RC Cruise ‘must have’ travel items/hacks

[brillohead]

10 hours ago, DCPIV said:

I like this thing a lot (and have two of them):

 

The light on that makes me think it's surge-protected... have you checked the specs?

If it is surge-protected, you should NOT bring it on the ship.

 

[annmarz]

I always bring 2 inflatable hangers and a quick-dry hand towel.  Anything wet will dry much more quickly when first wrapped in the towel and then hung on the hangers. The towel is great for hair also.  I always bring hair conditioner.

 

Also a travel coffee mug because I like to keep my coffee hot. 

[DCPIV]

2 hours ago, brillohead said:

The light on that makes me think it's surge-protected... have you checked the specs?

If it is surge-protected, you should NOT bring it on the ship.

 

 

I am aware that surge protected items don't belong on ships. This is not surge protected. 

[1ballerina]

On 3/20/2022 at 8:22 PM, Sunshine3601 said:

Do you have heavy duty magnetic hooks?   If not, they are a must have for us.   We hang belts, hats, bathing suits, backpacks, etc on our hooks.

I just purchased hooks off of Amazon !

Hoping they hold! 
 

Thank you 

[1ballerina]

3 hours ago, brillohead said:

The light on that makes me think it's surge-protected... have you checked the specs?

If it is surge-protected, you should NOT bring it on 

1 hour ago, annmarz said:

I always bring 2 inflatable hangers and a quick-dry hand towel.  Anything wet will dry much more quickly when first wrapped in the towel and then hung on the hangers. The towel is great for hair also.  I always bring hair conditioner.

 

Also a travel coffee mug because I like to keep my coffee hot. 

I’ve never heard of inflatable hangers ! I will check them out ! Coffee mug is a fantastic idea ..also something I haven’t thought of but a great idea! Coffee lovers unite 🙂 

[1ballerina]

On 3/20/2022 at 8:33 PM, fredmdcruisers said:

Flashlight, nightlight, and short extension cord. (They say you shouldn't use a surge protector strip.) Bull nose clips to hold curtains closed. 

Short extension cord is now on my list 🙂 

[1ballerina]

On 3/20/2022 at 9:07 PM, neverbeenhere said:

Dryer sheets for drawers and closet space. (Easy and small to pack smell refreshers)

 

 

One time I brought a small cedar smelling hanger..we were traveling both by land and on a lengthy cruise ..but dryer sheets are easier to pack ! 

[1ballerina]

On 3/20/2022 at 9:33 PM, Old Fart Cruisers said:

Ziplock bags (some 1 quart & 1 gallon sizes) to pack lotions, sunscreen and wet stuff in.

Garbage bags for dirty clothes.  I carry a laundry bag, but pack the dirty clothes in a plastic bag inside of it.

Beach towel clips to hang water shoes and bathing suits in the shower to dry.  I now use the big rubber bands to hold the beach towels on the beach chairs, but still carry the old type clips just for wet stuff to dry.

 

A Tide Pen spot stain remover.

Sanitizing wipes.

Vinyl over the door shoe organizer(holds more than just shoes)

 

 

Shoe organizer is on my list! I’ve yet to purchase the beach towels clips ..but we are on the same page with Tide pen ! Also I bring a pen size roll on perfume ..sooo much easier than bringing a whole bottle !! 

[1ballerina]

23 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Extension cords are illegal. If they detect it I. Your suitcase, your bag will be confiscated. And you will spend time on embarkation day getting it from the naughty room. 
 

Then on disembarkation day, you’ll spend time trying to recover your item in the baggage hall. 
 

Ugggg don’t wanna go to naughty room !!! 

[1ballerina]

22 hours ago, rennyn said:

+1 on the heavy duty magnetic hooks and clips (make sure the magnet is strong)

 

Another good thing to bring is wrinkle release spray. Downy sells a version with 3 small bottles that travel easy. This stuff really does work for minor wrinkles and can help keep lightly worn clothes looking (and smelling) fresher without needing to wash them. (That said, the non-travel sized version seems to work way better for some reason - I need to figure out if there's an actual difference or if it was just the clothing I had last trip.)

I would be curious to find out if your theory on the non travel size it accurate !! I currently bring a travel size but wonder if it really does help or if it’s all in my head 😉 

[bmblob]

Instead of a short extension cord, I have used a 3 plug extension socket that has 3 prongs (grounded).  It sells for $4.74 at Home Depot.  Takes no space in your luggage and is otherwise safe and not a prohibited item.

[MikeTheNFT]

51 minutes ago, 1ballerina said:

I would be curious to find out if your theory on the non travel size it accurate !! I currently bring a travel size but wonder if it really does help or if it’s all in my head 😉 

 

I just did a quick test for both of us 🙂 I think the large and small are the same, its more about the fabric. Neither works great on a dress shirt that's like mostly polyester, but I have some nice cotton based buttonups and both sprays work REALLY well.

[1ballerina]

1 minute ago, rennyn said:

 

I just did a quick test for both of us 🙂 I think the large and small are the same, its more about the fabric. Neither works great on a dress shirt that's like mostly polyester, but I have some nice cotton based buttonups and both sprays work REALLY well.

Awesome !!! 😀

[Lane Hog]

1 hour ago, bmblob said:

Instead of a short extension cord, I have used a 3 plug extension socket that has 3 prongs (grounded).  It sells for $4.74 at Home Depot.  Takes no space in your luggage and is otherwise safe and not a prohibited item.

Yeah, but the issue with the extension cord isn't the number of plugs in the room -- it's where they're located.  My wife likes her phone charging at the nightstand.  I like the laptop to be by the TV.  If the only US plug is at the desk, both of those become impractical...

[crochetcruise]

Make sure you have MORE than the number of days supply of medication than your cruise/s just in case of an unplanned trip interruption!

I use WebsterPaks provided by my chemist so I'm not trying to locate a certain bottle or packet for my medication. The pack also has specific details of what I take, so no problems.

[Bailey & Sophie]

 

What we bring:

●An over the door shoe bag with clear pockets. I have noticed that some cabins don't have bars in the bathroom to prevent smalls from sliding off shelves in case the ship rocks and rolls. If breakable items are in the shoe pockets they won't go flying. Clear pockets make items easy to see.

●Chip bag plastic clips from Dollar (+.25) Tree. They can clip on the shower curtain to stabilize it so you don't have to "wear it" while taking a shower. They can also pinch curtains closed if they leak sunlight during the day. You know what I mean.

●We have had an inside room at times. They are very dark which is nice. We pick up battery powered night lights at Dollar (+.25) Tree and put them in the bathroom at night. Just enough light to go to the bathroom but not enough to make you want to stay up for the rest of the night. They don't last long so get a couple packages. I think there's 3 in a package.

●We love the magnet hooks. We picked up heavy duty ones (50#) at Home Depot. The cabins are small and I don't want trip hazards on the floor. If you don't want the 50#ers you can always double up on them for heavier things.

●We bring pre-packaged, factory sealed snacks on excursions: Peanuts, trail mix, dried fruit, etc. You never know when an excursion will run long or provide questionable food (we once were given warm mayo-based chicken salad sandwiches). 

Hope this helps.

 

[brillohead]

2 hours ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

●We love the magnet hooks. We picked up heavy duty ones (50#) at Home Depot. The cabins are small and I don't want trip hazards on the floor. If you don't want the 50#ers you can always double up on them for heavier things.

FWIW, a 22# magnet hook will easily hold a hanger with a large wet swimsuit or t-shirt from the ceiling, while being smaller/lighter to pack and cheaper to buy.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

10 hours ago, annmarz said:

Also a travel coffee mug because I like to keep my coffee hot. 

ah, yes, we bring the insulated mugs as well. Not only because we like our tea and coffee hot, but also because the cups in the buffet and MDR are tiny, and we like our beverages oversized.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

5 hours ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

We bring pre-packaged, factory sealed snacks on excursions: Peanuts, trail mix, dried fruit, etc.

we just grab a couple of cereal boxes at breakfast at the buffet or potato chips at the Central Park cafe if the ship has it. When DS was younger, we put something more filling, like a croissant or a piece of challah bread from the buffet into a ziplock bag for his onshore snacks.

We fly to ports and are limited to 2 40# suitcases for the 3 of us, so why pay more for overweight luggage when bringing extra, when you can just grab free snacks right there on the ship?

[DCPIV]

8 hours ago, Lane Hog said:

Yeah, but the issue with the extension cord isn't the number of plugs in the room -- it's where they're located.  My wife likes her phone charging at the nightstand.  I like the laptop to be by the TV.  If the only US plug is at the desk, both of those become impractical...

 

That's why I bring portable chargers.  I can charge them up while we're out of the room, and then I can move them anywhere I want and be "plugged in" (so to speak) while I'm there.  I travel with them, anyhow, so may as well bring them on board and use them.

[SRF]

On 3/20/2022 at 11:59 PM, livingonthebeach said:

Cruise essentials from Amazon:

 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cruise+essentials&gclid=CjwKCAjwoduRBhA4EiwACL5RP7PV2ribXs1q4BUxhXCXRGe-6boU0KCOeBveH_FUPZGbKoDGqN9_1BoChIUQAvD_BwE&hvadid=490225671816&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9011919&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=9669937339370084805&hvtargid=kwd-325314656&hydadcr=24658_13446926&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_1w2l827l8_b

 

The first item shown is an adapter with cord with SURGE SUPPRESSION. A HUGE no-no on ships.

 

[SRF]

For a night light, I take some of the electric tea candles.  You can get a two pack for $1 at the dollar type stores or a box of 12 from Amazon.

 

I use these adapters as they do not have any surge suppression.  Then I plug in a normal 2 or 4 port USB charger.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NCZJ5UN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[Surfguyxxx]

22 hours ago, LooneyCruzer said:

 

A bit off topic but does anyone know of a battery powered alarm clock that I can read from across the room instead of using my phone which I'd have to fiddle with before I see the time?   Just something simple that we can look up and read from across; that doesn't turn off, or go super dim, during the night.  Thanks.

[Surfguyxxx]

sorry, repeated post

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Surfguyxxx

[Surfguyxxx]

22 hours ago, LooneyCruzer said:

Blue painters tape. Sticks and holds but doesnt leave duct tape sticky

I'm still trying to figure this one out????? 🤔 🤣

Edited March 22, 2022 by Surfguyxxx