RC Cruise ‘must have’ travel items/hacks

[1ballerina]

My husband and I are confirmed (set sail pass in app 🙂 ) for the April 15th Voyager of the Seas cruise from Barcelona to Denmark. During our last cruises to Alaska with RC in October 2021 and again in Jan 2022 to Ensenada I realized I have outdated or well used  travel organizers/adaptors etc. I am looking for those ‘must have’ new ideas/options to make our cabin more user friendly ! I am looking for recommendations on adaptors, hooks, organizers and any other items you all feel that I should try !! Please share your great ideas !

[Sunshine3601]

Do you have heavy duty magnetic hooks?   If not, they are a must have for us.   We hang belts, hats, bathing suits, backpacks, etc on our hooks.

[Morecruisesplz]

Flashlight, nightlight, and short extension cord. (They say you shouldn't use a surge protector strip.) Bull nose clips to hold curtains closed. 

[neverbeenhere]

Dryer sheets for drawers and closet space. (Easy and small to pack smell refreshers)

 

 

[Old Fart Cruisers]

Ziplock bags (some 1 quart & 1 gallon sizes) to pack lotions, sunscreen and wet stuff in.

Garbage bags for dirty clothes.  I carry a laundry bag, but pack the dirty clothes in a plastic bag inside of it.

Beach towel clips to hang water shoes and bathing suits in the shower to dry.  I now use the big rubber bands to hold the beach towels on the beach chairs, but still carry the old type clips just for wet stuff to dry.

 

A Tide Pen spot stain remover.

Sanitizing wipes.

Vinyl over the door shoe organizer(holds more than just shoes)

 

 

[livingonthebeach]

Cruise essentials from Amazon:

 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cruise+essentials&gclid=CjwKCAjwoduRBhA4EiwACL5RP7PV2ribXs1q4BUxhXCXRGe-6boU0KCOeBveH_FUPZGbKoDGqN9_1BoChIUQAvD_BwE&hvadid=490225671816&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9011919&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=9669937339370084805&hvtargid=kwd-325314656&hydadcr=24658_13446926&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_1w2l827l8_b

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Flashlight, nightlight, and short extension cord. (They say you shouldn't use a surge protector strip.) Bull nose clips to hold curtains closed. 

Extension cords are illegal. If they detect it I. Your suitcase, your bag will be confiscated. And you will spend time on embarkation day getting it from the naughty room. 
 

Then on disembarkation day, you’ll spend time trying to recover your item in the baggage hall. 
 

[Lane Hog]

We carry a power strip with USB charger ports, gallon and quart ziplock bags, bluetooth speaker, and a HDMI to USB-C cord so we can stream content from a laptop or tablet with USB-C to the room TV.  I've considered bringing a Roku on our next RCL trip because the in room options were horrible. 

 

We also bring an extension cord that stays in our carryon and is only used if needed temporarily.  Its unplugged and put away when we leave the room.  I had small European to US power adapters but seem to have lost them during COVID.  Worth having as US outlets are limited.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Lane Hog

[MikeTheNFT]

+1 on the heavy duty magnetic hooks and clips (make sure the magnet is strong)

 

Another good thing to bring is wrinkle release spray. Downy sells a version with 3 small bottles that travel easy. This stuff really does work for minor wrinkles and can help keep lightly worn clothes looking (and smelling) fresher without needing to wash them. (That said, the non-travel sized version seems to work way better for some reason - I need to figure out if there's an actual difference or if it was just the clothing I had last trip.)

[BazingAu]

• USB charging hub, charging cables, battery chargers

• Packable tote to serve as a laundry bag for dirty laundry (then just zip up and take home - ours has been used as checked luggage)

• Backlit clock

• Hanging toiletry bag

• Magnetic dry erase board

Contrary to popular advice, I didn’t find the hanging shoe organizer helpful because I had to pack and unpack all those little items and just took way longer. I also didn’t have a use for the magnetic hooks. The hooks on the wall and the bathroom were more than enough for our needs.
 

[brillohead]

I like these magnets:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Ｍaximum-Neodymium-Corrosion-Protection/dp/B0787Q54M1/

They don't add as much weight as the bigger magnets, but they still have lots of power to them.  I like to hang up damp swimsuits (or hand-washed laundry) from the ceiling with a hanger to dry more quickly.

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, BazingAu said:

Contrary to popular advice, I didn’t find the hanging shoe organizer helpful because I had to pack and unpack all those little items and just took way longer.

 

I cut out the middleman -- I pack my little stuff in the shoe organizer, roll it up, and pack the whole thing into the suitcase.  

I also use packing cubes similarly.  Pack each type of clothing in its own cube, then upon arrival I just unzip each cube and place the whole thing on a shelf or in a drawer.  

I don't bother with a laundry bag/hamper -- I put dirty clothes into an open suitcase under the bed throughout the week.  

At the end of the week, I zip up each packing cube and put them back in the suitcase,  Anything still in a cube is clean and can be put away when I get home.  

I can unpack at the start of the cruise and repack at the end of the cruise in a matter of minutes this way.

[jean87510]

We have gravitated to balcony rooms so we like drying our things outside.  We have hooks we hang on the chair backs to hang our bathing suits to dry.  We also always have a small first aid bag with tweezers, qtips, bandaids, aquafor, tape, gauze pads, nail clippers which goes with us on excursions as well.  Always pack our large water bottles, binoculars, extra long charger cables plus 2 battery packs.  2 kitchen trash bags for laundry.  at least 4 ziploc gallon bags.  Selfie stick. We substitute a lot of the dress up clothes and shoes for other items that are more important.  Our jackets if needed are the type that you can roll up and store in a bag.  I also always have my own shampoo, conditioner and soap.  

[SargassoPirate]

Don't forget your Chair Hog Kit - one set of old flip flops, two old magazines, two old paperbacks, and two big spring clips.  One kit per person, or two if you want to "reserve" a lounger in two locations.

(sarcasm alert)

 

😁😉

[lovesthebeach2]

4 hours ago, brillohead said:

I like these magnets:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Ｍaximum-Neodymium-Corrosion-Protection/dp/B0787Q54M1/

They don't add as much weight as the bigger magnets, but they still have lots of power to them.  I like to hang up damp swimsuits (or hand-washed laundry) from the ceiling with a hanger to dry more quickly.

we have those same magnets and along with the obvious use to hang things like wet bathing suits or other clothing from the ceiling, we also use them to hold the shower curtain in place on the older ships that don’t have doors.

 

I bring a few old fashioned wooden clothespins to keep the drape closed on the balcony.

 

I always bring binoculars. You will use them more than you think.

 

on long cruises I bring a small amount of laundry detergent to hand wash a few things and dry them from the ceiling or on the balcony.

 

I bring a small fan that plugs into a USB port.

 

I bought a small 220 to 110  CONVERTOR charger that I can plug everything into for use not just on a ship, but also in Europe. 

 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

7 hours ago, Lane Hog said:

We also bring an extension cord

our extension cord (just a simple splitter cord) was confiscated (RCI) and returned to us when we got back into port.

Never had a problem with the same cord on any Princess sailings.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[maggieq]

We never cruise without our over the door organizer.   It’s so great to have everything in is place. 
always bring Clorox travel wipes, hand wipes and a large ziplock bag of over the counter medicines.  

[DCPIV]

I like this thing a lot (and have two of them):

 

 

There's something like it on the Amazon list linked above, but I don't know that brand.  I know Anker.

 

I also bring a portable charger in case there is no plug convenient to where I want to charge (and that's been the case lately).

 

A US adapter for European outlets also is a good idea, since many of the wall outlets are EU.  There will be at least one US outlet in your room, but it may be only one.

[Surfguyxxx]

I bring a portable charger too as there are usually no outlets at the bedside.  I just leave it plugged into my phone at night and it's charged for the day.  That's when I recharge the battery pack.  

[bhsolo]

Backlit clock - I like to know what time it is without turning over my phone

Towel clips for lounger - I have lost more than one towel, makes it easy to find my chair, and I use it to hold anything on the balcony

Ziploc bags and laundry bags - ziploc for hair stuff, suntan lotion, aloe, etc. and wet suits

Any med I think I may or may not need - ship is $$ for those items

[publicpersona]

51 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

I like this thing a lot (and have two of them):

 

I have a similar Belkin device. These come in handy at the airport gate when all the outlets are occupied. I've never had anyone say no when I ask "Can I unplug you for just a second and I'll plug you back in?".

[LooneyCruzer]

Blue painters tape. Sticks and holds but doesnt leave duct tape sticky

[DCPIV]

1 hour ago, publicpersona said:

 

I have a similar Belkin device. These come in handy at the airport gate when all the outlets are occupied. I've never had anyone say no when I ask "Can I unplug you for just a second and I'll plug you back in?".

 

We also have something that plugs in and that, at the end of about 6-foot cord, it has 4 USB-A outlets.  I don't tend to travel with it any longer, though.  While it's acceptable to bring it on board (as opposed to a power strip with a surge protector), the length of the cord actually was something more of a liabilty than an asset as it would get tangled, and the USB cords we already have are long enough.

[MikeTheNFT]

3 hours ago, bhsolo said:

Any med I think I may or may not need - ship is $$ for those items

 

Good suggestion on the meds!

 

I don't know if it was just the one ship, but I've only been on 1 cruise post-COVID and the Navigator's store had essentially zero meds. It seemed to me like they had removed them to try to get anyone with any funky symptoms down to the medical office in case it was COVID related. The -only- med available for sale was Dulcolax, for anything else you had to hit up Medical. Not even aspirin was available for purchase. So definitely bring anything you might need!

[cruiselvr04]

Ditto on the magnets.  We use them to hang hats and sometimes clothing that are damp from the ceiling.  I also use dollar tree clip magnets for hanging up our dining or show schedule.  Beach Towel clips double to keep curtains shut if needed.  
 

I pack in packing cubes.  Nothing is loose in the suitcase, makes packing and unpacking easy.  Pop up clothes hamper.  Depending on our cabin and ship booked I take small foldable boxes to hold toiletries in the bathroom, desk cabin clutter on the desk, and sometimes make up.  They are very lightweight. I even have narrow ones that fit in the new ships shelves by the bed.  While I don’t like the clear hanging shoe bags, I take one with slots that hang from the clothing bar to hold shoes. ( I take too many and don’t like them just thrown on top of each in the closet.)

 

Ziplocks in different sizes.  I also use small clear plastic zip top totes.  These are a little bigger then a qt ziploc but smaller then a gallon. I have one for the pool, one for excursions, one for OTC meds and first aid, etc.  For instance the excursion bag has hand sanitizer, towel clips, emergency rain ponchos.  I just pop the excursion bag in the beach tote and off we go.  While I don’t cruise in a carry on everything is pretty compact and since I keep it all together packing is easy and quick.