Duck Tape?

I've been reading these Boards intermittantly for the past year and, even though you don't know I exist, I think of quite a few of you as friends.:) I was content as a 'lurker' until our SEP 16th AK cruise on Summit Booklet came in. Even my rather reserved DH decided it was time to step into the light! Thank you for all you've taught me over the past year!

While this will be our first time on X, it isn't our first cruise; we've done the Disney Magic twice, and HAL (Oosterdam) once. I admit I overpack clothes but my DH loves all the other 'stuff' I think to bring which we find useful; i.e., I always take a scented plug in nite lite. It's not much fun to bump your toe in smelly, dark, unfamiliar surroundings!:( Here's the question...

What's the Duck Tap for? Like most people, I LOVE Duck Tape and figure you can fix just about anything with it - hems to leaks - but I'm still not sure what you guys are using it for! Am I missing out on something? and if so, please advise me!

Thanks again! You'll probably hear from my DH and I many times before the cruise and I promise you'll hear from us after the cruise!:D

Denise

Hi,

I am really confused. What types of ducks are you trying to tape- mallards or the Donald kind?

I don't know what you would use DUCK tape for on a cruise ship. But, perhaps there are some uses for DUCT tape. Someone else could probably help you.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Shelley

I used the duct tape to close my cabin curtains completely with no 'sun gaps.' Comes in handy when the ships rockin' and doors are swingin' (I tape 'em up).

I also use it to distinguish my luggage more easily in airports, customs areas, etc. by placing 2 inch pieces all over (the 'dalmation' look).

Comes in handy when the kids become unruly too. :D

Go to a theatrical supply house (on the Internet, some place like Musson or Grosh) and get yourself some gaff tape. This came be safety used on fabrics, paint, wood, just about anything. it comes in a variety of colors, widths and is both easy to use and remove from things. You won't have to worry about that sitcky residue that duct tape is famous for. We use it a lot in the scene shop for just about everything - we have even used it to tape up costumes, hold curtains together long enough for us to sew them and it works great on shoes.

It's a bit more pricey than duct tape, but you get what you pay for.

Cheers,

Charlie

When luggage breaks.....

Actually, I've found that masking tape is more useful. I wrap the tape around the tops of bottles to keep them from leaking. Works great.

Duck or Duct is perfectly acceptable these days as the original tape use is not what they produce for us consumers anymore anyways.

Get a bright coloured roll and the sky's the limit.

Luggage fixing and marking (what I use it for)... better than a lock actually also with a double wrap around your bag.

Mark your room door.. Mark someone elses room door. Clothes line. etc. etc.

Some of the ladies I understand use it instead of a bra. ... too much information for some of us I guess but it really is a handy item to take with you when travelling. You can put it in an outside Zip area of your bag without too much fear of anyone taking it and it's always handy.

ShelleyG - WOW!!! I got my first, honest to goodness 'fun post'! Thanks, Shelley! Duct tape/Duck Tape, isn't that the Brand name? If not, lets blame it on my furry son - he likes to "help" at the computer! He has some big paws though - 22 1/2 lbs - and tends to make lots of mistakes.

Krewzin - My DH uses it on the suitcases too. He put it on four or five years ago and those black bags are easy to spot - classy too! I love the idea about the drapes; thanks! No kids though - unless you count our three cat masters. I suspect the tape wouldn't go over so well with them...on the other hand, it might really reduce my vacuum time!

Spikesgirl/Charlie - Thanks! I don't want to damage any fabric on the ship - great idea. I'm sure there are theatrical supply stores in Santa Fe (I live about 45 minutes away), and if not, I'll troll the internet.

DancerOT - Say the mantra with me - "Luggage never breaks or gets lost..."

Thanks to all of you - any more ideas for me? Any other questions I should be asking? Everyone will be happy to know, I have NO questions regarding attire! We enjoy the rare oportunity to dress up and are happy to smile with those who don't. And for daytime in Alaska I think I understand 'layers, rain gear, hats, and gloves'. Do I have all that right?

Denise

http://www.duckproducts.com/

Duck Tape is a brand of Duct tape, and the names are often used interchangebly like Kleenix and Tissue, or Windex and Glass Cleaner.

I personally use it to make all my formal wear for my cruies. That's me in the pictures above. :) Just Kidding.

The most popular use of duct tape that I have heard on these boards is fixing a broken suit case, and to make bra for a backless dress on formal night.

judyfssw - Great idea about the bottles. Iv'e always used ziplocks, but now that we have to put all liquids/gels in checked luggage, any idea for added security against leaks is very much appreciated. Thanks!

LeftcoastBC - The tape instead of bra trick has been handed down through the generations (of course, we want you to believe it's all 'natural'!) - however - no one ever explains how to get it off comfortably! And the sticky after-mess...yuck! My husband would be horrified - better stick to the old fashioned way. As for marking the door - the first 4 days I need glow-in-the-dark directional arrows to find my cabin! That's why He made husbands!:D

Denise

Cruise Arizona/Suzanne - No backless dresses for me on this cruise, so no worries there! Thanks for the support regarding "Duck Tape" - I did love Shelley's reply though. Fun!!!

I grew up in southern AZ (Sierra Vista), my mother still lives there and I have several family members in Tucson. I now live in northern NM - I actually had to take off my flip flops and buy snow boots when I married and moved here 3 1/2 years ago! Maybe I should take them on the cruise to Alaska - no - too heavy for the suitcase - I'm taking fur lined 'mudders' - warm and waterproof.

Hi Denise,

Loved your note!

I keep a traveling "flat"pack of Duct tape in my purse. As you stated for a hem that falls etc... but it is great if by chance your luggage clasp breaks, or a piece of luggage tears.

Happy lurking!!!!!

Nadine

Sorry about the repeat of answers....i started answering your question, then my neighbor chatted with me for almost two hours and then i finished answering your already answered question

Hmmmm....for a bra.....those ladies are made of tougher stuff then i am !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nadine

MotherChic - I'm with You - OUCH!!!

I have to go make dinner now, but thanks for your help - I'll check the Boards in the AM to see what else I can learn - you're all very helpful and fun! :D Thanks!

Denise

I was content as a 'lurker' until our SEP 16th AK cruise on Summit Booklet came in. Denise

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=197913

Hi CatServants,

I'm glad you appreciated my sense of humour. I realize that the names are used interchangeably. I just couldn't resisit a pun, however. It's the same when I see people refer to their cabin STEWARD as their room STEWART. I didn't realize that they all had the same first name ( the males anyway).

Shelley

Maureen,

Thanks for the roll call link. I'll delegate my DW to check on it tomorrow.:) We'd both like to join any get togethers on the cruise and have a chance to meet all of you who post here! In the mean time, dinner is almost ready and our DC (Dear Cat) Rojo informs me that it is time to move....

Denise's DH

I once saw duct tape recommended for use to seal off your hotel/cabin door from smoke due to fire.

Not a pleasant thought, I'll admit, and unlikely to be needed, but, what the heck, you've got it with you anyway. Perhaps it will work like carrying an umbrella.;)

Susan

Carefully place the duct tape over the mouths of unruly children whose parents are not attending to them. Once is usually enough to modify inappropriate behavior.

Vanessa

I use it to reclose the duty free liquor boxes on the last day so I can wrap dirty clothes around the bottles to keep them from breaking and if we use some in the cabin for last night drinks we can close the boxes .

It can also be used by chair hogs to mark their lounges, theatre seat savers to rope off a block of seats, rolled over itself to hold your drink steady if the ship is rocking and rolling and on the balcony door to shut out wind noise.

I don't know what you would use DUCK tape for on a cruise ship. But, perhaps there are some uses for DUCT tape.

It was originally called duck tape, because it shed water, like a duck.

From Wikipedia:

Duct tape, originally known as duck tape, is a strong, fabric-based, multi-purpose adhesive tape, usually silver or black in color, although many other colors, including transparent, have recently become available. Duct tape is usually 1.88 inches (48 mm) wide. It was originally developed during World War II in 1942 under the name "Duck Tape" as a waterproof sealing tape for ammunition cases. Permacel, then a division of Johnson & Johnson, used a rubber-based adhesive to help the tape resist water and a fabric backing to facilitate ripping. Because of these properties, it was also used to quickly repair military equipment, including jeeps, guns, and aircraft. Duct tape is also called 100mph Tape in the military, citing the urban legend that duct tape will maintain its adhesion when subjected to winds traveling at up to 100 miles per hour.

After the war, the housing industry boomed and people started using duct tape for many other purposes. The name "duct tape" came from its use on heating and air conditioning ducts, a purpose for which it, ironically, has been deemed ineffective by the state of California and by building codes in most other places in the U.S. (which means professionals are restricted from using it in systems they install, but do-it-yourselfers are not). However, metallized and aluminium tapes used by professionals are still often called "duct tapes".

If you have a balcony.... wrists and railings come to mind .... :D

Ok on whether or not 'we' have tried that, I plead the fifth.

Another humorous response ...... :D :D

I just had to add one last thing to the 'duck tape' explanation above. It was originally called Duck tape after the cloth it was made from--cotton duck cloth, a sturdy canvas-like material (similar to what was used in their cloth medical tape) still in use today, althought not used in the tape.

OK, enough! By whatever name, I never travel without one of the flat rolls in my luggage. just in case.

Linda

Is there ANYTHING you guys Don't know?!? Who needs an encyclopedia? I have the Message Board!

There are some novel ideas out there... My DH and I have never been 'lounge/theater chair/bar stool hogs' before; but maybe with the Duck (mallard - for you, Shelley) Tape, we could learn to be that kind of 'charming' cuiser!;)

We won't be dealing with any 'new bottles' coming home - I need the room in the suitcases for too many clothes and way too many shoes!;)

We'll have a Celebrity Suite, so I don't think we'll want to protect ourselves from smoke by enclosing the door with Duck Tape in case of fire. With no balcony, it would be the 1 roll in the bunch that would be impervious to all sharp edges, and, of course, the worlds best adhering roll - we would truly be sealed in! Besides, another favorite mantra of mine is "Nothing EVER goes wrong on vacation..." I know, I sound delusional, but I tend to roll with vacation punches. Pod problems? Never heard of them! And if I had? Well, Alaska is about the ports so the DH and I would be upset, but...I have to admit, I REALLY LOVE days at sea!;)

I think my favorite idea is about taping unruly children. But I don't think they're mouths should be taped over, that is a true injustice. I think the parents should be 'sealed' (with the worlds stongest, most sticky roll of Duck Tape) in the cabin with the happily free children until the Parents learn the necessary lessons! After all, kids are just kids, and the parents, good or bad, should reap the appropriate reward! Of course, I can't control my furry children, so who am I to talk! I doubt if we'll have many kids on our cruise - 14 glorious days, beginning 16 Sept. on the Summit - they'll be in school, right?

I haven't spent time on the Board for our specific cruise yet - I was daunted when my DH told me it had 128 pages last night!:eek: I'll get there, though, and appreciate the heads up. I also think some of the Board Members are arranging a Cruise Critic Member get together - I've been looking forward to one of those for a year! Count us in! I'm sure I'll find the details listed in the 128+ pages!

You guys are terriffic! It's nice how people with brains and wit can brighten a day.:)

Thanks

Denise

tbelian - I had always assumed the bungie (sp) cords recommended on packing lists weren't meant to repair broken (not that they ever break!) suitcases. I figured they were meant for 'wrist to balcony' action! Now, who can we get to try that FIRST?!?:D

Denise