Women--how do you carry your belongings?

[embradley]

Hey yall! Im starting to pack for my cruise *Majesty 3/25* and was wondering how do the Ladies carry all of their belongings? I didnt want to carry my purse around on the ship...I really didnt want to wear the lanyard around the neck. I was thinking that I should bring a "beach bag" on the sea days to carry around with water, sun tan lotion, brush, makeup...the usual things. How do you carry things for excursions? Port days? Im a "makeup kinda girl" and have to have my foundation & powder with me at ALL times. I saw the wallet type pouches that hooks to the inside of your belt loop and that looked good for my cards & money..what about everything else? Thanks yall!:D

[melika091900]

i always use a small sized backpack... for the ports

one that my husband can carry also :D

 

 

on the ship.... usually some kind of beach bag,

[tstruth]

Embradley,

Wow, your trip is right around the corner! You must be getting excited.

I would plan on taking a backpack for port days, great for your camera, sunblock, makeup all that stuff, and for your any items you may purchase.

I am leaving on the Majesty 4/15, so if you could give me any pointers when you return I would love to hear.

Well hope you have a great time.:)

[N.FL Cruisers]

I carry a beach bag. It holds everything and easy to clean from all the sand. It is like a purse but is fun and colorful.

[Zeno]

I'm with Melika - small back pack - the kind that folds up to wallet size when not in use.

[embradley]

Thanks ladies! I was thinking either my beach bag or a backpack too..I just didnt want to look really weird. What about for dinner? Do you just give ur card & id to your husband or boyf? Thanks...:D

[Barb Nahoumi]

For around the ship, I put my wallet with money & cards in my pocket. I hate to carry a bag when I don't have to. I do bring a small beach bag with hairbrush, lotion, and other stuff to the pool.

 

Off of the ship-----it depends where I'm going. For shopping or non water excursions, I bring my pocketbook. I bring the small beach bag for boating or the beach.

[babywewe]

I bring a tote bag for sea days. I bring a messenger bag (which also serves as a carry on bag) for shoredays. I have a little wristlet bag for nights , it holds enough for my card/ lipgloss and gum.

[sandyneck]

I carry a really cute small backpack with palmtrees on it. I hate the look of a backpack, but this is made of cloth and you can carry the straps on one shoulder so it is more like a bag. At night, I have a small dress purse. I have also seen bags that you can use as a backpack or tuck the straps in and it is a regular bag.

[Seago2]

Okay....

 

I have a thing against backpacks for wallet, passport, ship card, camera, etc. It's too easy for a thief to sidle up to me and lift what he/she wants out of the backpack without me seeing/feeling a thing. The backpack purse combos are a pickpocket's dream. Too risky on vacation. I DO use a backpack for towels and things...

 

I hate to say it but I became addicted to a lanyard on my last cruise. I was with four kids and I bought them all lanyards on day one. By day one and a half I bought one for me, too. It is so easy and so safe. While you are in port you can just tuck it away under your shirt and no one will be any the wiser. On the ship: same thing. Ours have a detachable part at the end, so even when you aren't using the full lanyard it makes the card bigger and harder to leave at a table.

 

I hate to say this even more but I used a fanny pack on the last cruise for passports, plane tickets, itinerary, wallet and cruise docs. It was just too risky to chance leaving that stuff somewhere a thousand plus miles from home with four kids and no other adult. When I got on the ship I locked it away in the safe. Someone mentioned that I should really take passports with me on shore, major DUH, so I used it for the last port of call and now will always take my passport with me on shore.

 

When I am not traveling with kids I take a regular purse on shore. On the ship it is just impractical to carry a purse around all day and night when you only need the ship card. The lanyard is easy to wrap loosely around your wrist while you are sunbathing, or shove under your lounge chair, etc etc etc.

 

Hope this helps!

[Glamourgal]

For the Ship or beach I used a beach bag. When shopping on the islands I usually use a belly bag. I have real problem with my shoulder. I am in search right now for a nicer belly bag than the usual ones. I have a microfiber one that is really nice but it is so old and getting ratty looking. So...if anyone has any suggestions I would love to know!!

[maurick]

I bring the tote bag that Del Sol store used to give out free in Nassau. We have at least 3 and bring them all. I use them for the beach and shopping to birng stuff in. Around the ship at dinner and night, I carry nothing. DH has my ship card. We take the extra tote bags for carrying liquor bottles or boxes when we return home. One time in Halifax, I sued one for a birdhouse I bought for the backyard.

[caribbean calls]

I'm the only adult (husband can't come) and I don't know what to do with my valuables while I am out snorkeling with my daughter. I bought a dry bag from a kayak shop ($11.00) and they tell me I can stuff everything in that and take it snorkeling with me. I hope they are right, but it's made for kayaking, not swimming. I thought I'd put things in ziplocs inside it.

 

Any better ideas? (The dive shop is too far of a drive from here.)

[nursebubba]

When I am snorkeling I always use a hip/belly pack. All I need is my drivers license and ship ID and maybe a credit card and whatever cash I may need. It may get wet but it all will dry and better that than lost. I actually keep that hip pack in the bag with my snorkel gear.

[tmknies]

You will also have a safe in your cabin. I always use the safe and have never had any problems. You may also check valuables in at the front desk and they will lock them in the main vault if you wish.

[caribbean calls]

The fanny pack sounds much more convenient. I thought I had to have my passport with me.

 

And I will certainly make use of the ship's safe the rest of the time.

 

Thanks for the help.

[brunolvr]

Okay....

 

I have a thing against backpacks for wallet, passport, ship card, camera, etc. It's too easy for a thief to sidle up to me and lift what he/she wants out of the backpack without me seeing/feeling a thing. The backpack purse combos are a pickpocket's dream. Too risky on vacation. I DO use a backpack for towels and things...

 

I hate to say it but I became addicted to a lanyard on my last cruise. I was with four kids and I bought them all lanyards on day one. By day one and a half I bought one for me, too. It is so easy and so safe. While you are in port you can just tuck it away under your shirt and no one will be any the wiser. On the ship: same thing. Ours have a detachable part at the end, so even when you aren't using the full lanyard it makes the card bigger and harder to leave at a table.

 

I hate to say this even more but I used a fanny pack on the last cruise for passports, plane tickets, itinerary, wallet and cruise docs. It was just too risky to chance leaving that stuff somewhere a thousand plus miles from home with four kids and no other adult. When I got on the ship I locked it away in the safe. Someone mentioned that I should really take passports with me on shore, major DUH, so I used it for the last port of call and now will always take my passport with me on shore.

 

When I am not traveling with kids I take a regular purse on shore. On the ship it is just impractical to carry a purse around all day and night when you only need the ship card. The lanyard is easy to wrap loosely around your wrist while you are sunbathing, or shove under your lounge chair, etc etc etc.

 

Hope this helps!

Carlalena1, thanks for all the good tips. I used a lanyard (cruise critic one) on our last cruise to Alaska and it worked great as you didn't have to go looking through all your pockets, purse, etc., when they needed to "swipe" your card to get off or back on the ship. Once you get your card the first day, just go to the front desk and they will punch a hole in it for you so you can attach it to the lanyard.

 

However on our Alaskan cruises, we don't go anywhere around the ship or off the ship without taking our camera. There seems to always be something to take a picture of, whether of the ship or spectacular scenery along the way, or even of the picturesque meal you're getting ready to eat!

 

And, on an Alaskan cruise, you can't leave your cabin without taking along a jacket. While the interior of the ship is pleasant, as soon as you get out on deck, it can be very windy and quite cold!

[newmexicoNita]

We always take a beach bag of some sort, preferable one that has a zipper. For those times we are snorkeling I use something around my neck with will hold my CC or whatever I need to keep safe. I acutally have an NCL one. Normally when snorkeling there are 2 or more of us together so we can takes turns thus one can always watch any valuables we have with us. NMnita

[gxchan]

I'm an insulin dependent diabetic and must carry at a minimum a meter and glucose tabs virtually everywhere I go--especially on excursions--because I travel solo. I confess I use the dreaded fanny packs--a smaller one for on the ship, a larger one for off--and an evening handbag large enough to carry my meter, insulin and glucose tabs for dinners. But now that I've been made aware of beach bags (haven't thought of them in ages!), I'm going for that option on excursions.

 

Thanks for the info.

[Starward_Girl]

It may not be fashionable, but I like a backpack while in port and a fanny pack with and sometimes without a beach bag on the ship. When out to dinner and for the evening, I carry nothing, just make sure my husband has a key.

[cruisingfromMN]

I use a beach bag for both ports and by the pool. I always have something to carry.

 

At night because my resort casual evening wear never seems to have pockets, I use my husband's pocket for my lipstick and I place my keycard ummmm, well, in ahh, that undergarment that can hold some types of items. It works well and I really only need the keycard if DH and I get separated.

[sammymd]

I always use a fanny-pack. I found a fairly large one.

Can get small wallet, glasses, and digital camera inside.

I always take a small purse to use on the ship, I

take it with me when I go to the dining rooms. It is big

enough for room card, lipstick ect.

 

Depending on what excursion we are going on,

I Sometimes use a beach bag, and small inflatable cooler

for water, and sodas.

I don't care if the fanny-pack looks silly, it works for me.

sammy

[Hikini]

I use a backpack style purse for port days, and while on the ship I use a lanyard. This last cruise was the first time I had used the lanyard and while it might look a little "dippy" (DH's technical term) it sure was handy!

 

I almost always have camera in hand, and just carry it on its own.

 

Have fun!

 

Hikini:D

 

3 months and 2 days until the STAR!!!!:p

[JudithEM]

My beach bag is a staple on cruises. I use it as my airplane carry-on also (I make sure my pocketbook fits inside it on the plane so I can also carry some of my kids' stuff on the plane).

My other staple is a fanny pack; can either wear it or secure it in the beach bag when we're off the ship.

I love carrying small purses at night on the ship, just for my room key/SS card, lipstick, contact lens stuff, etc. At home, I need so much junk that I can never carry around anything small and cute.

I keep all valuables in the safe in the cabin when going off the ship, so there's not that much stuff to worry about if we're all in the water at a port. But, I do look around and try to keep everything on shore where all the other ship people are hanging out.

Have fun on your cruise... it is right around the corner!

[embradley]

thanks everyone for the tips!! its my first cruise and i just had no clue...since i do have to carry around lots of stuff with me at all times!:rolleyes: