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What are some last minute items to bring on my vacation?

I'm going on a cruise in a few days and my bags are almost packed up with everything I need. But I always forget to pack things in my suitcase or my carry on. So, what are some last minute things to pack in before I forget? I am going on a carnival cruise to the Caribbean for 6 days, if that helps. Thanks.

Public Comments

1. Make sure perfume/lotions/contact solution etc is under 3.0 oz and in a clear bag. Carry on items needed: Entertainment/Makeup/Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Deodorant/A sweater![gets cold on a plane!] A snack in case u don't like whatever they serve. As for your suitcase: Lots of SUNBLOCK!! FlipFlops/bathing suit/ own towel if you're like me and dont like using theirs ! And have fun!!!
2. tipping one dollar bills hairdryer if you want power strip extesnion cord nightlite? uhmmm a brush? (last time i went camping i left my brush at home and everyone else just had combs but i have really long hair.it was soo hard)
3. what do you have now, so we don't duplicate.
4. condoms, lube and chicks
5. sunscreen, toothbrush, toothpaste, flip flops, bathing suit, hairbrush, extra money*just in case*
6. I did a cruise on RCCL recently and so wish I had the following: A CLOCK!!! There was no clock in my stateroom.. I had to find my watch or turn the tv on!! What a pain! (My cell phone needed to stay off as I didn't wanted expensive international charges, so I had ZERO clock or alarm!)... and I hate using the wake up call service! A Robe and slippers. Some cruise ships have them, other don't. I wish I had an iron, but they don't allow then to be brought on the ship. If you have a tiny portable steamer (Again, some ships may not allow it) that may be good to get some of the wrinkle out.. and the rooms don't hve them, so you'll have to pay for the iron/pressing service on board. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU CARRY ON YOUR LUGGAGE TO YOUR ROOM! I know it may seem like a huge pain, but you may have to wait for like 4 - 5 hours to get your bags delivered to your rooom! I will never check my bags on a cruise again! You will use very little to ZERO actual cash on board.. in fact, even if you want to use cash they will often not let you.. everything, including small tips, get charged to your room and you pay at the end. But you'll proabbly need cash for land activities/ports. We made the mistake of not using the itinerary and activities schedule the first two days, and figured we would do our own thing. BIG MISTAKE! Trust me, make the most of the trip and look at the daily activities journal that is delivered to your room and take advantage of everything you can... stuff that we thought would be corny or silly turned out to be a blast! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SILLY PHOTO OPS! Every two seconds there are cruise ship photographers offering to take your photo. Of course, at the end of the cruise they will charge you a ton of money to get the real pictures, but we skipped a lot of these photo ops. At the end of the cruise, we went to the area that all of these were set out and even though it cost money, we wish we would have taken advantage of more photo ops. I packed 10x's more clthes than needed... so pack light, really! And look at the possible land activities that you may do and pack appropriate shoes and clothes for them. A waterproof camera!! In fact bring several!! If you can afford it, but a digital waterproof camera, this way you can take unlimited amounts of photos... and you'll have it for all future water based and outdoor activities! And extra batteries and memory cards! Also, while you can book your port excursions ahead of time, you can also book them on the ship. When we go on board, we didn't want some of our excursions to book up, so I went to stand in line to sign up, and found about 50 people in line before me! Luckily, someone gave me a tip... just go to my room and book it through the tv! SO EASY! I returned to the room, easily booked the excursion I wanted, and was done in like 5 minutes without having to stand in line!! Not sure if all cruise lines have that option, but check it out instead of standing in line!
7. I always seem to need a ziploc bag or two. Sometimes I bring a bar of my own soap because my skin gets irritated very easily. Create a last minute checklist and keep it right near your bag[s]. Sunglasses-camera-tylenol-sunscreen, that kind of stuff. Have fun!
8. If you are taking and using credit/debit cards, make sure you call your financial institution and let them know where you will be and for how long. I work for a military credit union and we will freeze your cards if there is a transaction that is not normal for your account until they call and verify the transaction and let us know it was them using the card. Save yourself a lot of hassle!
9. Instead of flip-flops, get some swimming shoes. You need some kind of shoes to walk around. With swimming shoes you can put them on in the cabin and wear them in the pool, spa, exercise room, beach, etc. and not take them off until you get back to the cabin. I take compact binoculars wherever I go. You may have to handle your luggage at some point. If you take a backpack as a carry-on, it makes it a little easier. The back-pack also comes in handy on trips to the beach etc. If you like tee-shirts, don't take any, just buy and wear as you go. Take your GPS if you have one, and download a simple map of the area of your trip. A supply of small bills is useful for sampling foods or buying souvenirs while in port. also... If you plan to do a little snorkelling, buy a cheap snorkel and mask before you go. You can buy them here for about $5 rent them there for about $15
10. A small travel journal to write things down you want to remember later on. Just your thoughts in case you want to write a review of your trip. Believe it or not, you may have reason to want to know the name of the captain, waiter, room steward, etc. Or places you want to visit again... dinner table-mates. Business cards so you can make new friends. Or just print up a card on your printer with just your email address. www.vistaprint.com Something to decorate your door with. You would be amazed how fast they all look the same! Have some fun with it.... Magnets work great. Check out www.cruisecritic.com or www.cruisemates.com for more thoughts.