absolute necessary items
 

My husband & I will be taking our first cruise on the Fascination, Sept. 22 (does anyone know when this ship will be drydocked?) We are wondering what the absolute necessary items are that we should take on our cruise. We've read that we need to take power strips, bungee cords, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

Re: absolute necessary items
 

not including clothes and toiletries, basics should include: Sunscreen, Lip Balm with sunscreen, hats for everyone, fanny packs to carry daily essentials, good pair of walking sneakers, water sandals or water shoes (forget the flip-flops) decks and beaches are very hot. Aloe Vera burn gel, small back pack to carry souveniors, beach tote for towels, book etc. Munchies for the plane, Hairdryer(if your ship doesn't supply one) the ones on the ship don't work very well if you have long or thick hair. Snorkel gear if you have your own and are planning on snorkeling. CRUISE DOCUMENTS, Passport or ID ( this is where fanny pack comes in handy) ,put a pen in your fanny pack for filling out forms, hand sanitizer, hanging car air freshner, travel alarm clock. Make a check list and stick to it.

Re: Re: absolute necessary items
 

Thanks so much for your help. Just a little nervous about first time cruising!

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Hi. My friend and I are traveling on this cruise as well. It's our first cruise and we are very excited! We have no idea exactly what to pack so thanks for posting this message. Hope to see you next month!

Re: absolute necessary items
 

Another good thing to bring are bright yellow or green luggage straps that you can tie around and secure to your luggage. It helps in identifying your luggage when it is in a sea of similiar looking bags, etc. You can get them at any store that sells luggage..look near the luggage locks. Not many bags had them and people looked envious when we walked straight to ours while they hunted for theirs.

Jay

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I always pack a travel flashlight too, they do come in handy, so put that on your list too and have a great time!

Re: absolute necessary items
 

We brought a electric surge protector with extra outlets on it, a nightlight (we had an inside cabin which was dark), and an alarm clock (digital which had large numbers so we knew what time it was in the middle of the night).

Along with that is the normal stuff, clothes, toiletries, camera (digital and regular), extra batteries for our digital camera, a backpack to put stuff in while we were doing shore stuff (rented a jeep in St John and packed a bunch of bottled water and towels in the backpack-came in really handy).

Re: absolute necessary items
 

I suggest checking with your local travel agent or AAA. They can be very helpful. I will say this...make sure you have everything you need in your carry-on, since it takes some time for your luggage to be delivered to your cabin...sometimes not till the middle of the night.
Also, make your luggage identifiable like tie a bow or scarf on each handle. When you go to claim your luggage at debarkation...well, you'll see. a mass of luggage, mostly black, and you have to wend your way through the rows...the bow will make your luggage stand out! Enjoy your cruise, I've been on 3 and can't wait to go again!

Re: absolute necessary items
 

Pack 1/2 the clothes you think you'll need and twice the money.

Regards,
Thomas

Re: Re: absolute necessary items
 

Pack half the clothes? Are women capable? :-/

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"Hanging car air freshener"? For what? Guess I am missing it.

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Don't forget night light for the cabin. Also, baggies (to take your room service sandwich along for lunch on day trips), and plastic grocery bags to put wet bathing suits in when you change on your day trips.

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did anyone mention a small bottle of hand santizer? Its a good thing to have handy in your fanny pack when soap & water aren't available.

Re: absolute necessary items
 

power strip
flashlight
duct tape
pre printed labels to mail post cards
an extra suitcase for souveiners
ziplock baggies for wet bathing suits
underwater camera, regular too
bug spray
bedroom toys
sun screen
back pac of beach bag
beach towel,much easier to find your spot than the ships towels
bathing suit cover up
money, lots of money
wild imagination
don't forget your cruise documents
little tiny radio or cd player

have fun
jo

Re: Re: absolute necessary items
 

I have heard power strip a couple of times. Why would I need one?

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There was only ONE outlet in our cabin when we sailed on the Triumph.
We needed about 4 places to plug in our stuff (digital camera charger, camcorder charger, nightlight and alarm clock) therefore the power strip we brougth came in VERY handy. I suggest you bring one so you'll have extra electrical outlets.

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Thanks! It's now on my list! :)

Re: absolute necessary items
 

Never needed more power outlets, didn't need the vacuum bags (they were more a hindrance than a help), didn't need a bungee cord or a night light... we had an inside cabin and it was never totally dark, didn't need bug spray... Alaska in June was no problem, only read a couple of pages of the book I took, duct tape?? no had no need for it, hand sanitizer was on the ship already.

Binoculars came in handy, sunscreen a must anywhere you go, swimmers, zip lock bags of all sizes were a good idea, post-it notes if you want to leave notes for each other, extra money on top of what you think you will need.....and
Most important take a sense of humour, plenty of patience and a friendly disposition.

Don't waste time or money worrying about taking all this and that stuff.... just relax and enjoy your cruise.

Cheers,
Kim

Re: absolute necessary items
 

For a comprehensive checklist for Caribbean travel, go to the following website:
www.jamaicajim.com/packlist.htm
It's the best one we've seen.

Jack

Re: absolute necessary items
 

Are those absolute necessary items, as the poster requested? Of course not. The only absolute necessary items are proof of citizenship, cruise documents, and money.

But they are some items to make things easier, more comfortable, and save you money by not having to buy them on the ship.

Regards,
Thomas