Essential things to bring

[Emi's Mom]

I like to bring a big can of Lysol to spray down the bathroom and of course inside the drawers:eek: (hate the thought of putting my nice clean clothes in a drawer that was the last passenger's "hamper")...also the bed, remote and anything else that might make you sick.

 

Ditto, we spray down the phone, door handles, drawer & cabinet handles and all the light switches too (not to mention everything in the bathroom :eek: ). Don't want to get...or spread the Noro virus! :eek:

[waterbugohio]

I like to pack the extra large ziplock bags. Put one or two outfits in a bag when they are dirty, zip shut and release the air. Then just stick under the bed. Keeps dirty clothes away from clean and makes packing to go home much easier.

[luvscruising2007]

I was really glad to have the pop up hamper on our last cruise. It kept the dirty clothes separate and it did fit nicely in the closet. It does not take up much room in a suitcase either.:)

[wanderlust88]

:confused: :confused:

ok...I am kinda new ...and I have read duct tape many times...is it a running joke? Seriously...what do you use it for...I did see in this thread about fixing luggage and keeping curtains shut...but what else? is it that important??

[jillyfish]

Sand toys for the beach !!!!!!!!

[Cincy-David]

You may not need all of it, but it will stimulate ideas.

 

Cruise Documents - Set Sail Paperwork

Passports

CASH

Your Spouse

TSA Locks - If you don't know what this is, you have a problem already.

Pepto Bismol

Q-Tips / Ear Care items if needed

Imodium (anti diarhea)

First Aid Kit - Band Aids , Neosporin, Aloe Vera (burns)

Sunglasses

Bug Spray / Off If travelling where there are bugs and critters

Ear Plugs for the water

IPOD - Need music at the beach.

Hole Punch and Lanyards for SeaPass (use the easy clip on kind) less bulky than a plastic lanyard

Playing Cards - Some of the group want to play some rounds

Door Decorations - Holiday Themed (if appropriate) to spruce up the place, or your Meet and Mingle Door Sign. Don't forget tape to attach to the door.

Extension Cord - we all have lots of things to charge

Post It Notes - Easy for notes on doors of friends and instructions for your room attendant.

Bubble Pack - For packing breakable you buy on the cruise.

Duct Tape - For more reasons than one can list.

Super Glue- never leave home without it!

Downey Sheets - Keeps your suit case fresh smelling before and after.

Alarm Clock - They are not on the boat (wake up calls are available)

Address Labels - PrePrinted for post cards

Photo Copies of Pass Port and ID - Just in case you need them

Flashlight - In case of power loss in the dark

Walkie Talkies - For Communicating (or rent the cell phones on-board)

Closet Style Shoe Holder - Packs light and makes great sorter in closet or bathroom door.

Water Shoes - For beach and water walking

Collapsable Laundy Basket- holds dirty clothes in the closet neatly and takes up no room at all in luggage.

Super Large Zip Lock Bags - Use to seperate pre-cruise packing items / Use to pack dirty laundry - damp items on the last night.

Tote Bags - for beach days and wet clothes

Night Light - It's better than the bathroom light on all night

Sewing Kit / Safety Pins - Don't want a Janet Jackson do you...?

Travel Iron - There is no Self Serve laundry on RCCL

Small Bottle of Laundry Soap / Shout Wipes - For soaking spills in the bathroom sink or fixing a dinner drip.

Downey Wrinkle Release Spray - For minor wrinkle issues - No Ironing (Also helps with Static)

Clothes Pins - For hanging wet swim wear in the bathroom

Long Pants - Required for ice skating if on Voyager class or larger.

Hi Liters - For marking your Daily Compass activity plans (one color for each person in your group.)

Binoculars - (Obvious)

Camera / Camcorder - (Buy your underwater disposable before leaving (much $$$ once there))

Camera Accessories - Film, Chargers, Cords, USB Cords, Spare Alkaline Batteries in case you forget to charge at night.

Digital Camera's - Bring extra Memory Chip - You will take more pictures than you plan.

Bathroom Air Freshner (spray) - How do I put this delicate? For large odors in a small space.

Xtra Coat Hangers - But em cheap, leave em behind when done. You can iron the night before at your hotel and hang for quick transfer to the closet on board.

Soda Pop - If you only want a few for the week, bring your own. RCL has only Coke - NO Mt. Dew or Pepsi on board.

Hats/ Visors - The sun is a killer if you are not used to it. Scalps can badly burn.

SunScreen - Much cheaper to bring your own.

Snorkel Gear - Bring your own, then leave it- Cheaper than the cost to rent.

Ear Plugs - If oyu need them to swim or snorkel

Seasick Meds - Either over the counter or the patch from your Dr. Buy at home, will double in $$ at ports.

Insurance Cards - In case you get sick

 

Happy Cruisings

Dave

[cruiseguy1016]

lanyard for kids sea pass card and a hole punch to put it on

 

 

Kelli

 

A hole punch is not needed. Guest Relations will punch your card for you. While it doesn't weigh much, in these days of paying for luggage, any weight we can cut out is good.

[kyriecat]

Travel Iron - There is no Self Serve laundry on RCCL

 

RC was confiscating irons on Legend. I don't know if they are doing it fleetwide or not. They are very concerned about fire safety and irons are thought to be a no-no. My husband and I were bad about not latching our balcony door. The cabin steward would tell us that if not latched, the door could roll open and someone's cigarette butt could blow into the cabin and start a fire.

[petesweet]

:confused: :confused:

ok...I am kinda new ...and I have read duct tape many times...is it a running joke? Seriously...what do you use it for...I did see in this thread about fixing luggage and keeping curtains shut...but what else? is it that important??

 

Never felt the need for it myself.

[petesweet]

Every ship I've ever been on has a game room stocked with playing cards. In fact, some (all??) will give you a souvenir deck of cards if you ask at the welcome desk. Of course, if you want specialized cards (Rook, Phase 10, etc.), you'll want to bring your own.

[Cincy-David]

 

Travel Iron - There is no Self Serve laundry on RCCL

 

RC was confiscating irons on Legend. I don't know if they are doing it fleetwide or not. They are very concerned about fire safety and irons are thought to be a no-no. My husband and I were bad about not latching our balcony door. The cabin steward would tell us that if not latched, the door could roll open and someone's cigarette butt could blow into the cabin and start a fire.

 

I am sorry, let me clarify. I have a battery operated travel iron that I bring for spot touch ups (don't ask where I got it, it is very old and belonged to my mother before she passed). I have also brought a travel steamer that doesn't seem to work so well, so I gave it up.

 

My best recommendation is to send stuff to the laundry for pressing on arrival day and then you are set for the week. The cost is very reasonable (less than I pay for pressing on land).

 

Sorry to misguide,

Dave

[labeachcomber]

You may not need all of it, but it will stimulate ideas.

 

Ear Plugs for the water

 

Camera / Camcorder - (Buy your underwater disposable before leaving (much $$$ once there))

 

Happy Cruisings

Dave

 

Never thought of using ear plugs while swimming. I'd say ear plugs just in case you have loud horny neighbors next door!

 

A comment about underwater cameras. All of the ones I've seen are 800 ASA speed, which the TSA states is safe to go through the carry-on luggage xray. But if you have the camera in your checked luggage and they put it through that super-duper x-ray box, all of the unexposed frames will turn white and your pictures also may be a bit grainy! I've tried to hand check them before, even when they were still unopened in the plastic pouch, and still have gotten issues. The best you can do is to let them go through the carry-on xray, not the checked luggage one.

 

Lysol wipes are a must in this day of Norovirus!

[jallison8378]

I'm heading out on my 7th cruise in a few days and here are the only "odd" items I pack:

 

Lysol spray - I like to spray down my life jacket before the muster drill. I don't like thinking about all the sweaty bodies it has been on before mine, and I hate starting a cruise feeling "icky".

 

A couple plastic trash bags - for dirty laundry (and/or transporting wet swim suits back from shore)

[Dett]

Address labels (kind you sometimes get free in the mail) to put on the baggage tags for the return trip. I can't stand having to fill out the tags with my name and address at the end of a cruise.

[ggdf69a]

We do it all the time. In fact, If you close the door completely, I believe there is a crack of light under the door--not sure. Anyway, never had a problem with all the cruises we take.

 

Yes there is a crack and it works just fine for us too

[Flossie]

Over the years I have narrowed down the list of items we take, well..... one item that I did not take was super glue on our last cruise, and guess what DH was playing basketball on the ship and was hit (by accident) and his glasses flew off and BROKE the frame. Mind you he cannot see very well with out them and the ship does not sell super glue or anything like it. We spent several hours in port on our next stop looking for super glue, we finally did find some, this item does not take up much room and it is already in the bag ready to go on our next cruise, I figure we might need it for something else other then glasses but it was a good thing when we finally found it in port that day, we glued his frame back together and you could not even see it,picutes look great.

[MGilly]

We just got off the Mariner on Sunday, and one thing we didn't take and sure wished we had taken was a sweatshirt or sweater! I have a tendency to get chilled really easily, and some of the public areas were VERY well air conditioned! We will DEFINITELY take sweatshirts on our next cruise!

[senrab]

Over the years I have narrowed down the list of items we take, well..... one item that I did not take was super glue on our last cruise, and guess what DH was playing basketball on the ship and was hit (by accident) and his glasses flew off and BROKE the frame. Mind you he cannot see very well with out them and the ship does not sell super glue or anything like it. We spent several hours in port on our next stop looking for super glue, we finally did find some, this item does not take up much room and it is already in the bag ready to go on our next cruise, I figure we might need it for something else other then glasses but it was a good thing when we finally found it in port that day, we glued his frame back together and you could not even see it,picutes look great.

 

Be mindful to include it in your "clear plastic zip-top bag" if you fly. It's a liquid... But I agree, it's a good suggestion for all trips, not just cruises.

 

Never thought of using ear plugs while swimming. I'd say ear plugs just in case you have loud horny neighbors next door!

 

A comment about underwater cameras. All of the ones I've seen are 800 ASA speed, which the TSA states is safe to go through the carry-on luggage xray. But if you have the camera in your checked luggage and they put it through that super-duper x-ray box, all of the unexposed frames will turn white and your pictures also may be a bit grainy! I've tried to hand check them before, even when they were still unopened in the plastic pouch, and still have gotten issues. The best you can do is to let them go through the carry-on xray, not the checked luggage one.

 

Lysol wipes are a must in this day of Norovirus!

 

You can also request a hand search of the bag (at least at the airports and presumably at other places). It takes a few extra minutes (and you have to listen to the agent grumble a bit), but it prevents sending your film through the x-ray machine. This is especially important if you will pass through x-ray security several times (airport, cruise terminal, a couple ports, airport en-route home).

[Flossie]

Mgilly yes I agree, it is really cold in some shows and the dinningroom. put a sun burn on top of that and it gets really bad.

[Flossie]

If you put your film out of the canaster or your disp cameras in a plastic bag and just hand it to them at the check points they do not mind as much. I used to do this before using the digital.

[rhodester]

On our last cruise (Liberty in April) we wore long pants for the flight and then found ourselves on the ship for several hours before our luggage made it to our room. Next time we will pack shorts and sandals in our carry-on.

[reeran]

I'm heading out on my 7th cruise in a few days and here are the only "odd" items I pack:

 

Lysol spray - I like to spray down my life jacket before the muster drill. I don't like thinking about all the sweaty bodies it has been on before mine, and I hate starting a cruise feeling "icky".

 

A couple plastic trash bags - for dirty laundry (and/or transporting wet swim suits back from shore)

 

I agree... I spray everything with Lysol. Can't be too carefull!

[cruzr4vr]

I always bring post-it-notes so we can leave a notes where I'm at stuck to the mirror..saves us for walking all over the ship when we get back to the cabin after a tour or an activity.

 

I also bring hand-sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, soda, hi-liters, clothespins, my own pillow, power strip, plastic bags, etc.

 

Have fun on your cruise

[rigldbrg]

Tide stain sticks are a nice back up in the event that you spill something on your clothing. Since most cruises are for an extended period of time the sticks allow you to treat you clothes giving you a better chance of avoiding a lasting stain. Best of all, they are small and easy to throw in your bag. Aside from that, I-Pod filled with good tunes.

[BTSEN5]

One thing that keeps all of our things organized in the bathroom is an over the door shoe holder. We hang it on the back of the bathroom door and put all our brushes, lotions, make-up, shampoos, advil, etc in the shoe holders. It keeps things from falling and there is limited counter space. It also makes it easy for the room steward to clean up in there!

 

Tracy

 

This to me is such a necessity. I would never leave without it.

 

Also, the collapsable hamper is awesome with a family of four in one room. At the end of the week you know where all the dirty clothes are, stick them in the "dirty clothes suitcase" and you have an easy unpacking when you get home.