What are the absolute essentials to pack?

[madge57]

I needed a laugh and the butt sheet did it!!!:D

[dj80colo]

Before packing your prescription meds(in your carry on!) make sure you have enough to last until you get home.

[I][B]Share[/B][/I] clothing in suitcases in case one of them gets lost/delayed if you're traveling by air. That way if one gets lost you both still have clothes to wear.

Pack your swimsuit and one or two outfits in your carry on. Good for freshening up on board, before your room is ready or, if all baggage gets lost. -- Learned that lesson the hard way! :)

[arush5268d]

[quote name='LovingVacation']Sounds like a good time will be had in your room! ;)[/quote]


Thats the goal!

[PAcruiser25]

I would suggest to bring a hat.
I am not a hat wearer at all, but I really wish I had one last year on the beach in Florida because ny scalp got burnt, then I didn't want to be in the sun as much in the Bahamas.

[drexymama]

Bring one of the battery operated tea lights if in an internal cabin and leave in the bathroom for those nighttime trips:cool:

[kmacdonald]

[quote name='crusinpsychRN']over the door thingie, especially on older ships with no counter in BR
contact lens case and solution as well as extra contacts
hair conditioner
lysol wipes--wipe everything down when you get to your room
meds
hair dryer
stockings to go with your formal outfit--don't forget shoes
sun screen
good book
insurance papers--DOCS![/QUOTE]

Do you have to wear stockings for formal night? I don't even think I own a pair...

[kmacdonald]

[quote name='SCFCRUISER']For all you beer drinkers out there, you gotta have a tall koozzie to keep them 16 oz. beers cold. Unless you drink them fast of course. Ha Ha.

Steve[/QUOTE]

I don't intend on letting it sitlong enough to get cold.;)

[Mary Ellen1]

We downsized a little for our last cruise, and didn't bring the over-the-door shoe holder, the Lysol, and a few other odds & ends that are always mentioned here.

You don't need a clock if your cell phone has an alarm clock function.

Bring 1/2 as many clothes, buy some of those Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets, and plan to do laundry mid-week.

Pack a little first aid case, or even a zip-lock bag, with any medications and comfort items that you might need/want (and that will cost a fortune, if available, in the gift shop): band-aids, ibuprofen, antacids, pepcid, aloe, etc...

Mary Ellen

[ILUVCRUZEN]

[quote name='Mary Ellen1']We downsized a little for our last cruise, and didn't bring the Lysol[/quote]

I would [COLOR=red][B]NEVER[/B][/COLOR] leave my disinfectant at home. I don't bring Lysol but I do bring Clorox Cleanup wipes. I take about 15 of them out of the bucket and put them in a ziplock bag. One of the first things we do when we get into our room is wipe everything down such as the phone, the remote control to the tv, the door knobs, the commode handle, the light switches, even the drawer handles and the knob on the air conditioner vent. Anything someone else has touched repeatedly before I got there gets wiped down.

[GlendaleCruiser]

[quote name='DocF']I guess I am the only person on this entire board who thinks of the unthinkable. My windup flashlight is always with us on cruises. If there is a power failure or other major problem (use your imagination) This will be essential to get out of the cabin. We carry a travel alarm, not for the alarm as I am always up before first light on a ship--I don't want to miss anything--but simply to tell time more conveniently when in the cabin.

Doc[/quote]

I always have a little maglite with me and I always have a travel alarm. It is dark until I press the front and then it lights up with the time. That way it doesn't keep anyone awake, and I always want to know what time it is before I roll over and go back to sleep............

[Time2CruiseAgain]

I just wanted to share an idea someone gave me on my first out of country trip - to make a photo copy of my passport, DL and whatever ID I had and keep it in my suitcase. You never know when things can happen and possibly these IDs get lost.

Just wanted to share!

[Mary Ellen1]

[quote name='ILUVCRUZEN']I would [COLOR=red][B]NEVER[/B][/COLOR] leave my disinfectant at home. I don't bring Lysol but I do bring Clorox Cleanup wipes. I take about 15 of them out of the bucket and put them in a ziplock bag. One of the first things we do when we get into our room is wipe everything down such as the phone, the remote control to the tv, the door knobs, the commode handle, the light switches, even the drawer handles and the knob on the air conditioner vent. Anything someone else has touched repeatedly before I got there gets wiped down.[/QUOTE]

Oooh - great idea about the wipes, and putting a few of them in a bag. Easy to pack -- great idea!

Thanks,
Mary Ellen

[ILUVCRUZEN]

[quote name='Mary Ellen1']Oooh - great idea about the wipes, and putting a few of them in a bag. Easy to pack -- great idea!

Thanks,
Mary Ellen[/quote]


Your welcome:)

[PreciousCruiser]

Love all the tips. Many of them I have ready to go thanks to fellow posters.

Here's a different tip: Write your name, address, phone # on a sheet of paper, take a picture of it with your camera. If you were to lose your camera, an honest person would know who it belongs to and you might get it back somehow.

[Jess777]

Antihistamine or cold meds
Imodium
Tumbs
Ginger Root Caps
Excederin
Elastic bands for hair, the gift shop never has them I forgot them once I really did suffer until the next port day.

[bottomrung]

Always, A small LED Flashlight

[ciera123]

[quote name='jayscore']If you bring a clock, make sure it's battery powered.[/QUOTE]

Is this because of the shortage of outlets?

[littlesnit]

I actually had to repair a handle on our luggage with duct tape when it got ripped off by a taxi driver. Worked great.

Also, we hung our bungee cord across the bathroom door for the first couple of days because we kept forgetting to step up!

My BF thought I was silly packing some of this stuff, until we needed it.

I also bring a net type shopping bag that folds up to almost nothing. It's great for shopping excursions and carrying that extra junk we bought that won't fit in our luggage going home.

I always bring an extra watch and prescription glasses. Extra prescriptions, too, and we don't carry them all in one bag.

Bring a blank or empty gift card, in case the safe in your room is the swipe type. Don't use your room key for it. (Lose your key, anyone who finds it has access to your room and whatever's in your safe.)

[tk22]

[quote name='blackmudsal']This last trip is the first time I did not bring my steamer. It is so bulky, I decided to try the downy wrinkle release instead. I hung everything up when I got there, and decided to just treat things as I wore them. Funny thing is, most of the wrinkles fell out while hanging. I don't know if it was the humidity or what. I did not even use my downy wrinkle release, and I did not need to iron anything in the laundry room either! That was a nice surprise for me, and I saved a little room and weight in my luggage![/quote]

I lay out my clothes, put a piece of tissue paper and then fold using my flip-fold board from HSN that I just love!!! The tissue paper seems to lessen creases from the folds. I then have tissue paper if needed to wrap breakable souvenirs. I would think even if you roll clothes to pack, tissue paper help with the wrinkles. My family think the tissue paper is too much trouble, but I cherish evey part of the cruise experience - even packing and it is worth it to me :p.

[poobears]

[quote name='ciera123']Is this because of the shortage of outlets?[/quote]


The current on the ship can fry electric alarm clocks. Either make them stop working or make their times off. We go with a battery one too.

I don't take most of the stuff people say they need. I take all our personal need items (contacts, lotion etc), the usual camera/phones and chargers then we pack what I refer to as a mini pharmacy (immodium, ibuprofen, thermometer etc) so we can hopefully prevent a trip to the ship Dr. for something minor.

I dont' take bungees, duct tape, coolers, extension cords.......never had a need for them yet.

[ShedQueen77]

[quote name='poobears']The current on the ship can fry electric alarm clocks. Either make them stop working or make their times off. We go with a battery one too.

I don't take most of the stuff people say they need. I take all our personal need items (contacts, lotion etc), the usual camera/phones and chargers then we pack what I refer to as a mini pharmacy (immodium, ibuprofen, thermometer etc) so we can hopefully prevent a trip to the ship Dr. for something minor.

I dont' take bungees, duct tape, coolers, extension cords.......never had a need for them yet.[/quote]

I'm with you, except for the duct tape. I have had a broken suitcase before and it saved a big hassle....and it comes in handy when my husband won't quit yammering! :D

I made the mistake of taking all the stuff people said that I'd "need" on my first cruise like the over the door hanger, bungee, etc... and didn't use any of it. Lesson learned! :)

[sassy5683]

We took the over the door shoe thing and it worked great. We also took a power stip and our cell phones were off the entire trip so I had a watch and also a small travel alarm clock. I too like to look at the time just before i fall asleep and hubby will never tell me the time....

I had read on here to take highlighters and i did...never used them. think theya re still somewhere in one of the bags still packed and still in the package.

also a good idea to take a mini first aid kit. we didn't need it but I saw the prices of just a SMALL bottle of pain reliver....I don't remember wha the price was but i do remember being VERY happy we had it if needed. And if yo uhave kids going with you make sure you tae stuff for them as well. Some of the Adult stuff they cant take.

we took some ziplock baggies with us too becuase we were spending some of our port days at the beach and knew the kids wold find shells and such and they also came in handy for the wet swim suits. and we had one collapseable duffel bag packed for any extras that we picked up along the way so that we could pack that stuff in there. Everythign worked out great for us. And only brought one too many outfits becuase I would up buying a couple things in one of the ports and wearing it on the ship. Other than that I don't feel that we overpacked anything.

I basically packed likei would for any other trip that we go on....

[PreciousCruiser]

Does anyone find it necessary to take Skin So Soft or Skintastic to keep bugs away when on an island in a rain forest (or anywhere else)?

[PreciousCruiser]

Does anyone find it necessary to take Skin So Soft or Skintastic, etc. to keep bugs away when on an island in a rain forest (or anywhere else)?

[simplelife]

On our past 5 cruises, I have never needed:
one of those overdoor organizers - adequate storage in the cabin.

clothes steamer - I take easy-care fabrics. If something needs steaming or pressing, send it out. I think we've done this once for DH's suit

a power strip - no need. DH can plug his razor in the bathroom; I don't use a curling or straightening iron etc; we don't bring the electronics - Our phones are turned off and put in the safe once we set sail. We don't bring video games or a laptop (I think one of the beauties of cruising is getting away from all these things).:)

Clock - I have a wristwatch

hamper - Most things are hung up to be worn again. When an item won't be reworn it goes in an empty suitcase under the bed.

Lysol wipes - if you think your cabin is dirty, let your steward know and someone will come in and clean it. If you are a germophobe, don't go on a cruise, don't stay in a hotel or resort, and don't go to school, church, restaurants, stores or anyhwere a large number of people gather :p:D

I HAVE needed personal & medical supplies (pain reliever, antacid, immodium, bandaids, tampons, etc) and these are VERY expensive or unavailable on ship (especially if you have a preferred brand) - I keep a ziplock bag supplied with necessary items and take it when I travel anywhere, These take up very little space and weight so there's no reason NOT to pack them - on most cruises, at least a couple of things from the bag are used. The ziplock bag goes in my carry-on.

I DO bring my insulated coffee mug, because I love to stroll the decks in the morning, with my coffee, and we DO bring insulated containers for water, tea, etc. These are in our carry-ons too, because we use them pre-and post- cruise too.

Happy cruising:cool:.