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first time cruise/what do I need?


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I leave for my first cruise in August with my 15 year old niece. We are trying to plan ahead and make sure we have everything covered. Other then clothes what types of things do we need that we could never think of? For the cruise cabin,? ship? excursions? etc?

Please throw everything and anything at us, we want to be prepared and ready to have the time of our lives and have everything covered, but we have NEVER done anything like this.

HELP US

Thanks EVERYONE

 

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Hi Kel Kel, it’s my first as well. Going HOTS in 4 days, ( wow finally here). It’s all about room in your bag & what you want to drag around in your carryon for Day 1. Some things I had bought, the cabin ceilings & walls are metal, so magnets for hanging things even your hangered clothing. Highlighter pen to review Compass( it’s the daily activities that is placed in your room everyday, get a preview on this site to get a feel for what to expect for your itinerary, like hush party and general show times).  My big secret for dinner times..dinner times come out before the show reservations.... BOOK TWO dinner times , one in Solarium & then another free/ paid one. Once the shows times come out, cancel the one that conflicts with the show.  I got snorkel gear , if you have the room and interest ( Dicks Sporting Goods I think $40 for full set and nice carrying bag, the Speedo type has smaller fins & takes up much less room). I bought RC cups on eBay NOT DO , you get cups with the bev pkgs.Packing cubes , clear packing containers seem to help packing. Foldable Hats with large brims, or long back/neck cover (like French Foreign Legion- just purchased from Kohl’s).Long sleeved swimshirt( there is UV protection) for Flowrider/ slides to prevent elbow burns, and women must have one piece swimsuit for things like flowrider. Best sunscreen prices I found were at HomeGoods/ TJMaxx( some countries require Reef compatable sunscreen, Marine friendly stuff). Think about how your carrying the seapass, there are wristlets ( little zipped pockets on your wrist) , or lanyards( ugly hanging string from your neck), or alligator reel clips, remember EVERY photo you take you’ll be wearing it. Computer login shows more than IPad, mine did anyways. Read this blog & listen to the pod casts. I think most importantly, when you call RC for anything, get an email sent to you on what they told you. ### editing, on HOTS right now, bring Dramamine!! Or wrist sea bands, I have used it all three nights & shiphas a constant up & down motion day & night( surprisingly). I do have vertigo issues, so maybe affecting me more than others. 

Edited by RTripp
On cruise now
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1 minute ago, RWDW1204 said:

Make sure you have ALL the proper paperwork needed to have your niece with you. And a hat and sunglasses.

Yes, it is extremely important to have proper medical consent forms for any time you are watching a minor, whether it is at home, a hotel or a cruise. You can search on line for a form. Get it notarized.

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Our two surprise items we didn't think we would need but now don't leave home without.  A small digital camera. We used to take all of our pictures with our phones.  But the last thing you want to do is drop your phone over the side or in the pool.  So now we put the phones in the room safe to get out at the end of the cruise.  The other is a shoe bag or some other pocketed bag you can either hang over the bath room door or in the closest. Great to hold the flip flops,  sunglasses all of those small items you don't want on the floor or taking up the limited counter space you have.

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In addition to what has been said, there are little things like luggage tags for your suitcase.  You may need tape and scissors or a stapler, which we borrow from a hotel when we get to the port the day before departure.  Or you can order the neat ones shown on other discussion threads (from Amazon).  Arriving to the port a day early is somewhat important to us now. although we have flown day-of-cruise and made connections three times before (two to Europe and one to Orlando).  Don't forget trip insurance, which is cheap when you are young.  (It doesn't have to be RCI; Allianz is pretty good, and there are others.)  If you are swimming/snorkeling, consider the type of sunscreen (e.g., environmentally friendly).  Also, for sun protection on your back consider the special swim shirts (a regular T doesn't offer protection when it is wet).  Medical supplies are somewhat pricey on the ship, so have your travel first aid kit and needed meds.  Remember small bills for tipping porters as you get to the port, or during excursions.  Figure out your tipping philosophy in advance so you are prepared (we prepay the gratuities and then add a little something extra at the end, but that is just us.)  I have found I still pack too many clothes, even though we always dress for dinner.  So previous tips about not overpacking clothes are on target.  It is amazing how many times you can wear the same shorts during the day, and cheap T-shirts can be acquired in port if you need tops at some point.  You will be tempted with many online or on ship purchases or distractions, so it helps to know what you really enjoy, what may be worth the extra effort or $$.  Look up the deck plans for ship in advance so you know a bit, but don't expect to remember anything until you walk the ship.  I took a week to learn that "port" is "left"; they both have four letters.  To starboard has to be right, correct?  The previous point on documents is important.  Passports are better than travel cards in case you need to fly home for an emergency, but I take both with me and leave them in the safe in my stateroom until they are required for immigration (depends upon your cruise itinerary).  If you are going to buy excursions or beverage packages (coffee card, coke package, etc), it is cheaper to do so online during a sale than on the ship.  There is a lot of guidance on this in other discussion threads.


For finances, be sure to notify your bank you made by using your ATM in another country, etc.  Some credit cards require travel notification, some don't.  We make sure our smart phones have the correct settings (airplane mode?) so we don't get charged outrageous fees when the phone tries to "update" periodically.  Other travelers can give you their tips, I have a dumb phone I keep turned off unless I have an emergency.

Bottom line, you don't need to do everything your first cruise, go at your pace, feel free to ask questions (nothing is stupid), and enjoy.  On Oasis class ships, I find I need to spread reservations throughout the week so I have something to do on a sea day.  At 15 my son loved the teen group -- he got to meet girls without worrying about being shy.  I guess the girls he met felt the same way...

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1 hour ago, Razerbkfan said:

The other is a shoe bag or some other pocketed bag you can either hang over the bath room door or in the closest.

@Kel Kel Bring some heavy duty magnets to hang that bag from. All the walls, doors and even the ceiling in the cabins are metal. The hooks can be used for robes, bags, coverups, swim suits, etc. These are the ones we got and they were great. Just know that the posted weights refer to when they are on the ceiling. They hold less when on the walls, but still work fine. Happy sailing!

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PS.  In the rare event your luggage is lost or delayed, it is helpful to retain receipts from any purchases you made just for the cruise.  Snap a picture of your luggage, too.  Along these lines, always pack spare underwear and top in your carry-on.  Should your luggage be delayed or lost on embarkation, RCI has a team that tracks it down with the ship or airline, and they gave us a "kit" that contained toiletries plus one free T-shirt.  Most of us forget to hold onto receipts for clothing or suitcases, so just a thought in conjunction with trip insurance. 

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Re: documents required- You must have a letter signed by at least one parent of the niece. The letter states name of ship, sail date and itinerary. It gives you permission to take the child, sign waivers onboard and seek medical attention. It must be notarized.. If parents are divorced it’s better if both parents sign  

We just returned from cruise with teenage grandchildren and we were asked for the letter at checkin and they made a copy of it. 

A passport is better than a birth certificate. 

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Hi. Does the letter have to say anything else? Anything about food, excursions or anything, medical treatment or any other activities on the ship? 

Do you have a copy minus names of what your letter said? 

We are leaving from NJ not Baltimore and I’m afraid we are going to be missing something and they will not let us board the ship

 

thanks

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44 minutes ago, Kel Kel said:

Hi. Does the letter have to say anything else? Anything about food, excursions or anything, medical treatment or any other activities on the ship? 

Do you have a copy minus names of what your letter said? 

We are leaving from NJ not Baltimore and I’m afraid we are going to be missing something and they will not let us board the ship

 

thanks

Check out this previous post.  There is a consent form in the post.

 

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3 hours ago, melski94 said:

Check out this previous post.  There is a consent form in the post.

 

The consent form in that thread is what we’ve used. We’re sailing on July 8 with our 16yo DS and his best friend. We (myself and both of his parents) filled it out with a notary and had it notarized. He does have a passport. We’re hoping it’s all we need. 

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On 6/13/2019 at 9:33 AM, Mljstr said:

Re: documents required- You must have a letter signed by at least one parent of the niece. The letter states name of ship, sail date and itinerary. It gives you permission to take the child, sign waivers onboard and seek medical attention. It must be notarized.. If parents are divorced it’s better if both parents sign  

We just returned from cruise with teenage grandchildren and we were asked for the letter at checkin and they made a copy of it. 

A passport is better than a birth certificate. 

What they said above is correct. I would suggest calling RCCL and asking what all paperwork is required for your niece. It changes from time to time. Also if you don’t have a passport I would suggest getting one. If not make sure you have original birth certificates and a copy of a marriage certificate if you have a wife going with you. 

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As some others have said, looking at online videos helps a lot. From my experience, take plugs ad usb cables as they are allowed on the ship and are easily portably. Depending on which itinerary you have (for this case `I`ll assume its Caribbean) bring sun cream, sun hat as well as mosquito repellent wrist/ankle bands (like these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Body-Source-Repellent-Citronella-Lemongrass/dp/B01ERF2FW4/ref=asc_df_B01ERF2FW4/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=214318306971&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1672378014627312372&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045532&hvtargid=pla-421643197171&psc=1

Also don't bring big lighters, matches, hot plates, irons and other fire hazards

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Yep. Even in the most mosquito prone areas in the Caribbean, None touched me. I had one on my wrist and one on my ankle. ?

Oh, almost forgot, id recommend a waterproof much/wallet for a phone, money and definitely and passport. Never leave a ship without one. One more thing, bring ALL required documents no matter how unnecessary you think they may be. I've heard cases where this has happened and people are kicked off the ship. I hope this further helps

Edited by FreedomClassKid
More info I forgot
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On 6/13/2019 at 10:21 AM, ChessE4 said:

PS.  In the rare event your luggage is lost or delayed, it is helpful to retain receipts from any purchases you made just for the cruise.  Snap a picture of your luggage, too.  Along these lines, always pack spare underwear and top in your carry-on.  Should your luggage be delayed or lost on embarkation, RCI has a team that tracks it down with the ship or airline, and they gave us a "kit" that contained toiletries plus one free T-shirt.  Most of us forget to hold onto receipts for clothing or suitcases, so just a thought in conjunction with trip insurance. 

On this note, my hubby and I cross pack our bags: an outfit or two in the others luggage plus a change of clothes in our carryons just in case. It’s nice to be able to get by for a couple days. 

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Some additional thoughts.... Regarding any documents/paperwork/etc.... take a picture of it and send it to yourself or store it to a cloud server. That way in the event you forget, misplace, lose a document, you would have access to them digitally. Granted, in some cases a digital copy will not work (like a passport).... but it cant ever hurt. 

Clothes.... What ever you think you will need.... reduce that by half. ? Seriously, most people on the ship live in the same swim suite/beach apparel  all week, and then change into something for dinner/evening activities. (And even then, you can reuse those)

Take some cash with you for tips and miscellaneous expenses. (Some vendors in the ports dont take cards, plus you can haggle a little more with a 'cash price' on some services and trinkets)

MOTION SICKNESS meds!***** If you have never cruised before, even if you dont typically get motion sickness... get some and take it with you! It can happen to anyone, at any time!
If you are prone to motion sickness, go to your Dr. and get the patches that go behind your ears. If not, then just get some Dramamine and a set of Sea-Bands you put on your wrists. Just know that you need to use/take these items ASAP if you feel motion sickness coming. Its way easier to prevent it, then it is to stop it. 

SUNSCREEN. USE IT... OFTEN and ALWAYS!

If you like to watch movies, read, or listen to music.... download them to your device before you go. While you may or may not have the internet package, it is not 100% reliable and the speeds can vary greatly. At least that way you will have something available if service goes out. Also.... use earbuds/headphones. Dont be that person that brings a blutooth speaker. I can promise you, the only person that 100% likes your music... is you! hahahahahaha. 

COMFY SHOES/sandals.... and I do mean COMFORTABLE!!!!! you will be doing lot of walking. So dont go by a new pair of anything the day before your cruise. The last thing you want to do is get a blister on your 1st day. Makes for a miserable cruise after that. 

Other than that.... really just make sure you have your required items, and everything else is just a matter of preference. 

Also, be sure to pack patience and an open mind. While cruising can be SOOOOOOOO much fun... its what you make of it. Just remember, you will be in a close space with a lot of people.... and sometimes that can be a bit stressful. But just go with the flow and have a blast!  

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