what did you wish you had brought with you on first cruise ?

[disneylove619]

Our last cruise we brought suction cups with hooks (bought at dollar store) and they were perfect for suctioning to bathroom wall to hang wet suits. Also my friend brought a wristlet which I will always bring in future - perfect size for wave phone.

I also bring a tervis that I can use during cruise and I purchase one as souvenir but am too weary of using the newly purchased one until I can properly sanitize it.

 

[WhenUWishUponA5tar]

I am really glad we brought our own cups as well. What I wish we had thought of was lady products. My DD hit her cycle during our cruise and wound up having to get them in the gift shop. Needless to say a box of 10 was $8, and of course we went through a couple boxes in 7 days. So ladies bring a box from home just in case.

 

[lulucornbread]

This is a very helpful thread!

 

[GrtWtNorth]

* Good quality adult beverages. And an insulated mug to disguise it at breakfast or poolside.
* kid-friendly beverages for when you don't want to hike to the drink dispenser
* non-Disney-affiliated comfort food (chewing gum, Cheerios, Pepsi / Dr. Pepper, most chocolate bars)
* sunglasses
* sunscreen
* small zip loc bags for passports and/or tickets when you're off the ship - not only are beaches very tempting, but rain can come hard and fast
* water proof camera
* chargers for any electronics you bring

 

[k3chantal]

just wondering what items you didn't bring on first cruise (or any cruise) that you wish you had brought. first time cruiser and have looked over some packing lists but I also know there is no better teacher than experience. any other first time advice also wanted.
thanks
mikewdw

I wish I had brought....much less!

Did not need multiple dresses with different heels even though we went to Palo.

Did not need an outfit for each person for everyday since we did laundry aboard the ship.

Packing for our second trip we did a better job packing but I could have still packed even less.

Learning to bring outfits that can mix or match is important. Making sure you have the basics is more important.. (swimsuit, appropriate clothing for the MDR's, a good pair of walking shoes, any medication, a way to document your trip i.e. camera, and your passports.

 

[uscgrl93]

What brand and type of bathroom freshener do those of you who bring one use? Does Febreze make a travel size?

 

[JAMWDW]

They do - Febreeze Set and Refresh. We used one last summer for our cruise, closed it up, popped it into a ziplock and took it with us for our WDW stay. Very convenient!

 

[harrisb1964]

Glad I brought my own hair dryer. Also glad I brought large garbage bags for dirty clothes, Walmart bags for wet swimsuits on Port Excursions that kept my beach bag from getting soaked. Also glad I brought my own large water bottle. I would fill it with ice and water and then take it back to the stateroom before I went to bed. Glad I brought tennis shoes for walking on Port Excursions. Wish I had not packed so much. I had a huge suitcase full of shorts and T shirts, my 8 year old had his own smaller suitcase packed to the brim, my husband also had a big suitcase packed with shorts and T-shirts. My husband and I also each had backpacks we used as carryons. First of all, we did not need that many clothes for a 5 day trip. We definitely could have combined my clothes and my son's in 1 suitcase, and maybe have included my husbands clothes too. Secondly, we chose to not have our luggage picked up the night before we disembarked. So from the time we left our cabin, we were all pulling heavy bags, backpacks etc. through customs, all the way to the taxi, and through the airport. Then we found our flight to Atlanta cancelled, so we had to carry all that luggage across the airport to book a flight for the next day..... Anyway, by the time we were checking in to fly home, I was so sick of heavy luggage and backpacks, I had everything(including my carryon) checked in as baggage so I wouldn't have to deal with it. On our next cruise our goal is to have 1 big suitcase for all 3 of us and one carryon bag.

 

[lulucornbread]

I can't imagine not having an outfit per day. I realize you spend a lot of time in swimsuits but you don't wear that to dinner/shows!

 

[harrisb1964]

Oh one more thing, I wish I had brought more cash on our Port Excursions. We were going to Cozumel and we received a note the night before that said Mexico preferred not to deal with much US cash. So I brought my Debit card and very little cash. But when we got their the vendors only wanted to be paid in cash. So I wasn't able to purchase much in Cozumel. And also, try to bargain with any vendor you deal with in Cozumel. I purchased a shark tooth necklace for the first price the vendor quoted me, not realizing I could bargain with him. So, I probably paid too much. After that, if I didn't like a price I would just walk off and the vendor would immediately drop the price to half the cost. I got a 20.00 black coral cross for 8.00. And at one jewelry store I wanted to buy a 30.00 silver chain for the cross. But I was quoted a price of 200.00 for a silver chain I was looking at. I told him I wasn't interested in paying that much. He asked me how much would you pay and I responded 30.00. Of course he went through the whole spill of acting shocked, saying that's impossible, etc. So I left. He followed me and agreed to sell it to me for 30.00.

 

[LindaBabe]

Bonine! We had a cabin on deck 8 and I was so dizzy and out of sorts the whole time. Who knew that "seasick" doesn't always mean tummy upset?

 

[LindaBabe]

I can't imagine not having an outfit per day. I realize you spend a lot of time in swimsuits but you don't wear that to dinner/shows!

My first couple cruises I took TWO outfits a day, day and evening. SO not necessary. one really doesn't need an outfit per day if you're a reasonably neat adult! Trust me on this. A basic dark skirt & pair of coordinating trousers, 2 prs shorts, 2 bathing suits and a cover up, flip flops and a selection of interchangeable shirts/tops with accessories. wear a clean top with the skirt or pants for dinner, and the same top with shorts the next day. Formal night, dress up a top with some fancy jewelry and dressy hair / makeup.

Have an oops? Send some laundry out - it's NOT that expensive.

 

[Heyriddle]

Bonine! We had a cabin on deck 8 and I was so dizzy and out of sorts the whole time. Who knew that "seasick" doesn't always mean tummy upset?

The ship hands out sea calm. Same stuff as Bonine but I swear it works even better.

 

[lulucornbread]

Does Bonine make you drowsy?

 

[st8y]

I took several pieces of paper towel and put a small amount of dish soap on them and folded them up (the soap soaked in) and put them in a zip lock bag. So every time my travel mug needed to be cleaned, I would take one piece of the paper towel, give it a good clean and toss it!

 

[Zandy595]

Does Bonine make you drowsy?

Bonine is not supposed to make you drowsy, but I have to take it at night or I just want to sleep all day. I take one the night before I get on the ship and every night of the cruise. There's still enough in my system the next day to keep me from feeling sick, but not enough to make me tired.





I forgot to mention my all time favorite travel item. Travel Space Bags, love them! I put things like pajamas, swimsuits, socks and underwear in them on the way to the cruise. I also take extra empty bags for dirty clothes. Every day I gather up the dirty stuff, flatten it all out into a Space Bag and when it's full I squish all the air out and throw it in a suitcase. It makes packing on the last day sooooooo much easier. And I have extra room for souvenirs.

I saw a tiny fan at Walgreens today that I'm going to buy when it goes on sale. It looks like it will fit easily into a suitcase or even a carry-on.

 

[Mazz519]

A room key from a past stay at any hotel.. You have to put one of your ID cards in a slot in each room to keep the lights and A/C on...If you use an old room key it serves the same purpose and keeps the AC on all the time.

 

[harrisb1964]

Glad we had gotten sea sick patches from our doctor! My son took Dramamine, will definitely bring that again.

 

[cr8zycruiser]

I took several pieces of paper towel and put a small amount of dish soap on them and folded them up (the soap soaked in) and put them in a zip lock bag. So every time my travel mug needed to be cleaned, I would take one piece of the paper towel, give it a good clean and toss it!

That's genius. I never thought of that!

 

[harrisb1964]

I also wish I had brought water shoes to the beach at Cozumel. I didn't know the ocean bottom was covered with rocks and I kept stubbing my toes.