Best tip used?

[Sun&FunTraveler]

My wife and I are going on our first cruise... on the Valor Aug 2/09 western Carb...... Will it be cool enough at night to the point of a sweat shirt or wind breaker.... thanks

[Cruiser23490578]

My wife and I are going on our first cruise... on the Valor Aug 2/09 western Carb...... Will it be cool enough at night to the point of a sweat shirt or wind breaker.... thanks

 

That's very difficult to predict, but one thing I've learned from past cruise experiences is that the dining room in the ship can get quite nippy. Why not think about packing a sweater or lightweight outer garment that could serve two purposes, one for a cool dining room and for questionable outdoor weather? We sailed on the Valor and I did use a sweater every night and at the art auctions during the day. We sailed in September.

 

Patty

[gamecockfan]

On our last cruise we used Vis-a-Vis pens (overhead projector pens) to leave notes for each other on the mirror in the cabin. We also left notes for our steward if we needed anything from him. The writing wipes off with water and a napkin or paper towel- no need to fool with post-it notes. It worked great!

 

Also, bring a large manilla envelope with a cardboard insert for your pictures you purchase. This keeps them from getting bent or torn on the way home.

 

Thanks for all the great tips guys!! I'm making my list!

[EASTMAN]

i tend to agree anout the germ issue. Early in my career as a teacher, i got colds and was sick all of the time. Nothing like having sick kids breathing all over you! After a few years, i did not get sick much. Now, i rarely do.....watch how i end up sick soon! Anyway, i think people do build up an immunity through exposure. I still wash my hands and stuff!

 

Hugs,

chelle

iam one of those who is a little nuts about not getting sick on a cruise.so this is what i found out.washing your hands is the best thing.i heard that it dosent kill virus,but washes it away.that why you wash for 20 seconds.someone told me sing happy birthday twice(but not out loud).next thing i read was wet ones(kmart)has something called benzethonium cloride and will kill norovirus.cholrine will do a nice job on your wifes dress cloths and dosent do much for your love life afterwards.we always clean our cabin and there have been some that make a cleaning pad dirty.some of this happens when that big fat guy goes potty and doesnt was his hands and sits down at the lido table and uses that salt or pepper shaker,and then you touch the same one later.has anyone ever seen anyone clean those things when they clean a table off.maybe nuts,but i dont want to pay $2000 and be told by the med staff i had to stay in my cabin till they say i can come out.

[breezycruiser]

iam one of those who is a little nuts about not getting sick on a cruise.so this is what i found out.washing your hands is the best thing.i heard that it dosent kill virus,but washes it away.that why you wash for 20 seconds.someone told me sing happy birthday twice(but not out loud).next thing i read was wet ones(kmart)has something called benzethonium cloride and will kill norovirus.cholrine will do a nice job on your wifes dress cloths and dosent do much for your love life afterwards.we always clean our cabin and there have been some that make a cleaning pad dirty.some of this happens when that big fat guy goes potty and doesnt was his hands and sits down at the lido table and uses that salt or pepper shaker,and then you touch the same one later.has anyone ever seen anyone clean those things when they clean a table off.maybe nuts,but i dont want to pay $2000 and be told by the med staff i had to stay in my cabin till they say i can come out.

 

 

Lol I was told to sing a verse of Old McDonald when washing your hands! I'm so used to it now that I'm teaching my daughter to do it.:)

[Rickdabear]

Thought it would be good for 1st timers to see all the tips we've used from all the experienced cruisers on this site in one thread

 

mine is simple but I never thought of it, and that was the over the door shoe holder, worked GREAT for all the stuff that would otherwise clutter your counter

 

For several years we too have used the over-the-door shoe holder for all of our sundries. We also get stickups for the bathrooms, sunscreen, bug spray with deet, comfy shoes, clothes for warm and cool weather, toothbrush holders, deck of cards or two, water shoes (in the Caribbean), candied ginger if you get sea sick, camera with extra batteries, extra memory card or film, copies of your passport information page, copies of your itinerary, copies of the names you are going on tours with, (In the safe: Copies of your Credit Card numbers as well as the security number on the back plus the phone number for each company), you are allowed one bottle of wine per person upon boarding take advantage of this.

Da Bear

[bighairtexan]

Wouldn't Depends count as disposable underwear? I, for one, refuse to wear Depends until they come out in a thong style. Way sexy.

[teacherme]

subbing

[crusinpsychRN]

Does the casino still give out lanyards??

 

Yes. They are plastic curled things. In some of the stores they sell cloth lanyards which are much nicer. The casino window staff will punch a hole for you also.

[kikicruiser]

All those tips are so good and very useful. Here's one to give your cabin that little something extra....a Wallflower airfreshener from Bath&Body Works. Some even have nightlights and they fit on the vanity in the outlet. PLUS...added bonus of being reminded of your cruise back at home when you smell the same scent. Scent is the most powerful memory key...

[pcb412]

I always travel with a Swiss Army knife and/or a Leatherman tool. More often than not I wind up using at least the:

scissors, knifeblade, CORKSCREW, BOTTLE OPENER!!!!! (there's nothing worse than having a tasty bottle of something but not being able to open it)

 

Leave the bathroom light on at night. Plenty of light comes through under the door for a nightlight.

 

Rumrunners (nuf said)

[JES11583]

I get the big clips (about 2", with a magnet on the back) from the dollar store to hold the shower curtain in place. Magnets do not serve any purpose, but they are the biggest/heaviest I have found. Clip on the bottom of each corner of the curtain and it keeps it from floating outside the rim of the shower basin and soaking the floor. Also, I found that by putting a towel on the toilet seat, sitting down and using the handheld shower head, it is much easier to shave my legs!

 

 

****Another tip on SHAVING..LADIES....Get those INTUITION razors... they are a life saver!!! you dont have to worry about a thing of shaving gel/cream and lathering it on your legs.. the Schick Intuition already has it on the razor itself...

[WinnipegCruiser]

This is going to sound ridiculous. Do your cell phones work on board the ship? I was on two cruises and never could pick up a signal.

 

You have to confirm with your service provider that International service is turned on.

 

If you really need cell phone service you can get a cheap ($19) pay as you go phone (I like the t-mobile) and load it with some time (figure $2.00 per min). Call the service provider to get international service turned on.

 

That was you don't have to worry about getting calls from people just to talk, and you give the number only to people who will respect your vacation.

 

Also, if you have an unlocked international phone with a SIM, you can buy a SIM for the area you are cruising, and save money.

[WinnipegCruiser]

What exactly did you use your shoe holder for (meaning did you use it for something other than shoes, like in the bathroom to hold things?) I'm trying to visualize where this would go.

 

There is a hook on the wall where you normally hang a towel, or you can sometimes get an over the door type and hang it on the back of the door.

[TERMITEJR]

I always travel with a Swiss Army knife and/or a Leatherman tool. More often than not I wind up using at least the:

scissors, knifeblade, CORKSCREW, BOTTLE OPENER!!!!! (there's nothing worse than having a tasty bottle of something but not being able to open it)

 

Leave the bathroom light on at night. Plenty of light comes through under the door for a nightlight.

 

Rumrunners (nuf said)

Thats a great one,I sufferd the same pain last year,bucket of mick ultrain my room and nothing to open it with:mad: Thanks to a great room steward,I was fixed up in no time:D Boy did he get a good tip in the end

[Vegas0609]

"Thats a great one,I sufferd the same pain last year,bucket of mick ultrain my room and nothing to open it with:mad: Thanks to a great room steward,I was fixed up in no time:D Boy did he get a good tip in the end "

 

Mich Ultra's are twist off... At least around here they are???

[TERMITEJR]

"Thats a great one,I sufferd the same pain last year,bucket of mick ultrain my room and nothing to open it with:mad: Thanks to a great room steward,I was fixed up in no time:D Boy did he get a good tip in the end "

 

Mich Ultra's are twist off... At least around here they are???

They werent last year,they were in an aluminum bottle,hope they ARE twist off now

[skay]

[/color]

They werent last year,they were in an aluminum bottle,hope they ARE twist off now

If ya had ya some bubba keg mugs, they got a bottle opener built right into the bottom of the handle.

[Kurbanfan]

[quote=Vegas0609;18309256

Mich Ultra's are twist off... At least around here they are???quote]

 

Carnival has Mich Ultras in the 16oz aluminum bottles......no twist offs....

[mykiddiewinks]

This will be our 3rd cruise with Carnival in April but our first balcony - anyone have any specific balcony tips.

 

One tip I heard last year and used November was to take note where you get your OJ from in a morning although the label gets removed after breakfast it will still dispense the OJ until it runs out. There was a dispenser in the Fish and Chiis area on the Liberty that was always quiet so never ran out. :)

[pcb412]

"Thats a great one,I sufferd the same pain last year,bucket of mick ultrain my room and nothing to open it with:mad: Thanks to a great room steward,I was fixed up in no time:D Boy did he get a good tip in the end "

 

Mich Ultra's are twist off... At least around here they are???

 

We couldn't open our gift bottle of wine with the cheap RCI corkscrew. Just asked the room steward to do it and it was off in 2 seconds. Problem solved.

[cruise addict from TN]

I like to take Bibles to give to the cabin stewards and wait staff. The first time I did this was on my second cruise in 1998. The cabin steward was from the Phillipeans - She cried, hugged me, and said that she had always wanted one and never had been able to get one. There have been other inspirational moments, but that by far will stay with me. Most of the staff on cruise ships are from foreign countries and different cultures and have not been exposed to Christianity or not allowed to learn about Christianity.

 

 

We also take a suitcase with Sodas and waters. We can use the empty suitcase to bring back our souveniers. If any left sodas are left over, you can leave them with the cabin steward and they appreciate the extra tip. There was a time we were offered $20.00 for a Dr. Pepper (I had a couple extra so I gave him one). I think he was having withdrawels and we made a friend for the rest of the week.

 

We use Walkie talkies and powerstrips and flahslights.

 

Most ships have phones in some of the public areas that you can call back to the rooms instead of going all the way back on foot.

 

Hubbie does not leave home without his leatherman and he uses a GPS program on his computer. (There have been several cruises where we felt the ship was going off course and sure enough we were - several medical emergencies have caused up to go back to closes port and in 2005 on the Elation a lady went overboard and we were able to see where all we had been and turned around from his recordings from the GPS).

[Scouter Wife]

If at all possible try and have all of your carry on luggage be the type with wheels on them. I wished I had thought of this on my first cruise. It can be a long walk through the lines at check in and I got real tired of carrying, or constantly having to pick up my bags and move them!:mad:

 

Amen to this tip!! I sadly learned this the hard way on our first cruise.

[VBnewcruiser]

Something I haven't seen... hope it helps...

 

Before you put your clothes into a suitcase, put them into a trash bag (or space saver waterproof bags if you have them). If you store any liquids in your suitcase, it can keep your clothes safe. Also, consider that OTHER people will have have liquids in their suitcases. They might not be a diligent packer, and if they have a liquid item that busts... It happened to someone on one of our trips where a person had packed a bottle of red wine in their suitcase... it busted and leaked all over the suitcase below it, ruining someone else's stuff!!! If you put your clothes in a trash bag, your luggage might get messed up but at least all your clothes won't be ruined! =)

[BassetPeople]

What carriers do you have cathyoo?? Even if the phone doesn't work (for making calls) it can still be used as a nite lite and alarm clock.

 

The time will auto update with your timezone...you won't be on ships time.