Air conditioning Q

[alpenglow]

Hi,

DH and I are taking our first cruise to celebrate a milestone anniversary on the Island Princess to Panama in Nov. It's been wonderful to read all the detailed and helpful info on these boards, but I haven't yet seen a discussion about air conditioning.

 

How much we need to pack will affect our choice of airline - should we bring some warm layers? Are the DRs and other public areas typically chilly? People are wearing sweaters and jackets on the Princess website photos.

 

We're from the snowbelt in upstate NY and are used to being in the outdoors, but sometimes in a hot, humid climate the maintenance folks go a little overboard (sorry :o) with the AC.

[paul929207]

You will have an AC control in your cabin, so there you should be fine. My wife finds the public rooms cool on ships, so she always carries a sweater or shawl.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes there are temperature controls in your cabin.

 

I always take a shawl with me as the temperatures can vary on the ship.

[Bonnie J.]

I have a white and a navy shawl and take one with me in the evenings. The dining room & theater can seem chilly sometimes and the shawls take up very little space in my suitcase.

And a packing tip for men. My husband only takes 2 or maybe 3 pairs of pants. Who is going to realize he wore the same pants two nights ago. Yes he takes different shirts for each night but not pants. And, we now each take a carry on suitcase even for 10 day cruises! But we still manage to come home with something we didn't wear!

[Mgobluefan]

Alpenglow,

I always find the room AC on ships are slow to cool the room, and I always crank it to the max just to be comfortable in the tropics. As a snow belt type, I wouldn't worry too much about being too cold, and as everyone has said, pack a wrap just to be safe. Have a great cruise!

[trish1c]

The public rooms will be cold . . . meat locker cold. I always pack a sweater & a pashmina. One of the reasons DH's packs a blue blazer is so I can "steal" it during dinner if necessary.

[GORDONCHICK]

Some find many of the public areas cold - but I find them very comfortable. November in Panama = very humid, and if you do any excursions off the beaten path, you will need bug spray. A light wrap for dinner takes up no room at all (though I've stopped taking them because other than for photos, I've never needed used one). I always carry a very thin jacket when flying, and that might come in handy. But if you're coming from the Buffalo/Rochester area, you'll likely have some kind of warm-ish jacket to get to the airport (maybe).

[alpenglow]

Appreciate the good advice! :)

[mitsugirly]

Since you can control the temperature of your room, I've never had a problem with it. When ever we crank up the a/c, it seems to cool off quickly and we are turning it back down again.

 

As for going to the shows on board...yes, they seem to be very chilly in there. I always wonder why they keep it so cold in there. Is it because they think with so many passengers in there it will get warm? Is it because of the performers and they will get hot from performing?

 

I always take a few dress slacks and a light long sleeve shirt when we go to those. Then when we leave, I just push up the sleeves and I'm usually comfortable the rest of the night. :)