What to Pack?

[Sharonfire]

[/b]I'm going on my first cruise next week to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios. I've been on youtube and Pinterest to get tips. I have some questions though if anybody can help me.

Over-the-door shoe rack for bathroom toiletries: Will Princess let me use the metal door hooks, and will the door still be able to close? Or should I take zip ties and hook it to a hangar in the closet instead?

Travel coffee mugs: If we get the drink package and buy specialty coffees, is it like Starbucks where we will get a big cup with a lid when we order, or are they all tiny 6 oz Styrofoam with no lid?

Medicine: Can I take OTC medication (like aspirin, Immodium, etc.) in small pill containers or must they be in original bottles to prevent being confiscated or detained? I'd much rather take an emergency stash of 'a little of everything' than have to take up room in my luggage for the full bottles...(NOT talking about prescription meds here, I will take the bottles of those)

Edited January 9, 2015 by Sharonfire

[cherylandtk]

Unless you travel really heavy or with four people to a room you don't need the shoe rack.

Specialty coffee is served in china cups, unless you ask for to go and then it is similar to the Starbucks go cup.

Yes, take OTC meds and they don't have to be in original containers.

Edited January 9, 2015 by cherylandtk

[Sharonfire]

Unless you travel really heavy or with four people to a room you don't need the shoe rack.

Specialty coffee is served in china cups, unless you ask for to go and then it is similar to the Starbucks go cup.

Yes, take OTC meds and they don't have to be in original containers.

 

So if my husband goes and orders a latte at 6am (while I am still sleeping) he can get a large (16oz-ish) cup with a lid that he can walk back to our stateroom with? Or do you think we should take personal coffee mugs? I'm trying to decide if its worth the hassle to take up the room in the suitcase...

[cruiser113]

personal choice...........but for that short of a trip would leave the mugs at home

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

You really don't need the travel mug for coffee but if you enjoy sitting by the pool with a large drink it pays to bring a large insulated one for the cold beverages.

[Saruman]

So if my husband goes and orders a latte at 6am (while I am still sleeping) he can get a large (16oz-ish) cup with a lid that he can walk back to our stateroom with? Or do you think we should take personal coffee mugs? I'm trying to decide if its worth the hassle to take up the room in the suitcase...

 

We like the insulated cups for morning coffee. One of us usually goes up to the Horizon Court with them and fills them both. They hold more than the mugs that are available in the HC and the coffee stays hotter longer. Of course, we could always order a pot from Room Service, but this works fine for us. We bought the cups from the Cruise Critic store and they work fine. They get packed at home with clean socks or something inside to save space. I think our room steward even washed them for us (unasked and unexpected) several times when we were in a suite!:D

[CruiserN1]

Just back from 5 days on CB and my advice is, pack less than you think you need. Probably didn't use 1/3 of the stuff I brought.

[I object 2]

Just back from 5 days on CB and my advice is, pack less than you think you need. Probably didn't use 1/3 of the stuff I brought.

 

Yes, pack 1/2 of what you think you'll need and take twice the money! :D Enjoy your first cruise!

 

Jan

[skynight]

[/b]I'm going on my first cruise next week to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios. I've been on youtube and Pinterest to get tips. I have some questions though if anybody can help me.

Over-the-door shoe rack for bathroom toiletries: Will Princess let me use the metal door hooks, and will the door still be able to close? Or should I take zip ties and hook it to a hangar in the closet instead?

Travel coffee mugs: If we get the drink package and buy specialty coffees, is it like Starbucks where we will get a big cup with a lid when we order, or are they all tiny 6 oz Styrofoam with no lid?

Medicine: Can I take OTC medication (like aspirin, Immodium, etc.) in small pill containers or must they be in original bottles to prevent being confiscated or detained? I'd much rather take an emergency stash of 'a little of everything' than have to take up room in my luggage for the full bottles...(NOT talking about prescription meds here, I will take the bottles of those)[/quote

 

Medicine. Bring all you want or need. When we cruise we re-pack bulky medicines in small zip lock bags and label them. We leave them in our suitcase until and if needed. OTC medicines are expensive on board and are sometimes difficult to get at ports.

 

Ditto others. Layout all the clothing you think you need, then remove some.

[PunkiC]

Yes, pack 1/2 of what you think you'll need and take twice the money! :D Enjoy your first cruise!

 

Jan

 

Amen to that! :D

 

The more we travel, the less we take and even that is always too much. We do however take mugs. We like drinking our coffee out of mugs and always take them with us wherever we go.

 

Now that we are retired and have more time we like to add land trips before and after our cruises, especially if we have to travel to Europe, for instance, for our cruise. Dragging along a bunch of luggage is a pain in the patootie. If we didn't need formal clothes for cruises, we would go with only one carry-on each but we love to dress up so we end up with that third suitcase on most longish trips.

 

Nobody really cares what you wear on a ship as long as your clothing is appropriate for the occasion. Don't worry too much about it.

Edited January 9, 2015 by PunkiC

[Sharonfire]

I have to overpack. I just have to. I might want shorts everyday so for 6 days, 4 pairs of shorts sounds reasonable. But if its a cool night I might want my Capri's, and for my shore excursions on the tour bus capri's sound better so my thighs don't stick to the seat. lol. So two pairs of capri's. I am coming from a cold climate so I will be wearing jeans on the plane, and I will need skirts/dresses for the MDR at dinner (so now I'm adding 2 skirts and 2 casual dresses and one formal dress) lol. Plus jammies. And if its windy on deck or if the AC is too high I have 2 long sleeved shirts that I can layer. Plus, what if I spill my drink all over myself? I have to change. OMG. I have too much clothes but cant bear to take anything out. :eek:

[crystalspin]

We did two weeks through the Panama Canal with carry-on only. I had LOTS of clothes -- gauze gauchos (or your capris) for day and poly-sundresses for dinner, do not take up much room! I don't take the OTD shoe holder, but do pack the small bottles of OTC meds+seasick patches+minimal first aid kit in a roll up toiletry bag like this:

http://www.overstock.com/Luggage-Bags/SedaFrance-Bonchic-Tangerine-Hanging-Travel-Bag/9601326/product.html?refccid=AGVN2M4Z7RK3W7KPCM52V3U5JQ&searchidx=15

That hangs on a hook on the back of the bathroom door. For actual toiletries, we just leave them in the qt-zippy bags they have to travel in the airplane in. There has so far been enough counter/shelf/cabinet space for that and the stuff you take out of the zippies, like tooth brush/paste, deodorant, etc.

 

I did not take (and wished I had) my ThermoServ travel cup. I thought I would buy one onboard for a souvenir but the only one they had was the tall top-heavy metal kind. So for the trip my mom and I are just back from, we did take our handled go-cups. Packed with clean socks at someone else said.

Edited January 9, 2015 by crystalspin

[Cruisin' Chick]

My hubby is a major coffee drinker, so he brings a mug from home. You can roll up crew socks inside them in your suitcase to save space. I prefer cold drinks but I'll bring along a drinking cup of my own. We also bring sodas (Princess only carries Coke products, which I don't care for) on board.

 

Just about every deck with passenger cabins on Princess ships will have a self-service laundry room. Since we've been taking longer cruises (and even before those, were pairing a land trip with our cruises), we like having the chance to take less clothes and do a laundry load or two (since one of our family members is allergic to regular detergent, sending our clothes to the ship's laundry service isn't an option).

 

You're going to Caribbean locations, so you really just need light weight clothing, plus something nice for formal nights (think what you'll wear to a wedding, but you can go instead to the buffet on those nights if you want and just wear shorts). Bring a sweater for the cold interior.

 

We have never needed a storage accessory as there's plenty of storage in the cabin. Not kidding. And I tend to be an overpacker myself. I do take out the blister packs of Sudafed and other medications and put them in a ziplock bag. It does save space. You can also use those pill organizers (you know, the ones with compartments for each day and put any vitamins and other types of pills like Tylenol -- if you're like me, you can tell one of those from the imprints -- in them). My prescription ones I'll keep in the container, but that's just in case I need to order an emergency refill (which hasn't happened yet). I don't think the security people ever check on pills -- they're focused more for contraband such as containers of booze, candles, irons, etc.

[cb at sea]

Pack for the weather in the places you'll go....basically summer clothes!

 

You don't need a bunch of doodads....it's ONLY a week! You can make do with their coffee mugs, and you don't need the "over the door" thing. Really.

 

Do bring your RX's and "maybe" medicines...they are expensive on the ship.

[crochetcruise]

For a 2 night cruise I'm planning a smart business jacket and skirt for embarkation/evening dining with a shimmery blouse substituted for evening; a long skirt with toning top for day wear, should I spill a drink on myself I'll clean up and change then go do some laundry. Only things I'm being generous with are medical stuff, and money. Everything else must do double or treble duty. I have travel sized toiletries and a make-up compact and sample sizes of extra lipsticks so I can ring the changes there Plenty of sunscreen, but as I'm fair-skinned I'm lavish to prevent trouble later. And I've been told that on the water it intensifies the sun's rays so you need stronger Sun Protection Factor.

 

Crochetcruise :cool:

[rdsqrl]

I have to overpack. I just have to. I might want shorts everyday so for 6 days, 4 pairs of shorts sounds reasonable. But if its a cool night I might want my Capri's, and for my shore excursions on the tour bus capri's sound better so my thighs don't stick to the seat. lol. So two pairs of capri's. I am coming from a cold climate so I will be wearing jeans on the plane, and I will need skirts/dresses for the MDR at dinner (so now I'm adding 2 skirts and 2 casual dresses and one formal dress) lol. Plus jammies. And if its windy on deck or if the AC is too high I have 2 long sleeved shirts that I can layer. Plus, what if I spill my drink all over myself? I have to change. OMG. I have too much clothes but cant bear to take anything out. :eek:

Khaki* or denim skirt: wear it on the plane with tights/fun flats and a cute sleeveless top layered under a cardigan; wear it to dinner on smart casual nights with without the sweater and with bare legs and the fun flats. That's taken one whole outfit out of your suitcase and not caused you to drag jeans along with you that you won't need/wear on the ship. The cardy takes the place of the long-sleeve shirts because you can layer it over your tees and dresses if you get cold.

 

You don't need capris for evening if you're taking skirts/dresses for dinner: how many times a night are you going to change? Pick one or the other per night.

 

*By "khaki," I mean twill or chino fabric of any colour, not just tan. I wear chino skirts in black, olive, navy, etc. I'm really talking more about the fabric.

Edited January 10, 2015 by rdsqrl

[Sharonfire]

Khaki* or denim skirt: wear it on the plane with tights/fun flats and a cute sleeveless top layered under a cardigan; wear it to dinner on smart casual nights with without the sweater and with bare legs and the fun flats. That's taken one whole outfit out of your suitcase and not caused you to drag jeans along with you that you won't need/wear on the ship. The cardy takes the place of the long-sleeve shirts because you can layer it over your tees and dresses if you get cold.

 

You don't need capris for evening if you're taking skirts/dresses for dinner: how many times a night are you going to change? Pick one or the other per night.

 

*By "khaki," I mean twill or chino fabric of any colour, not just tan. I wear chino skirts in black, olive, navy, etc. I'm really talking more about the fabric.

 

I don't even own tights or a denim or khaki skirt. I can see myself wearing jeans to the night club with my formal heels and a blouse and again on the return trip. We got snow in DC so I'm gonna wear my kicks (not flats) and can wear them again on the excursions.

I can probably eliminate one pair of capris (those are for excursions not dinner) and a few tshirts but I do NOT want to waste 2 hours doing laundry on my vacation. If rather haul luggage. But that's just me!

Who knows, maybe I'll condense when I finish packing....

[sweet carol]

I never take the large prescription bottles with main refill. I go to my pharmacy and ask for the smallest bottle they have and get the appropriate prescription label reprinted and attracted to the new bottle. This saves me lots of space, when I am only gone 10 days I do not need to take my big refill prescription bottle that hold 90 days of pills. Hope this information helps you.

[szubieta]

Medication - Take the Rx paper only and put the scrip meds in something small. I use the small medicine zip bags. Never had a problem with cruises or flights.

 

Dining clothing options - Think about taking 2 casual outfits and 1 formal. Wear your boarding clothes to dinner the first night days 1, 1 outfit on days 3 & 5, the other outfit on days 4 & 7 and your formal on day 2 & 6. You only wear these clothes for a few hours and no one cares as the previous poster said. I now create an excel spread sheet. ;)

 

If we drive to the port or other destinations, all bets are off and the multitude of luggage happens. :D

 

If you take a over the door shoe holder do it small, like some other poster said there is plenty of storage. I have hanging toiletry bags and there are shelves in the bathrooms too.

 

FYI - The ship moves so things can roll off tables and counters. :rolleyes:

 

Happy sailing and ENJOY your first cruise!!

[blueeyes2403]

Remember on board the princess ships they have laundry rooms .... Don't panic , take what your allowance lets you take when you fly

[lolane1]

So if my husband goes and orders a latte at 6am (while I am still sleeping) he can get a large (16oz-ish) cup with a lid that he can walk back to our stateroom with? Or do you think we should take personal coffee mugs? I'm trying to decide if its worth the hassle to take up the room in the suitcase...

 

I always take an insulated coffee mug OR tall, thin, insulated thermos. It's good for hot or cold beverages for a walk around the deck, relaxing by the pool, taking water ashore, bringing water to the room for overnight sips and medication, iced tea, etc. This is in addition to buying the coffee card. For me, it's worth the space in the luggage.