First Cruise - What to Take?

bljohnson · May 6, 2004

My wife and I are going on our first cruise (Celebrity Cruises.. the Century.. leaving on May 29th to Puerto Rico, St Thomas, St Marteen, Nassau). I'm interested in finding out what sort of things we should take (other than the obvious) that I may not think about? I've done some researching on the newsgroups and found some helpful things like:

* Leatherman tool - in case you need a screwdriver, scissors, etc

* Cell phone - cell calls are supposed to be fairly "cheap" if you really need to make a call

* Plastic drinking cups

* Soft drinks and/or your own booze

* Compass

* AM/FM/Shortwave radio - for listening to local stations when approaching ports

* Flashlight

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

sailingrose · May 6, 2004

I like to take a travel clock. Don't like waking up to the phone ringing, reminds me of home too much.

GottaCruz · May 6, 2004

Welcome aboard and it's great to see you posting. alt text

We make sure we always pack our roll of duct tape- great for anything that rips, tears, etc. such as a tear in your suitcase, a hem that has come down, etc.

TheSkipper · May 6, 2004

Your Cell Phone will most likely work in San Juan and perhaps St. Thomas ( my Sprint) works there. Probably will not work in the other ports.

You will love the Century. We have sailed on her three times so far.

An extension cord helps if you have more than one thing to plug in, like your cell phone and your digital camera or video camera. Cabins have ONE outlet!!

We first sailed on the Century on April 13, 1996. We were in Stateroom #8105. The Captain was Captain Karres, our room stewartess was Kat and our waiter was Sergio. How do I remember all this, I keep a Cruise Log of every day of every cruise and by now we have done 41 of them! So start a Cruise Log!

By the way during that sailing they filmed an episode of "The Nanny" on board and at Megan's Bay in St. Thomas, very interesting to watch as they filmed.

Back to your question, I always pack a small flashlight as well.

Enjoy your trip,

Shari2 · May 6, 2004

Welcome aboard, bljohnson!

If you or your wife wear glasses, it's a good idea to bring along a glasses repair kit, and a second pair of glasses. Don't forget the sunglasses either.

Be sure to bring a tall plastic bag or one of the zipper type that you can get the air out for dirty laundry. Also, it's good to bring some waterless antibacterial handwash in case of emergencies(such as dirty bathrooms in foreign countries)etc.

KeithnRita · May 7, 2004

alt text bljohnson.

If you are going to snorkel you might want to purchase an underwater disposable camera at your local Walmart or facsimile. It will save you a few $s. Also, don't forget to take the CruiseCrazies cabin door hang! :cool: :cool: http://www.cruisecrazies.com/DoorSign.bmp

GottaCruz · May 7, 2004

I also take post its so I can leave notes on the door or mirror as to where I am , etc.

bljohnson · May 8, 2004

Great - these are some fantastic ideas! Like duct tape.. ya know I probably wouldnt have thought to bring that.. but it could definitely come in handy. And my own travel clock.. I probably would have forgotten that one :wink:

I also like the idea of a cruise log.. I'm taking my PDA with me so I'll definitely keep a log. But I think i'll leave it on the ship.. not sure what sort of crime rate there is at the stops we're going to.. but I dont want a PDA on my side yelling "MUG ME! MUG ME!"

I'm glad to hear that Century is a good cruise ship. We checked around on some reviews and it looked like the Carnival cruise lines had lots of young kids running around unsupervised, or serious party-goers. We're not THAT old (30) and it sounded like Royal Carribean was an older crowd (not that theres anything wrong with that!).

Thanks for the great input,

- Brent

hazelson · May 8, 2004

Don't forget your appetite (for all that food) and your sense of humour (for the great shows and the standing in line parts lol) ttfn Jennifer

GottaCruz · May 8, 2004

and don't forget some clothing with expandable waistbands for the latter part of your cruise when somehow, those pants you wore just days ago are feeling a bit too tight, like they just shrunk while in the closet.