Best Cooler

So with the 12"x12"x12" cooler dimensions, does anyone have a link to one that is sturdy, and will keep items cold yet remain within the dimensions?

I have found a lot of no longer made coolers that fall within the dimensions, but nothing current.

I'm surprised no one has made a "cruise cube" specifically for this requirement, but I guess it's not that old of a requirement from what I've read.

Look for a collapsible cooler that you can fold up and put in your suitcase. It will be larger than a 12x12 and easier to get on board and off. You can find them at Walmart, Costco, Sam's Target, or any large sporting goods store.

I found mine at WalMart for $9. I brought a hard and soft one. I think I'm going to take the hard one on the cruise and use the other one for day trips.

Mine came as a freebee comp from a local casino. It easily holds a six pack of coke zero plus ice. It leaks so I use a couple of zip lock bags to put the ice in. Works as well as one costing twice as much.;)

I'm going to bring one of these~ I've heard good things about it~It's by California Innovations

I'm going to bring one of these~ I've heard good things about it~It's by California Innovations

We use this same cooler, it holds 24 cans or bottles and folds completely flat to take hardly any room up in the suitcase. It also doesn't leak and keeps ice great! They have them on Amazon for $15

Tubing laws in San Marcos (Austin area) dictate the same dimensions so I have lots of experience with the Wal-Mart $9 ones. They have a plastic liner you can pull out so it'll collapse and they don't leak. They'll easily hold 16 cans + ice inside the cooler with the liner and probably another 6-7 in the other pockets. I usually put 12 cans in it with as much ice as possible and rotate the outside cans in. If you remove the liner they'll hold at least 18 cans inside with ice.

It won't keep ice all weekend but it's good for 6-7 hours.

I'm going to bring one of these~ I've heard good things about it~It's by California Innovations

This is very similar to one we picked up last weekend at Big Lots for $12

I have a coleman that I got when I opened a bank account YEARS ago...but when I looked there new version is bigger and slimmer...not in the proper demensions. :(

This is what I took and loved it...didn't leak and kept everything really cold. Plus folds down nicely.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=173588&navAction

For a small hard side cooler that is within the 12x12x12 limit, I bought one like this from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-FlipLid-6-2dCan-Personal-qt-2e-29/dp/B00165QPNE/ref=pd_sbs_sg_13

uh oh. I'm worried now. We bought this at Target, holds quite a bit, we thought for some of the ports we could take food and drink off the ship in this bag --- but now I hear you guys talking about allowable dimensions?? We were going to use this bag as a carry-on - it's fully insulated.

http://www.target.com/Igloo-Cooler-Tote-Best-Blues/dp/B002VQBMHQ/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&qid=1278626204&frombrowse=0&fromGsearch=true&node=1038576%7C1287991011&keywords=insulated%20tote&searchSize=30&id=Igloo%20Cooler%20Tote%20Best%20Blues&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&searchRank=target104545&sr=1-29&searchPage=2&rh=

ok. Just answered my own question. Found the answer on the Carnival website. Duh. Ours is a Thermos insulated tote, wonder if that will work for them.

ok, this is the cooler, should we take it back to the store? I'd hate to have it rejected. The dimensions are 14.5W x 6.25D x 12.25H.

http://www.thermos.com/product_details.aspx?ProdID=1064&CatCode=COOL&q=

How do they check - measuring tape or the kind you see in the airport where it must fit in their box?

You shouldn't have a problem at all with the soft bag type cooler. No problem with security. Technically, it is flexible enough you could "force" it into those demensions. :D

ok, this is the cooler, should we take it back to the store? I'd hate to have it rejected. The dimensions are 14.5W x 6.25D x 12.25H.

 

http://www.thermos.com/product_details.aspx?ProdID=1064&CatCode=COOL&q=

 

How do they check - measuring tape or the kind you see in the airport where it must fit in their box?

Beleive me, the security people at the piers aren't stupid and they do know what a cooler looks like, they see all kinds, every day. If you pack it with clothes and personal items and not beverages, you might get lucky and it'll get through. Most likely they will make you take everything out of the cooler, put it in a large plastic bag and either allow you to take the cooler back to your car (if you drove and you get a security person in a good mood) or will "discard" the cooler. I would not risk this.

If this tote can fold somewhat flat, pack it in a small carryon roller-type suitcase on top of your beverages and other items. Otherwise, if it were me, I'd take it back and exchange it.

BTW, any food you take off the ship has to be in sealed containers/packages. Maybe unpeeled whole fruit. Bottles or cans need to be unopened. Water bottles the exception. You can't pack sandwiches from the Lido deck.

So with the 12"x12"x12" cooler dimensions, does anyone have a link to one that is sturdy, and will keep items cold yet remain within the dimensions?

 

I have found a lot of no longer made coolers that fall within the dimensions, but nothing current.

 

I'm surprised no one has made a "cruise cube" specifically for this requirement, but I guess it's not that old of a requirement from what I've read.

We got the polar bear cooler, it doesnt leak it keeps drinks really cold and its worth it to get one that doesnt leak, even if we had to pay a bit more..you can find them on line and they can ship it to you within 2 days. We are just going to put is empty in our suitcase..our carryon will have the wine and whatever drinks we want..diet coke ect

I'm speaking a bit out of school but do you really think they are that picky?

I'm speculating that just as long as you don't roll on a 64 quart jobbie, you're probably OK with dimension that are close. I've found that most of the cruise employees to be pretty congenial and easy to get along with - it's not like they are TSA agents :rolleyes:.

most of the cruise employees to be pretty congenial and easy to get along with - it's not like they are TSA agents :rolleyes:.

But they are...TSA security is where you will get stopped. Once you're through, no one else (Carnival employees) asks or even checks. But some of the security folks are more "lenient" than others. A cooler looking like a tote with other personal items included might make it through. But you do run the risk of having to carry everything on board in a trashbag if they don't. Better to bring a collaspable cooler or smaller cooler you can refill as needed than something that holds all of your allotted stash of soda plus ice.

uh oh. I'm worried now. We bought this at Target, holds quite a bit, we thought for some of the ports we could take food and drink off the ship in this bag --- but now I hear you guys talking about allowable dimensions?? We were going to use this bag as a carry-on - it's fully insulated.

 

I read on a post you aren't allowed to take food into a country unless it is like an original package of cookies, crackers. No sandwiches, meat, fruit, veggies. Don't know where the thread was.

Sorry, I don't think I was very clear. I assume that security people (and pretty much everyone else) knows what a cooler was.

I read on the Carnival site that it was ok to bring a cooler, and ok to bring soft drinks (can't remember the number). So I then assumed I could get a cooler and fill that with the soft drinks and bring that on board the ship.

Notice the words "carry on"?

But I rechecked the embarkation policy on beverages and didn't notice the words: "only on carry on".

So now I realize what I must do is pack a cooler of some sort and actually carry the beverages with me. We always use backpacks as our carry on's (both airport and vacays), so this will work fine.

And now I understand why people are getting the cube shaped ones to store in their cabin.

BTW: This tote is very packable.

Beleive me, the security people at the piers aren't stupid and they do know what a cooler looks like, they see all kinds, every day. If you pack it with clothes and personal items and not beverages, you might get lucky and it'll get through. Most likely they will make you take everything out of the cooler, put it in a large plastic bag and either allow you to take the cooler back to your car (if you drove and you get a security person in a good mood) or will "discard" the cooler. I would not risk this.

 

If this tote can fold somewhat flat, pack it in a small carryon roller-type suitcase on top of your beverages and other items. Otherwise, if it were me, I'd take it back and exchange it.

 

BTW, any food you take off the ship has to be in sealed containers/packages. Maybe unpeeled whole fruit. Bottles or cans need to be unopened. Water bottles the exception. You can't pack sandwiches from the Lido deck.

BTW, any food you take off the ship has to be in sealed containers/packages...You can't pack sandwiches from the Lido deck.

oh and this is a bummer! I read on this site, one of those 10 things to know, that you can have the deli make you sandwiches and wrap them and then you can carry them off.

Doesn't bother me much though because honestly we'd rather eat the local food while in port.

I'm speaking a bit out of school but do you really think they are that picky?

 

I'm speculating that just as long as you don't roll on a 64 quart jobbie, you're probably OK with dimension that are close. I've found that most of the cruise employees to be pretty congenial and easy to get along with - it's not like they are TSA agents :rolleyes:.

I've seen them not allow a cooler that was 12 1/2".

yeah, ours is out of the dimensions. So after rereading and rereading the policy, it sounds like you can bring the cooler as carry on. And you can bring your sodas in your carry on luggage. So it seems to me we can do as planned: Bring a carry on, loaded with our allowable sodas. We just need a cooler that meets the dimensions. Right?

Just cruised on the Ecstasy out of Galveston last month and they aren't kidding when they say 12x12x12. They had rulers out and told my friend that she would have to empty her contents into a plastic bag (they provided) and throw her colapsable cooler away because it was a half inch too big. Now get this, I on the other hand was allowed to walk through with my canvas cooler on wheels (24x14x14). An agent did ask me about it and I told her that it was a travel bag. She asked me to open it and saw my stash of wine and 'bottled water'. She warned me that I may be asked to throw it away when I get to the metal detector station. My cooler made it through (whew!). Although it depends on the agents you run into, they are getting more strict about this. I later ran into another cruiser who said that they made her throw a cooler exactly like mine away.

BTW...my friend did not throw her cooler away, she just emptied it and stashed it into her carry on bag. I'm heading out of Galveston on the Conquest in September and I'm not willing to risk losing my nice cooler so I plan on the following the rules this time (at least with the cooler policy). ;)