Packing Tips and Hints for a Mediterranean Cruise
[ Your mediterranean cruise can be ruined if you don't pack everything you need, and you can be inconvenienced if you have packed too much. So how do you know what to pack and what not to pack? Here are some basic packing tips for your Mediterranean cruise. Bon Voyage! ]
by Cynthia H. Lynch
Have you ever returned from a vacation and realized that half the things you packed you didn’t use and there were things you wished you packed and didn’t? There were probably things you packed that you thanked your lucky stars that you brought along. After you’ve paid thousands of dollars for the trip of your dreams, you don’t want your trip ruined because you packed unwisely.
Here are some packing tips and hints based upon my recent Mediterranean cruise.
Things I Packed and Was GLAD That I Did!!
• Spray bottle of wrinkle releaser – Irons are not allowed onboard and laundry services take a day or more to return. I used every drop of my wrinkle releaser keeping our clothes looking nicely pressed.
• Hanger top clothespins – These were great for hanging up clothes I washed out in the sink or wet bathing suits.
• D-rings in all sizes – These were used these for all sorts of things, from hanging our water bottles on our packs to "locks" on our backpacks/waist pouches to discourage pickpockets.
• Mini packs of tissue - Don't be caught “with your pants down” when you discover most restrooms ashore doesn’t provide toilet paper.
• Small bottles of hand sanitizer – When we couldn’t get to a sink to wash our hands on board, using hand sanitizer was a great substitute. With the prevalence of the Norwalk virus on cruise ships, we didn’t want to take any chances. We also found using this product before meals helpful offshore to avoid having to pay to use the restroom only to wash our hands.
• Zip style baggies in assorted sizes – Baggies were a lifesaver on more than one occasion. I used them to hold bread, cheese, nuts, and fruit from breakfast for snacks off ship, to hold my camera in my back pack, to pack my suitcase items in a compact, organized way, etc.
• Post-it notes – These were great for communicating with my cabin steward, whom I rarely saw and my sons who were in another cabin, who were also MIA most of the time.
• Camel back hydration system - My husband had this built into his backpack and we simply could have not traveled without it. It was so hot and dusty in some places and we could continue to tour without having to stop for refreshments.
• Light jacket – There were several occasions it got cold on our trip, especially at night, and a jacket was essential.
• Travel document notebook - I took all my travel documents and put them in clear sleeves in a three ring binder. The airline, hotels, and cruise staff was very impressed with my organization and it kept me sane.
• Coin purse - Many Euro denominations are in coins so you really needed a coin purse.
• Eagle Creek travel wallet - I kept passports, large denominations of money, and credit cards in this and always had it on my body when we were off the ship. The rest of the time I kept it in the safe in our stateroom.
• Wiglets (for women only) - Doing your hair on this cruise will be a challenge due to the heavy port schedule, so on formal nights, I pulled my hair back in a knot and clipped on a wiglet. I looked very elegant!
• Sun hat – A hat is a must if you go to any beaches or ruins.
• Power strip - There was only one electrical outlet in my stateroom, so to charge up both my cameras, camcorder, iPods, etc., I needed lots of outlets. The power strip was essential.
• Light weight sling backpack - I really liked this for me because I could use it over the shoulder or around my waist.
• Battery powered travel alarm clock – I don’t trust wake up calls, so I always travel with my own clock.
• ATM cards with pin numbers - There were ATMs on every corner off shore. I found this to be the BEST way to change money.
• Brightly colored duct tape on all our bags - I could spot our bags anywhere!
Things I Packed, But Really Didn't Need/Use
• Travel cooler – I didn't use it once.
• Shorts - I was shocked that on our shore excursions that most people wore crop pants or long pants. I wore shorts one time only and never put them on again. Most churches will not allow you entry with shorts, so it was impractical to wear them in some places.
• Travel books - I never referred to these once I was on the trip, and they were heavy and took up loads of space in my suitcase.
• Lanyards/neck badge holders – Although my youngest son did use his, the rest of us didn’t. I only recommend these for younger children.
• Umbrella – Using disposable ponchos were so much easier and took up much less space.
• Travelers checks - I got a bad exchange rate with my traveler’s checks and MOST people wouldn't take them.
Things I Wish I'd Packed, But Didn't
• A pair of blue jeans - I didn't take any jeans because of their weight, which I found was a mistake. I really would have worn them a great deal.
• More capris and long pants.
• Sweatshirt - It was COLD at night on our trip.
• Warmer sleepwear -I froze to death every night.
• Business cards/family information cards – These are useful to exchange with people you meet on the trip. They can easily be made on your computer.
Cynthia H. Lynch is a full-time educator, part time freelance writer, wife, and mother. Her writing focuses on educational issues, women's humor, and filler articles for publications.
