What's your best cabin tip?

[finzup-kt]

Power strip with at least 2 USB ports

Plastic bags for dirty laundry

Large plastic cup for mixing drinks (we usually buy a bottle if booze for room and carry on mixers. )

Clips for towels /bathing suits on balconies

[camper49]

Just keep things neat...pick up after yourselves....it's not hard! You don't live in a pigsty at home, do you? Don't let your cabin get out of hand, either! It's not hard...really!

 

This is so true! Have you ever walked by a cabin with an open door and "peeked" in? Things just thrown everywhere etc....

[katiel53]

I just pack my clothes on hangers and cover them with dry cleaner bags. When I get to the cabin, it's easy to unpack and all outfits are together. I put all undies and bathing suits in the drawers by the mirror and had put DH's tee's and shorts on the shelves in the closet.

 

My makeup went into the small drawer near the mirror so it was easy to access. Other toiletries went on the shelves in the bathroom.

 

I also bring a popup hamper from the dollar store so as clothes get dirty, they go in there. When it came time to pack to go home, the hamper went into one suitcase and the clean clothes (I always overpack) and toiletries all go into the other.

 

When we got home, the one suitcase went right into the laundry room. So easy.

 

By the way, the empty suitcases and carry on bags go under the bed. Our room always looked neat.

[BallFour4]

• Get rid of all the glasses and soda on the counter. The cabin steward will do this for you.
  
• Stack all the documents in a plastic folder in the top drawer. We use the vanity top drawer for chargers, cords, cameras, iPod cables, etc.
  
• The USB multi-charger is amazing! Carried it all over China, Italy and 4 cruises since we bought it. It will charge two iPhones and an iPad at the same time.
  
• Use the medicine cabinets for sundries. We used to keep that mess in the closet or drawer, and now it all goes in there.
  
• Simple things like placing dirty clothes in the suitcase makes good sense; we just let them dry a little overnight first. The free laundry works great on some stuff.
  
• Take less. Easier said than done as we take a load of junk for a 5 day on the Triumph we can drive to and take less on a 7 day because we flew to Miami.
  
• I keep cameras and small items in my backpack. It beside the bed or in the closet keeps all the clutter off the counter.
  

Edited August 21, 2015 by BallFour4

[cruisecrayz]

I take a couple of those huge ZipLock bags. I pack all of my items that might leak in my suitcase in them (hair spray, sunscreen, etc...) Then I use them to hold dirty laundry. It keeps me from losing anything and you can zip them to contain any odor. When it's time to go home, I squeeze the air out of the bags, zip them up, and pop them in the suitcase.

[crusinpsychRN]

For those with small kids, pack entire outfits (including undies, socks, hair bows, etc) in gallon sized zip lock bags. Label them with their names and the day you want them to use the outfit, if needed. That way the child can just grab the bag and get dressed.

 

Also, I bring duct tape for the extension cords. I like to tape them down on the carpet to reduce trip hazards, especially for those who have C pap machines!

 

Love the tips everyone! [emoji4]

 

I had my kids roll up the day's outfit with everything and then just grab a roll.

 

I also pack everything on hangars and dry cleaning bags. Takes about 4 minutes to unpack!

Edited August 21, 2015 by crusinpsychRN

[tiggerman101]

Bring a European converter plug for the other outlet.

Edited August 21, 2015 by tiggerman101

[IGGY63]

Don't forget the bungee cords for the balcony doors ;)

[Keith1010]

Put everything in its place and keep the room from being cluttered.

 

Keith

[mousey]

I put a big garbage bag inside of my pop up hamper and when it's time to go home I just close it up and stash it in the suitcase. When I get home I plop the bag on top of the washer until I have time to take care of it. It's worked great for me.

 

I also have a great set of "boxes". I don't know how to explain them but they are flat and have snaps at the corners so that when you snap them closed they create boxes. My set consists of a small, medium, and large box. The DH gets the medium sized one and at night he just throws all his change and misc. stuff in it. I use the other two boxes for putting my jewelry in as I take it off at night and the other one for makeup. I haven't traveled without them in years! One of the best items I've ever bought.

 

I too us packing cubes. I unzip them and fold the top under the cube and leave my stuff in them. I use them for my underwear, socks, swimsuits, and any other clothing item that doesn't need to be hung up.

 

I use clips that you usually buy to clip-close potato chips and such to hang my wet swimsuit in the shower.

 

I also bring a small plastic pouch (you could use a plastic baggy also) that I fill with a small notebook, pen, highlighter, and a few paper clips both regular and binder style. I use the the notebook as a journal and the highlighter for the Fun times to highlight things we might want to do. The paper clips and binder clips help to keep all the paper work neatly together and not flying all over the place.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited August 21, 2015 by mousey

[emmak8]

Packing cubes get another vote. They help you stay organized.

[BamaLady#13]

Not exactly a room tip but still a good forum to share this. Our luggage is all black or dark gray. I buy a roll of multicolored duck tape at the dollar store. Mash it flat so that it packs easily. At the end of each cruise, wrap a couple of strips around each suitcase which makes it so easy to find in the sea of luggage when disembarking. The more colorful and distinctive the tape, the better. This may be a little tacky, but it sure works.

[LibratPDX]

Technically you don't need clips to hang your swimsuits in the shower, just run the cord through the arm, leg, or torso of your suits.

 

Many walls and/or doors are magnetic, so I take magnetic clips and hooks to hang hats, lanyards, mardi-gras beads, and medals I win :D

[Richjoxyz]

We unpack our suitcases, then take everything out of the fridge and place in one of the suitcases. We slide suitcases under the bed never to be seen for the week. This frees up the fridge for our water, wine and soda. When it's time to pack, place everything back in the fridge.

 

Plastic bags for dirty clothes.

 

The rule of two for packing:

two shoes, two shorts, two polo shirts, two Tommy Bahama shirts, two t-shirts, etc.

Edited August 22, 2015 by Richjoxyz

[Richjoxyz]

Clip your wet shorts to the toilet seat and press flush for a quick "Air Dry"!:D

[EdmundXXIII]

 

The rule of two for packing:

two shoes, two shorts, two polo shirts, two Tommy Bahama shirts, two t-shirts, etc.

 

 

Does not apply to socks and underpants. :)

[Peg_S]

I use plastic containers to corral makeup, sunscreens, meds, and miscellaneous loose items on the desk. The containers hold the items in the suitcase while traveling too.

[AryMay]

Are the walls magnetic? I read somewhere that you can bring magnet clips or hooks for things like hats?

Yes...the walls are magnetic! We used magnetic clips to hang our hats and stuff. On our Alaskan cruise we also used clips to hang up a map on the wall to keep track of where we were.

 

(BTW...this cabin was one of the oddball "sideways" cabins so the layout was just a bit different than most."

 

Edited August 22, 2015 by AryMay

[Surfwench]

Technically you don't need clips to hang your swimsuits in the shower, just run the cord through the arm, leg, or torso of your suits.

 

Many walls and/or doors are magnetic, so I take magnetic clips and hooks to hang hats, lanyards, mardi-gras beads, and medals I win :D

 

Brilliant! :)

[911Minion]

I agree with the packing cubes. We also unpack everything and bring extra bags for dirty clothes. Power cord is a must for our cameras and my Kindle.

 

I know I'm among the minority but I HATED the over the door hanger. It's just the two of us and it seemed to be more in the way and a bother/clutter than what we needed it for. The two of us are pretty good at keeping our own things and the door hanger just made us search another random place for things rather than just looking for where it would normally be. It may have been that we just forced things into it to try to use it. I'm sure if there were multiple people, it might make more sense.

[simplelife]

We ask the steward to clear the fridge. That way we know we will not be charged for anything.

[Martini Mom]

What is your best tip to make your cabin more spacious or organized? I know to take a new/er power strip, and I've heard about the over the door shoe bags, but does anyone have any other tips they want to share?

 

I haven't read any other answers, but.....we bring a power strip, a pop up hamper, our own blow dryer, etc. I also like to book a cabin that's sandwiched between 2 other decks of cabins (less noise). I book close to elevators for easy access.

 

We put our suitcases under the bed, empty the mini fridge, and keep it very tidy. Not only is that easier for us, but why should the stewards have to deal with a mess. That's just rude.

[Luluwa]

Bring all your hanging clothes on hangers laid gently on top of your luggage, when its delivered to your cabin pull those out and voila hang them up wrinkle free!!!

[luvtheships]

Pack light

 

21 inch roll on for us....7 day...12 day...3 weeks

 

Still just a 21 inch roll on

 

 

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[virginiab]

I have gradually been replacing all the small cosmetic bags (vinyl bags with zippers at the top) that I have used for years. Now I am only buying clear cosmetic bags. This way I can throw all of them in one drawer and easily find which one has first aid supplies, which one has the laundry supplies, which one has the chargers or headphones, etc. Almost everything that is not clothing is in a clear bag. Each bag also contains a 3x5 card of what belongs in the bag, which helps me pack and gives me a place to note that I need to add something to the bag before the next trip.

I used to use a fabric tray, like the boxes recommended above, on the nightstand, but when they changed design to have the bedside lamps attached to the nightstand instead of the wall, my tray was too big. After trying a number of solutions, I believe I have settled on yet another cosmetic bag, one with a flat bottom so it will stand up; mine is just big enough to hold a packet of tissues, a small flashlight, lip balm, earplugs, and my glasses. During the day I tuck it into the nightstand, along with my jammies, then put it on top when i go to bed.