Cruise Vets - What are some items to pack you would NEVER leave home without???

[Itchy&Scratchy]

here is our all inclusive essential list: we travel with 2 40# suitcases for the 3 of us, and all of the meds, electronics and very essential items (1 swim suit/rashguard/trunks, 1 pair of flip flops, 1 sun hat, 1 pair of shorts, sunglasses, goggles) go into the carry-on backpacks:

 

Passports, wallet, credit card, cash, itinerary printouts
Masks
Medications (stomach, echinacea, cough, ibuprofen, prescriptions, diarrhea, laxative, cold, thermometer, children’s meds, afrin)
Lysol wipes
SPF lotion and spray
Swimming suits, trunks, rashguard, sunhats, beach bags
Sunglasses
Swim ring, floaties, nose clip and goggles
Water masks
Sand toys
Shoes: flip flops or crocs, sandals, sneakers, proper MDR shoes, water shoes
Charging cables, phones, tablet and tablet holder, night light
Truvia, thermos cup, water bottle, zip lock bags for snacks
Shorts, underwear, pjs, t-shirts, pants, sleeping stuff, MDR clothes (1 pair of pants each, a couple of tops, buttoned shirt for DH)
Toothbrushes and chargers, hair brush, toiletries
Gloves and tall socks for skating and instant coffee if on RCI
Water and heat on vacation, unplug everything, turn off computers, take out trash
Books and download movies/books
 

 

non-essential for others, but needed for us:  magnetic hooks for masks and their lanyards, some cute magnets for the door, and a stuffed animal for DS to sleep with instead of his beloved live doggo.

[donaldsc]

9 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

here is our all inclusive essential list: we travel with 2 40# suitcases for the 3 of us, and all of the meds, electronics and very essential items (1 swim suit/rashguard/trunks, 1 pair of flip flops, 1 sun hat, 1 pair of shorts, sunglasses, goggles) go into the carry-on backpacks:

 

Passports, wallet, credit card, cash, itinerary printouts
Masks
Medications (stomach, echinacea, cough, ibuprofen, prescriptions, diarrhea, laxative, cold, thermometer, children’s meds, afrin)
Lysol wipes
SPF lotion and spray
Swimming suits, trunks, rashguard, sunhats, beach bags
Sunglasses
Swim ring, floaties, nose clip and goggles
Water masks
Sand toys
Shoes: flip flops or crocs, sandals, sneakers, proper MDR shoes, water shoes
Charging cables, phones, tablet and tablet holder, night light
Truvia, thermos cup, water bottle, zip lock bags for snacks
Shorts, underwear, pjs, t-shirts, pants, sleeping stuff, MDR clothes (1 pair of pants each, a couple of tops, buttoned shirt for DH)
Toothbrushes and chargers, hair brush, toiletries
Gloves and tall socks for skating and instant coffee if on RCI
Water and heat on vacation, unplug everything, turn off computers, take out trash
Books and download movies/books
 

 

non-essential for others, but needed for us:  magnetic hooks for masks and their lanyards, some cute magnets for the door, and a stuffed animal for DS to sleep with instead of his beloved live doggo.

 

You left off your espresso machine.  Don't laugh. There was a recent post that I read somewhere that a couple tried to bring their full sized espresso machine on the ship.

 

DON

[cruiseny4life]

9 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

You left off your espresso machine.  Don't laugh. There was a recent post that I read somewhere that a couple tried to bring their full sized espresso machine on the ship.

 

DON

Now that I would do! If it were allowed...

[Itchy&Scratchy]

9 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

You left off your espresso machine.  Don't laugh. There was a recent post that I read somewhere that a couple tried to bring their full sized espresso machine on the ship.

 

DON

we are not big on coffee and the only coffee machine we have at home is a tiny one serving french press. It would be very easy to bring it onboard, but why?

 

Hence, the instant coffee if we are on RCI. Theirs was simply undrinkable to us. 🙂

[mwj]

The laundry package is an essential for us on longer cruises (>7 days). It easily cuts in half what we need to bring for clothes.

[mrgabriel]

The only things that are requirements for me are:

- passport

- credit cards

- iPhone 

- prescription medication

 

Everything else can be purchased or I can live without it. 🤗

[2BACRUISER]

My DH as he pays its what I keep him for kerching lol 😆 😂 🤣 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 2/2/2023 at 2:47 PM, ldubs said:

Do they make umbrellas that are not folding?  😀

Yes, but they are not nearly as common as folding umbrellas.  

On 2/1/2023 at 5:32 AM, Ruminant said:

My mother always did this when traveling! Not gross and a good idea.

Agree -- nothing gross here.  Old underwear isn't dirty underwear.  

On 2/6/2023 at 1:14 PM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Lysol wipes 

With housekeeping being cut, this might become more important. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 2/25/2023 at 11:28 PM, mrgabriel said:

Everything else can be purchased or I can live without it.

not everything can be purchased in the middle of the ocean...

[mrgabriel]

15 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

not everything can be purchased in the middle of the ocean...

LOL - if it can't be bought then I can live without it. 

 

We once were on a 12-night Transatlantic and one couple's luggage didn't make the ship. They had their carry on bags with medication, books, camera, and other stuff they didn't want to put in checked baggage. They spent the first 6 nights in clothes from the ship's store until their luggage met them in Spain. The woman wore a white sweatshirt and workout pants every day & her embarkation outfit every night. (Ship provided cleaning.) They were celebrities because everyone knew their story & they both had such wonderful attitudes about the situation. 

[h_blond2]

I wear contacts, so I always bring an extra pair as well as my glasses.

[canadjineh]

I forgot to bring our heavy duty magnetic hooks for our cabin walls this last cruise... this meant that the desktop was always under a sea of papers, tickets, 'tomorrow's events' and other paper detritus that you just know you will need as soon as you throw it out and your cabin steward empties your bins. We usually use one to post items we need to see prominently on one wall.

I also like to hang our provided robes on them right beside the bed, for when I get up in the morning.  Unfortunately, Princess (this last cruise) didn't provide robes.  I may switch back to my favorite cruise lines for the next cruises, but will remember to bring the hooks. 

Also we usually take a couple of those little electronic tea lights to stick in the bathroom for midnight visits without having to turn the bright ones on.  Another reason to not cruise Princess....their lights turn on with movement and the full-on hallway light goes on, blinding you on the way to the biffy at 2AM.  It's way darker in our home bedroom at night than in an inside cabin on Princess.  I can even read my non-illuminated watch in an interior Princess cabin at night.

Almost forgot to add:  a pack of proper medical face masks, and extra hand sanitizer for when the stations at the buffet run out.

Edited October 15, 2023 by canadjineh

[navybankerteacher]

On 3/7/2023 at 11:18 AM, mrgabriel said:

LOL - if it can't be bought then I can live without it. 

 

We once were on a 12-night Transatlantic and one couple's luggage didn't make the ship. They had their carry on bags with medication, books, camera, and other stuff they didn't want to put in checked baggage. They spent the first 6 nights in clothes from the ship's store until their luggage met them in Spain. The woman wore a white sweatshirt and workout pants every day & her embarkation outfit every night. (Ship provided cleaning.) They were celebrities because everyone knew their story & they both had such wonderful attitudes about the situation. 

I wonder if they were the Swedish couple on our Prinsendam trans-Atlantic sailing a few years ago (we boarded in Rome - they had already been aboard for a week or so).

[lkloc]

On 7/12/2022 at 11:46 AM, cruiseny4life said:

Couldn't you just not brush your teeth for a few days? I don't even take a toothbrush when I cruise, because it's one extra thing to lose (I have one of those fancy battery powered toothbrushes, because my husband bought it for me). 

Is this a joke ??? 😳

[ldubs]

On 7/12/2022 at 9:12 AM, donaldsc said:

 

Phones can have difficulties w time zone changes especially if you leave it in airplane mode.  A small battery operated  alarm clock is easy to reset for time zone changes.

 

DON

 

Not sure what phone you have.  Our iPhones work fine in airplane mode.  And, if concerned, it is easy to manually reset any smart phone for time zones.  Just like a battery operated alarm clock. 

[donaldsc]

5 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Not sure what phone you have.  Our iPhones work fine in airplane mode.  And, if concerned, it is easy to manually reset any smart phone for time zones.  Just like a battery operated alarm clock. 

 

My android phone  also can be used when we travel.  However often a simple old fashioned solution is easier to use.  My simple alarm clock is such a solution.  It is also easier to see at night and it never needs to be kept charged.

 

DON

[cruiseny4life]

11 hours ago, lkloc said:

Is this a joke ??? 😳

Nope! My dentist tells me my teeth are amazing, despite my bad hygiene. Who woulda thought! 

[CDNPolar]

Large bandaids - talking 1 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches.  These are for the unexpected heel blisters that sometimes happen even when you are wearing a pair of shoes that are broken in.

 

They also must be strong to adhere and the small regular size bandaids don't stand up to the rubbing that the shoe will do against it.

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Nope! My dentist tells me my teeth are amazing, despite my bad hygiene. Who woulda thought! 

I take it you travel alone - and do not share tables with others, especially at breakfast.

[cruiseny4life]

33 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I take it you travel alone - and do not share tables with others, especially at breakfast.

Hahaha - my husband has never complained as he travels with me in cars, ships, planes, and whatever other conveyance device you can think of. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 10/14/2023 at 11:20 PM, canadjineh said:

Another reason to not cruise Princess....their lights turn on with movement and the full-on hallway light goes on, blinding you on the way to the biffy at 2AM.

that's not a reason to stop sailing on Princess. Just use a piece of duck or blue painter's tape to tape over the sensor.

[CDNPolar]

Probably said before, but don't want to read 5 pages of responses... 😀

 

A battery back up that has two charging ports and two charging cables.

 

We use our iPhones for all photography, and we build movies of our trips after that go on our YouTube channel.  Without that battery backup we would often run out of juice on a day long excursion.

 

If you have one that is large enough and fast enough you can take your phone from 10% to 80% in 20 minutes or less.

[neverbeenhere]

On 10/17/2023 at 11:24 AM, cruiseny4life said:

Hahaha - my husband has never complained as he travels with me in cars, ships, planes, and whatever other conveyance device you can think of. 

 

That man is very smart!!!

[CoW mAn]

Outlet extender, it prevents arguments with my cabin mates

 

 

[ldubs]

On 10/17/2023 at 12:57 AM, donaldsc said:

 

My android phone  also can be used when we travel.  However often a simple old fashioned solution is easier to use.  My simple alarm clock is such a solution.  It is also easier to see at night and it never needs to be kept charged.

 

DON

 

The batteries last forever?