Jan115

I got a huge kick from watching Love Boat episodes every afternoon on the Grand Princess cabin TV recently while resting up from an excursion or getting ready for dinner.

Yes, unfortunately during the summer months, kids will be in abundance, and I think this is especially true with the shorter cruises, which are more affordable for large families traveling together. In fact, the only cruise I remember there being a large number of unruly kids and teens was aboard the Carnival Imagination 5-day western Caribbean from Miami back in 2003 - probably for the same reasons. I also believe that because it's a smaller ship, you're more likely to run into them everywhere - and there's not enough to keep them occupied as there is on the big mega ships. bigb1762 ... Sorry you didn't find much good about this cruise. A strongly worded letter to Carnival should at least get you some onboard credit for your next cruise (it did for me!). As for being nickel and dimed, unfortunately, this is more and more common all the time, not just Carnival but all the cruise lines (the liquor policy does state that there will be a corkage fee to open your own wine in the dining room). I hope you were able to at least have a good time in port!

Thanks, Dee. I just looked it up, and it definitely looks like something to add to my packing list!

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, Chuck and Sarah! We will be aboard Brilliance in October, but traveling much further north - to New England and Canada from Boston. Look for my review when we return.

Film? What's that? Seriously, I would have had to bring about 500 rolls with me to equal the number of photos I took. I don't miss those - though it does bring back fond memories of our basement darkroom!<br /><br />Debbie - if you can't find the 2-gallon bags at Target, Walmart has them.

Welcome aboard. Have a great time on the Oasis!

Have fun on the Emerald, Janice. We were on her in August 2010 - beautiful ship!

Sorry, Shon - I'm 22 days late - it's been a busy month. Congratulations! - you deserve it!

Thanks, Deb. It was beautiful. After almost 10 years, time for you to get back to Alaska!

If you’ve been on a few cruises, you’ve probably learned the hard way that there are a few things that would have come in handy or saved the day if you’d remembered to pack them. No, I’m not talking shoes. I mean things that come in real handy in a pinch. So, for you first-timers or for those of you who may not have thought about it, here are ten useful items to add to the top of your packing list. 1. Earplugs. Take it from me. I live with a guy who snores on a regular basis, and there are some nights I could not survive without these lifesavers. Not only are they useful for blocking out a noisy Neanderthal, but also good for muffling ship noises and annoying neighbors. 2. Flashlight: Whether you have a dark inside cabin or are unlucky enough to be caught in the dark during a cruise ship emergency, you will be very grateful for the backup light. 3. Power strip: iPod, iPad, iPhone, iMac – I-yai yai! If you are tethered to your electronic gadgets and wouldn’t dream of leaving home without them, a power strip is a must. Sure, you could alternate your devices, taking turns at the one plug, but you’ll be cursing if all of a sudden you need to call home and your cell is dead because it didn’t have a turn at getting charged up. 4. Extra AA or AAA batteries – or a camera battery. Obvious, but easy to overlook. Load up on extras before your vacation, and you won’t be paying a king’s ransom to buy them in port. Besides, you don’t want to be standing in front of one of the Seven Wonders to find that you camera just died with no battery backup. 5. Extra SD card. If you fill up the first one while shooting pictures and you’re only half way through your vacation, you’ll be grateful for the spare. It’s a good idea to bring extras from home, because you may not be able to find one suitable for your camera or your preferences in a foreign port. 6. Zip-lock bags. Bring along bags in assorted sizes. One and two-gallon size are great for packing and protecting your dress, shirts, skirts & sweaters from madness & mahem in your luggage. Just fold, insert and squeeze out the air. I also use the two-gallon size for all those newsletters, travel books and brochures to protect them from moisture. Quart size bags, of course, are required for the 4-ounce liquid airline carry-on requirement, but are also good for packing small snacks for tours and returning home with those little amenities from the cabin bathroom. Finally, the snack size bags are perfect for the smallest items – jewelry, hairpins, earplugs and other tiny objects that could potentially be lost in the shuffle. 7. Bubble wrap: Say what? Did you run out of clean underwear to wrap your breakables in for the trip home? Bubble wrap is incredibly good at protecting your breakable souvenirs, weighs next to nothing and takes up little room in your luggage. If the fragile item contains liquid, place the bubble-wrapped item in a Zip-lock bag first to protect the rest of the things in your luggage 8. Reusable beverage container. I am not a huge soda drinker, and even if I was, I’m too cheap to pay for a beverage package. Therefore, I bring a reusable bottle filled with travel packs of Crystal Lite, ice tea or other drink mix and pack it in my luggage. I fill it in the morning with water from the tap, mix up my favorite beverage and store it in the fridge for the day. A second bottle comes in handy in port or at the pool. 9. Suction hooks. Storage in a cruise cabin is at a premium, and there never seem to be enough hooks to hold scarves, caps or damp swimsuits. In fact, sometimes there aren’t any hooks at all. These little gems can be attached just about anywhere, depending on the surface, freeing up precious counter space. 10. Duct tape. Duct tape is famous for marking your luggage for easy identification at the airport and cruise port. What a lot of folks don’t realize is that is also handy for shoe repair, first-aid, emergency fixes, leaky things, and a hundred other uses. I was cursing myself for not bringing this necessity along on my last trip. My U-shaped head pillow for the plane sprouted a tiny, pin-size hole. As time went on, the hole became bigger, leaving a trail of tiny, white pellets floating through the air all around me, sticking to my clothing and everything else I came in contact with. I plugged up the hole with a foam earplug and patted my self on the back for my ingenuity. It worked for a little while, until the hole became as round as a dime and the stuff was pouring out of the cushion like a snow machine. I wound up tossing the pillow under the seat on the plane, where it stayed. I would have loved to see the crew cleaning up that mess! By Janice Neves, CruiseCrazies Contributor For more cruise news & articles go to http://www.cruisecra....com/index.html Re-posted on CruiseCrazies.com - Cruise News, Articles, Forums, Packing List, Ship Tracker, and more http://www.cruisecrazies.com View full article

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Shari, I'll let you know how the waterfall wedding went. I'm not going, but daughter Jenn is driving up, as it's one of her best childhood friends getting married.

Would love to sail with you, but my boss is already pouting because I asked for a fourth week of vacation in October for our New England cruise. Sounds like a fun time!

Loved your story! Your husband was a real sport. I look forward to your next blog about the second flight - if there is one!

I am very excited about this. As we are loyal to Princess, and we're overjoyed that Ruby will be in the Caribbean in April. My husband (an educator) doesn't want to use up the entire week of his vacation, and a 5-day cruise was perfect. So we booked!

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.

I agree about the feather pillows. There are plenty of comfy alternatives to feathers that would work perfectly well for both allergy sufferers and free breathers, as well.

Good reminders, Jason and Shari. I think the combination of having fun in the moment as well as alcohol can let down your guard, causing vulnerability to all kinds of reckless behavior. Good advice here that everyone would be wise to follow. Thanks!

Of course, we'll go easy on you, Nikki - we love when members come here and offer feedback. I hope someday when your husband is through serving our Country, you will get to cruise more often. Until then, enjoy every moment together with your family aboard your next cruise - and wishing prayers to your husband that he makes it home safely!

Good points, Shari. One way to do it if you couldn't afford to bring all your guests (can anybody? LOL!) would be to get married on board with jut a few close friends and family and have a big celebration at home. I am going to a wedding celebration in my home town next month for a couple who are getting married Labor Day weekend under a waterfall in New Hampshire. These kinds of double wedding celebrations are pretty popular these days. Then, it all depends on traditions and beliefs, doesn't it! :-)

My thought, exactly!

Thanks for joining us here at CruiseCrazies. We hope you'll visit often, ask questions, share your experiences and join in the conversation.