First and most importantly, I need to thank mom and Papa Pete for making this all happen. We love you!!
Thanks to Pete and Cathy and Bob and Nicole, our new extended family from Texas and New York!! Here's to seeing you all again real soon! (Oh and Bobby, remember, there are no good seats in Yankee stadium!)
I've heard it and didn't believe it. DO NOT OVERPACK! If you think you might not use it - leave it at home. We left with the intention of not doing any shopping - we were planning on just enjoying the cruise. Realistically, however, we all brought at least a few things home with us. Leave room in your luggage. (P.S. Beach and pool towels are provided for your use. Don't bother packing any - they take up too much room anyway!)
Bring an alarm clock. Especially in our inside stateroom (with no windows) you could sleep the entire day away and never know what time it is. You can call for a wake-up-call, but don't count on it always working out the way you hoped.
Bring a nightlight. Same reason as above. Getting up in the middle of the night (or anytime actually) to use the restroom is an adventure unless you have some idea where you are going.
A powerstrip. We saw this idea and decided against it. I wish we hadn't. There is one outlet in your stateroom (well, in ours there was only one) and one in the bathroom. Plugging in more than the alarm clock was a problem
Hairdryer. Carrie swore by hers and Nicole actually borrowed ours on a few occassions. There is one provided in the bathroom, but it's woefully underpowered for anything but the shortest hair. (another good reason for the powerstrip idea, too!)
Notebook or post-it notes. On our second day we wanted to ask Wilson, our stateroom attendant, for extra pillows but couldn't find him anywhere. I left him a note in our room before we went to breakfast. When we returned, voila! Extra pillows! (Also handy for writing down memorable events in case you want to keep your cruise memories in order!)
Your own toothpaste and any special shampoo or soap. Shampoo and soap is provided for you in your bathroom, but if you use a special brand, bring it with you. Carrie liked to have her own with her, I used the stuff that was provided with no problems. Your preference.
Extra hangers. There are plenty provided for you but you never know when you might want to hang up more clothes. We brought about a dozen or so extras and I think it was more than enough.
The kids program was indispensable! Ashley loved it and the counselors are really great! Every night the kids can take part in a slumber party complete with a snack and a movie (see list). Except for the two formal nights, when it was free, the slumber party will cost you $6 per hour (potentially, $90 per child, if they go every night and stay until 1:00am. Ashley did not go one night and only stayed until 1:00am once. I think we payed a total of under $50 for the whole week)
We compiled a listing of the shows that we (or someone in our group) attended each evening. All shows were presented twice a night (except Saturday's show) so that both dinner seatings could attend.
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