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Questions for seasoned Oceania Cruisers...


Sun Queen II
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Hi all, we’re starting to plan our packing for our trip, and I know that there are a multitude of packing forums, but these are specific to Riviera.  So sorry if these have been asked before:

 

- does anyone know what size the ship luggage tags are that will be shipped to us?  We want to order plastic luggage tag protectors through Amazon soon, but from other posts, we see that the package won’t be shipped until about 3 weeks prior to cruise, and we don’t want to wait too long.  It appears that different ships have different sizes. 

 

- I saw some forums suggest to bring a clothesline to hang wet bathing suits in the bathroom, does the Riviera have one of those pull out clothes lines in the tub area, like hotels tend to have?  If not, what do others do to dry wet clothes?

 

- are there clocks in each cabin? Or should we buy one?

 

- what about electrical plugs in the cabin - how many are there, and do people bother with bringing a cruise approved electrical outlet extender?

 

thanks in advance!

 

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Luggage tags are the long skinny ones in the back of the " Blue book" we only put them on once at destination, as usually in the night prior.

Yes there is a pull out laundry line in bathtub, in fact we only use the bath tub to hang our bathing suits.

There is one bedside clock, touch it and it lights up. Quite convenient.

We like the night light that is now in the bathroom as well.

Plenty of plugs beside bed and on the desk. 

 

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37 minutes ago, Sun Queen II said:

does anyone know what size the ship luggage tags are that will be shipped to us?  We want to order plastic luggage tag protectors through Amazon soon, but from other posts, we see that the package won’t be shipped until about 3 weeks prior to cruise, and we don’t want to wait too long.  It appears that different ships have different sizes. 

These are not the conventional luggage tags that you may be thinking of that have your name, address, etc.

These are paper stickers that you place on your luggage so that they know what cabin to deliver them.

Do not put them on before you fly - only when you arrive at the port as they would not travel well.

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5 hours ago, Sun Queen II said:

Hi all, we’re starting to plan our packing for our trip, and I know that there are a multitude of packing forums, but these are specific to Riviera.  So sorry if these have been asked before:

 

- does anyone know what size the ship luggage tags are that will be shipped to us?  We want to order plastic luggage tag protectors through Amazon soon, but from other posts, we see that the package won’t be shipped until about 3 weeks prior to cruise, and we don’t want to wait too long.  It appears that different ships have different sizes. 

 

- I saw some forums suggest to bring a clothesline to hang wet bathing suits in the bathroom, does the Riviera have one of those pull out clothes lines in the tub area, like hotels tend to have?  If not, what do others do to dry wet clothes?

 

- are there clocks in each cabin? Or should we buy one?

 

- what about electrical plugs in the cabin - how many are there, and do people bother with bringing a cruise approved electrical outlet extender?

 

thanks in advance!

 

Well   I always get my luggage tags when I check in... putting on with airlines and all the other confusion is not good.   Or if you do get them in advance  put them on in the cab or on arrival.  They are very resilent   Once on board throw them... You will get NEW tags for the end of the cruise that are different.

The airline will want them OFF for your flight as it will confuse their baggage tags

 

There are clocks

There are pull string lines in the bathroom  I use the ships laundry if it is anything more than sox or underware

There are outlets in Bath and at the Desk  I have never ever found a reason or need to bring extension chords.

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>what size the ship luggage tags are that will be shipped to us? 

As already mentioned these are peel and stick, wrap around the handle tags. No holder is needed. Just wanted to add that unlike a print your own paper tag these are on a very resilient almost plasticized paper stock and strong.

 

- I saw some forums suggest to bring a clothesline to hang wet bathing suits in the bathroom, does the Riviera have one of those pull out clothes lines in the tub area, like hotels tend to have?  If not, what do others do to dry wet clothes?

We always pack a large microfiber towel designed to absorb lots of water. When we hand wash an item or two wringing it in the towel cuts down on the drying time (and wrinkles).

 

- are there clocks in each cabin?

In addition to the supplied clock you can also set a wake-up call on the telephone. That is my preference as I must get out of bed to answer it. Or move the clock across the room.

 

- what about electrical plugs in the cabin - how many are there, and do people bother with bringing a cruise approved electrical outlet extender?

I've read a number of anxious posts that there are (never) enough outlets to charge multiple devices, phones; cameras; tablets; etc. So do people bother- yes, some definitely do. I bring a multi-port USB hub.  Some of the outlets are 110 and some are 220 with European pin configuration. If you must have a device plugged in on the night stand beside the bed you might pack a just-in-case extension cord. I believe the outlets beside the bed have changed with recent upgrade so not sure what is available on each vessel currently. Others might be able to supplier better details and what and where.

Edited by YoHoHo
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On each side of the bed (in a king configuration) on Riviera is a US plug next to the light switch above the night stand. At the desk is a euro 220 plug on the left and a US 110 plug on the right. Those were the outlets we used during our cruise in December. We had brought an adapter in case we wanted the euro plug but we did fine with just the US outlets. And we never wished we had an extension cord.

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7 hours ago, Paulchili said:

These are not the conventional luggage tags that you may be thinking of that have your name, address, etc.

These are paper stickers that you place on your luggage so that they know what cabin to deliver them.

Do not put them on before you fly - only when you arrive at the port as they would not travel well.

We ship our bags, from home to ship, and we fasten the luggage tags on our bags when we ship them.  I make a couple of copies of the tags and attach them in various places on the bags.  I wrap the tags with clear package tape, and not even UPS has ripped them off.   

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1 hour ago, Hoyaheel said:

We had brought an adapter in case we wanted the euro plug but we did fine with just the US outlets.

Don't you need a transformer as well as just a plain adapter as the voltage/wattage is different - or is it?

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8 hours ago, Paulchili said:

These are not the conventional luggage tags that you may be thinking of that have your name, address, etc.

These are paper stickers that you place on your luggage so that they know what cabin to deliver them.

Do not put them on before you fly - only when you arrive at the port as they would not travel well.

Right. They're like what you get at the airport when you check in for your flight. I think putting them on too soon could be confusing. And, yes, throw them out once you're on the ship or certainly before you leave. I'm wondering if OP thinks they're something 'fancier.'

 

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4 minutes ago, clo said:

Right. They're like what you get at the airport when you check in for your flight. I think putting them on too soon could be confusing. And, yes, throw them out once you're on the ship or certainly before you leave. I'm wondering if OP thinks they're something 'fancier.'

 

I was thinking the opposite of fancy. The OP said they " want to order plastic luggage tag protectors ". A number of cruise lines have a print from home luggage tag option. In addition to your details and a cabin number and perhaps colour-coded, it has fold lines and directions. One could print, fold (for strength) and secure these onto the luggage handle. Many pax instead cut them out and insert into those plastic luggage tag holders . Cruise Critic sells them in two sizes for tags of several cruise lines.

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48 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Don't you need a transformer as well as just a plain adapter as the voltage/wattage is different - or is it?

You are right to question if all one needs is an adapter (and no transformer to convert the voltage)  - it could lead to a mishap. Hoyaheel did say there was a 220 V euro plug on one side of the bed that they did not use though they brought an adapter.

A lot of modern devices are "dual voltage" — meaning they work on both American and European current so just plain adapter to convert the pin conversion will work. So maybe their devices are dual voltage. Or maybe their adapter includes voltage conversions. So I agree it can be unclear.

 

Of course, if one plugs a 100 device that is only 110v, or is dual but but needs manually switch to 220 v. it can be fried.  I have seen offered for sale simple pin adapters that do not have voltage conversion at prices that  one would expect to have a transformer. I think this issue can confuse.

 

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17 minutes ago, Justalone said:

A question for well seasoned cruisers, is it OK to bring a surge protected 6 -8 plug extension cord to charge electronic devices?   iPhones, iPads, tablets, laptops, camera batteries?

Thanks.

They hate these things, as they are not tested to not cause a fire (bad on board). There are fast charging usbs and normal charging places for 4-6 things in most rooms. We had no troubles. 

 

You can't leave them charging while you are off the ship though, they will disconnect them. 

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16 hours ago, Sun Queen II said:

Hi all, we’re starting to plan our packing for our trip, and I know that there are a multitude of packing forums, but these are specific to Riviera.  So sorry if these have been asked before:

 

- does anyone know what size the ship luggage tags are that will be shipped to us?  We want to order plastic luggage tag protectors through Amazon soon, but from other posts, we see that the package won’t be shipped until about 3 weeks prior to cruise, and we don’t want to wait too long.  It appears that different ships have different sizes. 

 

- I saw some forums suggest to bring a clothesline to hang wet bathing suits in the bathroom, does the Riviera have one of those pull out clothes lines in the tub area, like hotels tend to have?  If not, what do others do to dry wet clothes?

 

- are there clocks in each cabin? Or should we buy one?

 

- what about electrical plugs in the cabin - how many are there, and do people bother with bringing a cruise approved electrical outlet extender?

 

thanks in advance!

 

They're regular, preprinted  "almost indestructible" and made of self-stick airline luggage tag material (three per person)- exactly the same for every Oceania ship. No need for protectors.

 

Retractable clothes lines over the tubs.

 

US 110 and euro 220 electric outlets.

 

Analog alarm clock in every cabin.

 

No need for extension cords

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2 hours ago, Justalone said:

A question for well seasoned cruisers, is it OK to bring a surge protected 6 -8 plug extension cord to charge electronic devices?   iPhones, iPads, tablets, laptops, camera batteries?

Thanks.

BTW, if you leave chargers plugged in to cabin outlets while you are not there, the steward will disconnect them.

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6 hours ago, Justalone said:

A question for well seasoned cruisers, is it OK to bring a surge protected 6 -8 plug extension cord to charge electronic devices?   iPhones, iPads, tablets, laptops, camera batteries?

Thanks.

 

Those are a huge fire hazard on a cruise ship.  Seriously, google it.  
You can get USB power outlets which will work and are safe.  And take up far less space too!

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13 hours ago, Paulchili said:

Don't you need a transformer as well as just a plain adapter as the voltage/wattage is different - or is it?

 

12 hours ago, YoHoHo said:

You are right to question if all one needs is an adapter (and no transformer to convert the voltage)  - it could lead to a mishap. Hoyaheel did say there was a 220 V euro plug on one side of the bed that they did not use though they brought an adapter.

 

 

I said adapter and I meant adapter. I don't travel with or use transformers unless absolutely necessary. I would only use the 220v outlet and adapter with dual voltage electronics like my cell phone or laptop. The reason I originally asked about outlets prior to my Dec cruise is so I knew which hair tool to bring - I only own single voltage hair tools, 110 and 220 versions. I have personally had bad luck with dual voltage hair tools so I do not use them.

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51 minutes ago, Hoyaheel said:

 

 

I said adapter and I meant adapter. I don't travel with or use transformers unless absolutely necessary. I would only use the 220v outlet and adapter with dual voltage electronics like my cell phone or laptop. The reason I originally asked about outlets prior to my Dec cruise is so I knew which hair tool to bring - I only own single voltage hair tools, 110 and 220 versions. I have personally had bad luck with dual voltage hair tools so I do not use them.

Thank you for your explanation.

I travel with an iPhone and an iPad and the adapters with those devices have served me well all over the world.

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3 hours ago, KS&JW said:

 

Those are a huge fire hazard on a cruise ship.  Seriously, google it.  
You can get USB power outlets which will work and are safe.  And take up far less space too!

There was a  serious fire recently on a ship/boat  that was caused by overuse of a shipboard electrical

There are hair dryers in each cabin.    The electrical system is not designed to run high amperage things

An electrical shaver is about the highest amps.

Edited by Hawaiidan
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You weren't asking me but I'll answer ... pretty much yes!  I bring along my laptop (so that I can upload photos, do my trip diary, consult my trip file, etc.), iPhone (for calls on land), two or sometimes three cameras (!) ... but not necessarily camera batteries because I can recharge them on board.  I do NOT bring along my tablet although I've seen many passengers using them to take pictures, etc. My laptop is super light because I only use it for travel.  And my cameras are small to medium sized.  Of course, SOMETIMES I have additional lenses with me as well ...  It depends on where we are traveling.  And how!

 

When you don't need to bring along formal clothing then you have more room for such items ...

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I have the amazon clear plastic luggage tags you are referring to ( thin rectangle with a sun embossed). We prepared them at home store them with our important documents and fix them on to our cases when we leave for the port. They are about 10 years old and have served me well. I have had tags ripped of by the car drivers or porters particularly when disembarking so these give me piece of mind.

 

i too travel with iPad, iPhone, kindle, hair straighteners, husbands laptop if working,  camera battery and medical equipment. We have adapters and USB ports. These work well.  We are sensible and charge when in the room or overnight a couple of items at a time. The stewards will unplug, it is a ship rule but easily complied to. 

 

We we have only been on R class ships and are looking forward to our first trip on the Riviera this summer.  

 

I too bring  a microfibre towel for bathing costumes. Rise, towel dry and hang of back of  bathroom door if no clothes line. I travel with more than one costume as they don’t always dry over night.  Please remember the stewards service the room twice a day and a wet costume would , I image, make their job difficult hence the towel drying.  I do how ever recommend both the Landry service and the self washing. You can meet the most interesting people in the laundry room and its surprising how often you then see them around the ship.  However R class only have  around 680 Riviera is double and it’s about 8 years since we have been on a ship with more than 680  must admit we hesitated to book such a large ship but hopefully the queues won’t be too bad.

enjoy your cruise.

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6 hours ago, welshfamily said:

I  must admit we hesitated to book such a large ship but hopefully the queues won’t be too bad.

enjoy your cruise.

 Same! I hadn't been on a ship larger than R class since 2008, but we booked Riviera for December 2019. It was fine for me - the only line we had was at disembarkation (which was a freaking mess and really left me with a terrible impression after a pretty decent 2 week cruise, so....) It was a lot more steps up & down and I got lost forward/aft a lot more often than on smaller ships (yes, even at the end of 2 weeks 😉) but overall I'd probably do it again. [I still prefer smaller ships!!!]

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