GRRRRR.....I wish I had packed....

[chicasarita]

On my very first cruise on the Freedom, I packed and repacked and repacked for days before heading out. I "thought" I had it down to fine science. There was NO WAY I had left anything out. I had my list and I checked and tweeked it a thousand times. This was going to the PERFECT VACATION with no flaws or snafus..........Very first shower I took and went to put my panties on and........yep, you guessed it! Packed the entire house including the kitchen sink, but not one pair of panties, except the ones I wore on the ship.

 

My husband did volunteer to let me wear his boxer briefs (which I had packed FOR HIM), but I politely declined. Since the ship store does not have panties for sale, I washed the same pair over and over and then went commando the rest of the time! :eek:

 

HAHAHA. I did the same thing on time when I went on an out of town job interview. Brought the shoes, hose, suit, and blouse, but forgot the underwear. Luckily I realized it the night before when I went to change into my PJs. I ended up washing out the pair I was wearing in the sink and blow drying them dry.

[MpwdMom]

On our most recent cruise (our 3rd) we brought along a bottle of Softsoap for the bathroom sink. I do NOT like washing my hands with bar soap, which is what the cabins are equipped with.

[CavsAreCruising]

I always need to take a Tide Stain Stick. There we were on an excursion in Naples in an Italian restaurant and plop goes the tomato sauce on my DH's shirt (a pretty usual occurance!) One lady at our table opened her purse and she proceeded to clean my DH's shirt so it would not stain!!

[kayhold]

My birth control pills!!! :eek:

 

And I could have forgotten the extra pairs of shoes...I brought wayyy too many shoes on my last trip.

 

My 6 year old is a Daytona trip souvenir.

 

(FWIW, we'd been trying for years but I was on the patch for pcos, and forgot to bring a new one with us so it wasn't unwanted, just really unexpected as Id been told I had a 0% of ever getting pregnant)

[boltnut55]

highlighter

sticky notes

extension cord

Those hangers where you can hang 4 pairs of pants :)

A mesh laundry holder - ours is from Walgreens and actually stands up on its own but otherwise fold into a small square.

Bar soap - I don't like liquid soap for bathing

[mactrio]

Last week I got sunburned and hadn't packed any aloe. I won't forget next time.

[sjn911]

Lots of eye wetting-lubricant drops. I suffer the red eye syndrome whenever I am on a cruise. I spend a lot of time on deck and think it's from the salt in the wind.

 

I always pack a case of bottled water. I hear everyone who believes the filtration system is wonderful but I do not like ship water.

 

I take pre-printed address labels so that I can slap one on a post card to send to the kiddies in my life. Makes the whole process easier, no need for an address book. I keep a template on my computer and just print a sheet out before each cruise.

 

I pack twice as much sun screen for a cruise then I think I would need.

 

I always take a raft. It packs flat, cost 1 buck and I use it at the beach. Beats paying 10 bucks to rent one and there's no one's sun tan oil all over it. I always leave it at the last beach.

 

We always use a credit card to lock our safe but I read on CC that many people use an old hotel key or expired credit card. I may try that my next cruise.

 

A good attitude. "It'll get you through anything!

That is a great idea..a dollar store raft.. or floater air mattress..Sarah

[YB Nrml]

DH forgot his 4 PAIRS of swim trunks last month. We had 2 sea days to start our cruise and he couldn't use the pool or hot tub. Trunks were almost $50 :eek: in the Fun Shops, no way! We waited for our first port, St. Thomas, and bought him a pair for about $15.

 

I need to remember to bring a jacket or something for those freezing cold comedy clubs etc. I always end up shivering and miserable and waiting for the show to end.

 

Ziploc bags are the bomb! We always find a use for them and pack plenty of extra.

 

We use the drawers under the couch for our dirty clothes, when they fill up we transfer them to our empty suitcase under the bed. Usually only have to do this once during a 7-8 day cruise.

[geoherb]

We packed last night for our cruise tomorrow on the Fantasy. DH has way too many shirts packed--seven dress shirts and four polo shirts plus T-shirts--for a five-night cruise. I may sneak some out of the suitcase today.

 

Over the years, we've forgotten a lot of things--sunscreen, toothpaste, contact solution. Fortunately the ship has these things available.

[cathyoo]

For the last three cruises we have forgotten a watch. My husband stopped wearing a watch when he started carrying a cell phone. So we have to get the $10 watches on the ship. I guess after 3 cruises with a new cheap watch it is now a cruise tradition for us.

[nancydee]

I always take an extra travel size deodorant stick for my feet. (No, not for the smell)

I put deodorant on the top of my feet and on the ankles, or wherever my shoes or sandles rub. With all the walking on board and in port I have yet to get a blister. :D

[Jules~Marie]

My DH and I take a spare set of wedding bands with us. (Purchased at Walmart or somewhere similar). We don't like taking our real bands to the islands where they can get dirty on the beach. I have this fear of a diamond falling out and not being able to find it (even though my ring is insured, I still don't want to go through that). We also don't like the idea of not wearing any band at all, so purchasing a plain $15 band for each of us works out nicely.

[USC-UVIC]

I took Febreeze on our first cruise and was glad I took it. I forgot to take it when we went on our second cruise, and when the bathroom was used, it really would stink up the rest of the cabin. I will be taking a can of it with me for our upcoming cruise in June.

Thanks! Will be packing a can of air freshner for the trip

[Joeys3girlz]

I forgot my bag of carefully selected books for the week - I am an avid reader and begin selecting books months in advance to make sure I have the right "reads" onboard. All different genres, etc. I did visit the ship library and was disappointed (many books in another language, etc.

 

So, I ended up reading my middle schooler's books and, surprisingly, her books were pretty good;

especially A Wrinkle in Time which I hadn't read since 6th grade :o)

[sara_jordan01]

I am slightly OCD, and without my over the door shoe organizer I would have gone completely bananas! If you don't mind things like sunblock, and sunglasses cluttering up the counter you will be fine. I regret wasting valuable packing space on my hair dryer and straightner. I have naturally curly hair and trying to get it to go straight in the Caribbean humidity was insane!

[sara_jordan01]

Also I bring suction cup hooks to put up in the shower so that swim suits and whatnot have an extra place to hang and dry overnight.

 

 

GREAT idea! Never thought of this!

[sara_jordan01]

My DH and I take a spare set of wedding bands with us. (Purchased at Walmart or somewhere similar). We don't like taking our real bands to the islands where they can get dirty on the beach. I have this fear of a diamond falling out and not being able to find it (even though my ring is insured, I still don't want to go through that). We also don't like the idea of not wearing any band at all, so purchasing a plain $15 band for each of us works out nicely.

 

 

We do this too! Losing my rings is one of my biggest vacation fears!

[zavadil]

I always bring a cheap sewing kit and eye glass kit from a dollar store,helps with quick repairs

[CruiseDirections]

We bring our Kindles with extra e-books loaded on them, my dh hurt his foot on our last River cruise and had to stay onboard so he read 3 books! They are great to read/play games on the plane, in the cabin or around the pool and add no weight or bulk to your luggage.

[raytownlady]

I always bring a cheap sewing kit and eye glass kit from a dollar store,helps with quick repairs

 

Great idea, I pack a sewing kit already ; but the eye glass repair kit could be invaluable if needed; and if not so what its small and cheap.

[maritaysa]

I try to remember to pack nail glue. I hate having a deep crack in my nail, and having to walk around with a band-aid on because it would hurt too much to rip it off.

[Honeyroastedmelnut]

For women: a nice pair of comfy flats to wear to the MDR.

 

On my last cruise I packed my cute (and usually comfy) sandals that have a smallish 1.5" heel. But after heavy walking excursions like the Mayan ruins, I really didn't want to wear heels at night.

 

I'm personally a little formal dressing so I couldn't stomach the idea of me wearing sneakers to the MDR (I don't care if others do though).

 

I have a little less than 2 months to find the perfect comfy black flat (I'm very frugal so I want a pair I would actually wear outside of cruising) for my next cruise.

[beachbum53]

Lots of good ideas here, but there's one item I've never seen on anyone's list, and if you wear glasses (either sunglasses or prescription), it's a good thing to have. Chums eyeglass holders, like this:

 

 

Amazon.com: Chums Original Cotton Eyeglass and Sunglass ...

 

 

If you go on any kind of excursion that involves a lot of activity, such as tubing or zip-lining, you definitely don't want to lose your glasses!:eek: Since both of us wear glasses, I either put them in my suitcase, or my DW sticks them in her purse.

[ccodcruzer]

On a recent trip (not a cruise) I left my flat iron behind. I used it that morning and needed to cool it down quickly so I could pack it at the last minute, so I stuck it in the fridge. Yep, forgot allllll about it. :)

 

I've sacrificed a curling iron or two this way in the past! :)

[ccodcruzer]

Great thread!

 

Things I wished we'd packed:

Bengay- we don't take elevators on cruises, and all that up/down stairs gave my CH leg cramps, so we spent $14 on a tube of Bengay.

 

Cheap Flip Flops! We dont usually wear flip flops, but going up/down to pool /spa/beach would have been nicer with flip flops so my DH didn't have to put his socks on/off. We ended up buying a pair on shore, but I think we paid $20- when we could have bought at home for $1.99!

 

 

Things I'm glad I packed:

windbreakers- it was windy/rainy for some part of most days were cruised, wind breakers with hoods came in handy, we rolled them up and stuffed in my bag, and we were ready for whatever weather came our way.

 

Bungee cord- Carnival balcony doors are not sliders, so we enjoyed leaving door open at night to hear the ocean :)

 

Highlighters- We loved this suggestion! Worked great!

 

Filtered water bottle/ crystal light on the go packs- We brought 2 bottles of water, and a filtered water bottle for water, we try to keep hydrated as we are pretty active. The filtered water bottle allowed me to filter all our water from bathroom sink, or water on deck, which I'd usually not drink, but made it drinkable so we filled our two bottles and kept them in fridge for when we went on excursions.

 

Ziplocks- great for putting all liquids in- we did have one bottle leak in travel, but were saved by the ziplock! Also, we put our wet bathings suits in before heading home.