JustInCase - 'Stranded on CruiseShip' survival kit?

[ynot_crz]

I'm booked for our 4th cruise (not Carnival this time) next month, along with another family.

 

I've heard enough of the "it can happen anywhere" comments, but fine, how do I get back Some level of control and certainty that we'd be fine on our own if stuck on a cruise ship for several days?

 

We've been stuck in airports in ice-storms, on planes (tarmac) for hours, in a car in a blizzard, in our house in hurricanes etc., so I know the solution is BE PREPARED.

 

Hence, I'm once again NOT going to be "Packing Light" on this next trip.

Suggestions on what to pack for an extra bag?

Flashlights,

box of dry nuts (single serve packs),

solar-powered-hand-cranked usb-charger (yep, has worked great for tiny recharge of a phone),

caffeine tablets (to not get my caffeine-withdrawal-headaches if I can't get coffee made!),

wet-wipes,

water bottles (we'd bring some anyway),

basic first-aid-kit,

and be in a Room with a Balcony (for air and light).

 

I'm Tempted to consider getting a rental-for-a-week of a Satellite Phone... but I'll forgo that option, I think.

 

I know it won't help in a "Costa" situation (much), but would for the numerous stranded-cruise-ships this past year.

[Councillady]

I'm with you! I'm traveling out of New Orleans on the Navigator of the Seas on February 23rd! I have already added flashlights, batteries, hand crank charger for cell phone. Two cases of water instead of 3!!!!! Snacks in single serve bags! Thinking about throwing a blue tarp in my suitcase too! lol

[indychristine]

Great idea!

We leave on DCL Fantasy (our 8th cruise) in 24 days and I will be packing these extras for sure!

Gives me a level of comfort. Obviously in some situations these items may not help, but if stranded they will help and I will feel better having them with us!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been carrying those items for years.

I also pack extra batteries for the flash light.

[5326jan]

 

 

 

 

 

No, seriously.... just the last thing!:D

[jansue1015]

I would suggest bring extra prescription medication so you have plenty, just incase...

[herbanrenewal]

two thoughts on this -

• everyone survived. This was a rare but totally miserable experience for pasengers that probably booked to relax and recharge themselves, but the presence or absence of a personal supply of snacks and water did not make a difference in outcome for anyone
  
• my best insurance is belief in the power of prayer, as in please God, don't let it snow the day I leave for my vacation, or dear Lord, let this be a pleasant and relaxing trip. Then acknowleding "Thy will be done" and let it go. Because - see point one.
  

[cashier]

two thoughts on this -

• everyone survived. This was a rare but totally miserable experience for pasengers that probably booked to relax and recharge themselves, but the presence or absence of a personal supply of snacks and water did not make a difference in outcome for anyone
  
• my best insurance is belief in the power of prayer, as in please God, don't let it snow the day I leave for my vacation, or dear Lord, let this be a pleasant and relaxing trip. Then acknowleding "Thy will be done" and let it go. Because - see point one.
  

Amen to that !!!!!!

[cruising to paradise]

Maybe we should all take adult diapers too.

[GORDONCHICK]

PASSPORTS!!

 

Had the Triumph been towed to Mexico instead of the US, a bunch of people (over 900 I heard) didn't have passports and would be waiting for them to be expedited.

[okgirl]

Maybe we should all take adult diapers too.

 

I don't know if you are saying this in jest or not, but I am seriously considering putting some of these in the exterior zipper part of my big bag.

 

I never put anything in there anyway.

 

Among the things that I always carry are:

 

Keychain LED flashlight (that I have with me at all times)

Small Maglite flashlight

Small 6"x4"x1" battery operated fan ( I got it at walmart )

Extra AA batteries

ziplock bags

kitchen trash bags

wet wipes

lysol

firstaide kit

OTC meds (cold, allergy, primatene)

hand sanitizer

beef jerky

pb crackers

100 calorie snack bars

gallon bag of dry roasted peanuts

zip ties and duck tape

light weight zip up sweat jacket. (it's cold out on the open decks at night)

rain poncho with hood.

 

What I'm planning to add to my provisions:

 

no rinse pre-moistened body wash cloths.

No rinse shampoo

Solar/hand crank emergency radio/recharger

knit cap and gloves (again, it's cold outside)

 

And I'm researching camping toilet supplies. I found a system that has a bag with somekind of absorbant jel in a bag and the top of the bag fits over a standard toilet seat.

 

Even as I'm writing this I'm thinking how extreme this sounds.......I've been on 29 cruises on Carnival and have rarely needed any of these things. I was delayed embarking the ship for 6+ hours once, so the snacks came in handy, and I was also prevented from disembarking a ship until 2pm on one cruise and again the snacks came in handy....

 

I have been on a ship that was only 6 months old and experienced a complete interuption in power...it only lasted a bit over an hour and fortunately for us we had just used the bathroom.

 

I hope never to be in an extreme situation like occurred on the Triumph, but I'm confident in our ability to remain calm and roll with the punches to the extent that we could.

[Fydlstyx]

I don't know if you are saying this in jest or not, but I am seriously considering putting some of these in the exterior zipper part of my big bag.

 

 

Seriously? Why? (Genuine questions - not being snarky) Soiling yourself in an adult diaper is preferable to defecating into a plastic bag or urinating into a shower drain?

 

Think about cleaning yourself after if water is in short supply. Icky. I hope it never happens, but I think I will stick to the alternative. :)

[celle]

Seriously? Considering the number of cruises taking place, the chances of anything happening are infinitesimal.

 

I will take no precautions over and above what I usually take.

 

That is:

 

• 
  Hand wipes and tissues.
  
• Extra supply of medications - Always do this anyway, in case of flight delays etc
  
• Small LED torch/flashlight, attached to my purse - use it at night for bathroom trips, DH drops thing on the aircraft floor and torch helps to find them in a darkened cabin.
  
• Passport & credit cards in a watertight bag.
  
• Light raincoat.
  
• Sweater and pashmina.
  
• Small transistor radio and spare batteries - DH likes to listen on board.
  
• Filter water bottle.
  
• Plastic bags.
  
• Mobile phone and instant recharger.
  

[Happy ks]

I feel so bad for all the pax onboard Triumph this past week.

 

I'd probably not bring a bunch of "just in case" items when traveling, other than a few extra days of prescription meds. But we do that already, even when on land trips, you never know if there will be a delayed flight or weather problem.

 

But I am wondering about the remark made stating "numerous stranded cruise ships this past year". This incident is the only one I've heard of, of course there was one in 2010, Carnival Splendor off the Pacific Coast that was almost as horrid as this one. How many other stranded cruise ships have there been in the last year?

[ynot_crz]

Good ideas. True, most of the items are what I take as a 'survival kit' anyway on the various modes of transport (car, plane, train, cruiseship, bus) since traveling w the responsibility young kids is not as spontaneous as when we travelled alone, so the other Extra that I take on the cruise (not for emergencies, but handy for them too) is:

a set of walkie-talkies for the group.

 

I like not having to depend on the "kindness of strangers" (and keep my expectations of most staff low, which lets me be pleasantly surprised when they are Very good!) when I'm stuck on Any of my travels.

 

Happy cruising in the future, all :-)

[Philob]

Considering what's been reported, I'll go into missionary mode, and pretend I'm on an extended stay in the hill country in Thailand or So. America.

 

Bring extra? wet wipes:cool:

[ynot_crz]

How many other stranded cruise ships have there been... ?

 

Here's a Recent-History-list from the latest CruiseCritic article (ok to copy/paste internet-text from/to cc itself) --

 

"What happened in November 2010 on Carnival Splendor

unfolded once more aboard Carnival Triumph.

 

It also happened on Costa Allegra last March.

 

Ditto for Azamara Quest in April, though propulsion was restored after a day in that case.

 

Before that, it was the same story in April 2011 for Mexican cruise ship Ocean Star Pacific.

 

There were certainly significant variations in each event. The results, however, were the same... "

 

But.... we will Continue To Cruise (though now will have a harder time convincing newbies to join our family on easy cruises), more likely on non-Carnival boats (sorry).

AND as on other Travel Adventures, we will pack lightly for the trip itself (but will also have a Survival Kit too!). :-)

[Grecianchic]

http://getreadyroom.com/products/emergencency-survival-kits/cruise-ship-emergency-kit/

 

I saw this somewhere online. I could do far better than that for $40.00

 

 

We always bring snacks,water,clorox wipes (for cleaning surfaces in the cabin) extra batteries for our phones etc. I may bring some extra things to eat in case of a power outage. I also bring garbage bags, ziplock bags, dry shampoo and medications. :)

 

Heading on a cruise March 16th Epic NCL =D yay

[Steamboatin]

Sorry do not know why someone would need to bring snacks on board a cruise ship.

 

They are already on board the moment you board the vessel on the first day. Just bring a few extra to the cabin in case needed later.:D

[Grecianchic]

Sorry do not know why someone would need to bring snacks on board a cruise ship.

 

They are already on board the moment you board the vessel on the first day. Just bring a few extra to the cabin in case needed later.:D

 

I bring my organic protein bars for hiking, excursions etc. I always have them in the car, in my purse. They are great when stuck in traffic or being delayed and hungry. No reason not to be prepared. If the power goes out on the ship or something goes wrong I'll be fine w/ my meal bars/trail mix etc ....and water. :D I do grab whole fruits/granola from the buffet for my room too.

 

 

I guess its also weird that I bring chlorox wipes and give the bath and surfaces a once over when I arrive to my cabin. I do that when I fly too :p

[Teeara]

How about extra clothespins for your nose so you don't have to smell the stinkies? Heard it was pretty bad on the Triumph. And if your cruise is fine you can still use them for hanging wet bathing suits to dry on your balcony chairs.

[okgirl]

Seriously? Why? (Genuine questions - not being snarky) Soiling yourself in an adult diaper is preferable to defecating into a plastic bag or urinating into a shower drain?

 

Think about cleaning yourself after if water is in short supply. Icky. I hope it never happens, but I think I will stick to the alternative. :)

 

I'm thinking that it would be better to urinate into an adult diaper that could then be sealed in a plastic bag to contain odors as opposed to urinating in the shower where it would just stand in the P-trap (no pun intended0 unless you had sufficient water to pour in the drain to evacuate it.......as for defecating, I do think that a plastic bag would be preferable and I've found a camping item that actually fits down into the toilet and the top stretches over the rim of the seat then everything gets double sealed up.....

 

Plus, I always bring premoistened cleansing cloths that don't require rinsing to freshen up with.......

 

I guess being a nurse has helped me become quite proficient at keeping imobilized adults clean and tidy.......

 

Sorry do not know why someone would need to bring snacks on board a cruise ship.

 

They are already on board the moment you board the vessel on the first day. Just bring a few extra to the cabin in case needed later.:D

 

I bring snacks to take off the ship with me...and to have in my cabin...and because I don't generally eat breakfast on embarkation day and I was on more than one occasion delayed for several hours getting on the ship and starving to death.....plus it kept the rug rats calm as they too were starving.........and on a couple of occasions I've also been very delayed getting off the ship on the last day ( 2pm one time and 11:30 another) and they close up breakfast by 9ish and DON'T let you eat any of the food they are putting out for lunch for the embarking passengers.....

[CheckersMidwest]

I will not be packing an "Emergency Preparedness" nor a "Survival" kit of any kind.

 

We are not people who are lost without our cell phones. Only person I would call is my parents so they knew we were ok. They could call everyone/anyone else for us. Husband would call work once. We turn the phones off when we board & put them in the safe. We can easily turn them on & make a call & put them away. (Assuming we didn't need a satellite signal).

 

Only thing I will take this time I didn't before is a flashlight & batteries for both cabins.

[sail7seas]

Anyone who requires Medications should be certain to have a supply in excess of what they anticipate they will need. I always add at least 7 - 10 additional days worth, just in case.

[Grecianchic]

I don't think there is anything wrong with being prepared. A couple boxes of protein bars, some flashlights and some wet wipes dont take up that much space :)