What things would first-timers not know to pack?

[ChrissyNZ]

Binnoculars - I wouldn't have thought of that. *Adds to the list* Thanks :D:D

[JustStartin]

I love Downy Wrinkle Release Spray. No ironing or steaming, just a couple sprays, smooth out the wrinkles and let hang dry, or use hair dryer if your in a hurry. You can also just put a couple tablespoons of fabric softner with a couple cups of warm water in a spray bottle for about the same product.

 

I also love a couple different sizes of ziploc bags for throwing a little of this and a little of that into my tote bag and keeping it in one place.

 

Of course these go on any kind of trip, not just cruises.

 

I also take ginger pills for when your stomach is just feeling a little off due to whatever.

[arlee]

Since my husband and I are first time cruisers - our friends sugested bringing along 2 small "poufs" for the shower, since the soap is in a dispenser. They told us that many people packed fruit, snacks, etc. in ziplocks to take with them while in port. They definately used their post-its. I never travel without bringing the necessary medications, creams, etc that we would need. I would like to know if the Dawn has a laundramat - I know you can fill a bag with laundry for $20.

[brown_eyedgal]

I love Downy Wrinkle Release Spray. No ironing or steaming, just a couple sprays, smooth out the wrinkles and let hang dry, or use hair dryer if your in a hurry. You can also just put a couple tablespoons of fabric softner with a couple cups of warm water in a spray bottle for about the same product.

 

I also love a couple different sizes of ziploc bags for throwing a little of this and a little of that into my tote bag and keeping it in one place.

 

Of course these go on any kind of trip, not just cruises.

 

I also take ginger pills for when your stomach is just feeling a little off due to whatever.

 

I have to buy some of that wrinkle stuff! Also, hanging it in the steamy bathroom is good too I bet...

[mjmalino]

bungee cords. The door between balconies do not stay open otherwise (this is only really necessary if you are traveling with someone who has the balcony next to you).

 

power strip. I travel with DH and 2 DS. We have camera, phones (still turned on to be used for alarm, etc.) kids portable game players which they don't use very often on the ship, but in transit to from the cruise.

 

magnets. for notes to one another

 

walkie talkies, we actually use ones with a monitor function as our kids sleep in an inside across the hall from us.

 

ziplock bags: sandwhich or quart size to place receipts in to keep track of spending.

 

OTC meds so we don't have to use the medical facilities if at all possible.

[GORDONCHICK]

Between two cameras, a laptop, portable DVD player, blow dryer, flat iron/curling iron, and cell phones, the power strip is invaluable to us. Most ships I've been on only have one outlet besides the one in the bathroom that only works for electric razors.

 

Extra memory cards and rechargeable batteries are also musts for us.

 

Instead of Downey Wrinkle Release (because I hate the smell of it on my clothing and it could spill in my luggage), I take an empty spray bottle and fill with water once on board. Spray, shake out, and hang. Doesn't get much easier.

 

I folder of some type if you plan on keeping the daily papers you will receive can be helpful. So can post-it notes.

 

And with three of us in a cabin, the over the door shoe holder is absolutely wonderful for holding "stuff" and keeping it out of the way yet in a specific place.

 

Not everyone has the same needs while on vacation or otherwise, so our packing lists will vary. You will learn a lot after the first cruise, and even more after the subsequent ones.

[Jesuslovesyou]

I've got a while before I have to start packing (ok, a loooong while), but I'm finding it interesting to read about things I never would have thought to bring along. For example, I see a lot of people mentioning a bungee cord to keep balcony doors open. What are some other unusual things we may need?

 

 

Scanned through the responses .... if someone said it already, sorry to repeat ... but throw in a can of air freshener ... ;) Not much ventilation in those little bathrooms

[pms4104]

Don't forget suncreen and insect repellant.

[ace19cihl]

This is my list of stuff that I belive is a must have ..

 

Lysol spray

 

Clothes pins for the shower curtin

 

portable IPOD speakers

 

Air Fresher

 

padded envelop for the pics you buy on the ship safe way to get them home

 

purell

 

small first aid kit

 

bungee cord for the bal.door

 

umm if I think of anything else I will post

[Suebee42]

I got a great travel power strip that doubles as a night light... you could land planes with the little blue led on that thing! LOL! I got it at Radio Shack, and it's made by Monster.

[kbabs]

Hi. We're brand new at this and trying not to be totally clueless. This website is a HUGE help!:D

I noticed someone suggested bringing an iron but then said it was not allowed. What does everyone do about their wrinkley clothes?

[Suebee42]

Hi. We're brand new at this and trying not to be totally clueless. This website is a HUGE help!:D

I noticed someone suggested bringing an iron but then said it was not allowed. What does everyone do about their wrinkley clothes?

 

Generally, I just deal with it. :D So I'm wrinkly... someone else is bound to be, too. :D

 

An iron is a fire hazard, and if found, the steward is required to confiscate it.

[Vilya]

I just went on my first cruise in Jan. '09, so I'm still technically a newbie. But I still have advice. :p

 

I only brought a little 22" rolling carry-on and a backpack. The backpack had my camera and rechargeable batteries and iPod in it, but was pretty much empty otherwise. It was great to have for the few t-shirts and such that I bought while I was on the cruise.

 

I didn't bring any of the stuff people have listed here, and I didn't need it. But I am one of those people who could throw a change of clothes into a hobo bag and be gone for a week, so I am probably not the best judge of what's not needed!

 

The one thing I wish I had brought was a small clock to put next to the bed at night. I wake up a lot and like to know what time it is when I do. I ended up using my iPod as a clock, but it's not the same as having a real clock.

 

As far as ironing goes - on Carnival ships they have laundry rooms with an iron and ironing board. I don't know about other cruise lines...

[brown_eyedgal]

Instead of Downey Wrinkle Release (because I hate the smell of it on my clothing and it could spill in my luggage), I take an empty spray bottle and fill with water once on board. Spray, shake out, and hang. Doesn't get much easier.

 

Thanks, I will try that instead!

[138east]

For a nightlight we left the TV on with the volume turned off. The menu channel is pretty dark and inactive. We also left the bathroom light on with the door closed.

 

In addition to an assortment of plastic bags, we bring 2 sandwich sized plastic containers with lids. These don't take much space if you pack small items in them.

 

If you bring books, you can plan to just leave them in the library at the end of the cruise to make room in your luggage for souvenirs. Some folks bring a few old clothes and then just throw them away at the end.

 

Check out the amenities of your ship. The RCL ships we have been on have shower doors, not curtains. They also provide bars of soap.

[CruisingNoob]

Most people bring the over the door shoe holder thing to store all of their bathroom stuff like shampoos, lotions, hair dryers, curling irons, etc cause the counter space is VERY limited....this is a great idea....we have a clear one and we put EVERYTHING in our shoe holder like flip flops, sun screen, papers we need to look at often, lotions, perfumes, make up, deodorant, etc.

 

Do you happen to remember where you found a clear one? I found one that isn't clear, but would come in perfect for me here at home, but if I could find a clear one, that would be even better!!

 

Thanks! :D

 

 

 

 

ETA.........

Never mind.... I should have done some better searching. I found one at Target http://www.target.com/Over-Door-Shoe-Organizer-Pockets/dp/B000CEC16A/sr=1-1/qid=1234710801/ref=sr_1_1/187-1309234-9542762?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Ashoe%20organizer%20over%20the%20door&page=1

[CruisingNoob]

For the ladies who have a lot of jewelry & such that they'd be taking (that wouldn't need to go in a safe), I found this, too...... http://www.target.com/Whitney-Design-Jewelry-Organizer/dp/B000JYGJMU/ref=sc_ri_4?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=0P40FKPRC3S1SP3R4D7B&pf_rd_p=465348991&pf_rd_i=B0006ZPBFI&pf_rd_s=bottom-11&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

 

Now, I have never cruised yet. That won't happen until April, but to me, this seems like another great idea!

[CanWeGoYet?]

That IS a nice organizer! I have a little jewelry roll for my jewelry, but I'd love that to hold other odds & ends.

[PilatesGirl]

I just returned from our first cruise- and frankly needed little of the "extras" that are listed here. I can be high maintenance and packed plenty of extras but found most went unused.

 

We did not take a multi-outlet plug:

We had limited outlet space but managed to rotate our cell phones/camera battery chargers/etc around easily enough.

 

No nightlight:

the bathroom door cracked open was fine and my cell phone charger has a small blue light on it that provided well enough.

 

No alarm clock:

Used the feature on my cell phone

 

No insulated coffee mug:

That would have been handy as a coffee junkie.

 

No clothespins/bungee cords/duct tape: I'm not sure what I would have used these for had we had them

 

OTC meds:

We took an array of common meds/bandaids/hand sanitizer and other than the extra dramamine I shared with another green passenger on an excursion we used none of it. Had we needed it, it would have been critical.

 

Wine key: We took our own for our room and used it often :)

 

Extra ziplock bags of all sizes: Used these a lot. Especially in my bathroom to separate and see items as well as in my tote bag for containing small items amidst bigger ones on the boat and ashore.

 

Mini laundry detergent: I did some sink laundry of my gym clothes- necessary and handy.

 

Watch: We normally don't wear watches- we use our cell phones for a time-check, but on the ship we left them in our room most of the time. Wearing a watch was more critical than I expected and I ended up wearing my heart rate monitor watch all week. There were practically no clocks on the ship.

 

Mini Febreeze: We spent most evenings in the casino and my 1 cardigan I wore over my dinner dresses and tops was left smokey each evening. Mini Febreeze was imperative to refresh the smoke smell out!

 

Packing: As a first time cruiser I pored over the boards trying to determine what we needed to bring and how much/little of it. We packed in the manner others have suggested. In order to make sure that if one of our suitcases didn't arrive at least some of each of our clothes made it to the ship. I divided our clothes and shoes up evenly and put all our formal stuff in one bag so we either both had it, or both didn't. We had no issues with our luggage but this was important risk planning. All critical items (meds/contacts/glasses/paperwork and a few need right away items like swimsuits/sunglasses/flip flops went into our little plane carry ons just in case.

 

Overall I think it's really easy to overpack for a cruise. We tend to be on target packers and we overpacked for the trip slightly because we recycled some clothes we hadn't worn for very long and I planned our 2 formal nights around the same clothes. I took limited shoes and still had a pair I could have done without easily without being a fashion tool.

[LuckyPink50]

Thanks for all your packing tips! Much Appreciated:D

[Croptop]

I noticed someone suggested bringing an iron but then said it was not allowed. What does everyone do about their wrinkley clothes?

 

The self-serve laundry rooms on Princess ships have ironing boards and irons in them.

[Iluvmypuggle]

Don't forget to bring all your confirmations that show your on board credit, etc. Another thing I make sure to bring is copies of my travel insurance. In the event you do have to use it, it's nice to know what exactly you're covered for. I haven't started this yet, but on my next cruise I plan on bringing a journal to write all the things I do and see so I can remember in detail.

 

One thing no one mentioned yet was lingerie to spice up your trip ;)

[CanWeGoYet?]

I found this over door organizer, I liked it because of the different size pockets & not as big as some of the shoe holders.

 

http://www.organize.com/over-the-door-organizer-fuschia.html

 

I'm sure I'll be able to use it to hold make up, etc when I'm back from the cruise.