Need tips on how to save space in cabin

[girlsjustwannacruise]

so, we decided to book both boys in room with us for first time (i know!), and because we have booked adjoining rooms on previous cruises, i have never had to contend with four people in one cabin.

 

Do any of you have ideas, pics, gadgets, or anything you can suggest to create more space for clothes, ways to organize, ect?

[Twinzma]

What comes to mind is:

 

1.) An over the door shoe organizer for your toiletries in the bathroom.

 

2.) Cascading Hangers for the closet (The ones you can hang several items on and then drop one side to give your more room on the rack)

 

3.) A pop up box that you can store you belongings on the desk.

 

I got these ideas here on CC and they have worked really well for us in the past. If you search 'what to pack' you will find a wealth of information. :)

[Sixtytwo]

First thought is to not bring more than you need. Beyond that, try to select suitcases that might fit inside each other and slide under the beds. You could also use your suitcases for dirty laundry. When we cruised with our daughters, the room looked much like a tornado went through it most of the time, but, hey, we were on vacation and did not stress about it! :D

[3dashers]

Either do laundry or have it sent out. Travel size toiletries, and share as best you can (used the ones they provide)

[Gopherpharm]

I've cruised with three other adult women before, and we fit fine despite not being exactly light packers. If you have bags that fit under the bed that's a huge help...and yes, it might look a little disorganized in there, but having fun is more important!

[SadieN]

Which ship? How old are your sons? It does make a difference, especially for the bathroom.

 

-pack light

everyone gets one shelf in the bathroom, one shelf in the closet, one drawer and 1/4 of the hangars.

-Double and triple up on the hangars- pants, shirt, jacket

or (what DH does) pack shirts on hangars.

-luggage stored under the beds.

-Anything not being used daily stays in the suitcases- ie snorkels, dress shoes. Exception is your dressier clothes.

 

-Over the door holder on the closet/in the bathroom.

-Another over the door holder hanging from the hook next to the upper bunk. The top pockets become his 'nightstand'.

If you do not need all the pockets cut some off!

 

-We use a dollar store nylon garden tote on the vanity. Can even use the bottom of a paper bag.

-Designate an area for S&S cards.

 

-Only bathroom 'duties' are done in the bathroom. All grooming is done in the cabin itself. (Only bathroom necessaries are in the bathroom, everything else-gels, sprays, appliances are stored on your shelves or suitcases.)

-Share appliances and toiletries, if possible. No need for more than one hair dryer.

-Figure out how much your family needs of particular things and pack accordingly. For our family a travel size toothpaste lasts 14 uses.

 

-Dirty laundry gets taken care of right away-into the bag or suitcase.

-Use the laundry.

-When leaving make sure everything is put away. Easier for your steward.

[C Cruise Dude]

Put your suitcase under the bed.;)

[twinmom38]

You might think i'm nuts, ( well, maybe I am), but my mother was a frequent traveler. both on land and sea. she used to set aside certain items of clothing that she no longer was going to wear, and bring those articles with her when traveling. She would wear them, then dispose of them. She swore by it.. said there was no dirty laundry to either have to do, or bring home, and there was more room in the suitcases going home, to bring souveniers etc, without so many clothes. I am going to think about it on my next trip.

[EditorDiva]

There were 4 of us in cabin. We used dental floss across room vanity to bar area for another clothesline because the one in the bathroom was not enough for wet suits, etc. Super strong and multiple uses :)

 

 

Carnival Dream - April 2013

[girlsjustwannacruise]

Great ideas!!!!

[Mizzouaholic]

Put your suitcase under the bed.;)

 

Agreed!

[Grits53]

Use large Ziploc type bags for clothes. For each person, all of their pants in one bag, tee shirts in another, underwear in another. They stack well on the shelves in the closet or inside drawers, and they prevent clothes from getting mixed in with the other person's. You could mark each one with the owner's name. They also prevent your clothes from getting wet, should something spill inside or onto the suitcase. On one occasion, it was pouring rain when we boarded, and somehow, our luggage sat outside in the rain long enough that water was standing inside when we opened it! :eek: Thankfully, I always use these bags, so the clothes were still dry. You can also squeeze the air out of the bags, which compresses the clothes, allowing room for more. We took our 2 teenage god-daughters on a Magic cruise last year. It really wasn't as crowded as I expected with the 4 of us in a cove balcony cabin. We also used some of the other tips that have already been listed.

[brlou]

Use the suitcases under the bed to hold your 'extras'

1- laundry

2-shoes and port day only items

3-souvenirs

[tocruzagain]

We are a family of four (DS 11 & DD now 4) so we travel with all the necessary stuff PLUS smaller stroller, portable DVD player, favorite stuffed animal, so e books...you name it. I can now unpack us and fit everything comfortably in a regular balcony cabin. Here's how I do it...feel free to disregard if it doesn't work for you.

 

First, I agree with the small/med pop up box on the vanity to hold camera, devices, charges etc while not in use. This is also great for my air dryer, flat iron, brushes, hair spray etc when not being used. That area that quickly gets very cluttered with stuff.

 

S&S cards all get put on a stretchy lanyard from the casino & gets hung up over the corner of the mirror or light fixture thing on the other side of the vanity when in the cabin.

 

My jewelry, brushes, daughters hair stuff go in the long middle vanity drawer. Each kid gets 1 drawer for underwear, PJ's, daughter's shorts & tops are small enough to fit in there too. Husband & I share a drawer for underwear etc.

 

The shelves in the armoire...husband, myself, son get 1 shelf for stack of shorts, thirst, bathing suits, PJ's if needed. The bottom is tall enough to stick son's backpack, husband's backpack & my tote. Hanging closet gets all the evening clothes....pop up hamper goes in the last closet with hubby's suit etc. Shoes mostly fit in the bottom of the closet, and the rest of the kids's sandals, flip flops etc fit on one of the angled shelves next to the refrig. and my shoes fit on one the skinny shelves that runs down the end of the vanity towards the bed. All the luggage goes under the bed! We have never had an issue with not having enough room in the bathroom etc.

 

With that said, we are sailing on the Breeze the end of this month, and I have noticed that those cabins do not have the extra ledge top & 2 shelves that extend from the vanity. We'll figure it out. It still has to be about the same and better than the storage on the Oasis

[Velvetwater]

I have heard of people putting their luggage on the balcony, Im guessing they made sure it had a lot of stuff in so it was heavy and probably used water covers.

 

 

If your a camping enthusiast then this method wouldnt seem as bizarre :D

 

 

Apart from whats been said I guess my only advice would be to pack clothing items that suit a variety of purposes ie a little black dress, smart jeans for your boys etc.

[elaineb]

I thought it was a fire hazard to put things on the deck. Isn't that the way a fire on a Princess ship started - a cigarette thrown overboard and hit a towel on a deck?

As for getting ready - the boys can shower in the spa to ease congestion in your cabin.

[fredflint]

I have used the vacuum bags to save space also look at how light thin some clothes are vs others if you look you can find thin clothes.

 

Also use under the bed but use it as storage for stuff like underwear, socks and other stuff that wrinkles don't matter.

[freberd]

Does miracle have storage under bed

[moobear67]

Bring clothes pins to use to hang wet bathing suits on the rope in the shower. You can hang a lot more stuff on that line using clothes pins.

[Pookeybear1966]

Put your suitcase under the bed.;)

 

I Agree!!! We stuffed 3 suitcases under the twins combined on our cabin

[CalaDragonflyLady]

I like this instead of the shoe organizer a lot of people here prefer, nor necessarily for the shower.........

 

http://www.amazon.com/Maytex-Mesh-Shower-Organizer-White/dp/B003PGQHRG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367710776&sr=8-3&keywords=shower+mesh+caddy

 

I also like the IKEA SKUBB boxes that fold down flat and come in fun colors :)

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60192633/#/40243474

[CruiserBren]

I've sailed with my Girl Scout's. We had 3 HS girls and 2 adults in the cabin. I've also sailed with my 3 girls and I in a cabin. It's also been my mother, 4 yo granddaughter and I in a room. Organization is key.

 

We use white kitchen trash bags for laundry. One bag is light, white and darks. When we pack, each bag goes in a different suitcase (it's already sorted when we get home). There is usually a small cabinet with shelves, we use it for shoes.

 

Under the sofa is a drawer for extra storage. One of the cruises with my g'daughter, she had the pulldown bed (she called it the monkey loft). Her stuffed animals and small toys stayed up there, out of the way.

 

The more organized we were the easier it was to move around the room.

[LambKnuckles]

Great ideas and tips!!! I have cruised as the fourth, unrelated person in a cabin... We were co-ed, all adults... and kinda, the average, larger sized adults...

 

Once the clothes were worn, with no intention to launder them, they went back into the suit cases, under the bed.

 

I always got my clothes for the next day out, before I went to bed.

 

We used the over the door hanger, and each of us got a row across for our items... We kept this on the OUTSIDE of the bathroom door, so if the door was closed and bathroom in use, we still had access to our stuff.

 

Each of us had one small shelf in the bathroom. Doesn't hold much, but enough for 'around the sink' necessities.

 

Be sure to organize enough for the cabin steward to be able to come in and clean, make up the beds, refresh the bathroom and towels, each day before you leave.

 

Work out a system to know -- before you open the door -- if someone is inside napping or changing...

 

Take an easy-going attitude with you. It is CLOSE QUARTERS and you need to relax, be tolerant, and go with the flow...

 

ENJOY YOUR CRUISE!!! And be sure to come back and tell us how it was!!!

[simplelife]

Depending on the ship, you may be able to shower in the gym or spa.

[gusandgidgetsmom]

The pop up laundry hamper is great to keep dirty laundry out of the way and you can use pop up boxes to put things in for your bathroom like lotion, hair gel,etc then place below the sink area. We also use an over the door thingy and place it on the outside of the bathroom door even use several of the pockets for my jewelry. We many times have suites and there is enough storage space so really depends on our sailing. We will be in an inside for the first time ever in 25 + years so I will see if my methods work well.