Things You Were Told You Must Pack But Never Used

Walkie-Talkies

Gym clothes :D I pack them every trip thinking I'll have plenty of time to workout on sea days but I never seem to make it to the fitness center haha.

Over the years I have seen a lot of threads asking the question "What Are the Things I Must Pack"

 

I'm curious to what things you did pack because you were told it was a must but you never used.

 

Ready.....Set......GO

I've ignored most suggestions and never missed it but

Packing cubes

Shoe hanger (plenty of shelf space in the bathroom for two or three of us to store our junk)

Magnetic hooks

Clock (unless it's a long cruise 28+ days)

Coat hangers, never had trouble getting more and only on a long cruise that I've even needed more)

Duct tape

WalkieTalkie talkies (barely work anyway)

Disinfectant to clean your TVs remote etc

Laundry hamper (dirty clothes just go in the suitcase till either we need to do a load of laundry or we get home)

Bungee cord

Would top my lists.

We do take

two highlighters, love to climb into bed with out newsletter and mark what each of us is interested in for the next day but two pens would work just as well.

Small sewing kit, can probably get it from Steward but takes up virtually no space

Spare eyeglasses and repair kit (screwdriver, nose piece and screws) again can probably get them at pursers desk but handy

A small Aussie flag that gets hung on the inside our our balcony door, makes spotting our cabin from shore easier and tells the who World I'm an Aussie, if they couldn't work it out already

You'll notice all the stuff we do take will fit in one shoe.

Emergency dental kit. Never needed it so far but paranoid that the one time I don't take it will be when I need it!

You reminded me - I always travel with an emergency dental kit, along with eyeglass repair kit. They have been in my Dopp Kit for years - never used , and probably need replacing. Thanks.

You reminded me - I always travel with an emergency dental kit, along with eyeglass repair kit. They have been in my Dopp Kit for years - never used , and probably need replacing. Thanks.

What is an emergancy dental kit?

What is an emergancy dental kit?

It's a small plastic container with a resin compound which becomes firm upon exposure to air - you use it to make an emergency temporary replacement if an inlay comes loose. It can last for a few weeks until you get home and can see your dentist.

It's a small plastic container with a resin compound which becomes firm upon exposure to air - you use it to make an emergency temporary replacement if an inlay comes loose. It can last for a few weeks until you get home and can see your dentist.

Thanks nbt. You learn something new every day.:)

I use my highlighter on every cruise to highlight activities of interest in the daily Princess Patter. I have used duct tape to tape the extension cord for my husband's cpap machine along the bed headboard and to tape around a suitcase when the zipper broke,

Duct tape is really a terrible thing to ever put on furniture or walls or anything where it is intended to be a "temporary" solution. It leaves a gooey mess when taken off and can ruin the surface to which it was applied. Though it is a touch more expensive, get some GafferTape. Accomplishes the same kind of aims but without sticky residue remaining behind after removal. Don't want to spend the $ or carry it with you? Just ask the ship's entertainment tech staff to "borrow" some.

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Hiking / waterproof shoes and rain gear for Alaska. Was in Alaska for 18 days over two cruises and it didn't rain once. Certainly didn't need hiking shoes. Will never drag that stuff along on another cruise.

Do a search on "packing lists". You will get 100's of hits. Some of the threads are hundreds of post longs. Almost all of the stuff on all of the lists will not be used and are are useless.

DON

How true! :D

Gosh, if you took even half of the suggested items, you'd have no space for clothes. :rolleyes: ;p

Exactly. We found that when we made lists or when we started to pack early the tendency was to pack too much.

We no longer use lists nor do we pack much ahead of time. DW perhaps one day, me the night before or morning we leave if it is an afternoon flight. It might be because we have done it so often that it no longer seems like a chore. I can be done in 15/20 minutes max no matter how long the trip is. DW longer but she fusses a bit.

I have enjoyed reading these. I have never brought anything on those list.

I did buy me some packing cubes. I love them. I never go anywhere without using them.

I do think the dental kit and glasses repair kit is a good idea.

Until a few days ago, Travel Insurance.

Used a hamper once when the kids were little.

Duct tape is really a terrible thing to ever put on furniture or walls or anything where it is intended to be a "temporary" solution. It leaves a gooey mess when taken off and can ruin the surface to which it was applied. Though it is a touch more expensive, get some GafferTape. Accomplishes the same kind of aims but without sticky residue remaining behind after removal. Don't want to spend the $ or carry it with you? Just ask the ship's entertainment tech staff to "borrow" some.

 

 

 

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I always take a mini bottle of Goo Gone with me so I can remove any residue.

Small flashlight - for event of total power failure - never used/needed it, but will always pack it.

Most cell phones come with a flashlight so I stopped bringing one. just remember to charge your phone.

I have always taken and never used a tiny first aid kit, a spare pair of eyeglasses, a sewing kit, and a clothes brush. I have quit taking a glue stick, detergent, hi-liter. binoculars, and Pepto-Bismol.

I took a large first aid kit, a sewing kit and a clothes brush. We used exactly 1 plaster. I did wonder why I bothered... but I know I'd pack it again, just in case.

We didn't need quite as many electrical adapters as we took with us.

Took a shoe organizer when travelling with kids -- 4 in a cabin created a lot of clutter. Now, it lives on the back of the guest room door loaded with cruise stuff. We 'shop' from it as we pack for each trip. Its a hodge-podge of sea bands, insect repellant wipes, lanyards, sunglass straps, rain ponchos...

Never used: Shoe organizer or duct tape

Always use: Pop-up hamper. It really comes in handy on the ships with self laundry to carry the clean, folded clothes back to the room.

Will use: A highlighter. That's a great idea to highlight the activities we are interested in attending each day.

A small Aussie flag that gets hung on the inside our our balcony door, makes spotting our cabin from shore easier and tells the who World I'm an Aussie, if they couldn't work it out already

I love that idea!!

But we have an inside cabin on the next cruise. So no need to bring a Swiss flag this time.

Took and left that over the door shoe hanger.

There is more than enough room in the cabins we select and do not need this.

Safe travels

There are so many items on here I never thought of. I just pack the bare minimum. Seems like each cruise it gets less and less. I have never cruised with more than 3 people. That could be why. I find this conversation interesting. Some of you are so organized.

Never used: Shoe organizer or duct tape

 

Always use: Pop-up hamper. It really comes in handy on the ships with self laundry to carry the clean, folded clothes back to the room.

 

Will use: A highlighter. That's a great idea to highlight the activities we are interested in attending each day.

I love my small pop-up hamper. Fits neatly into corner of the closet. Folds absolutely flat for packing. DH knows exactly where to put his dirty stuff which would otherwise be draped here and there...UGH!! Also very handy for repacking...dirty stuff goes in bottom of suitcase with flat hamper on top so I know when I get home where the clean stuff ends and the dirty starts!!!:D;p

At the end of each trip, even though we only do carry on, we note the items that we never wore or only wore once. These items don't make it on the next trip.

This has proved to be an effective way for us to narrow down what we really do need to take with us. When we first started this process we had 24/25 inch cases. Now we do 20.

We also keep track of what attire travels well, wears well, and washes well. A miss on all three means the garment does not make it in the bag next trip.

Normally don't bring 95% of the "must have" list. Maybe because we book mini suites we have enough room. We have lots of room in the bathroom and cabin. However, this time I am traveling with 4 kids under 12. Yikes. So I'm bringing a laundry bag for each, bathroom organizer and other things to keep them as organized as possible so when it comes time for packing (two live in Seattle and two live in LA) I can just dump it into their suitcase without spending hours figuring out on the last day. It was tough enough last time just doing it between the kids. I'll also have swimming gear, umbrellas and all that stuff too. It will be the one and only time I bring this kind of stuff.

LOL! My thoughts exactly. I know others love them, but in my mind, I can't see it not being in the way! The cabin steward would bump it, it takes up space inside the bathroom... unless maybe you hung it in the closet out of the way - I might consider it in that case. ;p:D

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I only took it on the cruise with three women in one cabin, and we dressed up every night for dinner. This was on the Destiny, that had inadequate bathroom storage.

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