next to you aren't...:rolleyes:

[jennmaybe]

And after you get all this good, must-have stuff packed, don't forget your passport or whatever type of ID you're taking and a credit/debit card/cash!:)

[MyrtleBeachRCIcruiser]

Hi All. Very excited for our first cruise - FOS April 10-17 - and have read a lot of good info on here. Was hoping to get some additional tips on what to pack that a 1st timer might not think of. I've heard close pins, which makes sense, but also bungee cords, which we would never have thought of. I'm assuming to keep doors tight in rougher water???

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

I know some kinky stuff goes on during a cruise, but what kind of nonsense is going on in your cabin that you need a bungee cord?!!

[waterbug123]

Also, I always take our travel white noise machine.:

 

One more reason I love my iphone..... there's an app for that! :D

[Lizcourt]

Have to disagree with one of the "don't bother bringing. . . " suggestions above: extra hangers. I have never, ever had a cruise ship closet in any level cabin, from inside to grand suite, that had enough. I make sure I bring a bunch of the wire hangers you get from the dry cleaners; they are light, don't take up much room, and I can leave them behind when I go. In fact, I put as many of my clothes as possible on those hangers and fold into the the suitcase; unpacking then simply becomes lifting them out on the hanger and hanging them right up.

 

Here are a couple of "don't bothers" I do agree with: hair dryer, half the clothes you were planning on bringing, two formal outfits, bungee cords (actually, there is more of a use for them on Carnival, as the balcony doors are made to automatically close and you can hook the bungee cord to it in such a way as to keep it open. I've never had trouble keeping a RCCL balcony door open); highlighters (seriously, can't you just circle those things on the cruise compass you want to remember with a pen?), over the door shoe holders (though I am sure there are people that disagree, but I've never found it useful; stuff can just stay in the toiletry bags I packed it in until I need it); excessive jewelry ( again, this is a personal choice, but by day two or three its all I can do to bother putting makeup on much less another pair of earings). As to the power cord, I've never needed one, but that's going to depend on just how much stuff you have to plug in.

 

And a couple of "do brings" I haven't seen listed here: a thermometer (sounds weird, and 99 times out of 100 you won't need it, but unlike aspirin and cold medicine, its one thing that if you do need it you won't be able to buy it in the ship's store, as we found out to our frustration on one cruise); a collapsible or roll-up tote bag for taking your towel and other stuff on shore excursions; a hat (that sun in the Caribbean can be really brutal).

[Desert Cruizers]

For the ladies, don't forget your nylons, now this may sound strange but I did forget once and all the ship stores had, were black and white.:eek:. I used to also use the larger glad bags for socks and small stuff and squeeze the air out, they are so much cheaper, now I am going to give the packing Cubes a try. http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/packing-cubes-3pc-set/13032 for much of my clothes.

[waterbug123]

For the ladies, don't forget your nylons, .

 

Or do like I do and take only open-toed shoes. Open-toed shoes + nylons = fashion faux pas. ;)

[bobmacliberty]

Someone suggested suction cup hooks before our last cruise and they were the best thing that we brought. You can put them on just about any wall, and they're good for hanging hats and wet bathing suits. We brought a bunch of other suggested stuff but only found the hooks and a small power strip to be useful.

[kc320]

Be aware if you are using your cell phone for a clock or alarm clock the time on your phone "may" NOT be the same as Ship time...in some areas of the caribbean such as Belize & Cozumel the time on land changes, but the ship doesn't...if you have an early morning excurson be sure & set a wake up call thru the ship's phone

[boulders]

I just use the wakeup call feature on the phone for my alarm clock.

 

My first cruise, Royal lost my luggage and I was traveling alone. I didn't see my luggage for 7 days. I not only survived but had a great time!

[Bakincakes]

Any prescription medications....and leave them in their original containers. Don't use those "pill a day" holders.

 

If anything happens even your spouse may not know which medication is which and could give you the wrong thing, let alone a crew member.:eek:

[soccercrazy]

I also found taking a water jug from the dollar store (BPA free) useful, similar to one you would use at the gym. I filled it each morning with orange juice and we kept in the frig in our room so we could have it throughout the day. Also could be without power bar (extenssion cord)and extra hangers. The extension cord came in very handy while trying to get ready for dinner and charging batteries, laptop ect and trying to use the hairdryer, also didn't want hairspray all over gadgets charging.

Don't forget your battery charger. I like to shop at the dollar store for my "take alongs" because if I don't have room to bring them home I haven't lost a great deal on money. Liked the idea of suction cups, thanks.

 

Clothes-took 3 suitcase for 2 of us and came home with one suitcase repacked with clean clothes, take the advice of previous posters and don't over pack.

[Cruisinbeaner]

and after you get all this good, must-have stuff packed, don't forget your passport or whatever type of id you're taking and a credit/debit card/cash!:)

 

amen!!

[waterbug123]

Be aware if you are using your cell phone for a clock or alarm clock the time on your phone "may" NOT be the same as Ship time...in some areas of the caribbean such as Belize & Cozumel the time on land changes, but the ship doesn't...if you have an early morning excurson be sure & set a wake up call thru the ship's phone

 

An early morning excursion??? I have no idea what that is, LOL. The only excursion I take in the early morning is out to the balcony, if that. :D

[CaroleC]

extra hangers. I have never, ever had a cruise ship closet in any level cabin, from inside to grand suite, that had enough.

 

Totally agree. I always pack extra hangers, whether I am in a hotel room or on a ship there just never seems to be enough. I am inclined to take far too many clothes though, I just can't help it! :)

[atb]

:o For those of us of a certain age - we do get up in the night to USE the bathroom. The room light is way over the top, and there are not always outlets in the bathroom.

The greatest thing I ever read was battery candles. One candle is enough to light the room, but not so bright as to wake us completely. Our 10-day cruise, we used 2 batteries. :D

[FloGaleRNTX]

I actually pack many of my clothes on hangers....makes unpacking so much easier!

 

Barb

[Bakincakes]

For longer cruises I've never had an issue getting extra hangers from our room steward.

 

For shorter cruises, like 7 days, we gotten more than enough.:)

[MAHA]

A really good travel alarm clock we found is made by Brookstone. It has a flashlight in the base and you can change how it lights up. Great to use to see to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It's battery operated.

[we like it hot]

We love our projection clock on cruises.

 

Eagle Creek packing folders, 18 inch and cubes, are great. I use the folders for as much as I can. They ruduce the wrinkeling, and I can place my clothes on the shelves. They also keep your clothes from shifting all over the place.

 

A battery powered light for the bathroom is a must. That way, you wont wake up your cabin mate in the middle of the night.

 

Bring small bills for tipping. Even if you do your gratuities through the ship, you may want to add some extra, or tip the servers in the diamond lounge.

 

I agree, that a tote bag is important for going to the pool or on shore.

 

The travel mug idea is great.

 

Medications like Advil, Tylenol, Immodium, Pepto Bismal ect are a good idea, just in case.

[ehfl]

Some couples are into the whole bungee thing....seriously, it's none of our business, whether you want to take bungee or not (and you DEFINITELY don't need to tell us about it), or what you intend to do with it.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[slm517]

A nice lightweight cardigan/pashmina/fleece for the cool evenings on the upper decks.

[Happy ks]

If you need extra hangers, the cabin steward can provide them.

 

We pack the majority of our clothing onto hangers into a large rolling garment bag. After wearing them, we simply hang them back up and they go back into the garment bag they way they came. I swear it's the simplest thing to do, no folding, rolling, shoving, separating clean from dirty (we pack so everything will be dirty by trips end). Stuff that isn't so cruicial to keep out wrinklse go into the suitcase.

 

We don't bother with coffee mugs, we just have room service deliver in the morning and the coffee is hot in a thermos. We do bring our own blow dryer. You just never know what your'e gonna get, sometimes the provided dryers in hotels and on cruise ships are fine, sometimes they are worthless. My travel blow dryer is always in my carry on.

 

But I don't agree with the no night light comments. If you leave the bathroom light on and someone gets up in the middle of the night, opening the door and allowing the cabin to be lit up like an operating room is just rude. We take a little tap light, batteries taped to the outside in case it presses up against something during travel and it provides enough glow to find your way, do what you have to and get back to bed with no stubbed toes. http://www.target.com/s?keywords=tap+lights&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&ref=sr_bx_1_1#/abn?url=%2Fs.json%3Fie%3DUTF8%26node%3D1038576%257C1287991011%26keywords%3Dtap%2520lights%26searchNodeID%3D1038576%257C1287991011%26rh%3Dproduct_site_launch_date%253A-0a%257Claunch-date%253A-1y%257Cavailability%253A-2%257Csubjectbin%253A3151061%26releaseID%3D%26searchView%3Dgrid5%26searchRank%3Dtarget104545%26searchSize%3D30&clear=false

 

After 20 cruises we have found what works well for us and what is uneccessary, so I think we all just need more practise with what is just right for you :)

[ryano]

And after you get all this good, must-have stuff packed, don't forget your passport or whatever type of ID you're taking and a credit/debit card/cash!:)

 

Exactly! Forgetting anything else is just a minor inconvenience! :cool:

[39august]

I have no clue why anyone needs an alarm clock, but to each his own. You can easily set a wake up call on your cabin phone. Hangers are plentiful. Just ask your cabin steward for more.