Do you bring any creature comforts?

[Redtravel]

I try to pack as little as really necessary. You should ask yourself with each item if it is a necessity.   I love my hairdryer. I don’t bring it.  The one on the cruise isn’t great, but it works. I often just let my hair air dry.  I bring my own toiletries including soap. Bring a soap container too. Last Celebrity cruise had awful soap.  I never just assume that anyplace will have the same toiletries as they had previously. Celebrity changes shampoos often. don’t like wall mounted soaps, etc.  last Celebrity cruise, I had to beg for a shower cap. I got it after much to do.  I bring my own travel pillow, water bottle with carrier, chair clips, camera, kindle, iPad, cellphone, chargers, electrical multi plug, flashlight, 2 plastic hangers, flexoline, snacks for plane and late night, sports sac bag, umbrella, binoculars( one in cabin is a toy), plastic ziplock bags, sunglasses, magnifying mirror, sunscreen, bug repellant, benedryl, sewing kit, scissors, tape, earplugs, pocket tissues.  Of course I bring clothing. I try to pack 2-3 of most items and about 6 tops. Bring old clothing that can be sent to ship laundry or rinsed out in the cabin sink. Bring clothing from 1 or 2 colors. Black pants in 3 lengths. 3 pairs of shoes. Leave the high heels home. Bring Flip flops or swim sneakers. I make a list before packing. I also make notes after the trip. If you don’t use it, don’t take it on the next trip.  Unless you are going to a 3rd world country, you can buy most things. 

[DebInAntigua]

13 hours ago, calicakes said:

don't even get me started on the eggs in the grocery store( non refrigerated).  I just about fainted the first time I saw that in Puerto Vallerta.  I ended up taking a cab to Costco to buy the refrigerated kind. 

You would totally freak out at how they sell meat here in the Antigua mercado then. I couldn't find a picture on my iPhone, but found this stock photo online and can attest that yes, it is exactly like this. No refrigeration, no barriers between people and the raw meat (so who knows who's touched it before you buy it!), no expiration or sell by dates.

It would give a health inspector nightmares.

We've been living here for over 4 years and our housekeeper/cook shops daily in the mercado for all of our beef, veal, pork, chicken, etc. Fish is delivered laying in a cooler in the back of a pickup truck on Mondays to our door.

Haven't died yet! LOL

[GeorgesGal]

16 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

LOL same here in Guatemala as Mexico! When we go back to the states for a visit, having half-n-half in our coffee is a huge treat. Took a long time to get used to the "milk in a box" down here, but we eventually did. Doesn't taste gross to us now, but "real" milk from the US or on a cruise tastes heavenly!

 

Oh, THAT ANTIGUA!  And here I was thinking your were from the island of Antigua.  Silly me.

[GeorgesGal]

2 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

  

 

This photo reminds me of the mercado in Quepos, Costa Rica!

 

Oh, and I won't travel any more without my lumbar back pillow that I purchased from my chiropractor!  It's a god send on planes and tour buses, to say nothing about the chairs in some dining rooms!  That and my insulated mug - plus of course some clothes - are all I need besides a credit card or two and local currency to start me off with.

 

Donna

Edited August 18, 2019 by GeorgesGal

[hurwitz5]

Thought I was the weird one for bringing a blanket- it’s the top sheet from a twin sheet set.  It’s cool and soft.  I have to make sure to fold it and put it away daily, or it could get thrown in with Celebrity’s bedding when the sheets get changed (and I would never see it again).  Also bring my own hair dryer as my hair is thick and Celebrity’s dryer isn’t powerful enough.  I also bring strong magnets for the walls, shampoo and conditioner, 

and Lysol wipes.

[jagsfan]

A poster mentioned Dollar Tree. 

I went looking for one for the second time in 10 years for something I read about on CC. 

I’m surprised no one has mentioned battery operated tea lights. 

I bought a package, (they come two to a  package) for our 27 day cruise and only used one. 

Put one on the bathroom sink counter and turn it on when you go to bed. 

For us, at least, it was great!

we not only didn’t wake each other up when nature called, we didn’t wake ourselves up. 

The other things I’ve added as I’ve grown older:

4 clothespins which live in my luggage, for clipping drapes together for  a nice dark room and for weighing down over friendly shower curtains on ships that have them and hotel rooms, my CPAP machine, prescription and OTC meds, ear plugs, small travel pillow for between my knees when sleeping, bandaids for the thin skin I rip in my sleep, travel alarm because I don’t want to have to look at my phone to see the time in the dark, my Kindle, and, of course chargers and extra chargers. Nothing like having a charger fail in the middle of the ocean. 

And something salty like nuts or pretzels because sometimes you just want them. 

Oh yeah, and Crystal Light lemonade to encourage me to drink more water. 

Yes, these are mostly things from my home environment, but the things I cruise for are not. 

[Blazerboy]

16 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Lots of people, apparently, from reading these boards for years... 

 

Hamper = pop-up packable clothes hamper

I bring a hamper on every cruise...it's called my suitcase!  All clothing I've worn goes in there, but we do try to eventually use our laundry perks so that not everything does home dirty.😁

[Slugsta]

I bring my own products for hair and skin; small alarm clock cos I can't sleep if I can't see the time; a small, light blankie - for using on the balcony, daytime naps and, more recently, when I'm out and about in the wheelchair*; sachets of instant hot chocolate drink, or a jar for longer cruises; usually a tube of 'hand wash' detergent but I am taking a pack of laundry detergent sheets for our upcoming 24 days cruise cos I can use them for hand washing and in the machines in the laundry room; a bottle of cola to get me started.

 

We drive to the port and don't have any limits on baggage 

 

*We rarely do 'hot weather' cruises.

 

@Huskygo I am so sorry for your loss. I cannot read the Rainbow Bridge poem without crying, even if I haven't recently lost a 4 legged companion!

Edited August 18, 2019 by Slugsta

[hcat]

With charges being added for rm service after breakfast hrs on EDGE,  we will bring a small tray and Food containers for snacks from the buffet .

 

.Our cabin is aft  so we'll keep ourselves supplied, rather than pay $ 7.95  plus 18% grat for rm service!  

[varoo]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

With charges being added for rm service after breakfast hrs on EDGE,  we will bring a small tray and  Food containers for snacks from the buffet .

 

 

Easier just to order room service breakfast the first morning and keep the tray.

Let your stateroom attendant know that you want to keep it for the entire cruise.

 

They used to provide trays up at the buffet, but that was one of the many cutbacks.

 

[hcat]

15 minutes ago, varoo said:

 

Easier just to order room service breakfast the first morning and keep the tray.

Let your stateroom attendant know that you want to keep it for the entire cruise.

 

They used to provide trays up at the buffet, but that was one of the many cutbacks.

 

Yup..thought of that too.  Someone on  the main CC board said the app is wrong and they did not have to pay on EDGE,..go figure???  We will be in a reg cabin so no expanded breakfast menu for rm service but we can order coffee and a bagel. 

[varoo]

11 minutes ago, hcat said:

....... We will be in a reg cabin so no expanded breakfast menu for rm service but we can order coffee and a bagel. 

 

We used to be able to write in additional items we wanted on the regular room service menu (such as preferred flavor of yogurt or type of bread for toast, or how we wanted our eggs cooked, or substitutions) and they would provide them if they had them available.

But it looks like they may have cut back on that too.

 

In the past, we could get things like eggs, bacon, omelets on the regular room service breakfast, although they might be cold by the time we received them.

It seemed to us like the temperature of the room service breakfast we received depended on how many room service orders were on the delivery cart that morning and how far down the delivery line we were. 😉

              

[Carole2313]

We are doing a B2B, an 11day New Zealand- Australia and 17 day TP so we’re bringing most everything mentioned plus Tide pens, highlighters, those stay-cool towels you wrap around your neck, pocket poncho, Oreo cookies, Kind bars, salty snacks for the long flight to Auckland, my Blissy pillowcases, raincoat, light jacket, lots of scarves, belts and jewery to accessorize.

[calicakes]

8 hours ago, Redtravel said:

I try to pack as little as really necessary. You should ask yourself with each item if it is a necessity.   I love my hairdryer. I don’t bring it.  The one on the cruise isn’t great, but it works. I often just let my hair air dry.  I bring my own toiletries including soap. Bring a soap container too. Last Celebrity cruise had awful soap.  I never just assume that anyplace will have the same toiletries as they had previously. Celebrity changes shampoos often. don’t like wall mounted soaps, etc.  last Celebrity cruise, I had to beg for a shower cap. I got it after much to do.  I bring my own travel pillow, water bottle with carrier, chair clips, camera, kindle, iPad, cellphone, chargers, electrical multi plug, flashlight, 2 plastic hangers, flexoline, snacks for plane and late night, sports sac bag, umbrella, binoculars( one in cabin is a toy), plastic ziplock bags, sunglasses, magnifying mirror, sunscreen, bug repellant, benedryl, sewing kit, scissors, tape, earplugs, pocket tissues.  Of course I bring clothing. I try to pack 2-3 of most items and about 6 tops. Bring old clothing that can be sent to ship laundry or rinsed out in the cabin sink. Bring clothing from 1 or 2 colors. Black pants in 3 lengths. 3 pairs of shoes. Leave the high heels home. Bring Flip flops or swim sneakers. I make a list before packing. I also make notes after the trip. If you don’t use it, don’t take it on the next trip.  Unless you are going to a 3rd world country, you can buy most things. 

What is a flexoline?  I'm assuming to hang clothes to dry?  I usually hang mine over the chairs on the balcony.  I never even bring pants, we mostly cruise to warm destinations( our next cruise is ABC's) I stick to black/white and grey.  I bring one pair of flip flops and a pair of sneakers and maybe a nicer pair of flip-flops.  I forgot that I always bring hand soap too.  I know you can buy most anything you forget, but do I want to spent 20 bucks on a bottle of sunscreen?  Nope. 

[calicakes]

4 hours ago, jagsfan said:

A poster mentioned Dollar Tree. 

I went looking for one for the second time in 10 years for something I read about on CC. 

I’m surprised no one has mentioned battery operated tea lights. 

I bought a package, (they come two to a  package) for our 27 day cruise and only used one. 

Put one on the bathroom sink counter and turn it on when you go to bed. 

For us, at least, it was great!

we not only didn’t wake each other up when nature called, we didn’t wake ourselves up. 

The other things I’ve added as I’ve grown older:

4 clothespins which live in my luggage, for clipping drapes together for  a nice dark room and for weighing down over friendly shower curtains on ships that have them and hotel rooms, my CPAP machine, prescription and OTC meds, ear plugs, small travel pillow for between my knees when sleeping, bandaids for the thin skin I rip in my sleep, travel alarm because I don’t want to have to look at my phone to see the time in the dark, my Kindle, and, of course chargers and extra chargers. Nothing like having a charger fail in the middle of the ocean. 

And something salty like nuts or pretzels because sometimes you just want them. 

Oh yeah, and Crystal Light lemonade to encourage me to drink more water. 

Yes, these are mostly things from my home environment, but the things I cruise for are not. 

I do bring those battery operated tea lights.  I stick them in the bathroom at night.  When I think of creature comforts, I was thinking about my sugar free coffee syrup and real maple syrup.  I have a lot of "cruise" items I pack as well. 

[jagsfan]

1 hour ago, varoo said:

 

Easier just to order room service breakfast the first morning and keep the tray.

Let your stateroom attendant know that you want to keep it for the entire cruise.

 

They used to provide trays up at the buffet, but that was one of the many cutbacks.

 

I keep the tray in the closet!

[Denny01]

11 hours ago, TeeRick said:

I pack my bag.  My dw packs her bag.  Her creature comforts are about 20 extra pounds of shoes.  If we are flying to the port we need to meet 50 lb baggage limits so some of the shoes stay at home.  If we are driving to the port she gets to have all her shoes.  Of course she can get around these limits by making me fly business class or first class which has a 70 pound baggage limit!

70# baggage?!? I find handling my 50# bag a challenge; I’d hate to even think of trying to manhandle a 70# one. 

 

Den

[Redtravel]

4 hours ago, calicakes said:

What is a flexoline?  I'm assuming to hang clothes to dry?  I usually hang mine over the chairs on the balcony.  I never even bring pants, we mostly cruise to warm destinations( our next cruise is ABC's) I stick to black/white and grey.  I bring one pair of flip flops and a pair of sneakers and maybe a nicer pair of flip-flops.  I forgot that I always bring hand soap too.  I know you can buy most anything you forget, but do I want to spent 20 bucks on a bottle of sunscreen?  Nope. 

Flexoline is a braided cord that can be used to hang clothes to dry.  I don't want to spend $$$ for sunscreen. However, if I run out or forget it, I would buy it. Burned skin is to be avoided at any cost. I wear sunscreen on my face, neck, and hands daily.  

I cruise in warm and cold areas.  I always wear pants on a plane and in the dining room at night.  In warmer climates, you need shorts and long pants.  I like zipoff pants.  They are great especially when you travel between hot and cold places. 

 

[TeeRick]

11 hours ago, Denny01 said:

70# baggage?!? I find handling my 50# bag a challenge; I’d hate to even think of trying to manhandle a 70# one. 

 

Den

I make dw manhandle her own bag.  LOL! (not really)

[Plato123]

We  bring a short heavy duty power bar that fits in my carry on and use it to share power at airports on the way and on the plane, and I know these are not generally allowed as a larger one was confiscated when we were boarding the Edge. We also bring suction cup clips and puffs to hang in the shower/tub area.  We get inexpensive puffs which we dispose of at the end of the cruise.  We also bring some 6" velcro cable ties which work better than elastic bands to keep the hair dryer switch on, and double as what they are; cable ties for charging cords.  We also bring Crystal or Tapatio hot sauce as the only one we find on board is Tabasco and we don't find that rich enough.

Another item is a bubbly stopper which also works as a stopper on still wine.Also, we bring a battery operated LED candle as we normally have all our meals at home by candle light, and we each carry a small but strong pen light in case of power failures.  We don't bring a night light any more as most ships now have these built in, in the bathroom.  We bring lots of ziplock type plastic bags to stock up on Al Bacio cookies for the flight home as well as for extra bottles of Bulgari toiletries while we can still get them.

[Aqua water]

I do bring somethings depending on where the cruise is going.  In the Caribbean, I bring water shoes, a snorkel, long gauze dress that can be used as a cover-up.  Sample beauty products,  an inexpensive waterproof  beach bag. Insulated water glass or bottle.

In cold climates, I carry a soft sweater with lounge pants,gloves.

For all cruises,

Coin purse with small bills for tips in port or on the ship. Light weight small back pack.

Hand sanitizer,tea lights,small amounts of all different over the counter medications in a pill box. Extra pair of  glasses.  Glasses cleaner.  Travel size sunscreen for in port, travel poncho, and zip lock bag.

I do not wear real jewelry but bring a some earrings and an inexpensive watch.  My shoes are one pair of sandals, gym shoes, and water shoes.

 Paperback books or kindle. Highlighter pen.

Most important item sunglasses!

[sportsmum]

I bring my pillow- I love it and don't want to think about who else has been sleeping (or whatever!) on it. Soap, shampoo. I used to bring my hairdryer and gave that up for space. I WILL be googling dyson's today! Thank you for that tip. Duct tape is a given. Used it many times in rough water to keep drawers closed! Pictures of the fur kids - none of the human ones.

Thank you for letting me know that formal/whatever isn't required in Blu. I did not know that and we stayed away on our last cruise. We were dressed casually but saw everyone on ship dressed up and decided to head to the buffet instead. yay for next time!

Years ago when my daughter was in her early 20's and travelling as the young do - backpack, cheap, multi stopped flights- used to roll her eyes when I would shop for my flights. List by shortest time- not by price! Now, as she has gained years she sighs and says, I'm too old for all these stop overs - is there a direct flight? She has also graduated to a suitcase. Smartly, I just turn away and smile........

 

[calicakes]

I'm a bit of a beauty junkie.  I get a few subscription boxes( Allure, Walmart, sometimes Target and Birchbox).  I gather unwanted samples and items I've picked up couponing.  I make gift bags for female crew members.  Cruise directors, entertainment staff, servers.  They really appreciate getting a new mascara/moisturizer/lipstick.   We also order inexpensive leather wallets on ebay( 2 bucks each) and give those to the male crew members.  On our last trip to Cancun( resort).  We gave the pool boy a wallet and he was practically in tears.  He said it the first gift he's ever received from a guest.   

[calicakes]

I love my pillow as well.  Its memory foam.  My wife uses it on the airplane as well.( she's window, I'm aisle).  She can sleep anywhere with any pillow( retired military).  I can not.  I would love to bring a small fan, but I don't.  I downloaded a fan app on the Ipad and use that at night when traveling.  

 

I might have to throw a roll of duct tape in my carry-on for this trip.  We're going to the ABC's next month.  We've never cruised for longer than a week and this cruise is 10 days.  I know the first and the last day don't really count.   

[Jim_Iain]

On 8/16/2019 at 10:34 AM, GeorgesGal said:

 

 

Now don't be greedy with those standards!  My beloved George died two years ago and I miss him still.  When you're ready to get rid of one of them let me know and I'll be there to pick him up.  I know, I could find a good breeder and get another puppy, but I'm getting too old to start training a pup, and besides, all my kids have more than one dog, so what will I do with a young dog???  I've looked at rescue sites and haven't found a mature standard.  So just asking......

LOL  -   When I started reading I thought George was your late husband - until I got to the point of finding a good breeder.    Thanks for a good laugh.   OK I'm on my first cup of coffee.