I stressed in yesterday's blog how we packed light for the trip. Let me elaborate by telling you a couple of things we took or changed our mind about at the last minute that we definately didn't need. (I was going through notes for today's blog and found the actual packing list - I'm a big list maker).
One thing we never needed or used was a money belt that my husband was supposed to wear. He found it uncomfortable so I tried it and found the same results. It was warmer than we thought it would be in Nov. in Europe so the money belt just became hot and ridiculously hard to get any money out of . (Could it be the excess pounds that cover our bellys?). Seriously, if you put money in a money belt it should be because you won't need this money until you have time to practically get undressed. We found that our plan to take out 50 Euros for the day was plenty enough and easy enough to keep in the pouches we wore around our necks. After the first couple of days my husband and I realized that we were going to be together all the time on our shore excursions so he even quit wearing his pouch and I carried everything we needed in mine.
We also didn't need two blow up pillows (the kind with the "U" shape for your neck). These were for napping on the plane. Forget it, there's not enough room for a pillow in your cramped airplane seat and they give you neat little pillows anyway on the international flights.
We packed rain coats in our luggage but could have done just as well with those ponchos that pack up really small. If it really rains a lot on your trip, I recommend just grabbing an umbrella as soon as you disembark the ship (sometimes the cruise ship sells them in their gift shop) and ditch it before you come home.
I get really sea sick and air sick so I had arm bands. They never worked and just made funny marks on my wrists. Matter of fact nothing cured my air and sea sickness. I just muddeled through all that.
And this may sound like a good idea. It did for us but we never really used them. We took baggies (sandwich size) to stash snacks from the boat that we could take on our own personal shore excursions. We thought we would save money on expensive meals offered to the tourists by picnicing. But we never ate anything we packed in these baggies because we always found inexpensive and fun foods to eat. I guess it depends on hungry you get during the day. Remember that you'll eat a fabulous breakfast before you leave the ship and a huge supper at the end of the day after you get back on the ship. Plus part of the fun is stopping at a little pizza cafe or having a sandwich or snack at one of the many outdoor cafes while resting your feet and watching the locals go by.
OK, OK, now we're packed and ready to fly. Though a cruise may sound luxurious, get ready for something a little less luxurious on the plane.
