Spinoff: What are your MUST-HAVES for packing??

crazy4disney · May 28, 2013

Jan's awesome "What Not to Pack in Your Checked Luggage" thread got me thinking about my own packing list. Over the cruises, there are a few items that have become must-haves for me:

1.) Over-the-door-shoe-holder. I got mine at Dollar Tree, and that dollar I spent has been well worth it!! Let's face it, there isn't much flat surface for putting things in a stateroom... Even with just my son and I in there, we still have things like sunscreen, hairbrushes, sunglasses, etc. X 2 that we have to put *someplace*. The shoe holder hangs on the hook that is usually in the "hallway", and gives the stateroom host that much less work to do tidying up surfaces.

2.) Jewelry roll. I got mine somewhere off the intrawebs, it was maybe $12, and I love that thing so much!! Even though all of my "jewelry" is just cheap costumer stuff, I still have a lot of it for everything from poolside casual to formal night bling. The jewelry roll has all these clear pockets in different sizes with individual zippers, that hold everything from tiny earrings to long necklaces. At the top there's a nice sturdy hook. The whole thing rolls up to the size of a flat iron, and ties closed. Takes up hardly any room in a suitcase -- and in one of the small stateroom cabinets. When I need something out of it, I just unroll it, hook it to the cabinet door ring, and quickly get exactly what I want out of it!

3.) Travel-size room spray. I get mine at Bath & Body Works, a wonderful tropical scent. Those stateroom bathrooms are tiny, and can get... less than fresh, lol. One small spritz makes everything smell wonderful. Then, once we're back home, I use the same scent if I need a pick-me-up, and it transports me right back to open seas and tropical drinks. :laugh:

So what are YOUR must-haves to bring on a cruise??

-gina-

Jan115 · May 28, 2013

Great topic, Gina!

(1) My iPad for writing, (2) earplugs (because the hubby snores) (3) and an eye mask (because I like dark and he loves light!) By the way, all go in the carry-on!

crazy4disney · May 28, 2013

Great topic, Gina!
(1) My iPad for writing, (2) earplugs (because the hubby snores) (3) and an eye mask (because I like dark and he loves light!) By the way, all go in the carry-on!

Oh, good one, Jan!! I forgot about the e-reader! I would never, ever leave my beloved Nook at home -- I used to have half a carryon suitcase full of paperback books just for a week cruise. Now I can fit all the books I could ever read in my lifetime into that wondrous little device! Best.Invention.Ever. :biggrin:

DebbieandJerry · May 28, 2013

Great topic. My "must haves" have changed over the years. I remember when I had to have shoes for each outfit. My needs have gotten much simplier (and smaller).

Let's see:

Must Have my own liquid body wash. I am severely allergic to soap so this and my own shampoo are very important items. Jerry, however, uses what the ship provides.

That about sums it up for me

coloradocruisers · May 29, 2013

A swimsuit. :biggrin:

jacketwatch · May 29, 2013

Besides the usual things like clothes :D for me bringing binoculars a d my own coffee is a must. I don't like cruise ship coffee usually so I used to bring my own (Gevalia) and a French press. Now however I bring Starbucks via packets which aren't too bad really. Gotta have good coffee and one of the many things I liked about our Baltic cruise was getting good joe in the ports. Seems to me Europeans prefer richer, stronger coffee so for me this was wonderful.

Sarge6870 · May 29, 2013

Our big "must bring" item....singles (the dollar type). You have to tip (both ways) the parking personnel, the porter, transportation people (like bus drivers on shore excursions and taxi drivers) and we always need tips for our daily room service deliveries!!! I am finding though that as I embark on more cruises, the "must have" list is getting smaller! Don't take as much as we did nine cruises ago.

WeCruiseToo · June 2, 2013

At the risk of being too literal, our bottom-line must-have list is really pretty short:

passports

credit card

That’s it! Way back, pre-9/11, we’d talk about going to the airport with nothing else, no plan, and just go! Nowadays they seem to frown on folks who just show up with no luggage and no reservations…

More in the spirit of this topic, there are a couple of things we’ve found very useful to have along:

A small, six-outlet power strip. There are a lot of electronics in our life (2 cameras, 2 phones, laptop, tablet, sometimes more) and few electrical outlets (only one on older ships). It’s nice to get everything recharged without getting up in the middle of the night to switch plugs!

A handheld luggage scale. There’s nothing worse than having to rearrange your luggage at the airport to avoid those ridiculously high fees!

Jan115 · June 2, 2013

At the risk of being too literal, our bottom-line must-have list is really pretty short:
passports

credit card

That’s it! Way back, pre-9/11, we’d talk about going to the airport with nothing else, no plan, and just go! Nowadays they seem to frown on folks who just show up with no luggage and no reservations…

More in the spirit of this topic, there are a couple of things we’ve found very useful to have along:

A small, six-outlet power strip. There are a lot of electronics in our life (2 cameras, 2 phones, laptop, tablet, sometimes more) and few electrical outlets (only one on older ships). It’s nice to get everything recharged without getting up in the middle of the night to switch plugs!

A handheld luggage scale. There’s nothing worse than having to rearrange your luggage at the airport to avoid those ridiculously high fees!

Power strip ... yes, absolutely necessary these days!

Where do I find a handheld luggage scale? I still do it the old-fashioned way - standing on a scale with my bag and subtract my weight. Which is cumbersome, inaccurate and requires 2 people because it's impossible to see the numbers on the scale holding a huge 40+ pound bag. Not to mention my back .....