JustInCase - 'Stranded on CruiseShip' survival kit?

[zacc]

I agree with those that will not be packing any differently. Being prepared can be viewed in several different lights. Some of you believe that taking all kinds of extra "stuff" will make you prepared. I believe that unless you are prepared mentally to handle whatever situation is thrown at you it doesn't matter how much extra "stuff" you have with you. The flashlights only provide light when on.....turn them off and it is still dark. Eat a protein bar and amazingly enough in a very short period of time you'll be hungry again. They are all simply solutions that attack the whole situation just like putting a bandaid on a hugh open sore. But prepare yourself mentally and you will always be assessing and adapting to the situation keeping yourself even or ahead of the situation. Mentally you never let the situation take control. Instead you go on the offensive rather than being defensive.

 

But if you still want to pack all those emergency rations perhaps they will fit in this:

[5326jan]

or this: :D

 

[Seago2]

Flashlights, protein bars, some bottles of water, and I'm going to make sure my phone is fully charged all the time. DH is saying he's bringing some MRE's we have from Hurricane Sandy but I doubt he'll follow through with that.

[AmativeDame]

The only thing I will really be sure to pack on our next trip would be a flashlight (sometimes this gets left out and forgotten). I always pack wet wipes just in case, but I may throw an extra travel pack (or two in there.)

 

I can see a logic in many of the things mentioned, but in a real emergency I question how much some of them (in the grand scheme of things) would make enough of an impact to carry "just in case".

[trinaM]

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.

 

I like your list. there are things there I have not thought of. :) thanks.

[donaldsc]

I am planning to bring my own helium balloon or a hot air balloon w lots pf propane so I can get off the ship and maybe my own personal life raft (http://www.thegpsstore.com/Viking-RescYou-8-Person-Liferaft-P2599.aspx?gclid=CLuzp4j2_7gCFSJlMgod3TQA6Q) just in case.

 

Seriously, the odds of anything happening on any single cruise are really low so besides extra meds (which I always have anyway) and a flashlight which I also take routinely, I plan to take nothing extra.

 

DON

[BruceMuzz]

I already carry my Abducted by Aliens kit, my Large Meteor Striking Earth kit, my China Launching Sneak Nuclear Attack on America kit, my Sky is Falling kit, and my Hell Freezing Over kit, so I don't really feel the need to pack any further emergency items.

[nathuhbelle]

I'm not packing (or acting) any differently than I always have. I've always carried a small dry bag (literally goes around my neck like a security pouch) that my passport and cash for essentials stays in at all times, flashlight, and a small first aid kit for emergencies. The only thing additional that I carry now while traveling is an extra set of batteries for the flashlight.

 

I definitely agree that mental preparedness can be far more important in an actual emergency. If you’re on an airplane, know how many rows stand between you and the nearest exit. What about the other exit? Count those too. Staying in a hotel? Hotel fires are deadly. Before you unpack in your room, review the steps (I count doorways) to get to the stairway. Remember, smoke rises; if it’s an actual emergency, chances of seeing the lighted exit signs are slim. On a ship? On the back of your door is a map of the route to take in case of an emergency. I’d recommend reading it…even if you haven’t been to the muster drill yet. Speaking of the muster drill, get off your cell phone. I promise you, the conversation can wait five minutes. The better prepared you are mentally, the less likely you are to panic and put everyone else’s lives at risk.

[boogs]

I already carry my Abducted by Aliens kit, my Large Meteor Striking Earth kit, my China Launching Sneak Nuclear Attack on America kit, my Sky is Falling kit, and my Hell Freezing Over kit, so I don't really feel the need to pack any further emergency items.

 

Don't forget the Captured by Pirates kit and the Swallowed By A Sea Monster kit. I never cruise without those. I also never venture out of my inside cabin until the end of the cruise just in case I may slip and fall, come into contact with a person with a cold, see something I don't like, get hit by kamikaze seagulls, be exposed to nuclear blasts, or hear a noise I am unfamiliar with. It pays to be safe, ya know! I work extra hard at keeping my paranoia on full alert at all times.

[nathuhbelle]

Don't forget the Captured by Pirates kit and the Swallowed By A Sea Monster kit. I never cruise without those. I also never venture out of my inside cabin until the end of the cruise just in case I may slip and fall, come into contact with a person with a cold, see something I don't like, get hit by kamikaze seagulls, be exposed to nuclear blasts, or hear a noise I am unfamiliar with. It pays to be safe, ya know! I work extra hard at keeping my paranoia on full alert at all times.

 

Please don't forget the earplugs in case of the Sirens trying to lure you off the ship!

:)

[dsrdsrdsr]

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.....

As an alternative precaution to stop you having late embarkation having had no breakfast - why not have breakfast?

 

As for the lunch they're putting out, once you've got hold of the bread rolls or whatever, are they going to make you put them back? ;)

[griffy116]

All of you packing this amount of Emergency supplies must be driving to the port. I can't imagine trying to fly and pack a fan, the toilet seat things with the gel in the bottom, adult diapers, MRI's, etc., etc. I always have a tote bag with a few packs of trail mix or peanut butter crackers, just in case I were to miss a meal or get stuck for 6 hours on a runway. I always carry extra prescription meds, antiseptic wipes for when I get to the cabin and I have a small keychain with a flashlight. Other than that, I'll have to depend on the kindness and good sense of people on the cruise ship. You really can't be prepared for every emergency...but if I see you getting on board with a fan, your cabin is the one I'll be raiding if it all goes bad :D.

[BeagleOne]

I'd pack a Coast Guard helicopter and a crew of good-looking guys.

[luddite]

Beer.

[Bookish Angel]

I have been on land trips so remote that a cruise ship without AC, other power, no running water or flush toilets would look GOOD.

 

However, if we are running away from zombies attacking the ship? Yes, I might trip you.

[Warm Breezes]

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.
  

 

Like :)