Above all, don't overpack!

[KandCsailing]

I sure wish I could be of that school, but it does not work for a plus size gal with lots of skin allergies! I always assume I can not buy anything other than a scarf or postcard or good quality jewelry:o

 

I agree with the plus size part. I always carry my favourite swimsuit in my carry on because I can't just pick up a tiny bikini on the ship or in the first port if my luggage goes missing.

 

I'm not much of a souvenir shopper, so I've started looking for handmade beads or christmas ornaments to bring home or items to make into an ornament. In Freeport, Maine I got a glass lobster claw that I strung with some other beads as a necklace and in Disneyworld I found a rubber keychain that I removed the keychain part from and threaded a red ribbon through the hole instead.

[MrsPete]

Just got back from a 4-day "extra" cruise that we took for my partner's birthday. We finally got a chance to try out The Scrubba (http://www.thescrubba.com). I mentioned it in an earlier post but haven't had a chance to try it out until now. The inventor is from Australia and the Scrubba has been chosen as invention of the year there.

 

Basically it's a new take on the old fashioned washboard. In under a minute you can wash 3-4 items of clothing. The Scrubba folds up to be smaller than a can of soda and is very light. At most it will take up the space of a pair of socks in your luggage.

 

I'm happy to report that this new invention has turned out to be a good buy, and kept us in clean clothes on this last trip. My partner, who usually criticizes my kickstarter and indiegogo purchases, couldn't leave it alone.

 

On this trip we were both sweating a lot, due to the July heat. There was no way we could wear our clothes more than once. So we washed our shirts, undies and even socks in the Scrubba. The process is quick, easy, and you can even use the ship provided shampoo or body wash. I had purchased the entire kit, which is a little more expensive than just the Scrubba itself, but includes a drying line, drying towel and a waterproof bag. After a quick wash in the Scrubba, we would rinse then wring out our clothing as much as we could by hand. Then we would roll up the clothes in the drying towel to get out as much water as possible and hang the clothes to dry.

 

Because we had an inside stateroom on this temp, we had no balcony upon which to hang our clothes to dry. So we just hung them in the closet. This took a little longer to dry, since our stateroom had no real air circulation, especially in the closet. But after a day we had dry clothes which smelled nice and looked as good as machine washed.

 

I'm not affiliated with the Scrubba and have no financial interest in the product. But I do believe it is a helpful little gadget which can only assist you in packing light and saving money on shipboard laundry. I think the discounted rate for laundry on my ship was 29.99 for a small bag We saved double that this time around, and expect the same or better on our 7-day we have coming up. I urge you to at least check out the site and see whether this new invention can help you in your quest for lighter packing.

 

 

 

 

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Cool beans! I think I'll buy one of these for my college daughter. Surely she'll appreciate being able to wash a few items without going to the basement and paying $$$ for a full load. If it works out for her, I'll get one for our travels.

[MrsPete]

We think exactly alike. Yay!

Count me in too! I love cute little dresses that can be dinner dresses one night, then daywear (or even swimsuit cover up) the next day. And they pack in no space at all.

[GriffinAlexander]

Cool beans! I think I'll buy one of these for my college daughter. Surely she'll appreciate being able to wash a few items without going to the basement and paying $$$ for a full load. If it works out for her, I'll get one for our travels.

 

Yes I think that we saved at least the 29.99 for a bags worth of laundry they charged on the ship, maybe more. The biggest obstacle is drying for an inside cabin. But a balcony or college room with windows should be fine. Our main issue was no air circulation, but even so our clothing dried in about a day.

 

 

 

 

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[djhatz]

Just ordered "the Scrubba" -- thanks for the great tip! Traveling with 5 kids in December -- I think this will come in very handy!