What cool stuff or travel gadgets do you take on a cruise?

[sam1148]

The SO's mother is a seasoned traveler and we got her these 'twist' rain hats that she actually uses in her 'one bag packing', which says a lot.

 

I'm thinking about a motion activated LED night night for the bathroom so I don't wake up anyone up at night..or maybe some of those electronic tea-candles just to keep by the bedside and use on the balcony.

 

And of course the small softside cooler is a must have along with the Ipod dock and speaker.

Edited May 16, 2009 by sam1148

[sappygirl]

The SO's mother is a seasoned traveler and we got her these 'twist' rain hats that she actually uses in her 'one bag packing', which says a lot.

 

I'm thinking about a motion activated LED night night for the bathroom so I don't wake up anyone up at night..or maybe some of those electronic tea-candles just to keep by the bedside and use on the balcony.

 

And of course the small softside cooler is a must have along with the Ipod dock and speaker.

I bring a small flashlight for emergencies. I brought a cooler once and it was useless. It leaked. If you have a fridge in your cabin just have the room steward unlock it for you.It will keep your stuff cool but not cold. I always bring a mug so I just use ice and pour my drink in it. Alot of people say to bring bungee cord for balcony door, which I have done but never had to use it. Door will stay open on its own,unless you just want it partially opened then use the door stop provided in your room. I see no real need for duct tape either, unless your baggage gets torn, then you can get tape from pursers desk. I do bring sticky pads to leave notes for room steward and DH. Don't forget to bring a power strip for your electronics. I hope you don't plan on using your speaker on deck because they will ask you to put it away. I usually bring a small pharmacy with me:) like pepto,rolaids, bandaids, ointment, wet ones etc. Traveling with my DH is like traveling with a child:D He is always hurting himself somehow.I also bring a foldable clothes hamper for dirty clothes. I do laundry when we do a 7 night cruise, that way when I get home all I have to do is put the clothes away and you don't have to pack as much clothes either. Have a great time!

Edited May 16, 2009 by sappygirl

[jayscore]

I thought I'd be smart, and brought a nite light with a photo cell built in for the bathroom, only to find the outlet only worked when the light was turned on! Oops!:rolleyes:

Another thing I now pack is my trusty luggage scale. ;)

[GreenZolie]

I love gadgets! Love the twisty rain hat. Clever.

 

I bought some cool expandable towelettes. Un-expanded, they are hard, dry pellets the diameter of a quarter, and the thickness of about 6 stacked quarters. Pour water over one, or run it under running water, etc, and it expands into this cool little towelette about 8"x8". They are great for wiping off hands after eating or applying sun screen, etc. When we were on shore, they worked great for wiping our hot faces and necks. We just used a little bit of our drinking water to expand them. They are strong and don't fall apart.

 

A clever shoe I plan to buy and take on the next cruise is the snap on shoes. I'm not sure if we are allowed to post brands, so I will leave the name off, and just describe them. You buy one shoe bottom, and then a bunch of different snap on tops, to match various outfits. So, I can take ONE pair of shoes, and a bunch of tops, which take up a lot less room than a bunch of shoes! The soles are expensive, but once you buy the first one, you don't need to buy more unless you want a different heel. Clever idea someone came up with!

[cruisegal58]

hi green, love it! where do get the towelettes and the shoes??? cruisegal

[sam1148]

I bring a small flashlight for emergencies. I brought a cooler once and it was useless. It leaked. If you have a fridge in your cabin just have the room steward unlock it for you.It will keep your stuff cool but not cold. I always bring a mug so I just use ice and pour my drink in it.

 

 

Mine leaks too. But you can get them with inserts, which don't leak. I which I could find a 6 pack leak proof cooler, because that's the thing I use most.

 

We stay in the cabin a lot..and the ice bucket just doesn't hold ice long enough.

Especially in the morning or late night when I just want some juice I bring and don't feel like calling and waiting for 'ice service'.

[CalifCruiser1]

One of my favorite gadgets is bringing heavy duty clips - like clothes pins we use these every time we cruise to hold our towels onto our chairs. And we have always used our bungee cord- we have never had a door stay open on its own or a doorstop. I also bring my own corkscrew. Thanks for all the great ideas would like to know more about those cleaver shoes. Karon:)

[swom]

I bring a small flashlight for emergencies. I brought a cooler once and it was useless. It leaked. If you have a fridge in your cabin just have the room steward unlock it for you.It will keep your stuff cool but not cold. I always bring a mug so I just use ice and pour my drink in it. Alot of people say to bring bungee cord for balcony door, which I have done but never had to use it. Door will stay open on its own,unless you just want it partially opened then use the door stop provided in your room. I see no real need for duct tape either, unless your baggage gets torn, then you can get tape from pursers desk. I do bring sticky pads to leave notes for room steward and DH. Don't forget to bring a power strip for your electronics. I hope you don't plan on using your speaker on deck because they will ask you to put it away. I usually bring a small pharmacy with me:) like pepto,rolaids, bandaids, ointment, wet ones etc. Traveling with my DH is like traveling with a child:D He is always hurting himself somehow.I also bring a foldable clothes hamper for dirty clothes. I do laundry when we do a 7 night cruise, that way when I get home all I have to do is put the clothes away and you don't have to pack as much clothes either. Have a great time!

OK, I've never cruised Carnival but might be in the near future, I just noticed this post that mentions "IF you have a fridge in your cabin".

Doesn't every cabin on Carnival have a fridge and if every cabin does, what's this about unlocking it? It stays locked? Why?

Sorry, I'm new to Carnival but love Half Moon Cay and hear the beds and food are much better on Carnival, not to mention better prices, so I'm just snooping the posts right now trying to decide.

Thanks for any input in advance.

[aggieastrosfan]

OK, I've never cruised Carnival but might be in the near future, I just noticed this post that mentions "IF you have a fridge in your cabin".

Doesn't every cabin on Carnival have a fridge and if every cabin does, what's this about unlocking it? It stays locked? Why?

Sorry, I'm new to Carnival but love Half Moon Cay and hear the beds and food are much better on Carnival, not to mention better prices, so I'm just snooping the posts right now trying to decide.

Thanks for any input in advance.

 

Conquest, Spirit, Splendor, and assuming Dream class ships have a fridge in all cabins. All other classes, only suites have the fridge.

 

It's locked by default because it serves as a mini-bar. There's some soft drinks and little bottles of alcohol in it. You have to request to have it unlocked. If you get a really good steward, they'll clear out the fridge for you as well, but we found we had enough space for what we needed without emptying it.

[swom]

Conquest, Spirit, Splendor, and assuming Dream class ships have a fridge in all cabins. All other classes, only suites have the fridge.

 

It's locked by default because it serves as a mini-bar. There's some soft drinks and little bottles of alcohol in it. You have to request to have it unlocked. If you get a really good steward, they'll clear out the fridge for you as well, but we found we had enough space for what we needed without emptying it.

So are the Dream class ships the ones you mentioned? If not, could you please name these ships also?

I didn't realize there aren't refrigerators on some of the carnival ships. Wow, I'm learning here. Thanks!

[aggieastrosfan]

So are the Dream class ships the ones you mentioned? If not, could you please name these ships also?

I didn't realize there aren't refrigerators on some of the carnival ships. Wow, I'm learning here. Thanks!

 

Conquest class - Conquest, Glory, Valor, Liberty, Freedom

Spirit class - Spirit, Pride, Legend, Miracle

Splendor

Dream class - Dream, Magic

 

All of the above should have a fridge in every cabin. Any other ship will only have it in the suites.

[UpstateCruizer]

Mine leaks too. But you can get them with inserts, which don't leak. I which I could find a 6 pack leak proof cooler, because that's the thing I use most.

 

We stay in the cabin a lot..and the ice bucket just doesn't hold ice long enough.

Especially in the morning or late night when I just want some juice I bring and don't feel like calling and waiting for 'ice service'.

 

I bring my soft sided cooler as well. I also bring clear plastic trash bags and line the inside of the cooler with one of them. No more leaks!! It also makes it easier for the steward to pull out the plastic bag and drain the water off each day :) Mine also doubles as a safe place to put my toiletries in my luggage. It's great because it's padded and if anything inside did leak it would be inside the cooler and not mixed with my clothing etc :)

[swom]

Conquest class - Conquest, Glory, Valor, Liberty, Freedom

Spirit class - Spirit, Pride, Legend, Miracle

Splendor

Dream class - Dream, Magic

 

All of the above should have a fridge in every cabin. Any other ship will only have it in the suites.

Thanks so much aggieastrosfan!!!!

What about bring alcohol on board? Is it possible? I'm talking about some beer and one bottle of Jack Daniels?

Edited May 17, 2009 by swom

[tatay]

I will be taking this with me.

Belkin Mini Power strip plus 2 USB ports for charging camera/ipod/etc

 

[GreenZolie]

hi green, love it! where do get the towelettes and the shoes??? cruisegal

 

Okay, I just dug out my bag of the little towels and I was off on the size. They are actually the diameter of a nickel, and the thickness of 6 stacked nickels. The name is EZ Towel. I bought them through a fund raiser at work a couple of months ago, but according to the web site they are also available at various retail stores. Here is the link: http://www.eztowel.com/

 

I hope it's okay to post links here. If not, I guess it will be pulled. So, I will have to send emails out if that happens.

 

As for the shoes, there are two brands. The original is One Sole, and they have about 100+ different tops to order. There are 3 heel sizes. The soles are $125, but like I said, once you buy a sole it lasts a long time, and then you just buy different tops, which cost anywhere from $14 to $30. Perfect for cruises!!! http://www.onesole.com/

 

There is another brand, called Lexees, where the soles are half the price! at only $65. But, they only have about 20 tops to choose from. http://www.snaponsandals.com/index.htm

 

Happy shopping!

[GreenZolie]

I will be taking this with me.

Belkin Mini Power strip plus 2 USB ports for charging camera/ipod/etc

 

 

That is freakin' awesome!

[poobears]

A clever shoe I plan to buy and take on the next cruise is the snap on shoes. I'm not sure if we are allowed to post brands, so I will leave the name off, and just describe them. You buy one shoe bottom, and then a bunch of different snap on tops, to match various outfits. So, I can take ONE pair of shoes, and a bunch of tops, which take up a lot less room than a bunch of shoes! The soles are expensive, but once you buy the first one, you don't need to buy more unless you want a different heel. Clever idea someone came up with!

 

 

Onesoles? I bought some for our cruise last year and they were awesome. Had tops to match each outfit I wore to the dining room, even had a black strappy top with a rhinestone heart for formal night.

 

I have 2 pair of bottoms one black and one pink.

[sam1148]

Thanks so much aggieastrosfan!!!!

What about bring alcohol on board? Is it possible? I'm talking about some beer and one bottle of Jack Daniels?

 

Only in checked luggage. Bottled beer would be more a packing problem, as would all things in glass. Like Jack. Most people here recommend 'rumrunner flasks" plastic soft side flasks. You can even put those in carry on at port for re-fills...just carry it in your pocket...or bag the risk will be less with the soft flasks as they don't show up as "Bottle of booze" on the xray.

 

One year took a back pack equipped with a 'camel bak' water system and filled that up with rum at ports. However the plastic in those aren't graded for alcohol..so you'd have to remove it to a bottle on-board..or end up with plastic tasting booze.

[GreenZolie]

Onesoles? I bought some for our cruise last year and they were awesome. Had tops to match each outfit I wore to the dining room, even had a black strappy top with a rhinestone heart for formal night.

 

I have 2 pair of bottoms one black and one pink.

 

Yep, I just posted the links above. I first saw them at a craft show last year, but didn't buy them and was sorry I didn't. Then I found out they are available online, and I have been eyeing them ever since. I wish I had had time to order a pair before my cruise last month - I could have probably brought one less suitcase if I had ;)

[poundcake09]

I invested in a Digital Luggage Scale. It will save me money from overweight baggage charges. Lightweight and cheap 19.99.

[VacationsRme]

Tatay,

 

Thanks for the info on this plug. I just ordered one for my June cruise. Looks like it will be useful on cruise and at home. Thanks.

[monkeyinhat]

Kindle.

love to sit on the balcony and read

[pauline664]

I bring an over the door shoe bag it has about 12 or 15 pockets designed to hold shoes, however, i put it on the back of the cabin door and use it for razors disposible cameras, first aid supplies, deodorant, and hair brushes, hair clips, clothes pins, duct tape, whatever you want in each pocket. At the end of the cruise it folds flat to go in either of my dirty things or in the regular luggage.

 

I also bring a colapsable duffle bag, holds dirty laundry or lots of trinkets i buy on shore. Fits right in the top of your suit case. Granted you have just 1 more thing when leaving the ship, but oh well.....:D

 

Can be found in the laundry supply isle of most stores. Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target. Cost is about $10.00. It has now become a valuable piece of my luggage. Comes in clear or colors. Check for hanging system or get 2 hooks that you can put thru the holes to hang over the door.

[Cobra1365]

I usually bring my wife...she's pretty cool and quite the gadget to have around!:D

[Pokernut]

You have quite the sense of humor first thing in the morning, HAHAHAHAH, thanks for the laugh, wonderful compliment to your DW. have a great day *_*