Personal Item Safety

[Belle Mermaid]

My husband and I will visiting beaches on our port days. I was curious how safe it is to leave our belongings on our beach chair while we swim. We will be visiting St. Maarten and Aruba.

[Husky61]

My husband and I will visiting beaches on our port days. I was curious how safe it is to leave our belongings on our beach chair while we swim. We will be visiting St. Maarten and Aruba.

 

Would you leave your belongings unattended on a beach in the U.S.?

[ggprincess2004]

There are waterproof pouches you can wear when you swim to keep your valuables with you at all times.

[Pam in CA]

Don’t bring anything you can’t afford to lose if you aren’t planning on keeping it with you at all times.

[Shmoo here]

My husband and I will visiting beaches on our port days. I was curious how safe it is to leave our belongings on our beach chair while we swim. We will be visiting St. Maarten and Aruba.

What "belongings"?

 

We typically have towels, cover ups, sunglasses, sun screen, hats, ship's card, ID, one credit card and small amount of cash, plus my waterproof camera.

 

The camera stays attached to my wrist. Ship's card, ID (driver's license), credit card and cash all go in either my husband's pocket in his swim trunks, or my "secret" stash (time-honored place of concealment for us ladies), as they all can get wet. Since I only wade, no swimming, I usually have my sunglasses & hat on, even in the water.

 

Everything else, no one's is really interested in stealing. But, if they really want my sunscreen, I can always buy more.

[moki'smommy]

Bottom line, don't bring anything you can't afford to lose. There are some small, waterproof containers that you can wear around your neck while swimming--I put the string around my neck and the little box in "Fort Knox" (as my friend calls it). It holds cruise card, a credit card....and that's about it. I don't bring a cell phone or other costly items. Towels, sunscreen can stay on the chairs.

[Thrak]

My wife goes in the water and I normally don't so I'm the "safe" for items such as phone (camera), credit card, etc. I'm normally toting a small backpack I call my shore bag so it's easy for me to keep track of everything. On a recent cruise we hiked over the hill to Honeymoon Beach while on St. John's and it was quite safe leaving our bag and such on the beach while we farted around in the water. It was in sight at all times and there simply wasn't a large crowd of people. When we were in St. Kitts at a very crowded beach I kept the stuff while my wife had her "water time". The majority of our cash and other valuables were in the safe in our cabin but I did have my wallet with me. I knew it wasn't going to be left lying around where it wasn't safe.

[Hlitner]

1

My husband and I will visiting beaches on our port days. I was curious how safe it is to leave our belongings on our beach chair while we swim. We will be visiting St. Maarten and Aruba.

 

Here is my answer, based on more than a half century of extensive travel experience. Leave valuables on a beach chair? Never! Never! Never!

 

We are still big time beach goers and spend many months a year on beaches. But we never, ever, leave valuables unattended on any beach! So what to do? I have a waterproof fanny pack (bum pack for your Brits) that can easily hold my cash, credit cards, etc. If I cannot get it into that pack, and its valuable, it stays locked in my hotel safe or cabin safe. There are lots of different kinds of waterproof bags that one can purchase online to keep your money and cards dry. You can even buy waterproof containers for your cell phones...if you must have them and want to take them into the water. We do usually leave a backpack on the beach and it contains towels and other items that are not real valuable. If anyone were to steal that backpack it would be a minor inconvenience but not a serious loss that would cause us issues.

 

There are also special beach bags that come with their own cable lock that some folks use on the beach. They attach these items to a lounger and claim they are very secure. We have never used such an item but its certainly another option.

 

Hank

[Griller]

You can't leave anything of any value on a beach anywhere in the world without a serious risk of it being stolen unless you are the only 2 people on a desert island - and you implicitly trust the other person...…………………………..

 

Just don't do it!

 

And that applies to handbags phones and wallets in bars and restaurants as well

 

On our recent cruise on Regal P I saw 2 US ladies on our ship go to the bar in a British pub and leave all their stuff on an unattended table.

 

Very very risky.

[SmedonSeas]

don’t bring anything you can’t afford to lose if you aren’t planning on keeping it with you at all times.

preach!

[Griller]

1

 

 

I have a waterproof fanny pack (bum pack for your Brits)

 

Hank

 

Its actually not called that by Brits, its a bum bag

 

Brits find it hugely amusing when Americans get British slang wrong so don't give them the opportunity!

 

Somewhat like they find American attempts to pronounce the name Edinburgh.

[elliair]

My husband and I will visiting beaches on our port days. I was curious how safe it is to leave our belongings on our beach chair while we swim. We will be visiting St. Maarten and Aruba.

 

I would never leave my personal belongings on a chair by the pool on the ship much less on a beach. Asking for trouble IMHO.

[WisCruiser2]

We take turns snorkeling if at a beach.

 

Sent from my SM-G930R6 using Forums mobile app

[jagsfan]

Its actually not called that by Brits, its a bum bag

 

Brits find it hugely amusing when Americans get British slang wrong so don't give them the opportunity!

 

Somewhat like they find American attempts to pronounce the name Edinburgh.

 

 

 

It isn’t pronounced Eddenburrow?

That’s embarrassing. That’s the only way I’ve ever heard Americans say it.

What is correct?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Griller]

It isn’t pronounced Eddenburrow?

That’s embarrassing. That’s the only way I’ve ever heard Americans say it.

What is correct?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

You're right its the only way Americans can say it. Edinburrow. Nearly like Triboro. It isn't pronounced like that. More like a brrr on the end.

 

Even with one to one tuition, just hopeless

 

It would be like me trying to learn how to pronounce Mandarin

[jagsfan]

You're right its the only way Americans can say it. Edinburrow. Nearly like Triboro. It isn't pronounced like that. More like a brrr on the end.

 

 

 

Even with one to one tuition, just hopeless

 

 

 

It would be like me trying to learn how to pronounce Mandarin

 

 

 

I roll my r when I say it. My half Scottish DH doesn’t. His grandparents came from Glasgow, which is easier to say.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[c-boy]

awww St. Maarten. The wife and I had a wonderful time. We went to Orient beach , rented locker as there was no place to store personal items on ourselves.... ;p

[Hlitner]

We take turns snorkeling if at a beach.

 

Sent from my SM-G930R6 using Forums mobile app

 

And that is not a good thing it its just two of you. It is just basic diver, snorkel, swimmer safety...especially when in the sea. Never swim alone. Not sure trading safety of valuables for safety of one's life is a good trade-off. Two years ago DW and I had to help (likely save) a cruise ship passenger who was snorkeling along off a reef in Bora Bora. She got caught in a pretty strong current, realized she could not handle it, and started to panic. We happened to be nearby and were able to pull her away from the current (not really a rip) to safety. Her companion was sitting at a nearby resort (her starting point) guarding their valuables and had no clue that his "lady" was in big trouble

 

 

Hank

[UtterCaro]

There are lots of different kinds of waterproof bags that one can purchase online to keep your money and cards dry. You can even buy waterproof containers for your cell phones...if you must have them and want to take them into the water

 

Google "phone dry bag" if you want to see pictures/prices/availability. They're very affordable, and the ones I've bought worked fine. You can test them with a tissue (submerged overnight) before trusting pricey phones in them.

[Heidi13]

I roll my r when I say it. My half Scottish DH doesn’t. His grandparents came from Glasgow, which is easier to say.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Hailing from the West Coast of Scotland, I expect his grandparents would most likely have referred to coming from Glasgow as the're fae Glesga.

 

Even in Scotland they have a number of pronunciations, so little wonder tourists also have some additional varieties. Growing up in Scotland, we were taught Edin-bruh

[jagsfan]

Hailing from the West Coast of Scotland, I expect his grandparents would most likely have referred to coming from Glasgow as the're fae Glesga.

 

 

 

Even in Scotland they have a number of pronunciations, so little wonder tourists also have some additional varieties. Growing up in Scotland, we were taught Edin-bruh

 

 

 

Gramp was a wee fellow who married his childhood sweetheart in their hometown of Kirkintilloch. He was hired by a mill in Massachusetts as an efficiency expert. His short time in the US extended to the rest of his life and he became a citizen. He never lost his Scottish accent, though, and considered himself a Scotsman when he died at 96.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[payitforward]

My husband and I will visiting beaches on our port days. I was curious how safe it is to leave our belongings on our beach chair while we swim. We will be visiting St. Maarten and Aruba.

 

You clearly have your answer. That said, I would hope nobody would EVER tell you it's safe to leave your belongings on the beach. What happens if they do and then your belongings are stolen?