10 Things Not to Forget to Pack For Your First Cruise

At the recent Aids Memorial Benefit Concert (that Purple Light proudly sponsored), the hilarious Suzanne Westenhoefer explained how gay men and lesbians pack differently for cruises. Suzanne made fun of both gay men who pack enough clothes for a NY Fashion Week,  and lesbians who may just bring a decades old duffel bag. Nevertheless, no matter how much or little you take with you, there are a few things that new and experienced cruisers often forget to take with them, and then regret not having.  Here are our top 10:

1. First Aid Kit-While cruise ships have shops that sell many if not all the ointments, band-aids, and other items and medications that you might need if you are unlucky enough to get sick or hurt, you will pay a premium if you buy your items there. It is good to come on board with a kit that includes at least the items for general wound treatment, pain and seasickness relief pills and other items you may need. Also, don’t forget to bring items that relieve blisters. We know people who stay on their feet far more than they are used to on cruises, whether they are on the dance floor or going on hiking tours in port.

2. Vitamins and supplements-Now some of our buff friends come on board with enough supplements to open a health food store. Others however, wish they had brought a probiotic and/or other supplements and immunity boosters after a week dancing late into the night. Bring whatever you need to keep your immunity up with the less than optimum hours of sleep you may have on some of the cruises we book clients on.

3. Wrinkle Remover-I am not talking about for your skin (though if you know of one, bring it and share it with me), but rather, for your clothes. Many cruise ships do not have laundries for use by passengers and the very convenient laundry service provided on board can get expensive. Travel irons are banned on most, if virtually not all cruise ships. Therefore a spray wrinkle remover, may prove to be a real asset.

4. Laundry cleaning alternative-For the same reason as the wrinkle remover, it is a good idea to bring a small bottle (or packets) of Woolite as well as a stain remover stick.

5. Enough Sun protection and after-sun remedies-Again while the ship’s store will gladly sell you different SPF suntan lotion, or aloe vera and other products, their prices are never inexpensive. Make sure you have brought all the products you will need to protect and comfort your body in different stages of tanning and in different sun conditions.

6. Favorite mixers or other Non-Alcoholic Beverages-Virtually all cruise lines let passengers bring their own non-alcoholic beverages on board with them free of charge. The choices on board for some mixers and soda can be limited, so if you have a particular favorite, you can bring some on to make sure you have it, and save some money. On gay cruises, they also sometimes run out of some favorite mixers (like Red Bull Sugar free and they don’t usually have Red Bull Total zero), and if you have some of your own, you may gain in popularity! While we cannot recommend or condone bringing your own alcohol on board since it is almost always against cruise regulations and subject to confiscation, we know some longtime cruisers who always “sneak on” their own.

7. Power strip- If you bring a number of appliances or gadgets that need a place to be plugged in, a power strip may be worth the luggage space. Most of the cruise ships, particularly the older ones, offer too limited outlets.

8. Smaller bags/day luggage-Having smaller bags to put dirty laundry, take a beach towel and water into port etc. are very worthwhile. While some of the cruise lines provide their own on board, it is not a bad idea to have one that you will be able to identify among all the other bags others will be bringing.

9. Insect Repellent/After bite care-Bug repellent is worth its weight in gold in many cruise destinations. Also, if you get bitten, having something to reduce swelling and itch, can be a god-send.

10. Costumes-Clients we book onto LGBT cruises hear from us about the option of bringing costumes and the cruise themes as soon as they are announced. Some first-time client are reluctant to take the extra time to design and create costumes, but wish they had once they get on board. We offer optional costume design service by Broadway-caliber designers that can save you the hassle and make you stand out in the crowd.