Must Brings - Must NOT Brings

[Deb D]

What are some things you now feel you MUST bring with you on board and what are some things you feel you do NOT need to bring on board but may have in the past?

[Darcy]

Make sure you bring a power strip.

[Carey]

Apparently an airfreshener is a must as the cabins get "stale" smelling....Also, I have heard there are not alarm clocks in the rooms, so bring a little one (I bought one a Target for 4 bucks).

[mek]

OK, at the risk of sounding stupid - why do you need a power strip?

[Carey]

I figure its b/c there is not enough room to plug everything in. I guess you only have one maybe two outlets in your room depending on size. If you have your video camera charger, phone charger, curling iron, blow dryer, maybe a mans electric razor, etc., you cant have them all plugged in.

Is this right?

[terri910]

That is correct.

I believe that there is only ONE outlet in the main part of the cabin, and I think one "shaver" outlet in the bathroom (and I could be wrong about that one!)....

I'm trying to think of things we've taken and thought we shouldn't have. I always think we overpack, but its usually nice to have whatever it is we've packed....

The air freshener is a good tip...and they don't take up much room.

[Darcy]

We were on the Inspiration in April 2004 and there was only one outlet in the cabin. Someone else on this board mentioned bringing a power strip and was I glad I did. You definitey need more outlets than what they give you. Carey is right. You need to plug in the blow dryer, curling iron, razer, camcorder charger, walkie talkie charger, alarm clock, etc.

[mek]

Thanks for letting me know!

[dusty]

deb d

half the clothes and twice as much money.

[wakedreams]

must bring ---- extra hangers - they don't give you enough
and a plastic over the door shoe hanger thingee to put all sorts of little stuff .....like lotion , hair spray , shaving cream, razors, sunblock, air freshener, what ever else you can think of goes in there and then it is not laying around taking up counter space.....
I heard of this idea on one of these cruise boards ....very good advice.
and of course power strip , and alarm clock.
and this time.....I get to bring a bungee cord for the balcony door....yippee!!!!!!
I can't wait to be in my very first balcony cabin!!

[wakedreams]

oh ......and last time I brought way to many shoes and way to many clothes......
soo.....must NOT bring to many shoes and to many clothes.

[Carey]

Oh and what NOT to bring? CHECK YOUR STRESS AT THE PIER!! You have plenty of time to stress over things when you come back

[mm3sides1972]

Make sure you bring formal clothes. There are 2 nights that are formal. And every other night at dinner you need to weat formal casual, no shorts. And just so you know, the on-board ironing sevice is very expensive, so try to pack your suits and dressed in one of those suit suitcases. It will save you $$$.

[Plano97]

What NOT to bring is an alarm clock! Use the one in your CELL phone.

[Dorothy]

Highlighter for highlighting those MUST DO'S in the Capers. Makes it a lot easier.

Brought waaaaay too many clothes.

dorothy

[Sara754]

Plano97- why would you want to waste your battery on the phone when you can just buy an inexpensive travel alam clock? because if you leave your phone on then thats just another thing you have to plug in..

And Terri, you're right, there is one outlet in the room and one razor only outlet in the bathroom.

[Plano97]

If I use the phone's alarm, there is one less thing I have to remember to bring. If you are only using the alarm, I doubt the phone's battery will be drained in 7 days. I don't usually wear a watch while I'm on board. If I want to remind myself of my spa appointment, I just set the phone's alarm, drop it in my bag of stuff while I'm napping on the lido deck.

[terri910]

I also like the tip about the over-the-door shoe hanger....my question is this: which door do you guy hang it over? Inside the closet, maybe? I like the idea of all the "little stuff" being somewhat organized yet accessible, but I'd like for it to be out of sight, if possible (so much tider looking). Do those over-the-door hanging things fit on the closet doors?

*sigh*....that reminds me about one of my favorite things about cruising....leave the room, come back and it is CLEAN!!! Bed has been made, everything is tidy and neat, and I DIDN'T HAVE TO LIFT A FINGER.....if that isn't just this side of heaven, I don't know what is....

[dmdiver]

you really don't need an alarm clock, they will give you a wakeup call. and yes, bring a power strip or you will have to wait in line to use your curling iron while someone else is drying their hair.

[Sunlover]

You should bring some sort of first aid lotion just in case you or your family gets a painful sunburn. So yes bring sunscreen but also bring something to put on your sunburn. I seen so many people burnt to a crisp by the first formal dinner. (ouch)

Vickey

[luv2cruise99]

Bring a wide assortment of over the counter medications for things like headaches, diarrhea, colds/flu, coughs, sea sickness, etc. These are hard to come by on the ship.

from what I've read one MUST is all your meds in their ORIGINAL containers. Vitamins and supplements can be in a pill container but NOT prescription meds!

I've always brought my meds in a plastic 7-day organizer - some prescription others like calcium not prescription. I've never had a problem.

[PezLori]

I think the reason to bring your original prescription bottle (or a copy of your prescription) is in case you need to obtain more medicine, for whatever reason.

Would there be any other reason? Security or something??

[dmdiver]

hmmm, don't know about meds - we took basic pain reliever, anti-diarrhea, anti-gas, seasickness meds (as well as the wristbands), benadryl. don't think we used anything except pain reliever for occasional headaches. anyway, we had no problems. i would think you would want your rx bottle not just for refills, but if something went wrong a dr would need to know exactly what you were taking.

Take snacks....We were dying for some snacks. We paid $3.50 for cheetos in one of the gift shops because we were having a craving for junk food. Yes you can eat all the time on the ships and most of the food is good, but you will probably want some plain old junk food before the week is up. We didn't need the duct tape, but everyone says to take it, so what the heck. Do take ziplock bags. I wish I had taken more. My expensive shampoo dumped in the bottom of my ziplock and I had to use what I could and then throw the bag away. I took small ones for smaller stuff, and by the time we had gotten home husband's aftershave had spilled in it. Thank goodness it was in there.

Men bring extra shirts you go through them quick. Also a wine opener in the event you buy a bottle on shore. The ones at the cruise shops are 3x what you pay at home.

[mfinn]

Post Edited (06-29-04 09:44)

[mfinn]

Hi! I read a great book "The Essential Little Cruise Book" by Jim West ($7.95 at Borders) that gave me lots of very helpful information. Here is some of the info. he gave and also some other tib bits of helpful hints I have learned along the way: Of course you need a power strip, an extension cord might also be nice, night light for the bathroom (one with an air freshener if possible), a underwater camera, a pad of paper, pen if you have adjoining rooms or 4 in a cabin (so you can leave each other notes), a hi-lighter for the Carnival Capers (to map out the next day's activities), walkie talkies, battery chargers (if needed), a battery operated alarm clock, extra clothes hangers, a travel iron, at least $20 in one's for tips, small bills to purchase small items on ports of call (some merchants sometimes aren't able to make change for larger bills), prescription drugs for at least 1-½ weeks (pack a written list of meds. including the name, dosage, times taken in case they were to get lost – keep in separate place), a brief medical history from your dr. covering the last year if you have been treated for a serious condition, a trial size pkg. of laundry detergent in a zip-lock bag and a few quarters for self-serve laundry, antacids, diarrhea med., etc. Dramamine or ask your doctor for a patch for motion sickness in case the sea is rough (these work great), a first-aid kit (pack it in your bag for the ports-of-call), high SPF sunscreen and lip balm, aloe vera lotion, a hat is a must, water shoes to protect your feet from glass, sharp rocks, coral reef, etc. while on the beach and in the ocean, a bag for souveniers, a beach towel (if you don't want to use Carnival's and might be worried about losing it and being charged the $22 fee), name tags with address & phone number (preferably your work address/phone) for the inside of bags (also attach something bright and unusual to a couple of your checked bags so you can easily identify them when the cruise is over), a backpack for shore excursions, pre-moistened wipes for shore excursions (especially if you have kids!) a few bottles of water & soda for your cabin and to take on excursions or for use in the gym, work-out clothes, a sweater (in case it is cold on the ship) and don't forget your toiletries (pack them in zip-lock bags and make sure they aren't filled to the top), and last, but not least, your clothes, don't overpack, knits work great because you can roll them and they don't wrinkle too much, mix and match items and take shoes that will work with most of your outfits. I hope this was helpful. Bon Voyage!!

MFINN,
THANK YOU FOR THE ADDITONAL INFO

DUKE