Must bring items for first time cruiser

[cruise kitty]

The only extras I pack are 3 or 4 of the super strong neodymium magnet hooks, they go on the door, for our cross body bags & hats, that way when we're headed out at 6 am for a long day in port, we don't have to scramble for anything, I pack them the night before to make the morning a bit easier.

 

We also bring an adaptor plug that has 4 usb plugs in one outlet for charging... the S class ships don't have any usb outlets which is shocking in this day & age.

Also bring a mesh drawstring clothes bag, It hangs on the bathroom door for dirty clothes, every two days, I empty it & send out the laundry.

 

These items all can fit inside 1 sandwich sized ziplock all stuffed together, I keep it in my travel box ready to go.

[jelayne]

Yikes, that is a lot of stuff. The only things mentioned that we bring are 2 magnetic hooks-for robe or jackets, Tylenol, a few extra plastic bags, Clorox wipes-(although I frequently forget to use them) and Wrinkke Release.

[mek]

We don't bring anything on a cruise that we don't take on a land based vacation, but we always travel with a half gallon sized container that we put hot water in to make fresh iced tea with tea bags. So much better than the concentrate in the buffet.

 

I've been in some rough seas but never have had to use a bungee cord to secure drawers or doors. Don't think you should worry about that.

[daisy-mae]

Since some hotel and cruise ship closets have clothes hangers that cannot be removed from the rod, I always carry at least one or two skirt/pant hangers -- great for steaming wrinkles out of garments by hanging items in the bathroom after a shower.

[SSKJ572]

We bring duct tape and I've used it twice; both times because I needed to quickly fix a hem. My husband uses it to make sure caps don't come loose on liquid toiletries. Otc medications are a must for me. We bring clips for beach chairs and our Aquavault to keep valuables in when at a beach. We like small neck wallets when going on shore excursions. Holds passport, credit card, money, key card, small comb. My husband won't wear it around his neck, so he keeps it in his pocket and loops it through belt loops.

 

 

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[cangelmd]

Not much that I wouldn’t bring for a beach vacation...

Did learn here that our ship doesn’t have a pullout clothesline in the shower, so since I detest wet bathing suits, I’m bringing some magnetic hooks.

 

If you are going to the Caribbean to any of the hurricane affected islands I would suggest some substantial water shoes for the beach. The beaches would have to be cleaned somewhat to be reopened, but all kinds of stuff gets washed out into the sand and the shallows after a storm - nails, splinters, all kinds of debris. It will get buried by sand fairly fast, but based on Gulf Coast experience, I would wear shoes for at least 6 or 8 months.

 

If you are traveling with others, figure out some way to communicate if you don’t have cell service. My first cruise was in about 1993, and we “lost” DH for almost an entire day on the ship when he got roped into a serious bridge game. I’m not talking about emergencies, I’m talking about not wasting an hour or two of pool time because your group got separated. It’s a little thing, but can be annoying

[jagsfan]

I keep a very old cc in my carryon for rooms with a slot on the wall by the door for turning the lights off when you leave. I just pull it partway up or push all the way down depending on my direction.

I keep soft spongy earplugs in case we get a noisy cabin.

OTC meds for colds or gastrointestinal problems.

My Bonine which is more necessary than anything.

Copy of the front page of my passport so I can carry it onshore with me and have a leg up if I get stranded.

Extension cord which like the rest lives in my carryon. I can lie in bed and read while my Kindle charges.

I cut way back years ago on clothes. Black slacks go with formal or casual. An assortment of tops, a pair of capris, pair of shorts and I’m done.

Have fun and don’t sweat the small stuff!

 

 

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[vickykay]

Dollar bills if you use room service. I often order coffee early and tip a couple of dollars.

[helen haywood]

This isn't an item to bring, but for first time cruisers, make sure to either put your phone on airplane mode or get a plan from your carrier that works outside the USA. I've heard horror stories of people who weren't aware of the charges they were racking up on their phones.

 

 

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[billslowsky]

This isn't an item to bring, but for first time cruisers, make sure to either put your phone on airplane mode or get a plan from your carrier that works outside the USA. I've heard horror stories of people who weren't aware of the charges they were racking up on their phones.

 

 

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Similarly, learn the international price options for your cell phone. We use Verizon. We could get international coverage for 1 device, 1 month for $30 with specific minutes and text allowances. Up to you whether something like that is worth it. And cancel it when you get back!

 

But as said above, inadvertent roaming charges will kill you.

[donaldsc]

My wife and I are booked on our first ever cruise. What are some essential items to bring on a cruise that you don't bring on a land based vacation? Some things I have read include magnets to hold up dailies and other papers, bungee cords to hold shut drawers and doors in case of rough seas, and clorox wipes to wipe down cabin door handles and surfaces. What else should I bring? what do people use to carry around their seapass card? TIA

 

You will definitely need to bring an extra suitcase to carry all the useless items that people will tell you to bring.

 

DON

[trucker den]

thank you for all the replies. Exactly what I was looking for. We already always pack a medicine bag. It seems that when you need something there is never a pharmacy around.

[JaniceB]

Always heard you should bring duct tape in case the zipper on your suitcase breaks!

[Turangi!]

No matter where we are travelling in the world, if we are cruising we pack our European adaptors so we can charge our electronics using all four of the outlets, two North American and two European, on the M class ships.

 

I am one of those cruisers who love using magnets and bring different types! I get a full size map of the area we are cruising so we can see where we are going and hang it on the wall with magnets. Usually I pack a huge scarf (or pareo)that I hang over the mirror (with magnets!) across from the bed!! Makes the room feel more cosy! [And also can be used for going to the pool or dressing up an outfit!] I also buy a magnet early on our travels for our door so we know where our room! Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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[CHEZMARYLOU]

That gave me a good laugh. Some people use one of those lanyard key holders and put money in it too but if your going off the ship you need your passport too so bring something water proof you can carry your passport, SeaCard, and some money in for getting off the ship. I use a drawstring bag so we can carry other things like water bottles, camera, etc

 

 

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Depending on your sailing you don not need your passport when in port, in fact, it is not recommended. A drivers license will be sufficient and most ports don't even ask to see it.

[bigbenboys]

We always bring an over the door shoe holder. Goes over the inside of the bathroom door. All our toiletries are stored in plain view and not cluttering the bathroom shelves. Got this tip on cruise critic many years ago.

 

 

 

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I real hope this is a 100 day cruise. I just can not believe you might need all these items. Well maybe it is for 4 people. Our last cruise I thought I was bring 3 pairs of shoes. I screwed up and only brought 2 pairs. Blue boat shoes and flip flops. I did just fine.

[GUT2407]

My wife and I are booked on our first ever cruise. What are some essential items to bring on a cruise that you don't bring on a land based vacation? Some things I have read include magnets to hold up dailies and other papers, bungee cords to hold shut drawers and doors in case of rough seas, and clorox wipes to wipe down cabin door handles and surfaces. What else should I bring? what do people use to carry around their seapass card? TIA

 

 

None of those.

 

I bring a sense of humour and adventure along with a relaxed attitude.

 

I carry y card in my pocket, usually I a notebook holder.

 

Mrs Gut uses a plastic sleeve on a lanyard in the sleeve goes her newsletter and coffee card together with her cruise card.

 

We do take a pair of different coloured highlighters to mark things we want to do each day, but could do without.

 

The only mt haves are cruise documents, clothes and medications.

 

Some money or credit card helps.

[neverbeenhere]

Things that might not be mentioned before, but are on the groups list.

 

Flashlight or you may call it a torch

Non surge protected power strip or you may call it a power board

febreze - for smells

dryer sheets for smelly cabinets

gum

ginger pills

sunglasses- no matter the cruise location

Thank you cards

Tide to go

Zip ties

travel corkscrew

sewing kit

floss - can be use for many things including laundry line

lighted clock

super glue

deck of playing cards

ear plugs

ear buds

[sandbag7]

The essential item for me: noise reduction headphones to block out excessive (or any, actually) announcements, bad music both live and elevator and unacceptable noise, connected to an old iPod. I also bring a CD player and a music wallet with CD’s. I liked the music they played on deck on my Star Clipper cruises but every other line plays the SOS. I guess I’m a frustrated dee jay but I use music to adjust my emotional mood; I couldn’t imagine a cruise without it.

[Luvcrusn]

On S-class ships (Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette and Reflection) we take strong magnetic hooks for use in the shower with a piece of twine as a drying line for wet bathing suits, or any laundry we might do. We take 8 storage cubes 10 1/2" x 11" x 10 1/2" that are lightweight and fold flat. We put four per side of the over the bed cabinets and they make up for the deficiency of drawer space in those cabins and made that space easy to access and organized. It also helps keep the cabin clutter free. We take a 5 USB charger we got from Amazon that has no surge suppressor to charge all of our devices. We also take an adaptor so we can make use of the European outlet.

 

We take copies of our passports and keep a list of any credit card numbers, contact telephone numbers with the credit card names coded and part of the account numbers transposed so that they are useless to anyone else, but if there's a problem, we have the necessary info. DH carries my back up copies and I carry his.

 

Like many others have said, we take any medications (both prescription and OTC) that we may need, along with band aids, antiseptic, allergy cream, sun screen and bug spray with DEET. I've learned over the years that whatever I forget will be the one thing we'll need, and I'd rather have that cough med and not need it than vice versa. Sewing kit,a tiny eyeglass repair kit, and a small manicure kit.

 

Over the years I've kept a list of things to pack and added or subtracted things we missed or things we could have skipped. It has made packing for a cruise really quick and easy. Some things we now just leave in the suitcases. Oh! That reminds me. We leave the suitcases under the bed open. That way we can just slip dirty clothes or things we no longer in without pulling them out to open them.

[alcpa1]

For a first time cruiser I would recommend you make a copy of the deck plans. Blow up the image of your deck and the public decks. It may take a day or two to realize that there are generic images near every elevator but large ships can be challenging for first time cruisers.

As you are facing the front of any Celebrity ship port is to your left and starboard to your right. Starboard cabin numbers are even and port cabin numbers are odd.

Enjoy your first cruise.

[Muffinz]

We are also first time cruisers and will be on solstice March / April... we've bought a travel adaptor so we can charge our phones and fitits (although won't have internet access to sync them) ans we've bought a travel clothes line... hopefully we can use it in the bathroom to dry togs and bras / knickers.

I've heard that sending dirty clothes to the laundry on Solstice is quite expensive, so we might do it once before the end of our cruise

we also plan to bring medication for headaches / colds and all my diabetic medication

[Sexywilzy]

R/C Drone,

Extra pats of butter,

Pepper grinders,

Rum runners flasks,

Air guitar,

Full size refrigerator,

Grand piano......

 

Sorry, I would ‘keep it simple’! No need to take the kitchen sink IMHO! I guess until you have done at least one cruise you won’t know exactly what you consider a ‘must bring’ item. Good luck, bon voyage. [emoji3]

 

 

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[vickykay]

I bring a larger size hair clip to keep the balcony curtains closed tightly..

[loving goldens]

Bring towel clips for your chairs..... :) Enjoy your cruise..