Make sure it has see thru pockets! This by far the most helpful item packed on our prior cruises. That and a power strip with a long cord.
So, everyone....here I go again.....responding to one person's post and opening up a new dialog!!!
Name the top three recommendations of what to pack that is outside the norm (clothes, toiletries, shoes....)....we have some new cruisers, and we have some established cruisers....let's share!!!! Let's forego the shoe organizer because it is consistently named thru many threads here on the board.
Mine (other than shoe organizer and electric power strip):
1. shower curtain hooks---not the rings. We hung them on the towel bars, shower curtain bars, and they are a great landing place for wet swimsuits.
2. an underwater camera
3. ziploc baggies in various sizes
4. (ha! a bonus item) The collapsable soda carriers from gas stations and some fast food places. They fold flat and make it easy to carry drinks from the soda station back to your stateroom.
Next!!!
Definitely agree on power strip...we got one that we keep for travel that "expands" so that all the outlets can be used with those large chargers for kindle, phone, etc.
My additions:
1) highlighter markers. These are great for highlighting your plans in the Personal Navigator (we also always pick up enough Navigators for each member of our party - extras are available near the customer service desk) so when we are not together, we still all know the plans!
2) A lightweight string=type backpack (mine is DVC) that is easy to carry around that I just keep packed with all of the "stuff" you may need and saves you a trip back to the room for: sunscreen, umbrella, kindle, sunglasses, sweet'n'low (often hard to find on ships), those little powdered drink sleeves to add to water (I like the lemonade flavors to add to iced tea), a pen/highlighter, pins for trading, a couple of ziplocks to keep your ship map/navigator, etc in so they don't get wet when you are by the pool, a lightweight jacket so you don't freeze when you decide to go for a sit-down lunch, autograph book/marker b/c you never know when you might run into someone "famous" when walking around!!
3) Business cards to exchange that have your email and mailing addy - great when you meet new friends, and/or want to share photos after the cruise (we are still very good friends w/ a couple we met on a
Disney cruise!). If you don't have cards, you can make up similar on paper or print on heavier paper on your computer
4)various magnets of your favorite Disney characters to put on your metal cabin door (I did have one of my favorites turn up missing on a recent cruise, so be sure you always keep copies at home for the next trip)...you can find patterns on Disboards for many, including some pirate ears to create a Hidden Mickey Pirate on your door for Pirate Night!
5) small 3oz paper cups to keep in your bathroom for brushing teeth so you don't need to use/share the glasses (much more sanitary)...these are also useful for discarding tampons which cannot be flushed...drop in cup and then wrap to discard in a clean way (sorry, but it is a fact of life and something I learned in my many travels to foreign countries on medical missions)
6) ship-to-shore communications are quite expensive, so I always turn on my International traveler plan for my cell phone (ATT) for calls/messages ONLY - NOT for DATA - so that my family at home has a way to contact me if needed...I only turn it on when in ports & CCay where it won't pick up the ship connection, and my family knows to leave me a text message if something is not really urgent. Also, you want to leave the emergency contact number for the ship with your family: 1-888-DC-AT-SEA 322-8732....but remind them that the
caller pays a VERY HIGH FEE per minute for calls so ONLY for true emergencies!!
7. binoculars - esp if you have a balcony room! it is really fun to check out "things" you see in the distance when sailing - not as much to see on a Caribbean trip, but on Alaska and Transatlantic cruises, I saw lots of "creatures" in the ocean!!
8. A "real" camera,(since many people use their phones as cameras now) again, so that you don't have to keep your cell phone turned on and inadvertently connect to the ship's system at a high cost.
9. I pack all of my clothes (shirts, pants, dresses, etc) on their hangars (thin wire ones) so that I don't run out of hangers - takes up a lot less room in your stateroom to hang clothes as drawer space is at a premium. And, nice dresses will travel better if packed in those filmy, thin, plastic dry-cleaning bags - plus, the glitter does not get on everything else you own!
10. Plastic laundry bags (we use bags from past Disney shopping trips) to throw in dirty laundry each day, as well as to pack wet swimsuits if needed on the last day.
11. Most people will need to put their bags out the night before disembarking, so you want to be sure to keep a wheeled carryon suitcase with you, that you can manage when you leave, so you have a place for your nightclothes, and personal items that you kept for that last night and morning...if you have room for a few sample-sized items like shampoo, toothpaste, etc those are good to have on that last day when you have already packed for flying back home.
12. A small purse/wallet with a shoulder strap is very useful when all you need to carry is your ship card/key around to dinner/shows etc...some people like to use the lanyard w/ plastic cases but I prefer a flat wallet to which I attach my lanyard as the strap since I hate things around my neck, and often do not have an outfit w/ pockets.
13. A small travel flashlight just in case the power goes out (I have never had this happen in 20 cruises, knock wood, but have heard of others w/ problems). Especially when you have an inside cabin, it is really dark! and some people like a night light, esp with kids.
14. An old ship or hotel key to put in the light control so you don't accidentally forget to take your current room key out when leaving the room, and get locked out...the new ships have those control slots for turning off the lights/ac/tv when you are not in the room...the cabin stewards will raise them up if you forget and leave them on when you leave and you just have to push it back in when you return...it can be so annoying when you use your ship card and then forget it!
Well, I thought I had one or two things to add, and then got on a roll! Hope some of these tips help some of you!
