Attention Ladies -- Let's Talk Hair Care (Pride of America)

[OceanNerd]

I am beginning to make my  "To Pack" list for our upcoming cruise on NCL Pride of America and need to know the toiletry situation.  With baggage fees an unfortunate fact of life, I am looking to minimize.  However, DD (17) and I do not want to wind up looking like Monica in The One in Barbados (Friends).  We also do not want to wear ponytails for an entire week.  We both have medium (me) to loooong hair (her) that is super thick and naturally wavy/curly.  

 

So.... What type of amenities are provided (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion)?  What brand? And what was your experience with it?

 

Thanks So Much!!!

[candigirl41]

The shampoo will be a shampoo/conditioner combination.  I always take my own.  The stuff they provide isn't very good in my opinion.  My hair is also medium-long very thick and naturally wavy, but not wavy enough to wear that way.  I either straighten my hair or put it up.  I will wash it, let it dry and then straighten it later.  

 

Candi

[JuneauWhatIMean]

What Candi said.  Bring your own.  The kind you and your hair are used to.  Just put in in travel bottles and carefully consider how much you’ll need so you don’t overpack.  And have a great cruise!  😎

[Son of a son of a ...]

I have no hair and still bring my own bar of soap.  

[GrabMyWrist]

When my wife and I sailed a couple of years ago, we purchased the necessary toiletries prior to embarkation at a local ABC store. When our cruise was over, anything left was thrown away. Nothing to carry.

 

NCL does provide the basics but we like our own.

Edited May 6, 2019 by GrabMyWrist

[Snagler]

5 hours ago, OceanNerd said:

I am beginning to make my  "To Pack" list for our upcoming cruise on NCL Pride of America and need to know the toiletry situation.  With baggage fees an unfortunate fact of life, I am looking to minimize.  However, DD (17) and I do not want to wind up looking like Monica in The One in Barbados (Friends).  We also do not want to wear ponytails for an entire week.  We both have medium (me) to loooong hair (her) that is super thick and naturally wavy/curly.  

 

So.... What type of amenities are provided (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion)?  What brand? And what was your experience with it?

 

Thanks So Much!!!

We went last Sept. in a balcony room. I believe ours had the Hawaiian Tropic brand. Whatever it was I used it once thinking it would smell tropical and it didn’t feel like I had used any conditioner at all. It was awful. I brought home the little tubes as souvenirs and gave them to my granddaughter but honestly it left my hair feeling coarse and stiff. I have long straight thin hair. 

I would take your own travel bottle filled with at least a day or two worth. If your itinerary was like ours, you dock in Maui on Sunday. There is a passenger walk along the shore which goes into town and there is a CVS type store (it had a different name but is part of their system) in the little mall there. You should be able to find most anything there. (When you travel along the  passenger walk, there are cool tropical fish you can see right there along the rocks). If you are renting a car for that two day stop and need a place to park overnight, you can park your car for free in that CVS type store parking lot as long as you make a purchase at the store and leave your receipt showing in the window.  It’s about a 15 minute walk to the ship. 

 

It was hot and sticky every day in port.  I kept my hair up almost the whole time. We took showers every time we got back on board. I was glad I took a small travel bottle filled with Woolite hand wash soap to wash my bras in the sink at night.  I’m not one to usually sweat but man, early Sept was humid. 

 

[trish1c]

Head to the Target (I think) at Ala Mona mall . . . I think that's the name of it & buy what you need in Hawaii.  At the ABC / tourist shops things will be pricey but we got good value at K-Mart.  We paid $4 per box for souvenir chocolates that were $9 in ABC & $16 in the tourist traps.  

 

The itinerary is so port intensive you won't have time to notice your hair.  

[DZcreature]

There are dispensers in the shower with shampoo and body wash. I can get by with the shampoo, but always bring my own conditioner. Usually there is  tube of lotion in your cabin, but you may have to ask your room steward for some. They will also give you a bar of soap if you don't use body wash. I sometimes bring my own bar of Irish Spring. I always bring my anti frizz cream though or I will get the Monica hair! You may also want to bring a travel size hairspray.

 

Other advice is to adopt the "cruise hair, don't care" attitude! 😎

[Pauser]

I always order the shampoo/conditioner sample packets on eBay (usually about $1 each) and pack them in a pocket in my suitcase so they don't count toward my liquids. We just did a back-to-back and were gone for 17 days, and this worked well. I would not consider using what they provide as I am very picky. I would say if you normally use drugstore shampoo you might be fine with what they provide. If you are more particular, bring your own. 

[Wheeling TravelingMom]

Try looking into the site Travel Fashion Girl. Everything you need to know to go carry on, including toiletries. There is a website and facebook group. The group is very helpful for this type of stuff. 🙂 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Wheeling TravelingMom

[OceanNerd]

Thanks So Much Ladies!  I guess I was so focused on not forgetting anything, I didn't even think about popping in to a store in port.  That advice is GOLDEN!  We arrive the day before we board so plenty of time to grab a few items before embarkation.

 

Also thanks Wheeling Traveling Mom for recommending Travel Fashion Girl!!  

[Sunseeker20]

I have the same hair type (long, thick, wavy) My favorite products for hot holidays are from the Davines line (especially since you can get all the products in travel size)

-SU Hair and body wash

-SU conditioning Hair Mask

-Sea salt spray for styling

 

I have taken these on the last 2 cruises and they are amazing. Also I'm a hair stylist 😁🌞

 

[MichaelCMTX]

I may not be a lady but I'm rocking a shoulder-length mane that kinks almost exactly like Monica on "Friends" in humidity - meaning constantly once boarding -  so maybe I can offer assistance.  

Lush Cosmetics has a great shampoo bar that travels like a bar of soap.  They also have a location at Ala Moana but with it being solid it'll travel a lot better than liquids.  Their stuff is not cheap but it's also not junk.  Also a fan of putting my own stuff into long-saved little bottles, so what came with has been gone for years and refilled with some whatever Redken shampoo is working for me at the time and Nexxus Humectress from home.

Otherwise there are certain accommodations to make for traveling and while I usually hit my hair with a barrage of different chemicals to keep it constantly guessing and in fear of misbehaving, only one travels with me and that's currently Argan oil.

 

And finally, I really try to get away with as few shampoos as possible during the trip.  When we did Hawaii to Vancouver 13 nights I made sure to get a really good wash before departure, and maybe did 4 the whole time.  I have the good fortune of being taller than the average cruise showerherad.  Being a few elastic circles or use a shower capo if they provide one and you may be able to sneak an extra day or two in-between washings. 

 

Terribly jealous. We had a blast in Hawaii in 2013.

[wordsjustfly]

My guess is you are flying in a day or two before. We did. I took zero sundries with me for that very reason and went to either Target, Longs Drugs or CVS and bought my hair care products. There’s also the ABC stores  as well. They weren’t that terribly expensive than the mainland. And I left what I didn’t use. 

[chapchap]

For the past couple of years, I travel exclusively--land and sea-- with shampoo and conditioner bars (yes, like soap bars for your hair)--they don't count against your TSA 3/11 liquids and I leave them in my suitcase.  You can buy these from "Lush Cosmetics"--online, if you don't have a store near you.  They have been game changers for me.  There are other makers, but I've been very happy with what I've bought from Lush. Because I only use them for travel, I've only had to re-stock one time-- I just popped in my local store this week.  

Edited May 31, 2019 by chapchap