First-time family cruise-cross check my packing list and first afternoon plans

[ntourtelotte]

When you say one outlet of each kind, does that mean one outlet with 2 places to plug in? Or just one place to plug in?

 

In terms of water bottles--you can't fill those in the Lido buffet before an excursion?? I swear we saw people doing that on our last cruise. We were planning on that. Is it a no-no?

[Fla Senior]

With 4 in a room, waiting to shower can be a pain. The showers at the Spa are free to use and will be very useful with 4 folks getting ready at same time.

[CruisingBeans]

Go to the dollar store and buy those fake tea light candles and use those for nightlight- they come in 2 packs so we put one in bathroom rather than turning on bright light and don't need to plug in. We always bring magnetic hooks- great for PJs, hats, and wet/sweaty clothes - the walls are magnetic so put them anywhere.

[dmdiver]

We don't use a night light in the room, but in the bathroom. Ours is battery powered, motion activated. This way, if I get up in the middle of the night, the brightness of the bathroom light will not jar me awake, nor will it bother the hubby, since the light switch is on the outside of the door, not the inside. As to why I now use a nightlight - a few cruises ago I got up to use the restroom, missed the toilet & landed on the shower ledge on my tailbone. It hurt so much I thought I was gonna pass out. I've had 3 kids without so much as an aspirin, so you know that really really hurt.

[dmdiver]

Yes, you can fill water bottles on Lido. The outlet is only one US plug. We have taken a tap that had 3 outlets & 2 USBs for charging. However, now I notice that it is surge protected, so we'll have to do something else. They don't like surge protection. There's a thread out there with the details as to why. I never would have known.

[nycruise3]

So many people have already replied, but whatever.

I would recommend not overpacking because there is limited space in your bag and in the room.

For your kids, I would say to either go to the front desk and ask them to take the charging features off their cards so they don't spend too much money on drinks.

Power strip and/or charging port (not surge protected) --How many outlets actually are there?

We never bring one because our family almost never uses the outlets. There are probably one or two in the room and one or two in the bathroom.

Nightlight

We keep the bathroom light on and close the door and the light peeks through the bottom of the door. You can keep the tv on and on mute, but it is too bright. There is no harm in a night light.

Battery clock

YES. This is good for when we don't keep the tv on. The tv has the time, but once again, it is bright. Either that or a spare watch you can put on a table.

Sticky notes and marker to leave messages for each other

That's fine. There are a notepad and pen in the room, but you can run out. That is VERYYYY handy to write notes though.

Over the door shoe storage to put things in and hanging shelves

Unnecessary. If you don't overpack clothing and shoes, you will be fine. You don't need shoes for every dress. Everyone should have comfortable sneakers, a nice pair of heels/dress shoes, and flip-flops. We are fine with the regular storage (family of 4). You just don't have one shelf for shirts, one for pants, etc. Each person gets one or two shelves and ample hanging space.

Heavy duty magnets

No point. There is nothing to hang up. When papers and flyers are in your room, make sure to throw them out right away. The papers clutter up a lot.

Maybe 3M hooks

Once again, I don't see a use for these.

Other important things-

Empty water bottles

Yup, for ports. We fill up one and keep it at night in case anyone needs water during the night. Water is expensive there, so don't forget empty bottles. VIFP members get some free bottles.

Tide pods and some quarters for a laundry emergency (how many quarters?)

We have only done laundry because we are Platinum and get it for free. Bring a tide stain stick in case.

Beach bag/backpacks

Bring a drawstring or a cinch sack for getting off the ship. It is very handy for towels, flip flops, bathing suits, etc. For getting off the ship, don't bring the blue carnival towels that are in your room because they are very expensive to replace if you lose them. I would recommend going up to the spa and grabbing a white towel for everyone in your family. You don't need to sign them out so it is ok if they get lost.

Sunscreen/bug spray

We never have encounters with mosquitos. Bug spray isn't needed. Sunscreen is a must. If you worst case forget anything, you can probably buy it in port or in the Fun Shops onboard, but for an inflated price, of course.

Question-where are we going to hang wet swim suits? Is there a line for that in the bathroom or should we bring hooks for that?

In the shower, there is a line. It is probobly only 2 feet long, so it can't fit a lot. When you shower, you need to take the clothes off or they will get wet. You can bring hooks but I don't know where to hang them because the bathing suits drip. Especially with a family, before dinner, some of us go to the spa to shower. It is otherwise a bit crowded in the room.

First afternoon plan--

We embark during the 12-12:30 window and plan to have lunch right away. We don't have FTTF. We will drop all of our luggage except a bag with swimwear with the porters.

I would recommend keeping an extra change of clothes with you for the small chance that your luggage gets lost or gets to your room late.

Eat somewhere other than Lido buffet? Guys burgers, Italian place, Mexican place?

Swim?

Guys, Cucina del Capitano (Italian place), and Blue Iguana (Mexican place), are still part of the lido. Everyone in my family LOVESS Blue Iguana. By the second or third day of the cruise, the workers know my order. All of the lines will be long because everyone will be eating at the same time. I would not recommend Cucina on the first day because it is a long wait for the food, even with no line. Swimming is a must. Not everyone has their bathing suit with them. We are almost only the only ones in the pool on the first day.

Get room organized when it is available

You should unpack the first day so you don't have to worry about it the next day and you can go straight to relaxing.

 

Where should we hang out during the ship sailing so that we can really see? We learned on the Triumph that there are some places that are better than others to see the fun at that time.

Anywhere on the lido or the deck above.

And we've heard that they boys should go to their age-group hangout places that first night to meet people and learn the ropes. Around what time? We have ATD and are hoping to eat together as a family most nights.

My kids never go to the camps/clubs. They should try to go the first day or two to make sure they can make some friends.

Any tips are appreciated!!

HAVE FUN!!!!!

[Tongiejayhawk]

My boys were around the same age as yours when we began cruising. Some things we bring that I don't think have been mentioned are: dryer sheets, collapsible hamper (handy to keep all dirty clothes together & hauling clothes to and from laundry room), individually wrapped anti-bacterial wipes (I wipe down the cabin before anyone unpacks - handles, knobs, remote, phone), kitchen trash bags (for any swimsuits still wet on debarkation), and a flat frisbee or small nerf football (for the boys to play with during any beach excursions).

 

Have fun!

[CruiseMomTX]

Take a non surge protected power strip you will use it! There is usually only one spot, around the desk area, to plug something in and no where else in the cabin.

 

Heavy duty magnetic hook, we actually ended up buying more because we use them. They work great to hang up wet swimsuits/coverups, clothes you might want handy, belts, lanyards, etc.

 

A backpack works great for taking your things on port days.

 

We have packing cubes and finally used them this last cruise for our family of 5 and they work great for packing and keeping organized things like underwear, socks, swimwear, t-shirts, etc. We do book 2 cabins one for us and one for the kids so that helps with space.

 

Take enough of your favorite sunscreen as its expensive on the ship and in ports.

 

Have fun and enjoy and go with an open mind, your vacation is what you make of it.

[NewKansasKruiser]

One thing I take on every cruise is a small Bath and Body Works room deodorizing spray. The bathroom is literally 3 feet from where you will be sleeping and if someone "uses" the bathroom, that smell travels and you will appreciate having a room spray. :) Also we use the Eddie Bauer shower bags....I like showering in the spa or gym and it makes it very easy to grab everything you need. The EB one also has a hook so you can hang several of them in your room for easy grabbing a toothbrush or a quick make up redo. Lots of people decorate their doors also so that can be fun. Magnetic curtain rods can hold cute things on your door or around the room.

[RWolver672]

Tide pods and some quarters for a laundry emergency (how many quarters?)

We have only done laundry because we are Platinum and get it for free. Bring a tide stain stick in case.

We use the 3 in 1 laundry sheets. They take up no room and you won't have to worry about them breaking open. I got ours off of Amazon.

Question-where are we going to hang wet swim suits? Is there a line for that in the bathroom or should we bring hooks for that?

In the shower, there is a line. It is probobly only 2 feet long, so it can't fit a lot. When you shower, you need to take the clothes off or they will get wet. You can bring hooks but I don't know where to hang them because the bathing suits drip. Especially with a family, before dinner, some of us go to the spa to shower. It is otherwise a bit crowded in the room.

The bathroom walls are metal. There is a drain in the bathroom floor besides the shower one so you won't have to worry about them dripping.

First afternoon plan--

We embark during the 12-12:30 window and plan to have lunch right away. We don't have FTTF. We will drop all of our luggage except a bag with swimwear with the porters.

I would recommend keeping an extra change of clothes with you for the small chance that your luggage gets lost or gets to your room late.

quote]

 

Cross pack. Instead of one suitcase for each of you, pack some of each person's clothing in each bag. That way if one suitcase comes up missing, you still have clothes.

[Drazil65]

TIP: Considering that you seem to have one gender majority in the cabin (especially an inside), I would make sure to send them to the gym locker room to shower (lots of showers and room to get ready) each day to get their showers. They will have a lot of room and leave the cabin bathroom for you to get ready (especially before dinner each night). MY DH & DS love all the room and it is so easy for them to shower, shave and throw some clothes on (they leave their dinner clothes in the cabin and actually dress for the evening in the cabin).

[pacruise804]

For your swimsuits: if you roll the wet suit in a dry towel that will help absorb most of the moisture - stepping on the towel will help transfer even more to the towel (like blotting a spill on a carpet).

 

Space will be at a premium in an interior room with 4 people, so try to pack as lightly as possible. Packing cubes or at least gallon zip loc bags should help keep everyone's stuff separate.

 

Have Fun!

[serene56]

And we've heard that they boys should go to their age-group hangout places that first night to meet people and learn the ropes. Around what time? We have ATD and are hoping to eat together as a family most nights.Any tips are appreciated!!

 

the 13 year old needs to go to his orientation that first night-- its really important that he stay for ice breakers

the 10 year old only needs to sign up-= nothing at all for him that first night at all

 

Camps and club activities start about 7pm. If you want to eat as a family I suggest traditional dining so you can be in there by 6 and done by 7:15

--

not on your list but you want to consider keeping those beds on the floor separate (UNDER the upper beds giving you much more floor space. Keeping the beds together you lose all the space

 

https://mycruisestories.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/rooms-interior-with-bunks.jpg?w=640

 

vs

 

https://mycruisestories.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/cabins-inside-4-2303.jpg?w=648

[Nevada Jen]

Really. Don't ignore the suggestion to pack bathroom spray. There is no way to air that bathroom out and you will be eating a lot of food you may not normally eat. More importantly all those males will be too! I like poo-poo-ri ;)

Also, we used those magnetic hooks for hanging our suits to dry. That clothes line in the shower would not have worked for us.

If your kids have phone or ipods, we really found the Hub app to work well for communicating. Sticky notes would have been a pain to go back to the room to read.

Last thing I have not seen listed. Something warm for the dining rooms, shows or unexpected weather.