New cruiser - questions about art supplies

I can't find any real rules on this anywhere, but -

I want to bring a couple of pounds of epoxy clay and some sculpting tools, some of which are sharp - does anyone think this may cause some issue? I know I wouldnt try bringing any non wooden sculpting tools on, say , a plane, but I'm curious if I can just bring all my tools since this is more of a floating building. Does anyone have experience brining something like this? They are similar to dental tools, so if anyone's brought one of those plaque scraper things and been alright then I should be ok.

Before anyone brutalizes me for not wanting to sit around playing cards or whatever I'm supposed to enjoy doing - I fully realize I am not a cruise person and am going because I have to. I just do not like heavily industrialized and planned tourism - I'm more of a 'don't plan beyond the hotel and flight' and just jump into a strange city type of vacationer.

We've looked into onboard activities and are passing on almost all of them (I'll give the comics a shot but i'm not expecting much and I've been spoiled in that area by some legends) as they seem a bit dull and we'll be doing a handful of excursions that sounded alright, and are preparing to put up with the food issues (Wife is a localvore and I'm a prick about quality - i'm expecting maybe PF Chang / Olive Garden quality which is generally unacceptable so we will be attempting to skip eating when not in port) and avoid alcohol (I dont mind the pricing but the brands are all.. eh to be kind, 'not mine' unless the menus I can find are not accurate)

So, that is why I'd like to get some work done, and I fully realize many, many people greatly enjoy these vacations, more power to you - I will have more fun if I can salvage some of the time and get some work completed during sea days so I can not resent the time wasted when we are hanging out with the inlaws who decided we should do this trip with them (and it is a nice gesture and we genuinely have fun with them, it's just.. the ship looks a bit crap, the food reviews are mixed which *does* mean it will be awful food, and the activities seem somewhat bizarre to me)

Statements above are based on the tastes of people I know who enjoy cruises (NOT saying they have bad taste, just not discerning about the sources of their food or picky about quality, just normal folks like my mom who can eat at a chain etc.. and enjoy it)

sorry for the disclaimers, I did some searching first and it seems attempting any nonstandard fun on these boats or asking any questions about trying something other than provided activities is met with heavy hostility here - if my post bothers or annoys you please just ignore it. I know I may be in for a bunch of 'what a loser' 'get a life' 'be happy you can even go on a cruise' 'relax!' defensive comments - I literally just want to know if anyone has ever had an issue bringing something similar to my clay and tool onboard.

I doubt the clay will be an issue, though I've heard some cruises have pottery classes so I guess they might have a 'THATS FOR US TO SELL YOU' issue like they do with booze from outside. It is an epoxy but it is not hazardous (think somewhere between modeling clay and plumbers putty)

anyways, if anyone knows, thanks. and I did try asking carnival but they appear to be clueless. Could not confirm it was ok, could not confirm it was not. I do not want to be throwing away art materials when embarking (though I guess that could be my escape, I could fly home ;))

I have not had any trouble bringing on needlework supplies...Crochet hooks the size I use are pretty sharp...And have participated in informal handwork groups on several cruises. Lots of socks being knitted, hand sewing, embroidery. I'm not a joiner, either...but I love working with my hands. I love the enrichment lectures, but I love them even more when I can be doing something with my hands while listening...If you pack them in checked baggage, you may have to go down to the 'naughty room' to explain what they are...It really depends on the cruise line and who is doing the screening...EM

Thanks! I might be ok then, I guess if they take me to the ?naughty? room they will just hold them until the end of the cruise or what?

Just pack your supplies in your LOCKED, CHECKED bags...they should make it to your cabin just fine.

I would not try to carry them on....I'd rather chance the "naughty" room, then have to depend on the whim of some security screener. Chances are good that they'll make it through just fine. If they do throw a "red flag", explaining what they are and are used for should put the matter to rest.

IF, and that's a big "if"...they were to hold them, they'll give them back at the end of the cruise.

I was part of a group of women who worked on dollhouse scale furniture on a cruise. About 40 of us participated. I traveled with a toolbox which included a small saw, tweezers, an exacto knife with several interchangeable blades, a couple of small scrapers, and other tools. I packed it all in a small toolbox which fit into my *checked* luggage....which arrived in my stateroom with no issues. I would not try to carry on the items, but this worked.

You might want to take along lesser-quality tools -- so if they were confiscated they wouldn't be a great loss to you. As for the clay, try to pack it in several separate parcels, scattered in your *checked* luggage. If you can, leave it in it's original packaging, so if it IS spotted, it'll be a bit easier to explain just what it is. Any large solid item could be confused for explosives or something.

If your luggage *does* end up in the "naughty room", at least you'll just be inconvenienced by having to explain what the stuff is (I'd probably not go into long explanations about how disgusting you find the food and entertainment to be....simply say you brought along some art supplies to work with on your "down times") at at most they'd keep everything and return it at the end of the cruise.

I don't think you will have any problems. Perhaps you could pack your art stuff in a small bag and check it in.

No need to put disclaimers. Ignore people who want to flame you for not playing cards! This is what you love to do and you should do it. Good luck and enjoy!:)

Just curious.... How is are the finished pieced traveling home?

Go with an open mind, you might just be surprised. The Indian food is usually very good.

You may find this list of items prohibited by Carnival useful:

http://www.carnival.com/Funville/blogs/faqs/archive/2010/04/08/are-there-restrictions-on-what-we-can-bring-aboard.aspx

Note the restrictions on knives and scissors... but it seems to me that your tools might be OK. Unless someone decides they're "tools of trade".

Try calling Carnival and asking for a supervisor... and if you get an affirmative answer, ask them to send it to you in writing. That way if there's any dispute on day of sailing, you can show them your permission.

And yeah, if you're on Carnival, the food will be of mass-market-restaurant quality. And depending on your tastes, the decor is either wonderful or tacky...

Thanks everyone, this is encouraging, so I'll give it a try!

I did see that there is indian but from reviews it sounds like it is only open for a couple hours a day, like the sushi place (I don't trust that especially - though this ship's notes on the CDC site make me not trust anything.) I don't mind fastfood style indian (Again, spoiled on this front by some AMAZING indian food in my life) too bad so that is likely going to be my main option. I'm a big meat eater but I am lucky enough to be able to know the source of almost everything I eat, and I share a bunch of hippie dippie vegetarian values on animal rights (except their right not to be eaten) so industrial-raised food is just a turnoff.

My wife's food hangups are much worse - I can get tipsy and decide suddenly I dont care and need a burger and be ok, she will just not eat without knowing (and is planning on a huge bag of apples just in case - trying to talk her out of that but hey, I'm brining work along, so, heh). She eats like a bird and wants to know where everything came form and exactly what was used to prep the dish. hopefully we can just laugh at ourselves the whole time at how impossible this is going to be ;)

Just curious.... How is are the finished pieced traveling home?

 

Go with an open mind, you might just be surprised. The Indian food is usually very good.

The finished pieces are more or less indestructable - I use a pretty odd clay with it's origins in marine/plumbing repair epoxies. This is like a very very fine smoothable plumbers or marine 2 part putty made for sculpture work. I think some weirdos had a infomercial version they were selling at a crazy high price for small amounts a few years ago that was marketed for home repair stuff, you may recall seeing those. It can repair a horsehoof and hold up, so no worries about transporting it back just thrown into the luggage.

uppitycats, thank you especially, what you took was very close to the type of stuff I'm bringing, dental tools, modified small metal tools, micro files and rasps, that sort of stuff.

whoa, just checked the list,

"Tools of trade and household goods" is pretty vague! And that is the 'throw it away' list too!

Household goods, if they go by US code, includes everything. EVERYTHING you can own, except real estate.

Very weird, that means they can just take your laptop and keep it if they like? clothes, medicine anything..

I think I'll be carrying everything on except clothes and the one bottle of whiskey- I mean 'wine'

Cruises are so strange to me.

If you would, please post again after your cruise and let us know how it went getting things through TSA, etc.

I don't think you'll have problems with the tools if they're in checked luggage but agree that less-expensive ones would be the way to go in case they disappear or whatever.

Am thinking might cause you to at least have bag searched is the art

medium. Not sure how it will show up on x-ray or if it gives off any scent. Seems every time I've packed something that shows up as an unfamiliar "solid" (or even if I forget and put too many books together or jewelry all in a small box), they've either pulled me aside to check carry-ons or I find that the checked bag has been "checked" before I saw it again.

Good luck, try to enjoy the trip even if it's not your idea of a nice time, and share some of your cruise artwork later on!

I'd like you to come back and report on your trip after you come back. Just to find out if you enjoyed anything about it, other than sculpting.

You're already correct about the food, it's definitely not what we cruise for. We don't attend the shows any longer. Somehow we fill our time and have a great time and a 7 night cruise flies by.

Edit to add, my husband brings aboard a small pair of hair cutting shears and clippers, never with a problem.

Just out of curiosity, what does your wife plan on doing with the apples? Once they get onboard, they don't leave. Most definitely not on shore, or even bringing the leftovers home.

Since you sound so enthused about this cruise, why are you going in the first place?

 

She eats like a bird and wants to know where everything came form and exactly what was used to prep the dish. ;)

 

Never quite understood the when someone stated they eat like a bird ? Actually a bird eats more than it's body weight in a day.

Moving on from the bird comment, it's recommended that you should leave the clay in the original packing materials with all labels still attached clearlg identifying the contents . Otherwise it may well be confiscated because security might be concerned about it being something else.

My spousal unit brought a box of paints-water color and acrylics. Some brushes, pliers to open stuck caps, palette knives.

The pliers and palette knives were deemed unacceptable. They were checked and she was aboard to take them ashore to use and had to re-check them upon retyrning to the ship.

These are whippy little palette knives. When I mentioned that the knives in Cagney's were way more dangerous than these palette knives could possibly be, they WERE NOT AMUSED and they let us know it.

Millage may vary.

No food can leave the ship except that in commercially packaged wrapping, like granola bars in their original sealed packages. So she needs to know that she can only eat the apples on board (and, by the way, fresh fruit is generally available on the buffet, which is open at least 18 hours a day, depending on which cruise ship you're going on.)

Frankly, given your restrictive food habits, I'm surprised her parents are even trying to take on you a cruise. While the food isn't top-level gourmet, it really isn't all THAT awful..but the waiters certainly wouldn't be able to tell you the source of the foods, whether its organically or locally grown (probably not!), nor exactly how the food is prepared.

As for the CDC ratings... all the lines have quality control issues. As do most restaurants. I don't even look, as I probably wouldn't eat out anywhere if I knew what kinds of ratings they got!

I'd wish you happy cruising. but you are NOT going to enjoy it.

~Doris~

Do cruise ships even allow fresh fruit to be brought aboard by passengers? I know you cannot take it off the ship in port.

Just wondering. Calling the cruise line does no good, you will get a different answer from every agent.

I don't know, the only other time I've heard of food wanting to be brought aboard (other than packaged snacks) was cupcakes, cookies, birthday cakes...never fresh fruit.

How did we go from fruit to sculpting tools :p ?

How did we go from fruit to sculpting tools :p ?

actually, went the other way 'round. He asked about scupting tools, complained about the food, elaborated about his and his wife's food habits and told us she was bringing a bag of apples on board...

I don't think the cruise line has issues with bringing food aboard...just can't take it OFF the ship, and that's not so much the cruise line restrictions as laws against it in various countries, including the US.

I'm surprised no one asked this question----where are you planning on doing this art work? You didn't write what kind of cabin you're in, but unless you're in a huge suite, there's no place to do sculpting in a cabin, and I'm sure using epoxy-anything in a public room will be very much against health rules and regulations. So, I doubt you'll be allowed to use any public tables to do your sculpting. Also, I'm not familiar with epoxy sculpting, but does it have an odor? If it does, and it is strong, you won't make your neighbors happy nor will the cruise line be happy. Also make sure that your things aren't seen as something for bomb making. Believe it or not, that stuff could be mistaken for bomb making materials, and they will take you off the ship and ask questions later.

Doing needlework or using watercolors are totally different from using epoxy sculpting materials.

Do your in-laws know about you and your wife's "taste" in food? If so, why did they choose Carnival? While no mainstream cruise line serves gourmet food (you have to go on a luxury line like Crystal or Seabourn for really great, gourmet food), there are lines other than Carnival where the food is a lot better. Just be aware that there are a wide variety of foods to choose from, including fruits, veggies and other vegetarian items. You can also speak to your head waiter about your food choices and they will do their best to accommodate your needs.

But I have to agree with others who have said you're setting yourself up for a miserable cruise. Like another poster said, there's more going on here than doing sculpting. Sounds to me like you need some major communicating with your in-laws on this so everyone can come to some understandings.

Well, no kidding. He is trying very hard to make sure that he wont enjoy it, because he thinks that has a good reason to...

Agreed, and agree with the rest of your post. You were very patient explaining things. :)

OP, please try to surrender and enjoy yourself. Resistance, as they say, is futile. ;):D Just having some fun with ya, but seriously... there is more than enough onboard to keep you busy or to help you relax. Although, it already seems that you are bound and determined NOT to enjoy yourself, in which case, no offense, it does seem rather unfair to anyone travelling with you.

If you are not a "cruise person" and you have already made you your mind about this, then for heaven's sake, why are you going? Wow. :confused:

.

I carve stamps, and had no problem taking my carving tools and supplies on board (HAL). They're the same type of tools I use for working with polymer clay, so probably similar to what you use.

Am I missing where the OP mentioned Carnival? ...

Last paragraph of his original post.

 

I'm more of a 'don't plan beyond the hotel and flight' and just jump into a strange city type of vacationer.

 

Being an "artist", I know you can think outside the box. Pretend the ship is a "foreign city", and jump in with both feet, hands and heart!

 

You stated you enjoy spending time with your in-laws. What is it you enjoy doing with them? Why not bring that on board instead of your "art supplies". The tools really does seem to be an issue, as far as: Will you get the tools aboard? - if not will they confiscate them? Where will you set up? - all of this really does not seem worth the hassle. It's 7 days, not a lifetime.

 

You mentioned your wife is not going to be happy about the food situation either, but you never mentioned whether your wife is into going. It seems she is trying to plan around the food by bringing a bag of apples (?). To me that seems she is trying to work around her issues. Is she looking forward to spending time with her family? If so, let her enjoy it without worrying about how you are going to handle it. Support her.

 

Bottom line:

-forget your tools - you'll be going into this without the added stress.

-you will find something to eat - you will not starve.

-you will be spending time with your family, and that my friend is something we can all use a little bit more of.

 

As gourmet guide from glasgow put in another thread (I love this!):

Life’s not about waiting for the storms to pass.

It's about learning to dance in the rain.

 

I really do hope you have a surprisingly great time!