What is your favorite cruise "hack"?

[Crusin Hogs]

While watching the outside movies at night  we get Hot Chcolate and put vanilla ice cream in it ,Really good

[amyj23]

On 12/5/2018 at 4:02 PM, GMRPHRN said:

Thanks for this. I can't believe this one weighs only 1.5lbs.  I am definitely buying a fan form my next cruise.

Oh totally! It’s so light!!!

[disneyfan551]

On 11/9/2018 at 9:44 AM, camijo said:

My hack isn't food related.  But I take clothes pins and clip them to the bottom of the shower curtain, keeps the shower curtain in place.  My husband thought it was that way, he didn't know I did that myself.  Haha!

I use binder clips for the shower curtain! 👍🏻

[Butterbean1000]

On 11/8/2018 at 1:10 PM, bahacca said:

Over the door shoe organizer. I bought one that lives in my suitcase so I never forget it.

My favorite, never cruise without one.

[Butterbean1000]

Ice cream, orange juice from breakfast and vodka from Bon Voyage bottle. Viola, an adult creamsickle.

[Allura_317]

Here are a few from the top of my head:

1. Get a side a peanut butter with melting cake (if you don't have a nut allergy...)

2. Go to Cucina del Capitano for lunch on embarkation on ships with it as it offers a free pasta bar where chefs prepare custom pasta dishes (not many know about it so it is a lot less crowded)

3. On Dream class ships, decks 6-11, save 8, have sundecks all the way forward above/below the bridge.  Pretend you are going to a forward stateroom on these decks and open the unlabeled door at the end of the hall.  (The perfect spot for sail aways)

4. If you want a sampling of entrees from the MDR, they can make pasta dishes in half portions so you don't waste as much food.

5. Blue Iguana has breakfast burritos in the morning (never had so cannot say if they are good or bad)

6. Mix the soft serve, milk, and crushed cookie to make your own milkshake (believe this was already mentioned

7. Remember the staterooms are magnetic

8. Bring storage organizers

9. Use an old card on the light thing in your room so that you don't need to worry about taking anything in and out of it or forgetting you sail and sign card

10.You can get other ice cream flavors and multiple scoops with the melting cake

11. On vista class, Mongnolian Wok is located in Jiji's with is also a good embarkation day lunch option.

12. Make your own fondue by getting the fruit plate with the melting cake.

13. This is obvious but...do all you can to enjoy your cruise!

Edited January 10, 2019 by Allura_317

[bluesman0711]

On our last cruise on the Sunshine we discovered the walls in our balcony cabin on deck 6 mid ship were not magnetic, and only the suction cup hooks were useful so you may want to bring both.

[Aplmac]

On 12/4/2018 at 3:30 PM, Darwal said:

Prop open the FRIDGE-cabinet door a couple inches,

where the mini fridge is located.  

This helps to ventilate the fridge area and allows it to get colder.

.

I was waiting for this one to pop up!
I first posted this hack on CC about 5-6 yrs. ago, when I got a rush of warm air

when I first opened the fridge-cabinet! (NOT the fridge door itself)

 

Heat-exchange units don't work very well in poorly- or non-ventilated areas.

The cabinet confines the fridge's warm output,

and the few silly little ventilation slots in the cabinet

aren't anywhere near capable of venting that warm output!

 

I tried explaining this to various cabin stewards,

but very often they speak Vietnamese

- so you'll find your fridge cabinet door closed when you return to your cabin.
Just open it and leave it that way, and you'd be surprised

just how well those odd little fridges can work, if allowed to vent their warm air!

[NovCruisin]

On 11/11/2018 at 2:33 PM, crooooze said:

I take my Guys burger to the buffet salad bar to get other fresher toppings, such crispy unshredded lettuce.  Also get a nice heap of that chunky potato salad on the side.

 

I also make my own chilled coffee drink, by scooping a tablespoon of powdered cocoa from the top of the hot chocolate dispenser, stirring it into hot coffee, then pouring over a yellow or green plastic cup of ice... Make sure the Lido staff don’t see you doing this 🙂

 

On 12/2/2018 at 10:09 AM, scomar said:

My wife hates shaving her legs in those small cabin showers.  She usually goes to the spa shower, she says it is so much easier with all the room in the spa shower.

Gross and Gross!! Self serving food that is not meant to have your nasty hands in it and shaving your legs in a public shower...What is wrong with people! I once saw (on Carnival) someone drop a serving spoon on the ground in the lido, pick it up and stick it back in the serving dish...I obviously immediately flagged down staff who took the whole tray and discarded it. 

 

Can we not all just be civilized adults...🤮

[Butterbean1000]

On 11/11/2018 at 3:33 PM, crooooze said:

I take my Guys burger to the buffet salad bar to get other fresher toppings, such crispy unshredded lettuce.  Also get a nice heap of that chunky potato salad on the side.

 

I also make my own chilled coffee drink, by scooping a tablespoon of powdered cocoa from the top of the hot chocolate dispenser, stirring it into hot coffee, then pouring over a yellow or green plastic cup of ice... Make sure the Lido staff don’t see you doing this 🙂

That's it for me, no more drinking hot chocolate.

[stellarose]

18 hours ago, Allura_317 said:

Here are a few from the top of my head:

1. Get a side a peanut butter with melting cake (if you don't have a nut allergy...)

2. Go to Cucina del Capitano for lunch on embarkation on ships with it as it offers a free pasta bar where chefs prepare custom pasta dishes (not many know about it so it is a lot less crowded)

3. On Dream class ships, decks 6-11, save 8, have sundecks all the way forward above/below the bridge.  Pretend you are going to a forward stateroom on these decks and open the unlabeled door at the end of the hall.  (The perfect spot for sail aways)

4. If you want a sampling of entrees from the MDR, they can make pasta dishes in half portions so you don't waste as much food.

5. Blue Iguana has breakfast burritos in the morning (never had so cannot say if they are good or bad)

6. Mix the soft serve, milk, and crushed cookie to make your own milkshake (believe this was already mentioned

7. Remember the staterooms are magnetic

8. Bring storage organizers

9. Use an old card on the light thing in your room so that you don't need to worry about taking anything in and out of it or forgetting you sail and sign card

10.You can get other ice cream flavors and multiple scoops with the melting cake

11. On vista class, Mongnolian Wok is located in Jiji's with is also a good embarkation day lunch option.

12. Make your own fondue by getting the fruit plate with the melting cake.

13. This is obvious but...do all you can to enjoy your cruise!

 

blue iquana makes the best breakfast burritos.  brought very strong magnet hooks for walls, plastic bags and nylon bags are your friend. 

[Nightrythm]

1 hour ago, NovCruisin said:

Gross and Gross!! Self serving food that is not meant to have your nasty hands in it and shaving your legs in a public shower...What is wrong with people! .....

 

Can we not all just be civilized adults...🤮

While I agree about the food, I disagree about the shower. There's nothing wrong with shaving your legs in a public shower, as long as you clean up after yourself. No one wants to see hairs all over the shower.

[KatieBug28]

On days when we are headed ashore, I grab a couple of the small cereal boxes from the breakfast buffet to take along for snacks. They are sealed and so are allowed on shore. My kids always seem to get hungry before it's time for whatever local food we have planned for the day, so I can give them that to much on. (We also enjoy buying the popular local pre-packaged snacks in the ports and bringing them back with us. They can make for a fun tasting party before dinner, or a fun way to remember our trip once we are back home.)

 

Other tip for going ashore: bring a Camelbak or other type of water bladder or bottle, preferably insulated. My husband brings his and fills it up with ice and water on Lido before we head out for the day. Excursions generally give you a bottle of water, but it is nice to have ready whenever you need it, especially if you are venturing out on your own.

[Hose A De RR]

3M Command Hooks work well and are inexpensive so we usually leave them for the next cruiser.

[coondog99]

Taking device screenshots of ship photos from the Carnival Hub app. Although they have a Carnival watermark on them, they are still a nice keepsake.

 

Remember to do this on board as once you disembark, they disappear.

[CaliCash]

On 12/1/2018 at 4:49 PM, GMRPHRN said:

I don't know if anyone else has posted these two.  I found them on the boards years ago before my first cruise:

 

1) If you have an inside cabin, leave the t.v. on at night tuned to the outside camera.   The room will gradually lighten in the morning and give the simulation of the sun rising.

 

2) Every night before bed, I take a picture of the next day's Fun Times. This works as a good division of the pictures from each day.

That's an excellent idea. Sometimes after the cruise, I have trouble with remembering where we did what.

[pacruise804]

On 1/10/2019 at 4:43 PM, NovCruisin said:

 

Gross and Gross!! Self serving food that is not meant to have your nasty hands in it and shaving your legs in a public shower...What is wrong with people! I once saw (on Carnival) someone drop a serving spoon on the ground in the lido, pick it up and stick it back in the serving dish...I obviously immediately flagged down staff who took the whole tray and discarded it. 

 

Can we not all just be civilized adults...🤮

 

22 hours ago, Nightrythm said:

While I agree about the food, I disagree about the shower. There's nothing wrong with shaving your legs in a public shower, as long as you clean up after yourself. No one wants to see hairs all over the shower.

 

Also, the spa showers are not much more public than your cabin shower.  The ones on the Pride were individual showers with full doors, not a big locker room situation (which even then would likely have partitions like restrooms).

 

When I went to college the dorms had a shared restroom on each floor, and I'm sure I shaved my legs while on campus and not only while home on breaks.  I didn't realize I was supposed to go weeks or months without shaving🤔

[EngineCo52]

Some of the things not really hacks, just things that I bring, but might be a hack for you. 

*Wrinkle release Spray

*Water Bottle (for when I'm on shore) 20&32Oz Cup (Yeti Style) for on the boat. 

*Case of energy Drinks

*Coozies 

*Multi USB plug

*Tape

*Chair Clips (hold towels onto chairs) 

*Meds (ibuprofen,advil,zantac, bandaids etc) 

*Door Decoration (So you never get confused what door is yours if youre a little inebriated lol or if you have kids)

*Ping Pong balls and Solo Cups (if youre the partier type) We play with water in it and just drink our own beer we got from the bar) We once played inside on the tables across from the karaoke bar. we had a bigger crowd watching us, and wanting to play. we had a total of 20 teams and several tables worth of people playing in a tournament. we even ended up on Carnival news (daily ran on the ship) it was a great time. 

*We always have a few cases of water bought through carnival delivered to our rooms. nice to have those bottles of water when you get back to your room or whenever to stay hydrated. 

*Get 2 cocktails from the Atrium bar while youre waiting to be seated for dinner if its backed up. 

*Clorox Wipes to wipe down the room even more when you get there

 

[scomar]

On 1/10/2019 at 3:43 PM, NovCruisin said:

 

Gross and Gross!! Self serving food that is not meant to have your nasty hands in it and shaving your legs in a public shower...What is wrong with people! I once saw (on Carnival) someone drop a serving spoon on the ground in the lido, pick it up and stick it back in the serving dish...I obviously immediately flagged down staff who took the whole tray and discarded it. 

 

Can we not all just be civilized adults...🤮

I can't imagine what goes through your mind when you have to sit on a public toilet compared to using a shower someone has shaved their legs in.

[amyj23]

1 hour ago, scomar said:

I can't imagine what goes through your mind when you have to sit on a public toilet compared to using a shower someone has shaved their legs in.

Ewwwww. Who sits?! It’s called hovering!!!!

[NovCruisin]

1 hour ago, scomar said:

I can't imagine what goes through your mind when you have to sit on a public toilet compared to using a shower someone has shaved their legs in.

Why does it not surprise me that you are the type of person who actually SITS on a public toilet 😒 they have sanitary seat covers in most public restrooms for a reason, if they don't, as someone else mentioned, you hover.

 

Some people are just so nasty...no wonder there was a recent outbreak where several hundred people got Norovirus on RCL Oasis of the Seas.

Edited January 12, 2019 by NovCruisin

[scomar]

5 minutes ago, NovCruisin said:

Why does it not surprise me that you are the type of person who actually SITS on a public toilet 😒 they have sanitary seat covers in most public restrooms for a reason, if they don't, as someone else mentioned, you hover.

 

Some people are just so nasty...no wonder there was a recent outbreak of almost 500 people who got Norovirus on RCL Oasis of the Seas.

Technically the sinks in a public restroom have up to 20 times the bacteria that a toilet seat has.  If I were you I would steer clear of all public places, because I hate to tell you this, but germs are EVERYWHERE!!

Sitting on a toilet seat does not spread Norovirus.  You also probably think going out in the cold without a coat makes you sick.

[amyj23]

55 minutes ago, scomar said:

Technically the sinks in a public restroom have up to 20 times the bacteria that a toilet seat has.  If I were you I would steer clear of all public places, because I hate to tell you this, but germs are EVERYWHERE!!

Sitting on a toilet seat does not spread Norovirus.  You also probably think going out in the cold without a coat makes you sick.

Hence why I use a paper towel to turn sinks off and open doors. 😂 

[NovCruisin]

3 hours ago, scomar said:

Technically the sinks in a public restroom have up to 20 times the bacteria that a toilet seat has.  If I were you I would steer clear of all public places, because I hate to tell you this, but germs are EVERYWHERE!!

Sitting on a toilet seat does not spread Norovirus.  You also probably think going out in the cold without a coat makes you sick.

Who said anything about sitting on toilets spreading Norovirus? 😕 You're conflating two separate statements.

 

Just because germs are everything (thank you Captain Obvious) doesn't mean you can't attempt to minimize your exposure; e.g. washing your hands, using paper seat covers on public toilets, using paper towels on sink knobs and to open doors.

[scomar]

You are cracking me up.  Thanks for making me smile!