How do you organize your gear?

[nrh322]

We just a booked an NCL cruise out of NOLA (Dec. 2nd) with some nice dive ports... Roatan, Belize, & Coz. We'll be diving, of course, and bringing our gear. We're trying to save some money on this trip and booking our first ever inside cabin. I SAW my kids' inside cabin on our last cruise. It was SMALL. Really, really, really... SMALL! It made small cabins look not so small. That cabin was on the Liberty of the Seas. It was bigger than the one that I just booked on the Spirit. I'm used to being able to stick our dive gear out on the balcony to dry. We aren't going to have a balcony. We aren't going to have much room for anything.

 

Does anybody have any handy dandy small cabin - wet gear storage ideas?

[scubalisa]

Hang your wet gear in the shower, and take your showers in the spa until your gear is dry (more pleasant anyway). We always get an inside, and yes, it is cramped with all of our gear! After it is all dry, place it under the bed. Have fun!

[scubaran]

We just a booked an NCL cruise out of NOLA (Dec. 2nd) with some nice dive ports... Roatan, Belize, & Coz. We'll be diving, of course, and bringing our gear. We're trying to save some money on this trip and booking our first ever inside cabin. I SAW my kids' inside cabin on our last cruise. It was SMALL. Really, really, really... SMALL! It made small cabins look not so small. That cabin was on the Liberty of the Seas. It was bigger than the one that I just booked on the Spirit. I'm used to being able to stick our dive gear out on the balcony to dry. We aren't going to have a balcony. We aren't going to have much room for anything.

 

Does anybody have any handy dandy small cabin - wet gear storage ideas?

 

Hi,

 

Hang in the shower (bring a hanger as some ships use those, ball at the top of the hanger, type hangers with no hooks). When you need to take a shower or just want to get your gear out of the way, get some large travel "space bags". You can put your wet gear in them, roll out the air and store them under the bed or where ever to get it out of the way (it won't mold in 1/2 day with the air out, I do it all the time). This is also a great way of packing it up after a dive on the way back to the ship without soaking the inside of your bag. Also with the humidity wet suits, etc. rarely dry completely so this is a great way of packing your gear to go back.

 

Randall

[scubamargie]

We have had to store our wet gear in our inside cabin. My suggestions:

 

1) Get some suction cup hooks -- they make it a lot easier to hang wet swimming suits, etc. in the small shower space. You may have to double up on them to hold wet suits or BCs.

 

http://hardware.hardwarestore.com/28-447-suction-cup-hooks/snap-hook-suction-cups-650995.aspx?CAWELAID=42543937

 

2) Ask the cabin steward for extra beach towels so you can move the gear out of the shower when you need to. Bring your own heavy duty hangers as another suggested.

 

3) Bring a small spray bottle of Frebrez for when the gear starts getting ripe.

 

4) Bring a small bottle of Woolite to wash out wet suites/booties after your last day of diving (difficult to do in the sink/shower but it can be done!).

 

5) Take the gear up on deck, find a nice secluded place in the shade with a lot of breeze, and drape your gear over lounge chairs. We've never had staff complain if we make every effort to remain out of sight. This will help with the extra water weight that might put you over the 50 lb. airline weight limit.

 

A cheap inside cabin is better than no cruise at all (IMHO)! :)

[nrh322]

Thanks for the suggestions! I hadn't thought about bringing gear hangers until now. I'll pull some out of the gear closet when I pack. They're big, but it sounds like they might come in handy...hooks too. I've got hangers made to hold wetsuits and other ones for fins, masks, booties, gloves and such. With a bunch of those suction cups and some extra towels and a LOT of patience on the part of our room steward, I think I'll be in business. Maybe I'll even luck out and find a hose up on the deck somewhere... :)

 

We're driving, so I don't have to worry about airline weight limits. If I can carry it, I can bring it! :):)

[CFDAlden]

My plan for my gear in march - My shorty I'll shower in , to rinse. A nice cool shower won't bother it. I could do the same with the BC. We have a balcony, so I'll find a good way to secure it there, so it won't be blown away.

 

There's four of us with connecting balcony's (all divers), and we'll spread it out. We'll be asking to have the dividers openend as soon as we board. :)

[DiverII]

We usually take bungee cords and hang our wet suits out on the balcony. It works well enough, but nothing dries completely. As for those w/ inside cabins, wow, that is tight!! good luck.

[w&k]

On our last cruise on the Empress of the Seas, we were booted off the pool deck by a security guy that evidently had been having a hard day. (Later we heard that he had just kicked someone off the ship for being drunk and abusive to his lady companion)

 

Anyways, he told us to take our gear to our cabin, so we did. For those that have never sailed on the Empress, the cabins are tiny. I mean teeny-tiny - like 107 sq ft!

 

Of course, we had not bothered to rinse our gear at the boat, so everything was completely salty & grotty.

 

So, after some thought (and a couple beers), I ran DH through the shower and out of the cabin. I then completely cleared the bathroom of anything not wettable, got the shower sprayer down, put a big towel across the bottom of the door, and got to work. Wish I had a video of that hour...it was like that game where you have to push the tiles around with one space.

 

From that day on, we did a quick rinse and drip at the dive operation, so we had only damp gear for the rest of the trip. We also travel with a small fan and an extension cord, so we could usually get the websuits down to slightly damp and clammy.

 

We were able to find our cabin steward, tell him about the mountain of gear, and let him know not to bother with the bathroom. Poor fella, he really seemed to look forward to morning, when we would take all the stuff out and go diving, so he could get in there and clean.

 

Have a great time!

 

Wendy

[nrh322]

Wendy...

 

You just described about what I'd imagined myself doing. I'm planning to try and at least rinse masks and regs on the boat. I think there is a laundromat on the ship... if the washing machines have a COLD water "rinse and spin" cycle, that is a miracle for stinky wetsuits. It rinses out the salt AND spins them almost dry. That's what I use at home. My wetsuits last forever. One way or another, I forsee a damp and stinky cabin! The things we do to get wet... :)

 

Thanks for the idea about bringing a little fan. Brilliant. Too bad I won't have room for our dehumidifier! :):)

[Skinsdiver]

Get some "Sink the Stink"