Handy things to take

There are some extra things that I have found handy to take along.  You will have to check with your Cruise line about what they allow.

Power supplies -
I have found rooms will have one outlet in the room and another in the bathroom.  Check if they are Australian plugs or whether you need an adapter.  I also like to take a power board and short extension lead.  Have the power board in your hand luggage as these need to be checked and from experience they need to be newish and no surge protector.  Some cruise lines do not allow them so be prepared they may get confiscated.  As a back up tuck a double adapter in somewhere as well.  One with extra USB ports is useful for charging gadgets.

On board communications -
There are so many activities and I found the kids are off doing there thing and hubby and I had activities we wanted to do also.  The ships are big and we would often just go back to our rooms to leave post it notes on the mirror for each other.  Don't forget a few pens & pencils.  Some people also had walkie talkies but we have not tried those yet.

Life in your room -
You don't spend much time in your room as there is always so much to do.  A program for the follow day is left for you at your door each evening (usually while we were at dinner).  I would have a highlighter and highlight the things I wanted to do.  Helped plan the day ahead so when we woke up we could get going.  Yes cruising is relaxing but we like to make the most of our days. 

I also took along some clothes pegs.  There has always been a clothes line in the shower but it is not very long.  Another portable clothes line is handy too.  Some magnetic hooks, suction hooks and over door hooks are handy.  A hanging organiser with pockets for the back of the door is also handy to put shoes in.  gets them off the floor.  Space is limited in your cabin.

Tissues are in your bathroom but I also like to take a large hand sanitiser for the room and a small one for my bag and small packs of wipes.  Some ships are better than others with this but ships are germ factories.  Do what you can to maintain personal hygiene as getting sick can spoil your trip.  I also like a Glen20 air fresh as the room can get a bit stale - especially if you have an inside cabin with four people.   I also find a torch handy.  Just a small magnetic one I found useful when checking the kids etc.

Fold up clothes basket is great for dirty clothes.  I usually put it in the bottom of the cupboard and then I can carry it to the self serve laundromat. 

Don't forget to bring your own snorkel gear.  It is expensive to hire on board.  We also took a swim vest as our youngest daughter was not a good swimmer at that stage.  It gave her confidence and us peace of mind.

I also packed in sealed bottles of 600ml water.  I added a few bottles in each bag and these were handy to have and refill.  I also brought a couple of packs of lollies and biscuits too.  Mind you it is not really needed unless you have a fav. snack as there is so much food on board.

Bathroom -
I like to take suction toothbrush holders.  They stick to the mirror and hold your toothbrush ( I got mine from BigW).  The showers are usually good and have liquid soap, shampoo/conditioner in dispensers.  I did find that I needed my own decent shampoo though.  Depends how fussy you are. 

First Aid kit -
There is a Doctor on board but they are expensive to visit.  I always carry a few basics for our family:  Panadol (chewable tablets for kids and capsules for us), phernergan (for kids travel sickness also an antihistamine), dimetap (kids cough/cold mix), tablets for Diah/nausea, bandaids, skin moisturiser, good 50+ suncream and after sun cream.  You can buy most of these things on board in the shop if you need them.