Packing for a cruise

LabLove86 · February 2015

So we are going on a cruise in a few weeks. We are going to the bahamas - it is a 4 night on Royal Caribbean.

Things I know we need:

toiletries - all of them

anti-nausea meds (any opinions on tabs/patches/seabands bracelets ect??)

bathing suits (I'm bringing 2 for 4 days worth of pool time)

cover ups

sun-dresses

shorts/skirts

shirts

bras/panties/socks

flip-flops

sneakers

flats

pool shoes

sunglasses

sunscreen

hat?? - opinions on a hat???

Towels? The website says they have their own on the boat - but if I bring mine, its mine. But towels take up a lot of packing space. . . . UGH.

Travel documents - passports, cruise paperwork, transport slips, ect.

I know I'm forgetting things. What things am I forgetting?! Halp.

CMGragain · February 2015

You don't need to bring towels. They will provide beach towels for you.

Pack diarrhea meds, just in case. That rich food can sneak up on you, and if you report to the doctor, you can be confined to your cabin. They are crazy worried about noro-virus. Is there a formal night? If there is, a little black dress works well, and your FI might need a suit. I think you should cut down on the shoes. You need one pair of sandals and one pair of flats. Dress shoes if there is a formal night.
Don't forget your birth control. My daughter did once, and Aunt Flo came early.
Have fun!

jacques27 · February 2015

Paging @CMGragain
HA! She was already on top of it.

novella1186 · February 2015

I wouldn't waste valuable suitcase space on a towel.

Remember your camera charger and a good book to read by the pool.

mlg78 · February 2015

Are you on Enchantment of the Seas? I love Royal Caribbean!

Pack more than just anti-nausea/diarrhea meds. Buying meds on the ship is outrageous. We paid like $15 for 8 Benadryl on our honeymoon. I take a small ziploc bag of Tylenol, cold meds, bandaids, first aid cream, benadryl, tums and anti-diarrhea meds.

Don't take towels. They'll bring extra to your room if you need them and there are plenty at the pool and they're available for you to take off the ship as you're leaving to go to port should you go to the beach or need them for an excursion. I've never brought a hat.

I take a couple magnets from home because you can hang the Cruise Compass and any other papers you don't want to lose up on the wall. I also take a lanyard and have them punch a hole in my seapass card since I usually wear a swimsuit with coverup or a sundress so I don't really have a place to stash my seapass card. Guest relations will punch a hole for you.

Don't forget something nice to wear for the formal night!

Also, with Royal Caribbean you can bring on TWO bottles of wine per cabin. This includes champagne. There is no corkage fee so you can even bring it to dinner. Have these in your carry on as you go on the ship. In your checked luggage they'll end up holding your luggage and call you down to show them it's just wine.

I hope this helps! Enjoy your trip!

LabLove86 · February 2015

CMGragain said:

You don't need to bring towels. They will provide beach towels for you.

Pack diarrhea meds, just in case. That rich food can sneak up on you, and if you report to the doctor, you can be confined to your cabin. They are crazy worried about noro-virus. Is there a formal night? If there is, a little black dress works well, and your FI might need a suit. I think you should cut down on the shoes. You need one pair of sandals and one pair of flats. Dress shoes if there is a formal night.
Don't forget your birth control. My daughter did once, and Aunt Flo came early.
Have fun!

Your whole second paragraph made me crack up.

No formal night because its such a short cruise. I asked the last time I was on the phone with them.

I'll figure out what shoes to cut from my list.

No BC pills for me - they messed with me too much. BUT - I will be ovulating during the trip so - condoms are a must.

And no towels. Got it.

theartistformerlyknownas · February 2015

If you're getting a soda package, bring a tiny bottle of dish soap. They give you a cup to use the whole time and it gets icky, especially if you also use it for coffee like we did. You can wash it in the shower.

Have you taken Dramamine before? It made my H super drowsy so he didn't bother with it.

mlg78 · February 2015

I'm assuming you're on Enchantment of the Seas because I think that's the only RCI ship that does 4 nighters. That being said, there IS a formal night on a 4 night cruise. Here's a recent Cruise Compass on a 4 night Enchantment cruise. You can see if you flip to the 3rd page where it lists places to eat on the right. Next to dinner it says "casual" on the first night and "formal" on the second. http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/enchantment-of-the-seas/mon-2015-01-12-0000

LabLove86 · February 2015

@mlg78 we are going on the Majesty of the Seas - when I called and talked to the guy a couple weeks ago I specifically asked if there was a formal night on this cruise and the guy I was talking to told me no due to the shorter duration of the cruise. I have a couple other questions for them so I will probably call them again this coming week and clarify.

Unfortunately you're clicky didn't work. And I can't find any info in any of my documents or on my cruise planner that mentions anything about a formal night. At this point I'm assuming we aren't having one.

mlg78 · February 2015

Drats on the link... Here's one for the Majesty 3 night...couldn't find a 4. It has a formal night as well. In my experience the folks at the call center aren't quite as up to date on what is happening on each specific ship since formal nights are at the ships discretion. Happy sailing! http://issuu.com/hochmania/docs/majesty_aug_2014_3_day/15?e=2025714/9043229

LadyMillil · February 2015

Make sure you use hand sanitizer and wash your hands before eating. Norovirus is quite common on cruise ships and there is no cure, just keeping hydrated and waiting. I get seasick. We went on a 17 day cruise for our honeymoon. I brought regular Gravol, ginger gravol and Sea Bands. The ginger gravol is non-drowsy so you aren't all groggy and miss stuff. I did wear the sea bands a few days the water was very rough, but it took me awhile to get them positioned properly.

AprilH81 · February 2015

LabLove86 said:

So we are going on a cruise in a few weeks. We are going to the bahamas - it is a 4 night on Royal Caribbean.

Things I know we need:

toiletries - all of them Don't forget your hair dryer. They will have one, but it is really shitty on most hair types. Also the "shampoo" in the shower is crappy shampoo, but nice body wash.

anti-nausea meds (any opinions on tabs/patches/seabands bracelets ect??) I like the non-drowsy Dramamine when I need it. I have the sea bands but I can't tell if they work or not.

bathing suits (I'm bringing 2 for 4 days worth of pool time) If you have more, I would bring more. Nothing worse than a wet bathing suit and you may want to get in a hot tub or pool in the evening and then it won't be dry the next day.

cover ups
sun-dresses
shorts/skirts
shirts
bras/panties/socks
flip-flops
sneakers
flats
pool shoes
sunglasses
sunscreen
hat?? - opinions on a hat??? If you bring a hat make sure it fits well, it can get really windy on the pool deck.

Towels? The website says they have their own on the boat - but if I bring mine, its mine. But towels take up a lot of packing space. . . . UGH. Do not bring your own, they have plenty and you don't have to find a place to dry "your' towel and you don't have to worry about sand. You can take their towels off the ship, no worries.

Travel documents - passports, cruise paperwork, transport slips, ect.

I know I'm forgetting things. What things am I forgetting?! Halp.

I have a travel "power strip" and usb charger. There are only two outlets so this is handy if you have multiple cameras, phones, ipads, kindles, etc. that may need to charge at once.

There is no clock in the rooms, so you may want to download a clock app on your phone or bring a travel clock with you if you need to know what time it is.

A nightlight is good if you need light at night, especially in an inside cabin.

All of your chargers/cords.

Make sure your family has the emergency number to the ship. It is like $7/minute so only for emergencies only.

Print out your Set Sail pass, any tour confirmations, flight info, etc.

Notify your credit card companies and let them know you will be traveling so you don't get shut down for "fraud".

WinstonsGirl · February 2015

I've used the bracelets. I still got sea sick, so not sure if they made it less sucky or just didn't work well.

Check on beverage/alcohol allowances. If you can bring it, and want it, do as it will be cheaper. With that, bring a little hand help corkscrew too to open bottles in your room.

Bring a power cord. Many rooms have very few plugs and the power bar will help if you need to charge things.

Use wifi on shore. We'd stop for lunch and check e-mails 1-2 times per day. Much cheaper. And read your daily newsletter. It fills you in on everything fun happening.

jennyleigh16 · February 2015

I went on a cruise a few years ago with a group of friend and 3 or 4 of us felt nauseous/ got seasick. One guy had packed the patches you put behind your ear and they worked on all of us. I also second packing essentials in your carry on as it was several hours before we got our checked baggage but we were able to change and go hang out by the pool while we waited.

AprilH81 · February 2015

Royal allows 2 bottles of wine per cabin (not per person) and there is NO corkage fee to bring them into the dining room. If you have leftovers from dinner you can take it with you or they will mark the bottle with your cabin number and keep it for the next night (at the appropriate temperature).

Technically you aren't allowed to bring on water or soda, but you are usually okay except for spring break cruises when they crack down more.

The best bet is to bring the wine and other drinks onto the ship in your carry on so they can quickly examine it and see it isn't beer/liquor. If you put it in your checked bag it might delay delivery to your stateroom or they may call you down to the "naughty room" to have you open your bag to check for alcohol.

theartistformerlyknownas · February 2015

Don't worry about it if there does turn out to be a formal night - just eat at another restaurant that night, not the main dining room. Lots of people skipped ours.

MairePoppy · February 2015

Motion sickness meds - Bonine works quickly and doesn't make you drowsy, Benadryl doubles as a motions sickeness/sleep aid. Peptbismol or immodium, advil or tylenol.

Don't pack towels, there will be plenty of towels in your cabin, on the pool deck and they deliver beach towels to your cabin the night before beach day. At the end of the day, bring the used beach towels to your cabin for your steward to pick up. If you drop them off at the pool, you'll be charged for them.

I would bring a hat - San Diego Hat Co has nice packable/crushable wide brimmed hats. http://www.amazon.com/San-Diego-Womens-Hat-Size/dp/B0032AMW3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423360516&sr=8-1&keywords=san+diego+hat+company+women

Mosquito repellant and sunscreen.

Check with your cell phone company to disable roaming and ask about the cost of sending/receiving text messages. That's probably the most economical way to get messages from home.

Something to read. Ship libraries aren't well stocked.

A lightweight cardigan - the dining room and theater might be chilly.

Curling iron and hair products

lovesclimbing · February 2015

Sea bands - my mom and siblings swear by them. They never worked for me. Actually, I was puking every couple hours, took them off and was still sick but had stopped puking. (I'm not saying they made my sickness worse, just that it was interesting to me that I stopped puking once I took them off.)

climbingsingle · February 2015

I was so happy I brought my hat on the last cruise I went on.

Make sure to pack a small purse you can use to carry around your key card and things like that.

I'm not sure how you normally pack your toiletries, but I'd suggest packing them in a carrying case that you can keep out in the room for easy access. There likely won't be much room to store everything in the bathroom.

Have a great time!

melbenso · February 2015

On our last cruise, we were able to check a power strip out from guest services, so that we could charge multiple things (wasn't RC though, but I would assume this is the same).

Don't forget to bring cash for tips and taxis, etc. Bring more than you think you will need. There will be a safe in your room to keep the extra in.

I also suggest you each bring a pair of cheap dollar store sunglasses for hanging out by the pool. They get lost too easily and you don't want to lose the good ones.

You won't need to bring towels - there will be a towel exchange right by the pool for whenever you need a new one. However, I do suggest you bring a couple of those towel clip things for each of you (CLICKY, for example). It can get really windy on the pool deck and fighting to keep your towel on your chair can be a pain.

I'd also suggest bringing a very small purse or wallet that can easily be stored inside a rolled up towel, etc. for carrying around your room card and any other on ship necessities. And I second the hat with a brim thing. Good for sitting at the pool and walking around.

I'd also suggest bringing bug spray - but I am mosquito bate at all times. And bring a light weight tote bag of some sort that you can use to carry towels and beach wear off ship if needed.

Have fun!

jenna8984 · February 2015

melbenso said:

I also suggest you each bring a pair of cheap dollar store sunglasses for hanging out by the pool. They get lost too easily and you don't want to lose the good ones.

I have $150 sunglasses that I have never lost/ let out of my sight.

OP not sure what you mean by pool shoes...flip flops are really all you need for the pool. I bring one bathing suit per day, as PP mentioned they usually take one full day to dry. Plastic bag for any damp bathing suits when flying home.

Packing for a cruise

Re: Packing for a cruise

Choose Another Board

Search Boards