"I wish I knew before..."

[Shellback801]

Wealth of information here. Thanks to all who contributed. This cruising newbie is very grateful.

[gurglegargle]

After weeks of on-and-off reading, I have finally finished reading all the pages!

Now, my input. Take everything you read with a grain of salt, what works for someone might not work for you.

 

My last cruise was in 2010, RCI. My then BF, now DH, and I did not do any research or pack anything special, just what we would normally take for a 4 day vacation. Clothes, toiletries, meds, and that's it. Did not need anything else, and we were just fine without an over the door shoe organizer.

 

Our next cruise is NCL in December and we are super excited! Since this one is 7 days with 4 stops compared to 4 days 2 stops, we are doing a little bit more research on the ports and what we want to do, but I will probably pack the same way, not going out and buying anything else.

 

My biggest tip would be enjoy your vacation to your fullest, only you can make it the best ever. Also get off the beaten path, we stopped in Nassau and left the main street and found an awesome restaurant, cute little shops, and other places that were not packed with tourists.

 

DH says "bang a lot" :cool:

[kruzkween]

If you'll turn OFF signatures on your preferences page, this thread will be only 45 pages. Sounds so much easier to read than 89 pages!! But I'll agree, it's been around for a long time and continues to offer lots of great information.

 

Marilyn

[Smokeyham]

Now, my input. Take everything you read with a grain of salt, what works for someone might not work for you.

 

My last cruise was in 2010, RCI. My then BF, now DH, and I did not do any research or pack anything special, just what we would normally take for a 4 day vacation. Clothes, toiletries, meds, and that's it. Did not need anything else, and we were just fine without an over the door shoe organizer.

 

Our next cruise is NCL in December and we are super excited! Since this one is 7 days with 4 stops compared to 4 days 2 stops, we are doing a little bit more research on the ports and what we want to do, but I will probably pack the same way, not going out and buying anything else.

 

Generally, I would agree. I don't buy special clothes or anything like that for a cruise (though some enjoy the chance to do that).

 

A cruise is a bit of a different trip, in the sense that you are on a moving vessel and have less space in your cabin than you would in a typical American motel room.

 

I do bring large binder clips which help keep the curtains closed if there is movement on the ship, which sways the curtains open and lets light in.

[Skippingaroundtheglobe]

Great read! Taking notes!

[Marian Paroo]

1. I don't need two outfits per day.

2. I can use the same heels with all my formal wear. No need to pack more.

3. Skipping the elevator every day means I can have dessert.

4. A first aid kit with common OTC meds and Band Aids can save my bacon.

5. I need at least three books for a 7 day cruise.

 

 

Agree with everything and Point 5 is why I got the Kindle.

[NL2134]

After weeks of on-and-off reading, I have finally finished reading all the pages!

Now, my input. Take everything you read with a grain of salt, what works for someone might not work for you.

 

My last cruise was in 2010, RCI. My then BF, now DH, and I did not do any research or pack anything special, just what we would normally take for a 4 day vacation. Clothes, toiletries, meds, and that's it. Did not need anything else, and we were just fine without an over the door shoe organizer.

 

Our next cruise is NCL in December and we are super excited! Since this one is 7 days with 4 stops compared to 4 days 2 stops, we are doing a little bit more research on the ports and what we want to do, but I will probably pack the same way, not going out and buying anything else.

 

My biggest tip would be enjoy your vacation to your fullest, only you can make it the best ever. Also get off the beaten path, we stopped in Nassau and left the main street and found an awesome restaurant, cute little shops, and other places that were not packed with tourists.

 

DH says "bang a lot" :cool:

 

The only things I really bought special for my latest cruise were items that condensed space or reduced packing. Like, I bought a USB converter/splitter that allows you to plug in multiple USB devices into one outlet, so we could plug in both phones, tablets, etc. in one outlet... plus we didn't need to bring all of those plug adapters for each device. But, I agree there really isn't much need to buy a bunch of additional stuff.

 

And I tried to reduce my packing as much as possible. We did 7 day cruise with about 5 days trip before and 2 days after, so it was total of 2 week vacation. We each only brought 7 outfits. We did laundry at our hotel right before cruise, because they offered free washer & dryer, so that meant less laundry to do on the ship. Then we did laundry about 1/2 way through the cruise. We had come back onboard early at one of the port days, so I figured that was a good day to get it done, which it was. Spending time doing laundry was worth it to avoid bringing twice as much luggage. I brought Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets, which have detergent & fabric softener in one sheet (looks like dryer sheet). They were super easy to use, did a good job, and were amazingly convenient for the trip. I had bought a box of 20 sheets and just brought a few in a quart size ziplock bag, so they took up almost no space. I will definitely be using these again on future trips. Oh, and we also learned to split the load up into 2 dryers and it will dry much quicker (I had all our laundry done in under an hour).

[justjoanie29]

I have FINALLY gotten through all 90 pages. So many tips I had not thought of, and now have a list. Most of my favorite tips were already mentioned.

 

Cruising to the Bahamas on NCL Sky in 34 days 19 hours 41 minutes 11 seconds!!! Girls' cruise!!

[DaiLina]

I've been subscribed to this thread for a few months but am just now getting a chance to start thoroughly reading it.

 

This is our 4th cruise and I'm still learning every time... we're so grateful for threads like these! (If anyone has a list of all the tips in this thread please fill free to send it to me Lol)

[consumermonkey]

I agree with above post re laundry and chargers. Any holiday heading towards two weeks I do laundry. Those couple of hours out of it and back to normality are a good leveler.

 

Be careful with the USB splitters, with most items charging off micro usb or Apple plugs these day's. Not all chargers output enough power to charge tablets and I know I can't charge my camera from my higher output chargers, that needs a low power charger. Last thing you need is to get a few day's out and the camera runs out of juice.

 

Sent from my mobile with a little luck and a trailing wind.

[Smokeyham]

I agree with above post re laundry and chargers. Any holiday heading towards two weeks I do laundry. Those couple of hours out of it and back to normality are a good leveler.

 

Be careful with the USB splitters, with most items charging off micro usb or Apple plugs these day's. Not all chargers output enough power to charge tablets and I know I can't charge my camera from my higher output chargers, that needs a low power charger. Last thing you need is to get a few day's out and the camera runs out of juice.

 

Sent from my mobile with a little luck and a trailing wind.

 

Great point... Always a good idea to try charging your devices at home a couple of weeks in advance with whatever setup (powerstrips, USB splitters, etc.) that you might use on board, just to make sure all of the plugs fit and the system has enough juice to charge your devices.

[consumermonkey]

Great point... Always a good idea to try charging your devices at home a couple of weeks in advance with whatever setup (powerstrips, USB splitters, etc.) that you might use on board, just to make sure all of the plugs fit and the system has enough juice to charge your devices.

 

 

Sorry, forgot one other thing. I bought a cheep charger with a US plug. I was unable to try it out at home (UK) so when I made it to US, Turns out it was faulty, so I had to pay over the odds for a new one when there. Basically test everything and if in doubt, stick with what you know works.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums. Hold on, what - I have an iPad omg.

[NL2134]

I agree with above post re laundry and chargers. Any holiday heading towards two weeks I do laundry. Those couple of hours out of it and back to normality are a good leveler.

 

Be careful with the USB splitters, with most items charging off micro usb or Apple plugs these day's. Not all chargers output enough power to charge tablets and I know I can't charge my camera from my higher output chargers, that needs a low power charger. Last thing you need is to get a few day's out and the camera runs out of juice.

 

Sent from my mobile with a little luck and a trailing wind.

 

Agreed! On one of the first trips I tried using a multi-usb adapter, it worked for my phone, but not my tablet. Luckily on that trip I had also brought all of the proper plugs for each device, so I had backup charging options. On my last cruise, I had brought a new one that had 3 electrical outlets and 2 USB ports. The USB would charge phone & tablet, but didn't find out until on the cruise that it didn't work for my battery backup pack, so we had to live without that for the week. I just bought a 5-way usb adapter that has 3 standard 1A ports and 2 special ports that are supposed to detect what amperage the device needs and output accordingly. It's only been a few days, but so far I haven't had any problems with it charging my devices. I'm going out of town next week so figured I'd try it out for a week at home before the trip to make sure it works fine for each device before trusting it.

[cruisenoobs]

any pictures you could post of these hooky thingamabobbers? TIA

[cruisenoobs]

Yes! That's exactly what I'm talking about. You explain it so much better!!

Thank you!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

any chance you could post a picture of these thingamabobbers? TIA

[joeyd5oh]

Agreed! On one of the first trips I tried using a multi-usb adapter, it worked for my phone, but not my tablet. Luckily on that trip I had also brought all of the proper plugs for each device, so I had backup charging options. On my last cruise, I had brought a new one that had 3 electrical outlets and 2 USB ports. The USB would charge phone & tablet, but didn't find out until on the cruise that it didn't work for my battery backup pack, so we had to live without that for the week. I just bought a 5-way usb adapter that has 3 standard 1A ports and 2 special ports that are supposed to detect what amperage the device needs and output accordingly. It's only been a few days, but so far I haven't had any problems with it charging my devices. I'm going out of town next week so figured I'd try it out for a week at home before the trip to make sure it works fine for each device before trusting it.

 

This is the adapter I use when in Europe it has three 1amp ports that will charge phones and iPods and one 2.4 amp port for ipads/tablets. Works flawlessly you can pick it up on amazon here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HVKR92Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 just make sure you choose which plug style you want the photo in the link is for Europe.

Edited August 7, 2014 by joeyd5oh

[Seawoff]

[YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

any chance you could post a picture of these thingamabobbers? TIA

 

The thingamabob, do not recall where I bought it or how much it cost:rolleyes:

[flnursemichelle]

I have read several places where people use binder clips (extra large capacity style paper clips?) but I can't for the life of me figure out why? Our shower & curtain were rounded on the outer edges & I did have trouble keeping the curtain inside per se, I just put dirty towels on the outside to catch the extra water. How would I have used the clips???? There was only 1 curtain so no clipping together & I don't think clipping to the side of the stall would've worked.

Call me a dork but I just can't get it! :D

[websiteauthor]

I have read several places where people use binder clips (extra large capacity style paper clips?) but I can't for the life of me figure out why? Our shower & curtain were rounded on the outer edges & I did have trouble keeping the curtain inside per se, I just put dirty towels on the outside to catch the extra water. How would I have used the clips???? There was only 1 curtain so no clipping together & I don't think clipping to the side of the stall would've worked.

Call me a dork but I just can't get it! :D

 

I think people are talking about using clips to add weight to the bottom of curtains or shower curtains, to keep the circulating air from moving them around. That's how I interpreted it at least.

[StevenStephen]

Larger clips can be handy at the pool too...keeps my towel from moving on the pool loungers.

[Smokeyham]

I have read several places where people use binder clips (extra large capacity style paper clips?) but I can't for the life of me figure out why? Our shower & curtain were rounded on the outer edges & I did have trouble keeping the curtain inside per se, I just put dirty towels on the outside to catch the extra water. How would I have used the clips???? There was only 1 curtain so no clipping together & I don't think clipping to the side of the stall would've worked.

Call me a dork but I just can't get it! :D

 

 

I use them a little differently. I like to sleep in a dark room, and if the ship has movement then the curtains will sway open and the room lights up. Not so good if you are trying to sleep in, especially in the northern portion of an Alaskan cruise when the nights are short!

[lkmfleming]

This thread is devine! A couple additions...

Antacids

Safety pins

Body Glide (for blister and "chub rub" prevention)

Sunscreen wipes (easier to fly with and carry around than liquid)

Aloe vera gel (pop it in the cabin's mini fridge for an extra cool treatment)

Toothbrush holder with suction cups (so you can stick it on the bathroom mirror)

Collapsible bottle (for port excursions)

 

Happy sailin', friends :-)

 

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[sunnygidget]

I never forget lip balm with a high SPF. Burned my lips once from bounce off sand reflection, had sunscreen on but forgot the lip balm.

 

I love an extra bag that folds down to egg size (Kiva). We use it for everything from toting wine from port, laundry bag, extra shopping bag in ports, beach bag. It takes up so little space.

[PCMRSM60]

To flnursemichelle,

 

I took 4 extra large laundry pegs, as recommended here on CC, to attach to the bottom of the shower curtain. They act as weights to keep the curtain from sticking to your wet body while you shower. As you'll have seen, the shower cubicles are usually pretty small & the curtain has a tendency to blow inwards & cling to you - not very nice!

 

Well that's what I did with my pegs :)

[kirian]

To flnursemichelle,

 

I took 4 extra large laundry pegs, as recommended here on CC, to attach to the bottom of the shower curtain. They act as weights to keep the curtain from sticking to your wet body while you shower. As you'll have seen, the shower cubicles are usually pretty small & the curtain has a tendency to blow inwards & cling to you - not very nice!

 

Well that's what I did with my pegs :)

 

Fortunately, most of the ships I've sailed on recently have gone through a refurb and those icky shower curtains have THANKFULLY been replaced with doors. However, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this tip and will definitely keep it in mind if I ever again find myself with one of those pesky shower curtains that keeps "hitting on me like a drunk in bar" and making me feel like I need shower after my shower :eek:. Yuk!

 

Thanks for the great tip!!!

 

Melissa