"Life Hacks" Cruise edition

 

4) European power outlet adapter. Many staterooms have both a US outlet and a European outlet. If you bring your own adapter you get an extra power outlet to use.

Before doing this PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure your appliance or gadget is dual voltage. Otherwise you could blow the appliance or start a fire.

I hate the term "hacks" for some odd reason. Yes, I'm old and this also has nothing to do with the thread. lol

Right there with you. Don't know how the word came to be synonomous with " tips and tricks". Don't care- still seems like a misuse of the word.

Now get off my lawn.;)

Following.

 

Love the medication hack too. I always have the little bottles too and that would be great to have instead.

That’s a good idea

On our last cruise I took facial moisturizer in an old contact lens case. One side was enough for the week.

Next time we will pack one extra container of sunscreen. We didn't run out, but it was closer than I'd have liked.

Just revisited this thread, as I am actually starting to pack now. Just wanted to say thanks again for all the great ideas. Trying not to go overboard (no pun intended), but I tend to be the pack as if I'm preparing for the end of the world / zombie apocalypse person. Many great ideas here, so thank you so much again!

Our favouite hack (although not cruise per se) is putting dry tumble dryer sheets amongst your luggage. If you want to continue the smell then pack extra to put in the wardrobe too.

Others that have not been mentioned:

1) If not using suitcase for dirty clothes open it and leave it under the bed for extra slide out clothes storage.

2)For any rooms that have a card activated electric system use an old store card to keep in the slot.

3) If a ship's wifi is quick enough you can 'use' it for free if you use around 25 seconds then stop and so on. (only works on some lines)

4) If you know you have booked a window deep room (portholes and some oceanviews where you can easily sit in the window) ask you room steward for extra blankets and pillows to make an amazing sitting area with a view.

I hate the term "hacks" for some odd reason. Yes, I'm old and this also has nothing to do with the thread. lol

Me too, but I know why. Hacking is something people do to break into computers. What do tips have to do with that? (Answer- absolutely nothing)

LOVE LOVE LOVE the pill organizer idea. I usually have an extra makeup bag full of meds for the what ifs. This will free up so much room!

I never felt the need for a shoe organizer. We have plenty of storage space, at least on Carnival. Never felt the need to minimize packing either. I don't care if I don't wear everything. I want to take what I want to take. We drive to port, so extra costs aren't an issue.

I also take the pop up hamper. I love it. We use it on all vacations now, not just cruises.

I bought a set of 12 containers from michaels. About $3.50 I think they are for beads and paint, about a half inch tall. I use them for jewelery, makeup and skincare. I use the small 2 inch bags for medicine, jewelery, anything small. I went to Sallys and bought conditioner in sealed envelopes (bags? About 3 inches square) so i know i can bring the exact amount i need.

I need those individual coffee creamers.

I save a strong lidded soft drink cup from fast food. They hold a lot of ice and water. Pack small things like socks or meds in them so they dont take up exra space. Throw out at the end.

After a dental emergency i buy that stuff that will temporararily glues on a cap. Its at walmart, i forget what its called.

I bring a small empty spray bottle. I put half a teaspoon of fabric softener in one of those tiny little pink containers. In the room I put the fabric softener along with about a cup of water in the spray bottle. Homemade Downy wrinke release.

I know you've cruised once before, but my biggest thing is don't over think the wrong things. I wrote the piece bellow for first time cruisers, maybe something will resonate with you.

Have a fantastic trip!

Oh, I'm not sure how old the kids are. But when ours were old enough to behave on their own, we used dry erase markers for messages on the mirror to keep track. They were not allowed to leave one place without letting us know their next adventure.

Hi Kids!

I've seen a few folks who have posted as new cruisers, so I thought I would throw this out there. FYI a lot of this information goes for all travels.

As the great NFL QB Aaron Rodgers said (Go Pack GO), R-E-L-A-X. Seriously. Don't stress.

95% of of the information you receive from others is just opinion. And you know what they say about opinions. 
The other 5% is fact based answers you could honestly just Google to find. Don't get caught up in the 95%.

R-E-L-A-X

Take the time to know what documents you need to have with you and have a system on where to keep them so they are accessible at all times. NOT, your checked luggage. Set reminders on your phone for any time sensitive things you need to do, for example online check in for your flight - dealing with pets - light timers/house sitter...

R-E-L-A-X

On packing. Don't fall into the 'I might want to have this' trap. Your essentials will take a lot of room. I know it's easy to grab a lot of clothes and shoes and so on, because your on vacation. Unless on a cooler weather cruise/trip, you will most likely be in shorts or a swim suit for most of the day. Start a packing list and when you get home look at what you really wanted (or should have packed) and the stuff that was not needed and adjust your list.

R-E-L-A-X

Be smart with your excursions and getting back on the ship. People get stressed about this, understandably so. They are expensive and you don't want to miss the ship.
I personally book non ship excursions (usually much cheaper and less crowded). I always make sure that I do my due diligence on the company and schedule it so we are done and back to ship with plenty of time for any issues that might come up. How much is plenty of time? I try for 3-4 hours early. If not possible based on how long I am in port, I will just do a walking tour or maybe even stay on the ship.

R-E-L-A-X

You know those people who talk about their perfect vacations? Their secret? They didn't let any issues ruin their vacation. It takes effort to let things roll of your back, but it is so worth it. EVERYONE has some hiccups.
Have you ever read a travel review and the people hated their trip? When you read what they are complaining about, you think, 'my god how do you get through life?' My favorite is a woman who hated the Caribbean resort she went to because it rained every afternoon. Oh, and she went during hurricane season. :/
Like Elsa says, "let it go - let it go". And it helps you to...

R-E-L-A-X

Lastly, slow down and enjoy the experience. It's so easy to try to cram in as much as you can on vacation. Give yourself time to slow down and smell the salt air, do some wonderful people watching and think about how far removed you are from your normal day to day life. Oh, and if you can figure out how not to get a bit depressed on your last day, please share.

Hacking is something people do to break into computers.

And even that term is "misused" since it was first coined (in the computer sense). It used to be like phone phreaking, something not done with malicious intent. But of course, any time someone comes up with a clever way around something purely to be clever, someone else sees a way to exploit it for gain. Such is life.

"Life hacks" also at least used to be unusual and useful ways to do something that you wouldn't have thought of. Then it started including things that anyone with any sense would already know. Or what my local news does, which is to present 100 ways to use a lemon or something, as if we've all been desperately searching for a way to get rid of masses of lemons around our house and no one's apparently never introduced us to the idea that they're edible. And the "tricks" are always very involved and not as effective as the non-hacked alternative, anyway.

Anyway, in response to the issue at hand, I am also a fan of cubes, and I've just recently bought labels so I can make it even more...retentive...and label each one with its contents. Then when I go through my list, I can check off each thing that goes into the cube (like all the shirts in one, say, and I can check that on the list) and then check off each cube into the suitcase. :-) I've also got plastic envelopes for organizing printouts and receipts because I've always got papers everywhere...and everything in my backpack (carryon) will be in its own container of some kind because it's impossible to find headphones, adapters, cables, pens, and so on in the bottom of a backpack in a cramped economy seat (and sometimes in the semi-dark, when they turn the lights off). And I will bring a PEN, by gum, on this international flight, because you don't want to be caught out when they hand around the customs forms.

I've also bought travel hangers, the little plastic folding ones. I don't know if I'll need them. I'm always sink washing things and need to hang them up. My other issue is the "status" of things--totally clean, dirty, worn but reuseable, washed but not yet dry, etc. It's always a hassle, and I don't know how to manage it. :-)

snip

Lastly, slow down and enjoy the experience. It's so easy to try to cram in as much as you can on vacation. Give yourself time to slow down and smell the salt air, do some wonderful people watching and think about how far removed you are from your normal day to day life. Oh, and if you can figure out how not to get a bit depressed on your last day, please share.

What has helped me is having an 'attitude of gratitude' and finding the positive in a situation. While my husband and I are both usually beyond ready to go on a cruise;) we also recognize that we live an incredibly blessed life and are usually almost as eager to get back to it as we were to get away:D As a homemaker I appreciate the service on a ship, but I also do enjoy taking care of my family and after a week I'm ready to get back to my own cooking. If we had a fabulous cruise - I try to be grateful to have had the experience and not mourn it's ending; if we had an "off" cruise then I'm still grateful for the chance to have gotten away but even more eager to go home:D

Squick64 - Thanks for the laugh about lemon hacks, very true:') I think we might be long lost cousins - I can totally relate to your packing quandaries. I'd like to suggest you have 2 pens for your flight, in case one won't write - that would be my luck and I'd be all frustrated since I made sure to have my own pen this time:rolleyes:

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This is my “hack”. I made a multi brand medicine case from a typical pill case. It’s so easy to take several kinds of meds in one case. I take it everywhere I travel.

 

 

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Oh, I do have another one. I bought off brand huggable hangers at the Dollar Tree. They are thin so I can pack a bunch of them in our garment bag. Anything we intend to hang on the cruise or any other vacation gets packed on the huggable hangers. That way we hang our hangables in about 10 seconds.

To be honest I find most of these threads suggesting stuff I’d never use in a zillion years.

We used to take highlighters, but now just use two different coloured pens.

I do take a folding pack pack thing I picked up one cruise, for in port and in case we buy stuff we need to cart home again.

And a notepad or pad of sticky notes, to leave messages for each other or the steward.

Instructions please?

 

For the pill case; finding images of the particular meds I take with us, I copy and paste onto address labels, cut to size and stick on.

It’s been a winner with family and friends. I take it on every trip.

I was under the impression that a ‘hack’ was referring to the use of something in a different way than it was intended.

I see this as different than a tip — nothing to do with computers or referring to an old person. LOL [emoji38]

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We have too many different meds for the 3 of us, including liquid meds, to actually make "a multi brand medicine case from a typical pill case", but what a great idea!

I take 3 gallon sized ziplock bags - one for each family member. The kid gets everything from a thermometer and cold meds to various size of bandaids. Hubs gets a ton of meds for his stomach and allergies. I usually get the cold meds and ibuprophen galore + echinacea.

4) If you know you have booked a window deep room (portholes and some oceanviews where you can easily sit in the window) ask you room steward for extra blankets and pillows to make an amazing sitting area with a view.

This was my GS’s favorite hangout on our last cruise!

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I don’t know if you’d call this a hack, but given how expensive water is in airports I bought collapsible water bottles. They take up very little space and paid for themselves on the first trip. We fill them using glasses at the buffet before leaving the ship. An added bonus is not having to stop exploring to buy water. Now stopping for local pastries or wine is a another story indeed:D

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This is my “hack”. I made a multi brand medicine case from a typical pill case. It’s so easy to take several kinds of meds in one case. I take it everywhere I travel.

 

 

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And now I'm going to be late for work because I've been reading this thread instead of getting ready, LOL.

I use the wet bags (picture attached) for all my travel. They come in sizes from coin purse to 11"x14", have a zipper top and rubberized lining.

Toiletries go in a big one, if there is a leak, no mess in the suitcase. Little ones are good for jewelry, cosmetics, etc. Another big one has all the charging cords and accessories for electronics stuff. They are great to keep everything neatly corralled on vanity or in a drawer once aboard. Reusable and washable and so many cute fabrics. Brand is Itzy Ritzy and they're actually marketed as a baby item.

1. Arrive the day before sailing and if time and location permit scout out the pier and see how its setup.

 

2. Arrive before 11 to return the car and avoid lines for check in and security.

 

3. Do venue hopping after boarding Sandwich at Park Cafe then hot items at Windjammer followed by Desserts at Cafe Promenade or Cafe Lattietudes.

 

4. Use House Phone right after boarding on embarkation day and ask Operator to help with Specialty Dining Reservations and My Time Dining etc.

 

5. Walk the track with a coffee and see the sea.

 

6. Use fitness center towels for pool towels or on shore excursion then return them when done.

 

7. Take tea battery operated lamps for interior staterooms

 

8 Ask Main Dining Room Server if they can cook a curry or local item from the Chef's home country one night

 

9. Order the dessert to go and grab a coffee before the show.

 

10 Reverse the order of your meal and start with Dessert and work backwards one night or just go for Dessert one night in the MDR after a big lunch. The cheese platter and two or three dessert options and coffee .

Your list is wonderful , I really like 8 Ask Main Dining Room Server if they can cook a curry or local item from the Chef's home country one night . And number 10 - I need to try this one of the nights, I am usually a stickler for things in the proper order, but this sounds fun.

Me too, but I know why. Hacking is something people do to break into computers. What do tips have to do with that?

The term hacking is also used when describing the process of modifying software to customise it - hacking into some code to make something work the way you want it to. Therefore the term hacking has now become associated with the process of streamlining/improving, and subsequently now linked to tips and tricks.