HELP!!! Packing for cruise....What items should I not leave home without?

[gfamof4]

What are your MUST HAVE ITEMS that you pack to bring on your cruise???

[Four Swampers]

Originally Posted by gfamof4

What are your MUST HAVE ITEMS that you pack to bring on your cruise???

Assuming a warm weather cruise:
bathing suit.
sunblock.
sunglasses.
camera.
toiletries.
underwear.
long pants / nice outfit for dinner
shorts for during day.
medicine.
cruise documents / passport
laundry detergent tab

Or this shortened list:
bathing suit.
medicine.
passport.
laundry detergent tab x 3

[NancyIL]

ID (including passport) and credit card. You can buy anything else you need.

[neg58]

I think the little things are nice - after sun lotion, bandaides, small flashlight, wet wipes (I like the cucumber ones for my face when it's hot).

Lots and lots of money. You can bring it home if you don't use it.

A few bottles of water. I like being able to just grab a bottle and go to deck 4 to read, or on the beach at CC, or on any excursion. Nice american water.

Nancy

[eemaxx]

Ziploc bags are a must for me. It's amazing how often they get used- especially if you are traveling with kids. Also, they are great for packing swim suits if they are still wet on debarkation day.

[dbarker]

cool touch night light for bathroom(s)
over-the-door mesh or clear plastic shoe organizer
magnets to decorate your door

DH says don't forget your smile.

[CanuckTraveller]

ID, cruise documents, credit card and cash
Well stocked medicine and first aid kit. Medical care on ships is very expensive and I can deal with most issues myself.
Clothes, bathing suit, sunscreen.
Collapsible water bottles, ship water is just fine with me!
No-tear shampoo for the kids.
Other than this, we can make do with what we have in our carry on bags and what we can buy once we get there. I don't like night lights, over the door organizers, extension cords to maximize electrical outlets...some do, I don't. IMHO less is better since cabins are small.
Happy travels!

[skaters69]

I bring air freshener as well

I have a question for anyone who has cruised to Alaska .. we are going in august and I am not sure what to pack as far as for the cooler weather. any tips would be greatly appreciated

[DLBDS]

Originally Posted by dbarker

cool touch night light for bathroom(s)
over-the-door mesh or clear plastic shoe organizer
magnets to decorate your door

DH says don't forget your smile.

I second the over-the-door shoe organizer. Best idea I ever got from here. We put everything in it (hair brushes/products, makeup, lotions, meds/first aid, deodorant, sunscreen, jewelry etc etc). Keeps the bathroom so nice and tidy and everything is right there. Grab it. Use it. Drop it back in its pocket. We have the clear one with the white backing. Got it at Walmart. Love that thing!

[Luv2Diz]

Originally Posted by skaters69

I bring air freshener as well

I have a question for anyone who has cruised to Alaska .. we are going in august and I am not sure what to pack as far as for the cooler weather. any tips would be greatly appreciated

Bring layers for Alaska. On glacier day we needed our heavy coats, hats and gloves. We started out in the ports wearing sweatshirts but ended up in t-shirts and sunglasses. We had incredibly beautiful, warm weather. We had also packed rain parkas because Alaska can be very rainy but didn't need them. The weather can really vary. The cruise before ours encountered rain most of the week according to CMs onboard.

[mammacaryn]

We don't bring an over the door holder but I do buy a couple over the door hooks (plastic ones from the dollar tree) just to have a couple extra things to hang towels or suits on. I also bring a pop up hamper from the dollar tree (the little one in the pet section for dog toys) for dirty laundry and trip to laundry room. I bring my own detergent and softener as well (powder or pods and dryer sheets). Hand sanitizer and a small thing of lysol (not for disenfecting, but for air freshener....once someone goes number two-it can smell for awhile, and in such tight quarters it's not very nice )

[dbarker]

Clothes pins for hanging wet swimsuits on clothesline in shower. (Or any hand washed items).

[John21601]

Flashlight
Power strip
Pop-up laundry hamper
I also brought my travel coffee cup which was nice to have.

[gfamof4]

These are all great suggestions! Keep them coming!!! We are sailing on the Fantasy (Eastern Caribbean) in 4 weeks.
One other quick question....We have passports for our small children. Will I need to bring their birth certificates as well? I'm thinking NO, but just want to make sure!

[bumbershoot]

Originally Posted by skaters69

I bring air freshener as well

I have a question for anyone who has cruised to Alaska .. we are going in august and I am not sure what to pack as far as for the cooler weather. any tips would be greatly appreciated

We bought "3 in 1" coats for our late August cruise to Alaska. That allows you to just block the wind, or get a bit warmer, or combine them for extra warmth. I would recommend knit hats, too; I didn't have one and was just trying to use my coat's hood, and I was cold at least one day.

And that's really just another recommendation for layers. We just didn't happen to have any long underwear at the time; if we went again, we would buy those. Lots of layers!

Originally Posted by gfamof4

One other quick question....We have passports for our small children. Will I need to bring their birth certificates as well? I'm thinking NO, but just want to make sure!

No. You showed the bcerts to the passport people to *get* the passports, no need to show both to anyone now. You're good.