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Sunscreen for a 7 day cruise.


tran93le
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So my family of 45 is going on a cruise. When we usually go to the beach or pool, we share 3-4 bottles that are laying around. With that said, since this is a cruise & its sunny, do you guys recommend sharing sunscreen? Or bringing one per person? I’ve never used sunscreen 7 days in a row so I wouldn’t know if sharing a bottle for 3 people would run out or not. I wouldn’t want to run out, & have to buy an expensive bottle on board. Please help!

 

 

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I would bring plenty of sunscreen because you need to put it on everyday. I say at least 10-15 bottles to go around for everybody. Especially if laying out on Lido deck. Just for myself and my husband I bring 3 cans just in case. You get in the water and you reapply again even if says waterproof. I don't like seeing those other cruisers who look like lobsters. We were just on the Triumph and we saw plenty of them bright red.

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I was going to say it really depends on how many people use the sun screen and how much they use and how often they will use and really only you can be the judge of that since we don't know - If you use 3 bottles for one day then it would safe to say that you would need 21 bottles for 7 days

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So my family of 45 is going on a cruise. When we usually go to the beach or pool, we share 3-4 bottles that are laying around. With that said, since this is a cruise & its sunny, do you guys recommend sharing sunscreen? Or bringing one per person? I’ve never used sunscreen 7 days in a row so I wouldn’t know if sharing a bottle for 3 people would run out or not. I wouldn’t want to run out, & have to buy an expensive bottle on board. Please help!

 

 

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45? That’s awesome! And I’d say you’d need at least ten. Also depends on which kind like spray or lotion

 

 

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Fyi, typical sunscreen can damage coral reefs. That's why beaches in Mexico ask that you use the "biodegradable" kind and those without PABA, octinoxate, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor or the preservative butylparaben. In Mexico, that means Tropical Sands or MexiTan. Due to the fact it's mostly zinc oxide, it's very thick, washes off pretty easily while swimming & leaves a white residue on the skin when it dries. Doing my research I found Alba very emolient Baby or

Block Island, which is 100% all natural, too be very environmentally friendly alternatives & much more pleasant to put on.

 

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An adult needs 1 oz (or a shot glass) full every 2 hours...more if you "towel" off. Even "waterproof" sunscreen isn't towel proof! Most bottles are 12 oz or so....so figure it out.

 

Also, you need to apply it 30 mins PRIOR to sun exposure, especially in Caribbean lattitudes.....the sun is FIERCE and will burn you before the sunscreen starts to work if you apply it AFTER you're in the sun. Also, "spray-on" sunscreen still needs to be rubbed on....otherwise, it won't work as you want it to!

 

Just so you know!

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So my family of 45 is going on a cruise. When we usually go to the beach or pool, we share 3-4 bottles that are laying around. With that said, since this is a cruise & its sunny, do you guys recommend sharing sunscreen? Or bringing one per person? I’ve never used sunscreen 7 days in a row so I wouldn’t know if sharing a bottle for 3 people would run out or not. I wouldn’t want to run out, & have to buy an expensive bottle on board. Please help!

 

 

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Definitely 1 per person or more

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DH and I shared a big tube of sunscreen when we went to Hawaii--it lasted us a week. We went for two weeks and the first week we used the spray-on kind. After going through one of those per day, we cut our losses and bought tubes. They were much more cost-effective than the spray on kind and lasted longer.

 

So, my advice would be don't use the spray on kind, and I think 1 tube for every 2 people would be sufficient.

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The sunscreen sold on the ship is not really all that expensive. :)

Lots easier to buy it as needed rather than trying to take too much.

 

Not sure what ship you are referring to but last time I checked it was more than double the price at a typical drug store like Walgreens, or store like Target. Not only was the sunscreen expensive there was a very limited selection.

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45? That’s awesome! And I’d say you’d need at least ten. Also depends on which kind like spray or lotion

 

 

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Yup! 45 of us! Going to need family sized sunscreen bottles! Gotta go to Costco for that!

 

 

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I'm not sure I understand why one person is responsible for sunblock for 45 people? I feel it's a very personal decision - there are so many factors that one size does not fit all, in my opinion.

 

I suggest people bring their own and definitely bring more than you think you'll need. You can always bring it home again. The Caribbean sun is very strong - I have been burned using 60 SPF. Be careful, and have fun. :)

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I like to get extremely sunburnt the first day after too many beers and then be miserable the rest of the week.

(insert sarcasm here)

 

not really but seems to happen that way.

 

Bring more than you think you'll need because you don't want to buy it on the ship. They are very proud of it and the price reflects that.

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Don't forget the availability and popularity of SPF rated shirts and other clothing.

Any sporting goods store or website will have style options for adults and kids.

If you are leaving from Florida and prefer to shop in person rather than online, both Bealls department store and even WalMart have their own house brands of SPF clothing available.

 

Some in your party might prefer to put on an SPF shirt when swimming rather than slather chemicals all over their body and into the ocean.

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I agree 100% with the post suggesting SPF rated clothing. For our recent 7 day Caribbean cruise, I brought rash guard shirts for all 5 of us. DH and I wore them (and wore hats too) while the 20 something DD and DSs refused. They religiously and applied and reapplied high quality sunscreen instead. All three suffered significant sunburns!

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To a large extent the amount of sunscreen required depends on your skin type. I can apply SPF 30 once in the morning and can go all day without reapplying or burning. My wife has to put it on two or three times a day. Since we always take a snorkel gear bag, we have plenty of space and end up with too much sunscreen. If you take too much the worst that happens is that you bring it home.

 

 

 

For 45 people you are going to need at least 75 spray cans or bottles. If OP is smart they will tell everyone to handle their own, and what is needed for their own immediate family.

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Could not agree more with the advice above to tell everyone to bring their own! Between diff skin types, ages, how much 'in the sun' activity will be done, whether water will be involved, how much skin will be exposed, and how big the bottles of sunscreen are... this is the kind of question there is absolutely no definitive answer to.

 

FWIW, I burn in 20-30 minutes unprotected under typical UK/Vancouver summer sun. I use Target's big bottles (~10oz/300ml), in SPF50 since I am a pasty-white SoB, on just hands/face/neck (~10% of my 'surface area' - I always have long shirts and pants on, plus a big hat in summer). I go through one of those bottles every summer in Vancouver, generally applying once a day on average from April to September. If you're lying naked in the hot sun, reapplying every couple of hours, assume that you will go through one of those big bottles in about a week (assuming 90% body coverage reapplied 3 times a day you'll use it up 27x faster than I do).

 

For kids running in and out of water, with sand and towels potentially rubbing it off, even though they have smaller surface area you'll need to reapply more frequently so if you need a ballpark figure I'd be looking at one good sized bottle of lotion per person per week anyway - which SPF will depend heavily on the individual. Folks who tend to stay sensibly-dressed for sun avoidance could easily split a bottle among several people.

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On a typical summer week at home, I go through a 15 oz bottle of sunscreen. (And I still manage to tan!)

Plop me in Hawaii or the Carribean for a week, and I go through 3 of those bottles for just myself. Apply first thing in the morning, then apply every 2 hours as I sweat it off, then apply after swimming... (I use reef safe sunscreen.) Taking enough for 45 people would fill an entire suitcase. Everybody should bring their own - use whatever is left over at home.

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Normally I would have each family bring their own sunscreen. But, you all have a history of traveling together and sharing sunscreen so you know what works for everyone.

 

How many days do those 3-4 bottles last for the group? If one day then 4 bottles X 7 days = 28 bottles. Considering you won’t have any sun time the last day and the amount you have on day 1 depends upon what time you board you should be good.

 

 

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