JamieLogical's Cruise Packing Guide

[drewzy]

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

Speaking of the Rebound patches...they are good..

 

This also works wonders in the AM..

 

I'm going to check into these also. With the scopolamine patches I need all the hydration I can get!

 

[spanishguy1970]

53 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

We were so thrilled with the way they compressed everything in our large bag...until we got to MIA.  When the bag that weighed 40 lbs on the flight to MIA weighed in at 54 lbs home bound, we had to do some quick repacking!  🤣

lol been there done that. Fortunately with my compressed bags i did not have any problem. I also take with me a luggage weight scale that helps us keep our bags below 50 lbs. I also own a luggage piece which is 20 years old, and lifetime guarantee which honestly , keeps me from over packing.

[CPT Trips]

2 hours ago, Petoonya said:

Thanks Jaime. Terrific list.

First time on NCL. Laundry services on the ships I sail on have a 24 hour turn around time.

What about NCL?

 

I use packing cubes https://www.amazon.com/s?k=best+packing+cubes&i=fashion&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Mid-cruise on the Bliss we had same day service with laundry. Left a bag full on the bed when we headed for breakfast and received a basket of folded laundry sometime before we returned from dinner. A very pleasant surprise . . . not that I expect a repeat.

[cruisekitty22]

We plan to do this laundry service on our cruise, the Bliss.  They had a mid ship special for $20.00 or so. Well worth it to us! Nothing like coming home with clean clothes.

[Petoonya]

12 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Mid-cruise on the Bliss we had same day service with laundry. Left a bag full on the bed when we headed for breakfast and received a basket of folded laundry sometime before we returned from dinner. A very pleasant surprise . . . not that I expect a repeat.

 

5 minutes ago, cruisekitty22 said:

We plan to do this laundry service on our cruise, the Bliss.  They had a mid ship special for $20.00 or so. Well worth it to us! Nothing like coming home with clean clothes.

Thanks to both of you. Just what I needed to know!

[Markanddonna]

Very nice list, Jamie and crew!. With t Nohe new virus, might I suggest bringing extra prescription meds  in case of a quarantine? We are boarding on Saturday and I think that possibility is very unlikely but possible.

Also, to help prevent catching an illness from your cabinmates, everyone should use their own tube of toothpaste. I will also admit to throwing in a few disposable gloves and masks. We had a stock from when we were going to teach in China during SARS, but our students were all in quarantine, so that ended that trip! Not my first rodeo with illnesses originating in China.

[gizfish]

6 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

Very nice list, Jamie and crew!. With t Nohe new virus, might I suggest bringing extra prescription meds  in case of a quarantine? We are boarding on Saturday and I think that possibility is very unlikely but possible.

Also, to help prevent catching an illness from your cabinmates, everyone should use their own tube of toothpaste. I will also admit to throwing in a few disposable gloves and masks. We had a stock from when we were going to teach in China during SARS, but our students were all in quarantine, so that ended that trip! Not my first rodeo with illnesses originating in China.

Those masks won't do anything except make you look paranoid.  Unless you are using a medical respirator mask, virus particles can quite easily get in and out of those paper surgical masks.  

[Markanddonna]

5 hours ago, gizfish said:

Those masks won't do anything except make you look paranoid.  Unless you are using a medical respirator mask, virus particles can quite easily get in and out of those paper surgical masks.  

I don't plan on wearing a mask unless the situation warrants it. I have never worn one and doubt I would need it, but since I am on a cruise for two weeks, you never know.

[zauberflote]

Those masks won't do anything except make you look paranoid.  Unless you are using a medical respirator mask, virus particles can quite easily get in and out of those paper surgical masks.  

For me, who wears a simple mask on a plane/bus year-round, they have a very good purpose-- in the dry dry cabin, they conserve the moisture I breathe out with every breath, thus keeping the airways hydrated. Time tested inexpensive life saver. During the winter I also wear exam gloves to travel-- so when I wash my hand frequently, as one must, it's the gloves I'm washing, thereby preventing winter's dry, cracked fingertips.
As a bonus for those gloves, their slight grippiness allows me to pick up stuff that would otherwise require a death grip to keep them from sliding out of my dry, frictionless fingers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[keeponrolling]

Hooray for the Final Straw!

[Markanddonna]

For those who claim people who use a mask and gloves, check out the news about the RCCL ship arriving  from the Caribbean. The other passengers didn't know the news until they were let off the ship in Bayonne.

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

2 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

For those who claim people who use a mask and gloves, check out the news about the RCCL ship arriving  from the Caribbean. The other passengers didn't know the news until they were let off the ship in Bayonne.

????

[Markanddonna]

4 minutes ago, Funky Fusion FoodsJ said:

????

12 Chinese nationals were taken off the ship. Check out the news.

[JamieLogical]

Any chance we can bring this thread back on topic? There are plenty of other threads on CC about Coronavirus right now. This thread is supposed to be about general cruise packing tips.

[coastcat]

Kind of relevant to both topics... bring not mere lotion, but really good lotion. Frequent washing & sanitizing your hands wreaks havoc on your skin. I forgot to pack lotion last time and NCL's standard lotion isn't that great; my wonderful steward snuck me a bottle of the Bulgari lotion given to Haven guests! Normally I travel with cocoa butter lotion, which soothes your skin while leaving you smelling faintly like chocolate.

 

I bring a couple magnetic bag clips (plastic in bright colors) along with the usual recommended magnetic hooks. They're handy for holding papers/lanyards and do double-duty as clothespins.

 

Jaime, what would you add to your list for a longer cruise? I just booked a transatlantic and while I don't want to overpack, it's going to be a long stretch between ports if I forget any essentials.

Edited February 8, 2020 by coastcat

[Hlitner]

Our cruise packing (and other travel) habit is to simply pack everything and then pack more.   We salute those who pack light, but that is not in our DNA.  On the other hand, we do not spend any time washing out stuff in our sink or even doing our own laundry on long trips.  For us, it is "use the laundry service."  We do not take do laundry on trips.

 

Hank

[2wheelin]

17 hours ago, coastcat said:

Normally I travel with cocoa butter lotion, which soothes your skin while leaving you smelling faintly like chocolate.

I have a vanilla lotion bar which doubles as insect repellant—which is what I use it more for.

 

Since dropping an earring down the sink drain, I will never travel without a couple postage-stamp sized magnets, paper clip, and dental floss.

[JamieLogical]

On 2/8/2020 at 4:02 PM, coastcat said:

Jaime, what would you add to your list for a longer cruise? I just booked a transatlantic and while I don't want to overpack, it's going to be a long stretch between ports if I forget any essentials.

 

So far, the longest cruise I have sailed on was 12 days. For that, I just brought an extra checked bag with more clothes in it. Sticking to the same plan as listed in my OP, just adjusted for the greater number of days. I didn't pack any different things, just more of the things I usually pack.

[Guest maddycat]

We've been cruising on RCI's Anthem of the Seas for several years.  The Quantum class ships have a bar in the shower to rest your foot while shaving.  Our next two cruises are on the Adventure of the Seas, no bar in the shower.  I'll do what I did on our previous cruises on the older ships.  I'll ask the cabin attendant for a large plastic ice bucket, turn it up side down and use it to rest my foot while I shave.

[JamieLogical]

14 minutes ago, maddycat said:

We've been cruising on RCI's Anthem of the Seas for several years.  The Quantum class ships have a bar in the shower to rest your foot while shaving.  Our next two cruises are on the Adventure of the Seas, no bar in the shower.  I'll do what I did on our previous cruises on the older ships.  I'll ask the cabin attendant for a large plastic ice bucket, turn it up side down and use it to rest my foot while I shave.

 

I really don't understand why so many cruise ship and hotel showers don't have a bar or ledge or anything for leg shaving. One would assume nearly half their patrons are women.

[coastcat]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I really don't understand why so many cruise ship and hotel showers don't have a bar or ledge or anything for leg shaving. One would assume nearly half their patrons are women.

 

Perhaps they assume we're all willing to pay spa prices for waxing instead?

 

(um... nope)

 

 

[clo]

On 2/6/2020 at 11:55 AM, PTC DAWG said:

As a guy, all I can say is, that’s a lot of stuff. 🙂

As a non-guy I think it's an insane amount of stuff. Especially all that liquid in the carry on backpack. 

[clo]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I really don't understand why so many cruise ship and hotel showers don't have a bar or ledge or anything for leg shaving. One would assume nearly half their patrons are women.

We were on Oceania recently and the shower was too small for anything like that. I finally sat down in the tub and did it. Once.

[JamieLogical]

10 minutes ago, clo said:

As a non-guy I think it's an insane amount of stuff. Especially all that liquid in the carry on backpack. 

 

Curious what liquids you leave off the list. The only ones I feel like I could safely leave off are the leave-in conditioner spray and the Downy wrinkle release. But those are travel bottles and I don't think <6 oz. makes much of a difference. NCL does not provide adequate conditioner or lotion in non-Haven rooms and I don't think anyone wants me cruising without deodorant or toothpaste!

[clo]

22 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Curious what liquids you leave off the list. The only ones I feel like I could safely leave off are the leave-in conditioner spray and the Downy wrinkle release. But those are travel bottles and I don't think <6 oz. makes much of a difference. NCL does not provide adequate conditioner or lotion in non-Haven rooms and I don't think anyone wants me cruising without deodorant or toothpaste!

I assumed by "carry on" that you meant airplane. Oops.

 

And the amount of clothes seem wild to me. We just returned from a two week trip. I carried two tees, two cotton sweaters,  five bras, etc.