What do you bring with you?

[Coffeeluvr05]

All the things!  Just kidding.  Definitely ipads and we pre-download movies and tv shows we may want to have available during our downtime.  We always keep our music libraries on our iphones too.  Keep in mind there could be issues with internet so don't completely rely on having it 100% of the time.  

 

For the most part, I enjoy listening to the natural sounds of the water and wind when out on deck and the various entertainment going on all over the ship. 

[Dani24]

I always bring several books with me. And nowadays I also have a bunch of audiobooks loaded up. I like to bring one of those adult coloring books with coloring pencils too. And a good camera that I can play with to take good land/seascape photography. A high-quality pair of binoculars (especially ones that can be used for terrestrial and celestial viewing) is also great.

 

Otherwise, we love getting the daily puzzle/game/riddle sheets from the library. We work on them all day, and they're the perfect "boredom buster" for when we need something to entertain us or a few minutes. 

We also love many of the ship's activities, including lectures/demonstrations, spa treatments, dancing lessons, MUTS, evening shows, Bingo, the casino (we don't spend much time/money in there, but it's fun for a bit), trivia, live game shows. DH also loves taking naps (whether in the room or on a lounger by the pool). I'm not very good at relaxing, so I either read next to him, or run off to explore the ship and talk to new people. On our prior sailings I've found most people on Princess to be very friendly and sociable, and the conversations I've had have been plenty entertaining too! 

[SusieS]

Travel scrabble!

[Thrak]

My phone and tablet always have a good supply of books. The phone has a 200 GB microSD card that I can transfer HD movies to as well. I never use any of it except the books. I keep the movies in case I want to watch them on the flight but I have never (yet) bothered to watch them on the ship. My wife takes her tatting but really only does it at Knitters and Natters meetings. She also takes books on her tablet and, a couple of times, has participated in the Princess Book Club. We don't seem to have an issue with not having anything to do onboard. Sometimes I just sit and watch the sea go by. 😎

[cabin4three]

In downtime we swim,  do a fast(ish) walk around  the jogging track or promenade deck,  "play" basket ball,   play the super large chess on deck and deck coits (dont' know if I have spelt that correctly).  Then indulge in a cake 

Pre-Children we would go to yoga or pilates classes too, now its more likely doing a family craft or disco session.  Kids love MUTS with a cookie.

I also take along a couple of tablets/kindles so we can read if we want.

[ukestrummer]

BRING A UKULELE & MUSIC

[Thrak]

I also bring my wife...

[CindyPie1004]

21 hours ago, pris993 said:

Hey, it still works and my dh who is 85 knows how to work it... we also  have a lot of music not easy ti find.   It floats our boat.  LOL

That’s awesome! Happy cruising and keep getting your jam on in anyway you like!   

Edited February 13, 2019 by CindyPie1004

[pris993]

11 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

Can you even get tapes to play on that dinosaur?      

 

no problem.. even amazon sell them, lol   We have many favorites we have collected over the years.

[pris993]

lol, I have a kindle I never use, not everyone is into all this technology... we don't even use fancy cell phones, only a little go phone for emergencies... it works us.... we are not missing anything we care about. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

We  bring binoculars. We see lots of amazing things at sea. 

[boltnut55]

I bring my Bible art journaling stuff to work on along w/watercolor related stencils. I will either bring a book or borrow one from their library.

[JoRoy218]

On our first few cruises we both took along lots of reading material, music, etc. We barely touched it all. Now, we fully immerse ourselves in the moment and the cruise, taking long walks around the promenade, studying the Patter for interesting activities and I have a Journal I keep up with started 12 yrs ago, saved just for our travels. There is also quiet meditative time on the balcony, which is very calming to us.  Took us awhile to get to this point but it works for us. 

[floridalover5623]

23 hours ago, disneyochem said:

I’m able to hook my DVD player to the tv so no need for internet.

On most Princess ships, yes, but some of the ships don't make it easy to do.

[DrJay]

23 hours ago, Thrak said:

I also bring my wife...

Me too....but she usually does her own thing.

 

[getting older slowly]

An open mind and your eyes.....

 

Sit relax and smell the roses ( on a ship sit and watch the ocean ),, or if you are game a nap....

 

Talk to the other half ( yes good idea to bring her )

 

But really a few books...... and feet to walk around the ship....

 

Cruising = relaxing ( put your feet up.. and the crew do all your cooking , cleaning, bed making and even bring a drink )

 

Cheers Don

[Potstech]

On 2/12/2019 at 7:38 PM, Thrak said:

I also bring my wife...

Or a suitable replacement.

[Ken the cruiser]

We usually fill the sea days with various entertainment options Princess has planned. BUT, just in case during those times when there isn't a lot of things going on that catch our attention, we bring along a small portable dvd player, plug it into the hdmi port on the TV in our cabin and watch old Star Trek episodes. 

[OCruisers]

On cruises we like  to have enough entertainment options offered by the ship  to not have to be "self entertained"!   

[Kingofcool1947]

27 minutes ago, OCruisers said:

On cruises we like  to have enough entertainment options offered by the ship  to not have to be "self entertained"!   

Good for you!   

 

Edited February 14, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[floridalover5623]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We usually fill the sea days with various entertainment options Princess has planned. BUT, just in case during those times when there isn't a lot of things going on that catch our attention, we bring along a small portable dvd player, plug it into the hdmi port on the TV in our cabin and watch old Star Trek episodes. 

Unfortunately that's becoming more necessary for us as they continue to decrease the ships scheduled activities that interest us. There are a few game shows at night that are OK but not enough for a whole cruise sometimes. 

The Royal class ships at least have more movies available but the older ships leave a lot to be desired.  

[metairiegal]

Down time?!  What's that? 

Edited February 14, 2019 by metairiegal

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, floridalover5623 said:

Unfortunately that's becoming more necessary for us as they continue to decrease the ships scheduled activities that interest us. There are a few game shows at night that are OK but not enough for a whole cruise sometimes. 

The Royal class ships at least have more movies available but the older ships leave a lot to be desired.  

On the shorter, more port intensive ones, I can understand that. But on the longer itineraries over 15 days with many sea days, please tell me they still have at least professional lecturers, interactive game shows and multiple trivias to participate in. I will admit, though, "bouncing the ping pong ball into the paper cup" game was a lot of fun too. We're in our mid 60s and enjoy having the "kid" come out in us when we're on a cruise. That's why we're drifting back towards Princess and Celebrity as HAL and Oceania were just getting to boring for us on sea days.

[floridalover5623]

23 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

But on the longer itineraries over 15 days with many sea days, please tell me they still have at least professional lecturers, interactive game shows and multiple trivias to participate in.

Yes they do but since we travel often the lecturers are often repeats & get boring to listen to over again. (think pirates), game shows are still interesting to us but trivia just isn't our thing. 

They seem to have some groups who know just about even answer possible and can't be beat. 😉

[Clarabella_Baby]

I bring too many books....lol....I never know what I am going to want to read next.  And I'll always sacrifice room in my suitcase for paper books.

 

I bring my ipod, a speaker for it, for the cabin, and headphones, for the deck.

 

And usually my knitting/embroidery.