Most Important Item?

[caviargal]

I also pack single use eye drops. Easy to carry with me and easy to use.

[rrgator]

These are great ideas and tips. Thanks to everyone for sharing.

 

A couple more:

 

Toilet paper/Kleenex/Paper Towels - Always have some, in ZIPLOC bags :), in my backpack. You never know when my wife will find a bathroom with no toilet paper. Was especially useful in China on our latest cruise. Very little TP in the bathrooms there and for some reason, the Chinese do not believe in napkins at meals.

 

Ponchos - heavy duty, like this one:

 

http://http://www.amazon.com/Frogg-Toggs-Mens-Ultra-Lite-Ponchos/dp/B007X5Z1S6/ref=pd_sim_193_4?&ie=UTF8&refRID=0E5J3F59MWJP7ZT2S4S4

 

Used to carry travel umbrellas but took up too much space in backpack. Then went to cheap plastic ponchos, but a strong wind will negate their use. Now using something like the poncho above. More durable, holds up better in wind and rain, is lightweight, and comes with a storage bag.

 

Don't know about the other cruise lines, but Viking has umbrellas available to use during the tours if you don't have your own rain gear. Nice ones too.

 

Good walking shoes - I went to a runner store and got a really good pair of Nikes. They fitted me and suggested this type for the way my feet are shaped and how I walk. You will do a lot of walking, primarily uphill, on these cruises so a good pair of walking shoes are essential.

 

Chargers/Converters - so many electronic devices we now carry that you need these to survive. On our last cruise, my daughter got us a converter, that has a USP plug in it. Very convenient for charging iPhones or Kindles, when plugs are in short supply. I also carry a three-prong plug like this:

 

http://http://www.amazon.com/GE-Heavy-Duty-3-Outlet-54203/dp/B000EU4HBO/ref=sr_1_8?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1439927037&sr=1-8&keywords=electric+plugs

 

It is lightweight, takes up very little space, and gives you extra plugs. Also is fairly flexible to fit into various converters and wall plugs as needed.

 

A long Bungee cord - like this:

 

http://http://www.amazon.com/Erickson-06845-Black-Industrial-Bungey/dp/B000W3RU9Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=hardware&ie=UTF8&qid=1439928954&sr=1-3&keywords=bungee+cords

 

Comes in handy in many ways: clothesline, door open holder, emergency luggage repair, and in a pinch, a belt :eek:

 

Here are a couple of really good packing lists here on CC, if you haven't already found them:

 

http://http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986205

 

http://http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1436

[Shmoo here]

Ditto on the glasses...although it's been so long since I've used the spare set, I wonder if I could still see out of them!! I also bring my own hand sanitizer and carry it with me everywhere...I have to grip a handrail when doing stairs and I use it after I get where I'm going!

 

I love colored glass and much of what I buy is either shipped or taken in my back pack, so I use bubble wrap...I have a whole box full in my basement from when we remodeled and I may as well use it. :D

 

We've always brought a spare set of glasses (usually the one with the prescription just prior to the current ones we are wearing). Well, except for this cruise :rolleyes: Yep, DH broke his glasses. Duct tape didn't work, so we were searching a small grocery store (much like a 7/11) in Nuremberg for Superglue. Thankfully, we found it. Lesson learned.

[CWRob]

Note that converters are for converting 220 volts down to 110 volts. Most European is 220. Most chargers now are dual voltage so converters are not generally needed. Adapters convert a 2 prong European outlet to a 2 blade American. Most Viking longship have both American and European outlets.

As for pictures I use a wireless Sd card in my camera. Automatically transfers by wireless network to my tablet/laptop. No physical changing of cards etc.

[Kenster]

An extension cord! I spend about 180 nights a year in hotel rooms. The outlets are rarely where you need them. We like to keep our phones on chargers on our night stands. The outlet was only on one side of the bed. An extension cord helped. \

 

Bring a cord and adapters. If you don't want to pack them, buy them in your first city and at the end of the tour, donate them to the ship.

 

I also like to travel with a very light knapsack to carry a sweater or windbreaker, water bottle, etc.

[Kenster]

Download an app called "Whats app." It allows free texting anywhere in the world to people who also have the app. Just have your family, or someone in the office or whatever, set up the app before you leave.

 

No cost international texts!

[bubbulz]

I realize I'm late to the party for the OP, but since we just recently returned from our cruise I thought I would add a couple of notes:

 

1. Before we left I downloaded two iPhone apps, Here and Maps.Me. Both provided offline navigation and mapping, which helped avoid eating up my cellular data on my international plan. I would connect periodically via WiFi so it could update my location, and then use it while on excursions and tours with my phone in Airplane mode.

 

2. Since we have Verizon and added their international plan for the month we were away, I used the MyVerizon app to keep track of how much data and how many minutes we had used of our allotment.

 

3. Although our hotels and the ship had some plugs/adapters we could use, having a couple of extra adapters definitely came in handy both in our hotels and on the ship.

 

4. I have a cross-body Tumi bag that went with me everywhere, and it was easy and lightweight to pack in my luggage on our flights.

 

5. We traveled in the early autumn and although some days were near 90, others were much cooler and rainy. I was glad to have a breathable, hooded rain jacket. It also made it easier to avoid the temptation to take one of the ship's bulky umbrellas on a day when there was merely the chance of rain.

 

6. Shoes. And more shoes. I took 4 pairs of shoes and wore them all. Sometimes it was to give my feet a break; sometimes it was to let my drenched shoes dry out. (Drainage systems on cobblestone streets may not be quite what you're used to!) Oh, yes, and sometimes it was to have something nice to wear to dinner (although I can't say I ever wore heels). ;)

 

7. Don't stress about having enough 'dress' clothes. Pack (and wear) what you are comfortable in. That's what most everyone else will be doing.

 

8. I always pack at least one kitchen-sized trash bag for laundry or other items I may not want to mix in with clean clothes for the trip home.

 

9. Oh, and one last item (which is usually much more important in other areas of the world I visit): Cipro. I always have a prescription on hand. On this last trip, I didn't need it, but my DH did.