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Packing for a Cruise

I've never been on a cruise but I want to wish you well. I hope you have a great time!
 
This is so timely as I'm starting to plan for my first cruise which is in December. Two very different continents and weather, so it's going to be a lot of thought.

I only have one hint specific to cruises, since Ive been looking on cruise instagrams. Some cruise lines don't allow extension cords that have transformers (that might not be the right word) in them. So if you want to bring an extra plug or extension cord for your devices, you might check with your cruise line for permitted items.

Although I'm not a cruise person, I've been to the Caribbean many times, including the Bahamas. Lucky you! The good news is, you're not in the middle of deep woods with no stores around. Anything you forget, you can buy (for an inflated price). So my advice is more about being in the Caribbean sun than on a boat itself.

Bottle: Bringing your own water bottle, especially if it's insulated, is a great idea. I like my cold drinks COLD, so would fill my insulated cup with ice water and then it would stay cold all day while sitting at the beach, the pool, etc. Also, I used the space inside my cup as storage space. I don't like plain water, so for me I stuffed in little packets of Crystal Light and a few energy bars.
Towel Clips: If you are afraid of wind blowing your towels away, a few towel clips are helpful to keep your towel on your beach chair. Sunscreen: Bring a little more sunscreen than you think and use it often. One small container of sunscreen in the gift shop at Atlantis Bahamas was $20 US
Portable foldable rain poncho: These are tiny and packaged flat. Not so necessary at the beach or the pool, but if you're doing a bus tour or other activity where you are wearing regular clothes and have to go from outside to inside to outside to inside. If you get soaked in your regular clothes and then go inside to air conditioning, it can feel really cold. They're cheap. They pack to nothing. They're worth having.
Mesh beach bag if you are getting off the ship to go to the beach. Have all your beach stuff in it - lanyard for your phone (I take pictures with an iPhone from inside a lanyard and it works well), sunglasses, water, snacks, beach shoes etc. I use a mesh bag because I can shake all the sand out of everything or even hose it down before going back inside. We go back and forth to the beach and the pool a lot, and I despise sand in my hotel rooms, so for us this is essential.
A sweater or layering piece - indoor air conditioning can be chilly
Capsule wardrobe - I usually pick a color theme that looks good on me, and most of my clothes fit that theme. Then, if I get a shirt dirty but a pair of shorts is still clean, they will go together.
If you are carrying a suitcase, one extra full set of lightweight clothes in your carryon. I've heard that cruise rooms aren't always ready when you get on board, and I know that hotel rooms aren't always ready when we arrive places. Having a basic change of clothes, toothbrush, and a swimsuit plus a very small sunscreen means I can go to the swimming pool or shower in the gym locker room and change into fresh clothes.

These are my most immediate hints. I hope they're helpful.
 
Aerobigirl said:
This is so timely as I'm starting to plan for my first cruise which is in December. Two very different continents and weather, so it's going to be a lot of thought.

I only have one hint specific to cruises, since Ive been looking on cruise instagrams. Some cruise lines don't allow extension cords that have transformers (that might not be the right word) in them. So if you want to bring an extra plug or extension cord for your devices, you might check with your cruise line for permitted items.

Although I'm not a cruise person, I've been to the Caribbean many times, including the Bahamas. Lucky you! The good news is, you're not in the middle of deep woods with no stores around. Anything you forget, you can buy (for an inflated price). So my advice is more about being in the Caribbean sun than on a boat itself.

Bottle: Bringing your own water bottle, especially if it's insulated, is a great idea. I like my cold drinks COLD, so would fill my insulated cup with ice water and then it would stay cold all day while sitting at the beach, the pool, etc. Also, I used the space inside my cup as storage space. I don't like plain water, so for me I stuffed in little packets of Crystal Light and a few energy bars.
Towel Clips: If you are afraid of wind blowing your towels away, a few towel clips are helpful to keep your towel on your beach chair. Sunscreen: Bring a little more sunscreen than you think and use it often. One small container of sunscreen in the gift shop at Atlantis Bahamas was $20 US
Portable foldable rain poncho: These are tiny and packaged flat. Not so necessary at the beach or the pool, but if you're doing a bus tour or other activity where you are wearing regular clothes and have to go from outside to inside to outside to inside. If you get soaked in your regular clothes and then go inside to air conditioning, it can feel really cold. They're cheap. They pack to nothing. They're worth having.
Mesh beach bag if you are getting off the ship to go to the beach. Have all your beach stuff in it - lanyard for your phone (I take pictures with an iPhone from inside a lanyard and it works well), sunglasses, water, snacks, beach shoes etc. I use a mesh bag because I can shake all the sand out of everything or even hose it down before going back inside. We go back and forth to the beach and the pool a lot, and I despise sand in my hotel rooms, so for us this is essential.
A sweater or layering piece - indoor air conditioning can be chilly
Capsule wardrobe - I usually pick a color theme that looks good on me, and most of my clothes fit that theme. Then, if I get a shirt dirty but a pair of shorts is still clean, they will go together.
If you are carrying a suitcase, one extra full set of lightweight clothes in your carryon. I've heard that cruise rooms aren't always ready when you get on board, and I know that hotel rooms aren't always ready when we arrive places. Having a basic change of clothes, toothbrush, and a swimsuit plus a very small sunscreen means I can go to the swimming pool or shower in the gym locker room and change into fresh clothes.

These are my most immediate hints. I hope they're helpful.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! Very helpful! I’m trying to figure out how to pack enough sunscreen on the plane then the boat. I might have to just buy it when we land in Florida (or have my brother buy it so it’s ready for me).
 
We have been on 16 cruises. We always bring a water bottle with us to fill up at the buffet. I would get Dramamine but the one that has meclizine in it. There are two formulations. Meclizine is still available as a prescription. Also Ginger chews for motion sickness. Seabands are great but it sounds like you got those already. I have only gotten seasick once and that was on a seven days at sea from San Francisco to Hawaii and Posidon was very angry. We had 25 foot waves. I would also bring Tylenol/ibuprofen, allergy meds like Benadryl or Zyrtec, Sudafed, hydrocortisone cream, neosporin, and bandaids. Definitely sunscreen and solarcaine in case you get sunburned.

We have a phone charging hub for the phones that have several plugs. MSC has I think one charger outlet in the room so if you have multiple devices you will need one of those.

Singles for tips. Your room will be charged a set fee per day for gratuities so be sure to be prepared for those charges. Some people don’t know about those. We always try and tip a little more to individuals on the wait staff or the room stewards that we like.

Bring a wrap with you for formal night to wear. It can be chilly at night on the ship.

I always pack ahead of time and then two days before take everything out and repack leaving stuff out.

Pretty sure they have a hair dryer in the room but I bring my flat iron with.

Bring a pen.

We have been on three MSC cruises. Which ship?

Join the shipmate app. They have a section where you can put in the cruise line and date of your cruise and it keeps a list of the itineraries. Makes it super easy to get dates if you are scrapping later. I have cruises from 2006 saved on there. It also lists what day you were at which port and sea days.

Where all are you stopping? I may have excursion ideas
 
weaselwatchr said:
We have been on 16 cruises. We always bring a water bottle with us to fill up at the buffet. I would get Dramamine but the one that has meclizine in it. There are two formulations. Meclizine is still available as a prescription. Also Ginger chews for motion sickness. Seabands are great but it sounds like you got those already. I have only gotten seasick once and that was on a seven days at sea from San Francisco to Hawaii and Posidon was very angry. We had 25 foot waves. I would also bring Tylenol/ibuprofen, allergy meds like Benadryl or Zyrtec, Sudafed, hydrocortisone cream, neosporin, and bandaids. Definitely sunscreen and solarcaine in case you get sunburned.

We have a phone charging hub for the phones that have several plugs. MSC has I think one charger outlet in the room so if you have multiple devices you will need one of those.

Singles for tips. Your room will be charged a set fee per day for gratuities so be sure to be prepared for those charges. Some people don’t know about those. We always try and tip a little more to individuals on the wait staff or the room stewards that we like.

Bring a wrap with you for formal night to wear. It can be chilly at night on the ship.

I always pack ahead of time and then two days before take everything out and repack leaving stuff out.

Pretty sure they have a hair dryer in the room but I bring my flat iron with.

Bring a pen.

We have been on three MSC cruises. Which ship?

Join the shipmate app. They have a section where you can put in the cruise line and date of your cruise and it keeps a list of the itineraries. Makes it super easy to get dates if you are scrapping later. I have cruises from 2006 saved on there. It also lists what day you were at which port and sea days.

Where all are you stopping? I may have excursion ideas
Click to expand...
Thanks so much Danica! We’ll be on the Seashore. Have you been on that one? All I know is we’re doing the dolphin excursion on one stop because that’s what I wanted to do. Hopefully my daughters aren’t afraid of them lol
 
You have some great tips here. I’ve been on several cruises over the years, from river cruises to two-week voyages. In addition to the hooks, I always bring a small clothesline. Laundry service on ships can be very expensive, so it’s helpful to wash a few items and hang them to dry in your cabin.

I’d also recommend bringing a couple of books or loading up your e-reader before you leave. Ship Wi-Fi can be spotty, so it’s best to download everything ahead of time. The grandkids usually download a few movies before we sail as well.

Enjoy your cruise!
 
I always pack some clothes pegs to dry swim wear etc on the clothes line in the bathroom.
I take extra water on board to drink. Some times their water is very chloriney.
MSC has their own app in the app Store. We needed that to read QR codes for menus and daily itineraries. You can use the ship's wi-fi for free for those things.
I like having my ship card in a lanyard around my neck.
I think with that dolphin excursion you're not allowed to be wearing sunscreen, so just check that. I also have a sunhat, sunglasses.
I pack a little first aid kit with essentials.
Enjoy it. I love to cruise.
 
Iowan said:
You have some great tips here. I’ve been on several cruises over the years, from river cruises to two-week voyages. In addition to the hooks, I always bring a small clothesline. Laundry service on ships can be very expensive, so it’s helpful to wash a few items and hang them to dry in your cabin.

I’d also recommend bringing a couple of books or loading up your e-reader before you leave. Ship Wi-Fi can be spotty, so it’s best to download everything ahead of time. The grandkids usually download a few movies before we sail as well.

Enjoy your cruise!
Click to expand...
I’ve been thinking about books so thanks for the reminder!
 
StefanieS said:
I always pack some clothes pegs to dry swim wear etc on the clothes line in the bathroom.
I take extra water on board to drink. Some times their water is very chloriney.
MSC has their own app in the app Store. We needed that to read QR codes for menus and daily itineraries. You can use the ship's wi-fi for free for those things.
I like having my ship card in a lanyard around my neck.
I think with that dolphin excursion you're not allowed to be wearing sunscreen, so just check that. I also have a sunhat, sunglasses.
I pack a little first aid kit with essentials.
Enjoy it. I love to cruise.
Click to expand...
How do you take extra water? Bottles? A big jug? All I want to drink is water so this is one of my main concerns.
 
@umyesh We took 5l in a bottle bought on land. But if you have port stops you can get in Port. My understanding is that you can bring water in board, but no or limited alcohol.
 
I've never done a cruise, but wow there are some great ideas in this thread already!! I hope you have a wonderful Monica!
 
I’m no help, but have fun! I can dream that I’m walking on the sand with you. Loki’s like some really good tips from a couple of pros here.
 
We went on our first cruise last year around the Greek Islands and I loved it, we went for a week. I am going on another cruise next year with my mum doing the Ionian Shores, which will visit Croatia, Malta, Sicily, Kefalonia, Albania and Corfu. Things I learnt from my first cruise that will remember for next time.
1 Take a refillable water bottle, bottled water wasn't included in the drinks package on our cruise but had water stations available to fill a water bottle and the water jug and glasses that are in cabin
2 Remember a cardigan or shawl for the evenings, some bar areas we sat in went cold later in the evening due to doors opening and closing, air con etc
3 Swimsuit / Bikini cover up to walk from room to pool deck, to toilets etc
4 Travel plug and own hair dryer, our cruise had hair dryers included in the rooms but they weren't the best
5 Towel clips to hold towel on sunlounger, can get breezy on deck. These also came in handy to clip swimwear on the shower curtain rail at the end of the day to let them dry out.
6 A good hair conditioner, I found the pool water and sea breeze really dried out my hair
7 Comfortable footwear

I hope you have an amazing time, I loved the cruise and can't wait to go again
 
Mrsdudds said:
We went on our first cruise last year around the Greek Islands and I loved it, we went for a week. I am going on another cruise next year with my mum doing the Ionian Shores, which will visit Croatia, Malta, Sicily, Kefalonia, Albania and Corfu. Things I learnt from my first cruise that will remember for next time.
1 Take a refillable water bottle, bottled water wasn't included in the drinks package on our cruise but had water stations available to fill a water bottle and the water jug and glasses that are in cabin
2 Remember a cardigan or shawl for the evenings, some bar areas we sat in went cold later in the evening due to doors opening and closing, air con etc
3 Swimsuit / Bikini cover up to walk from room to pool deck, to toilets etc
4 Travel plug and own hair dryer, our cruise had hair dryers included in the rooms but they weren't the best
5 Towel clips to hold towel on sunlounger, can get breezy on deck. These also came in handy to clip swimwear on the shower curtain rail at the end of the day to let them dry out.
6 A good hair conditioner, I found the pool water and sea breeze really dried out my hair
7 Comfortable footwear

I hope you have an amazing time, I loved the cruise and can't wait to go again
Click to expand...
Thanks so much! Towel clips sound like a great idea.
 
Wow lots of great ideas here! It's been 19 years since we went on a disney cruise, so I'm not much help, but hope you have a great time!
 
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