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Best Things to Buy Before Cruise


kimma11
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I am a new cruiser. Tell me the stuff you are glad to have bought prior to the cruise. I have read someone post a must buy is waterproof cameras as they are so expensive on board. I also plan on buying the Cheers package as I know this will save us money. So list your tips on must have purchases prior to cruising. :D

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Collapsible cooler for ice. Most condense so put it on shower floor. Bon Voyage bottle of champagne or wine to gift yourself, take a corkscrew. Check out excursions and get them from independent provider--go to port boards to get recommendations.

 

All toiletries are expensive on ship so make sure to take into consideration any issues and pack them.

 

If you get FTTF make sure you get the orange sticker on luggage from porter.

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Sunscreen and insect repellant.

 

Not a purchase but take ones, fives and tens. Very handy for tipping, port purchases and taxis.

 

I also take a small purse and leave most stuff in the safe.

 

Enjoy your first cruise. It is magical.

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We just got back from our first cruise and here are the things we noted, (depending on the length of your cruise and your specific circumstances these may or may not be relevant): Hanging door shoe organizer w/ pockets (saves your room from getting cluttered up, it may already be a tight space),hanging shoe holder for the closet (for keeping shoes together), towel clips for chairs, suction cups w/ hanger hooks - so helpful for hanging general things on walls, hooks for doors (to hang bags and other things), if you are going super tropical make sure you have a good bug repellant and sun screen of course, hanging toiletries bags are also cool but not required, a comfortable bag for excursions (walking around st. Thomas with a huge bag no straps gets old quickly, general medicines (Motrin, band aids, allergy melds) all the meds on the ship are crazy expensive, make sure to take a lot of pictures because the photos on the ships are crazy expensive. Other advice - come ready to engage in conversation (the cruising community is so welcoming, we met so many people that just loved to chat randomly, please tip the service people they are awesome too) also, pack half as many clothes as you think you will need (after our first hour on the cruise we saw that no one really cares that you are dressed to the 9s, just be comfortable. [personal opinion on cheers - depending on how much alcohol you drink, you may just want to get a Yeti cup and fill it up with juice or water and ice. Some people swear by cheers but we didn't drink more then three alcoholic beverages a day and we stayed away from sodas. Juice, water, lemonade, and iced tea are free; the yeti was 30-40 dollars and we got to keep our beverages with us all day, wherever we went.]. I hope this helps!

 

 

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I am a new cruiser. Tell me the stuff you are glad to have bought prior to the cruise. I have read someone post a must buy is waterproof cameras as they are so expensive on board. I also plan on buying the Cheers package as I know this will save us money. So list your tips on must have purchases prior to cruising. :D

 

plastic bag for anything u do not want to get wet on excursions. I put my point and shoot in it. We bring our own coffee cup.

 

enjoy Cruising is great!

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the best $20 you can spend will be on an inexpensive white noise machine. Get the sound spa from Bed Bath and Beyond. very small and lightweight but has a wide range of sound and volume.

 

You will be able to sleep no matter what time of day or where your cabin is located !

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A couple of years ago I bought several collapsible papazan chairs. They store in the shape and size of a frisbee. They fit in the pocket of your luggage great and when you take them out they spring open to the size of a hula hoop with a mesh seat attached. For any beach or excursion they are great. I got mine at Target.

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  • Flip flops
  • sun screen
  • extension cord/power strip (typically only one outlet in cabin)
  • Travel sized beauty/bath/toiletry/first aid items
  • Reading material

 

What NOT to pack: too many clothes. Once you pack, remove 40% of clothes.:rolleyes:

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OTCs as noted above, sunscreen, when I cruise with BFF I take a few little plastics bins from the dollar store (they are three or four for a dollar) so we can corral our stuff in the bathroom and on the vanity. Also a foldable tote to carry purchases made off the ship or to carry wet towels and swimsuits after excursions.

 

 

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  • Flip flops
  • sun screen
  • extension cord/power strip (typically only one outlet in cabin)
  • Travel sized beauty/bath/toiletry/first aid items
  • Reading material

 

What NOT to pack: too many clothes. Once you pack, remove 40% of clothes.:rolleyes:

 

That doesn't apply to me anymore. I learned after my first cruise. After 15 cruises, I now pack just what I need for our B2B cruises (14 days).

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I am a new cruiser. Tell me the stuff you are glad to have bought prior to the cruise. I have read someone post a must buy is waterproof cameras as they are so expensive on board. I also plan on buying the Cheers package as I know this will save us money. So list your tips on must have purchases prior to cruising. :D

 

A can of Febreeze or other room fragrance spray. That's the first thing I pack into my suitcase. I've been on 3 ships now where I was so glad I brought it, as the cabin smelled of rotting garbage or cigarette smoke filtering into our cabin. Makes the bathroom smell nice as well. Also, a can of D'Vita cappuccino. We order coffee in the morning to have while sitting on the balcony and it cuts down on the expense of ordering it through room service. It's $3.50 a cup on some ships!

Edited by elliair
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Instead of Yeti stainless steel tumblers, try Rtic for half the price, or Ozark Trail tumblers from Walmart for even less $. They all look like they were made in the same factory, with different names stamped. We bought the 20oz Rtic, and our Tervis handles fit them.

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Clorox wipes

 

bottled hand soap for each cabin

 

Lysol spray

 

liquid body soap

 

We also love our 32 oz insulated cups with the straws attached. I can fill with ice and water to sip on all day.

 

OTC drugs, because they are so expensive on the ship.

 

Empty gift card to swipe for the safe.

 

Extra batteries for the charger.

 

We bring our own beach towels too.

 

Small string backpacks ( especially for the children ) they come in handy while shopping and hold bottled water.

 

Cheap water goggles for the children.

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Lysol spray or wipes in our carry on and the first thing we do is spray all knobs, remote, buttons, faucets, and handles. Also, throw some immodium in with your other OTC meds. One of my favorite items is a digital clock I bought from Walmart for $26 and it has 1 USB charging spot and 2 plub in charging spots. Its fantastic and now I don't need power strip or extension cord. If we are in a regular balcony instead of a cove, I bring a small squeegee because I like to see out of my balcony plexiglass.

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the best $20 you can spend will be on an inexpensive white noise machine. Get the sound spa from Bed Bath and Beyond. very small and lightweight but has a wide range of sound and volume.

 

 

 

You will be able to sleep no matter what time of day or where your cabin is located !

 

 

Ear plugs are cheaper and work better, imo. [emoji4]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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