What's on YOUR packing list?

[newcruiser80]

I'll be a first time cruiser in 45 days!!! I can't wait and am dreaming of pure joy on the Adventure of the Seas.

 

Question for you seasoned cruisers - What's on your packing list? I'm curious to know what you pack and how you pack it. What's in your checked luggage? What's in your carry on? What are the details of your packing, right down to your toothbrush and toothpaste. Help a boy out here!!!

[mom2NnB]

We tried to scale down and ended up with WAYYYYY too much. But we learned our lesson.

 

This is what our days consisted of:

 

Got up in morning and put on Bathing suit, covered with shorts & tee or cover-up. Spent the entire day in that outfit. Went back to cabin, showered and put on dinner attire. After dinner changed into comfy shirt & pants and went to show or hung out. So we only wore dinner attire for maybe 2-3 hours. We were able to re-wear outfits a few times (especially skirt or pants). Plan a pair of pants 2 or 3 times and a shirt twice and you can travel with almost nothing.

 

Laundry was also down the hall so we threw in a quick wash and dry while taking turns showering and changing. Worked out wonderfully. Be sure to pack quarters, dryer sheets and a sample size laundry detergent.

 

Only take the toiletries and medications you really need, we brought a lot of the "needed" items on the packing list going around and brought alot of it home unused. Meds are available on-board.

 

Definitely pack a power strip and a night light (especially in an interior room).

 

Enjoy, don't stress. If you forgot it - it can be found somewhere either onboard or in a port.

[1bigsexy]

Enjoy, don't stress. If you forgot it - it can be found somewhere either onboard or in a port.

 

EXCELLENT advice. :D

 

You may also check out what we usually pack for a cruise. But we always over-pack and I get stuck worrying about too much weight.

[EaglesFan13]

Always pack a shawl or cartigan to wear in the dining room as they can be chilly at times. It is also good for walking around the top deck at night when it's windy. I always pack a pair of jeans too.

[aloha of the seas]

In all the year we traveled my wife and I never need more than 3 bags and 2 carry ons no matter where we were going. Suggest you rent a tux if you need one rather than pack it. Also pack a small soft suitcase for all the items you may acquire on your vacation. It makes packing the last night much easier and you don't have to carry things off the ship. Good sailing, Murf.

[shipknotshore]

Laundry was also down the hall so we threw in a quick wash and dry while taking turns showering and changing. Worked out wonderfully. Be sure to pack quarters, dryer sheets and a sample size laundry detergent.

 

 

Keep in mind RCI's ships do not have any self service laundry on board. They do have a laundry facility that can do it for you at pretty reasonable prices.

[Sunyg]

EXCELLENT advice. :D

 

You may also check out what we usually pack for a cruise. But we always over-pack and I get stuck worrying about too much weight.

 

 

Thanks for the link, I checked it out and actually FORGOT a couple of things on my list.

[RME]

The best advice I ever got about packing for a cruise was to bring an over the door shoe bag. It fits over the bathroom door and holds deodorant, shampoo, razor, etc. And, we always bring duct tape. Have not used it yet, but it is highly recommended in case you do need it. DH asks every time what the duct tape is for.

[tomko2]

We pack insulated coffee mugs with lids; like to run up for early morning coffee and then sit and enjoy the start of the day on the balcony. Don't want to wait for room service and don't order the night before because we never know what time we will wake up.

Have never taken a power strip nor needed one.

Took duct tape on trip to Europe and used it for packing dishes we bought; don't take it for Caribbean trips.

Swiss Army knife always handy.

A lightweight bag for beach days is handy.

Battery charger for camera batteries a must. Extra memory chips as well.

A few plastic clothespins for hanging up handwashing in the shower (there is a retractable string in the shower stall or tub on RCI).

A warm sweater/hoody is handy some sea days can be cool on deck.

We take two suitcases and one carry-on for 7 - 10 nights.

Above all don't worry about repeating what you wear; it makes sense to maximize your wardrobe and there is always laundry service.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Kathy

[karen&roy]

I'll be a first time cruiser in 45 days!!! I can't wait and am dreaming of pure joy on the Adventure of the Seas.

 

Question for you seasoned cruisers - What's on your packing list? I'm curious to know what you pack and how you pack it. What's in your checked luggage? What's in your carry on? What are the details of your packing, right down to your toothbrush and toothpaste. Help a boy out here!!!

 

A collaspsible cooler to keep it full of ice. Those tiny ice buckets get empty fast and TRY and find the room steward to fill it up !

 

My own cooly cup to keep full of drinks, or coffee ;)

 

I buy bubble wrap from Walmart and pack my own bottle of liquor in my checked baggage along with some plastic coke bottles. Liquor and pop is $$$ on the ship

 

Binoculars to check out the passing ships, land ect...

 

pad of stick-ups paper to leave notes in the room

 

a lanyard to keep my cruise pass on

 

a backpack to take on the islands. So much easier than carrying a purse, towels or trinkets you buy

 

BANDAIDS...more than once I needed them for my aching feet while on excursions

 

But most of all bring a great smile and good attitude and you will have a blast!! Have fun!!! :D

[mom2NnB]

No laundry on RCI stinks. Liked to dry our towels each nite before bed so we had dry ones for next day. Bathroom is way too small to hang wet stuff and towels.:(

[mohavemommy]

A variety of medications... they are horribly expensive to buy on the ship if you should need them! :eek:

[Willbcruisin]

We have found fishing license holders in the sporting department at Walmart. They are under $2.00 and close like a zip lock bag so your card can't fall out! They hang around your neck or can be clipped on. Everyone always asks us where we purchased them! I always bring some type of hang up air freshener for the cabin and the bathroom as it helps towards the end of the cruise! No matter how clean your cabin is remember your still on a ship!

[pinkrosesdeb]

Hey, Willb, again we think alike. I ALWAYS bring those little car air fresheners to hang in the bathroom and some Clorox wipes for the first day wipe down. I can usually find the smal travel packs at Walmart. We also carry a small LED flashlight to keep by the bed and a battery clock.

[MaryZ]

No laundry on RCI stinks. Liked to dry our towels each nite before bed so we had dry ones for next day. Bathroom is way too small to hang wet stuff and towels.:(

 

hmmmm.....the ship gives you clean towels each day....lol

Anyway, regarding self serve laundry, you just need to learn to pack for a cruise on rccl. Or you send your stuff out to get cleaned.

[Willbcruisin]

Hey, Willb, again we think alike. I ALWAYS bring those little car air fresheners to hang in the bathroom and some Clorox wipes for the first day wipe down. I can usually find the smal travel packs at Walmart. We also carry a small LED flashlight to keep by the bed and a battery clock.

 

Hey Deb!!!

Wow, Do you think we're going to get along well!!!! LOL

This is to funny, I can't wait to meet!!

[dmdicato]

Go to the "cruise diva" website, as they have wonderful packing lists, with separate ones for women and men. I print out one of each and tape it to the outside of the suitcase until we depart, checking off each item as it's packed.

[pinkrosesdeb]

That is what I keep thinking. How do 2 people who have never met seem to think so much alike? Kinda scary! We will either get along great or just totally rub ea. other the wrong way because we are TOO MUCH alike! LOL

 

mom2NnB, I like that they don't have laundry facilities onboard! What if my dh EXPECTED me to do laundry on vacation?!! LOL We just use room service for dry towels and send our clothes to be pressed if needed. The service for pressing is very reasonable IMO.

[Ronnie3750]

This board was a great help for some hints as to useful items to take.

 

We found the over the door shoe holder incredibly handy. Just a cheap mesh one - held all our medications, bandaids, hair stuff, shaving materials, brushes... We filled up all 24 slots. Kept the small bathroom counter clear and everything was easy to see and find.

 

I like checking the time when I wake up during the night, so the travel clock was great.

 

We did take the power bar - had cameras, cellphones, ipods to charge (as well as a small Christmas tree because of the holiday sailing). If you just have a camera to charge, I don't think it would be necessary.

 

And as other say, don't overpack. Mix and match tops and bottoms. We did take advantage of the ships laundry services - very reasonable. Also cut down on the casual clothes we needed to take. Two or three bathing suits per person is a good idea, if you are doing the pools and hot tubs.

 

We also followed advice here and crosspacked our suitcases, dividing up outfits for each of us in each piece of luggage. We had tight connections and were worried luggage might get lost - luckily did not happen, but is a great idea anyway.

 

And don't forget the 1 litre or quart bag rule re liquids. My wife got held up in security bacause the liquids bag was too big. She had to leave less essential stuff in storage at the airport.

[Shelli]

And, we always bring duct tape. Have not used it yet, but it is highly recommended in case you do need it. DH asks every time what the duct tape is for.

 

I've used my duct tape!! A couple of cruises back, at the airport my checked suitcase was a tad overweight (just like its owner). Rather than pay the extra $$, I opened it to take some stuff out and put it in my carry-on. But while reclosing it, the zipper broke!! Thank goodness we had duct tape. My suitcase looked pretty bad all wrapped up with it, but it held it shut... and it was easy to find on the carousel upon arrival. Since we always fly in a day early, I had enough time to find a reasonably priced new suitcase, and everything ended fine.

[nomoreknothead]

I always pack one of the little pop up hampers for dirty clothes. I found mine at the dollar store for less than $5.

 

After overpacking for the first few cruises now what I do is plan out my dinner attire. Then I throw in my shorts and a few tops, one cooler weather set for the cool nights, swimsuits and anything we might need for any excursions we might take ( like throw away clothes for the ATV tour - Muddy). Keeps the packing down and saves our backs!:D