Over the Door Organizer

[brewersfan]

I've heard about the lack of drawer/storage space available on the Oosterdam, and thought it might be a good idea to bring an over the door organizer along for all those "little things". Does anyone know if this will work on one of the doors in the cabin? We are in a standard verandah cabin. Thank you.

[GmaPajama]

We've always used an over the door organizer - hanging it so items are accessible from inside the bathroom. I noticed on our last cruise ... the metal hangers on it were scratching the paint on the top of the doorway.

 

Since I hate to be the personal cause of a maintenance problem, I won't be using it anymore.

[kakalina]

I love mine and couldn't get along very well without it onboard. Mine has plastic hangers and doesn't scratch the paint. I hang mine on the inside of the bathroom door.

[mllewis48]

We take one also and I made a small piece of coat hanger that fits over the two metal pegs on the inside of the BR door, then I hang our hanger on the coat hanger. It doesn't scratch anything.

[SwissMyst]

I thought bringing an over the door shoe pocket hanger was a terrific idea and brought one along once, but found it was more a nuisance and did not chose to bring it the next them. Mainly because it really did not work on any door and there was no other place to hang it out in the open besides under the bathroom towel racks which made accessing any of the items pretty awkward behind all the towels.

 

Also when they added the shelf under the sink in the bathroom on all ships, this made a huge difference for us in storage needs. I personally have found the room/closet storage in all HAL ships, for at least up to a 2 week cruise to be very adequate, and I tend to over-pack.

 

Bringing extra hooks for the wall, that one can remove after use is a convenience I had often added to a room. Some recommend putting those removable adhesive hooks on a wall mirror surface for easier removal later but we have found them to work easily on all surfaces. And with the extra hooks, one could find a more accessible area to hang that shoe pocket extra storage.

 

On one 42 day trip with an extremely small cabin (132 sq ft) I did use a shoe storage hanger actually for shoes but it was a different sort of device I picked up in Singapore since it was narrower rather than wider and look up less closet space. On that trip we had to even add an extra portable clothes hanging bar because the two tiny closets were impossible for the two of us.

 

If anything, I find baskets most helpful to contain some of the looser items that collect during a trip that can maximize storage on the counter tops. Flimsy ones that you can pack your clothes in that fit into your suitcase or pick up at your first port.

[NMLady]

Rather than an over the door organizer I use packing cubes. I put my cosmetics into the smallest size, keep it in a drawer, and can then use it either in the bathroom or in the cabin.

 

For sunscreen, lotion, aloe vera etc I have those in another small 'cube', easily grabbable.

 

I personally prefer the cubes but each person has to find what works for them.

 

I bought my packing cubes at ebags.com

Edited April 19, 2011 by NMLady

[luvdmouse57]

We used an online packing list to do our packing for our first cruise. The over the door organizer was one of the best ideas in this list! We liked it so well that we use it on vacation too. I wouldn't go on a cruise without it!

 

Karla

[vbmom87]

I have been on two cruises and found no need for one. Both ships had plently of space for our personal items. Perhaps we bring less than others. I was just glad I didn't follow the recommendation to buy and pack one of the over the door organizers. All my makeup, hair brush, comb and toiletries fit in one bag. (I actually use a man's dobb kit that is cloth with several compartments.) I don't need to keep any of the individual things in it out on a counter, shelf or in a drawer. It all stays in that bag which we have always had a shelf in the bathroom to store it on. My DH has an identical one (different color) and we use these whenever we travel. I think we just travel differently than others. We have camped for years and the need to be compact is well ingrained in us.

[CJ1010GWC]

Yes - have one & always bring it when we travel. Love it! I can easily see what I need and so can my husband (who actually brings waaaay more stuff than I do!). Our kids usually travel with us & it makes it so much easier to organize everyone's stuff. If (for whatever reason) it won't fit over the door, I use a hanger - put it on the hook inside the bathroom door & hang the organizer from that.

[goodroe]

I think the baskets are a great idea. My DH just about covers every horizontal surface with "stuff". The dollar store has some cloth cubes that I bought. They're pretty flimsy, but don't plan on taking them home. They will take up very little space and weigh almost nothing.

 

Question about stick-on hooks. Do the rubber/plastic ones work or would it be better to get the removeable ones? Thanks.

[GmaPajama]

The removable plastic hooks sound like the perfect solution for my "wire hook damage" - thanks for the suggestion.

[SwissMyst]

The official word from 3M for their removable adhesive hooks - remember, take only photos and leave only footprints so this storage perk does not get abused.

 

http://www.command.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/NACommand/Command/

[SadieN]

For the vanity we use a dollar store garden tote to corral all the little things. We use a 6 pocket organizer (also from the dollar store) for the bathroom. It has a rope to hang on the hooks. Last cruise we had to use dental floss to hook it over both hooks.

 

That being said we always use the garden tote and only use the pocket organizer when our DDs travel with us.

[ariawoman]

FYI i found on the NA that my over the door organizer didn't fit well on the bathroom door (we were in an HA cabin don't know if that made the door different.) We hung ours on the closet door, and it was just as good there. Used every compartment of that thing and it keeps the table tops from getting cluttered up with stuff, but allows you to have items at an arms reach.

 

I didn't see any issue with it used on the closet as it's just wood and not painted. I do see issues at home where i used it over a door....i now use it in my bathroom closet, to hold all those incidentals you dont think of. I'm gonna have to unload it when i go on vacation to use it again LOL

[Travalot]

We brought and used an organizer on a couple cruises and then the new airline baggage limits (and strict 50 lb maximum per bag) made every pound a priority. I haven't missed it at all.

[startwin]

I use one on every cruise, usually hang it on the closet door or on the outside of the bathroom door. It's invaluable for keeping things in order and off the floor and counters. Camera, sandals, receipts for onboard purchases, hair stuff, just about anything goes in there, and so much easier to find things, especially as mine has clear pockets so you can see what's where.

[the2ofus]

If I pack light enough, I take an over-the-door organizer because I find it keeps the clutter to a minimum. To solve the problem of a too thin door or when worried about causing damage I just roll up a sock and use it under the hook to make a tight fit. Another option is a purse/shoe hanger which has sideways pockets instead of vertical pockets and hangs from one swivel hook which goes over the clothes rod.

[goodearth]

If I pack light enough, I take an over-the-door organizer because I find it keeps the clutter to a minimum. To solve the problem of a too thin door or when worried about causing damage I just roll up a sock and use it under the hook to make a tight fit. Another option is a purse/shoe hanger which has sideways pockets instead of vertical pockets and hangs from one swivel hook which goes over the clothes rod.

 

We will be traveling with a parent (3 to a room) and bought one of these as an organizer. Thanks for the sock suggestion as a spacer...great idea!

[Zyzygy]

When we have occupied a quad cabin (with two DD's), we have used the over-the-door shoe organizer inside a closet door to good advantage.

 

When only DW and I travel, I take the plastic coated hooks (no scratching) from the organizer and hang only the hooks from the closet door. It may be a little tacky (well, maybe more than a little), but I don't have to worry about crushing DW's hat, etc.

 

Clearly we would not know how to behave properly in a suite.

[SwissMyst]

......

When only DW and I travel, I take the plastic coated hooks (no scratching) from the organizer and hang only the hooks from the closet door. It may be a little tacky (well, maybe more than a little), but I don't have to worry about crushing DW's hat, etc.

 

Clearly we would not know how to behave properly in a suite.

 

In a suite you would have a separate drawer for your hat, and plenty more left over even if you bring a bunch of hats. :p

 

Never found a way to use all the storage space when we did finally get a nice suite upgrade and found ultimately we kind of like those cozier smaller space cabins afterall.

[brownblonde]

We've always used an over the door organizer - hanging it so items are accessible from inside the bathroom. I noticed on our last cruise ... the metal hangers on it were scratching the paint on the top of the doorway.

 

Since I hate to be the personal cause of a maintenance problem, I won't be using it anymore.

Planning on using one on my next cruise. A shoe bag holder. To take care of the problem of scratching just put masking tape on the metal and your good to go, or wrap it with floral tape.

[innlady1]

I've heard about the lack of drawer/storage space available on the Oosterdam, and thought it might be a good idea to bring an over the door organizer along for all those "little things". Does anyone know if this will work on one of the doors in the cabin? We are in a standard verandah cabin. Thank you.

 

We hang one over the bathroom door...facing the hallway. Comes in very handy...especially for tips for room service...I order coffee too early in the AM to have to go searching for a tip!

[goodroe]

We hang one over the bathroom door...facing the hallway. Comes in very handy...especially for tips for room service...I order coffee too early in the AM to have to go searching for a tip!

Great suggestion for using it for tips. I can't remember how times I've fumbled around early in the morning hunting for money!! Too embarassing. Sailing in 25 days and will certainly put my tip $$ in there. Thanks.

[SwissMyst]

NB: No need to tip for room service. It is an included dining option onboard. You can if you want, but is not necessary for those who might think this is expected or required. it is not.

[goodroe]

NB: No need to tip for room service. It is an included dining option onboard. You can if you want, but is not necessary for those who might think this is expected or required. it is not.

You are right. It is included, but we have always gotten such nice service, particularly early in the morning that I usually do tip (but not always). Thanks for posting. I know there are a lot of posts about tipping and I wouldn't want to have someone think that tipping is expected or required. Just something I do.