Where to put your stuff on the beaches?

[maryhardy0112]

I have a stupid question, do the beaches have places you can put your stuff while your in the water? It will just be me and Kelly so there will be no one to keep and eye on our stuff. I know not to brings super expensive stuff, but passport, camrera money etc?

[Hlitner]

DW and I are certified beach lovers and have faced this issue all over the world. Our solution is pretty simply. We do not take any valuables unless its something we absolutely must have. We will have our back pack with stuff like sunscreen and towels. I have a waterproof waist pack (you can google this topic and buy something similar) that will keep stuff dry down to over 100 feet deep (we have also SCUBA Dived). In that waterproof pack I put our cash and credit card (we always carry one major credit card ashore). The other stuff just stays on the beach in our back pack. When we have a rental car (we often rent cars in European and some Caribbean ports) we also keep our car key in the waist pack.

 

If you insist on bringing larger valuables (such as a full size camera) then you will be taking some risk by leaving that on any beach.

 

Hank

[paul929207]

Leave your passport in the safe in the cabin.

[John Bull]

I always leave my passport in my cabin safe, where it won't get lost or stolen. Different folks have different opinions on whether to take your passport ashore, but the beach is a classic place for such thefts.

 

Ditto expensive cameras. As well as your pride-and-joy camera, take a cheapie camera if you want one on a beach day.

 

Ship's sea-pass & your credit cards are generally OK in the water. A few US dollars also survive a good soaking. So OK to swim with these, as long as you have a secure pocket.

 

There are waterproof caddies on the market, though I doubt you'd find one big enough or trustworthy enough for a good camera.

 

Look out for folk on the beach with the same beach towels as yourself - they'll be cruisers from your ship & will usually be happy to look after your stuff. Of course, its only fair to offer to reciprocate.

 

Swimming close to the shore & keeping an eye on your stuff doesn't work - wading out of the water is a very slow business.

 

JB :)

[Scrapnana]

You could try one of these.

[cb at sea]

We also do not bring anything of real value.....tee shirt/flip flops are fine on the beach....you can easily keep your eye on your stuff, even while taking a dip. Most Caribbean beaches are pretty narrow, so you're never THAT far from your stuff.

[Got2GoGo]

As a first time cruiser, I admit that this topic is an area of concern for me. Since there will be four of us, we plan to rotate, leaving one person with the bags at all times in Nassau. I don't think I'll be as concerned at Castaway Cay, but that could be a false sense of security. We'll leave our passports in the ship cabin safe whenever possible.

[Hlitner]

There is never a need to carry a Passport off the ship in a Caribbean port. However, there are a few ports in Europe, Asia and Africa where cruise passengers are required to carry their Passport. Forty plus years of extensive travel has taught us to never carry our Passport unless its absolutely necessary. Those documents are very valuable (a US or Canadian Passport can be worth up to $10,000 on the black market) and we treat is as such...keeping it locked in a safe at most times. There are others who disagree and will tell you to always carry your passport...but then again, we also see folks wearing expensive jewelry when they travel (another bad idea).

 

Hank

[katiedidthat]

We just left our bag on the beach in Nassau (nothing in it but about $20, our sign and sail cards, photocopies of our passports and our clothes) and took our camera in the water. This is the main reason we bought a life-proof camera. That being said- we put our bag pretty close to the water and were never more than 10 ft out and always paid attention to who was around. I feel like just being aware of your surroundings is one of the best preventative techniques!

[wassup4565]

All good advice above. Actually, in 40 years of traveling, I've never had anything stolen while I was in the water and my stuff was on the beach (and sometimes I was traveling alone). It is a worry nevertheless, so limit your risk, or you won't enjoy your beach time. I make sure I have a very loud-colored big beach bag. I figure a thief will go for somebody's nondescript backpack before trying to make off with my chartreuse and bubble-gum pink monstrosity. And I take as little of value as I can with me to the beach. You can always put a photocopy of your passport in your vulgar-looking beach bag. My friends in the diplomatic service told me a photocopy is a lot better than nothing.

[Snorkel Dawg]

Strike up a conversation with fellow travelers on the beach camped out by you & offer to keep an eye out on their stuff while they are in the water and ask if they'll do the same. We always do this if not being joined by fellow Cruise critic roll call members.

 

i would suggest joining your roll call & see if anyone is planning on going to the same beaches as you are, great way to also save $ on taxis to & from places

 

Also taking photo coppies of your passports is what we do as well.

 

 

Have a great time!

[Snorkel Dawg]

I have a stupid question, do the beaches have places you can put your stuff while your in the water? It will just be me and Kelly so there will be no one to keep and eye on our stuff. I know not to brings super expensive stuff, but passport, camrera money etc?

 

 

 

 

PS. There are no stupid questions :)

[.manu.]

I'm thinking of buying some kind of Beach Container. It can be attached to a beach chair with a cord.

I guess it would be easy to break open one of this. But normally they use the chance of unattended valuables and won't risk it to waste time on a container.

[Hlitner]

All good advice above. Actually, in 40 years of traveling, I've never had anything stolen while I was in the water and my stuff was on the beach (and sometimes I was traveling alone). It is a worry nevertheless, so limit your risk, or you won't enjoy your beach time. I make sure I have a very loud-colored big beach bag. I figure a thief will go for somebody's nondescript backpack before trying to make off with my chartreuse and bubble-gum pink monstrosity. And I take as little of value as I can with me to the beach. You can always put a photocopy of your passport in your vulgar-looking beach bag. My friends in the diplomatic service told me a photocopy is a lot better than nothing.

 

Guess you are one of the lucky ones. Last November we were on a Celebrity Silhouette cruise that went to the Middle East (it was a great trip). When we were in Tel Aviv some of the passengers decided to go to the beach and take a dip in the sea. A gentleman, who just so happened to be a Policeman in his real life, left his pack (with his wallet, camera and Passport) on the beach to take a quick dip. Less then 10 min later he returned to find his pack was still on the beach....but his wallet, camera, and Passport long gone. This poor man had to spend a hectic following day (we were in Haifa) and a lot of money to get an emergency Passport, report all of his credit cards stolen, try to get an emergency credit card replacement (it did not happen), etc. Like you, this cop told us that he had never had anything stolen at home or on many trips....

 

Hank

[George C]

We always have a water wallet, won several playing trivia on cruises , just big enough to carry cruise card and cash, floats. can wrap around wrist or around neck, would cost about 10 bucks

[cheerldrmom]

i have a vacation vault that we use when we travel to aruba..its hard plastic and has a combination cord that attaches to a lounge chair I am thinking this may a good thing to take it holds a lot like a camera, money and stuff may be nice on the beach just a little added security.

[mitsugirly]

We never take anything of value that can't be replaced if it was stolen. I carry a huge beach bag and only put our beach towels and clothes in it. They won't get much if they take it.

 

I have a dry pack that goes around my waist. I carry my cash, our ship cards and a credit card in it, so it is always with me.

 

As for a camera, I invested in a nice point and shoot waterproof camera years ago (and loved it so much I now have 3 of them :D) so I no longer take an expensive DSLR camera with me. It does a wonderful job and you can keep it wrapped around your wrist at all times (not to mention the awesome snorkeling pictures I get now). :)

 

We also usually strike up a convo or joke around with any "neighbors" sitting beside us and we usually keep an eye on their stuff and vice versa.

 

Some places you may go to have lockers. There's plenty of information on here to places to go and you can ask previous cruisers if the places you are going might have one.

 

Last of all, when we are in the water, we always take the time to look back at our "camp" area every so often to see if there's anything going on.

 

Have a wonderful cruise. :)

[Snorkel Dawg]

 

As for a camera, I invested in a nice point and shoot waterproof camera years ago (and loved it so much I now have 3 of them :D) so I no longer take an expensive DSLR camera with me. It does a wonderful job and you can keep it wrapped around your wrist at all times (not to mention the awesome snorkeling pictures I get now

 

 

 

 

 

I'll second that! I love seeing the snorklin pics you post mitsugirl, thx for sharing em :)

[mitsugirly]

I'll second that! I love seeing the snorklin pics you post mitsugirl, thx for sharing em :)

 

You are very welcome. I love to snorkel and love the pictures I get with my camera(s). :D More to come in 3+ months. :p

[ginandtonic2]

We are 60+ and careful when on holiday, yet my rucksack was stolen in Castries, St Lucia on Choc Beach and I was sat with it at the time! My husband had walked away down to the sea, a man crawled from the trees at the back of the beach directly behind me so I could not see him, snatched it and ran. Lost my camera with all my holiday photos on, binoculars, other bits. Police were not interested, cruise ship security took a report, insurance paid out when we got back to UK, I wasn't hurt but it was still upsetting. This isn't unusual in the Caribbean. We always take copies of passports, take only cash we need for the day, no jewellery and still we got caught out. Please beware, some people are just watching and waiting for tourists to rob.

[The Bun Mom]

Just had to add my 2 cents worth....

 

Trusting a fellow traveler is not always reliable prevention --- on a trip to Europe, a gal on my day tour offered to watch my carry bag while I ran to the ladies room. It wasn't until that night back in my hotel room that I opened my "inner compartment" of the bag to find she cleaned me out of my "secret stash" of cash! (Thank God for traveler's checks!)

 

Having spent 30+ years travelling, I'd say the tips above are great - carry only a copy of passport if at all possible; on the beach, have a water-proof camera with you, not in your bag; and wear a little water-proof neck pouch for cash, cruise card, credit card. ...

 

And here's my BEST TIP -- learned on Cruise Critic --- EVERY NIGHT ON BOARD SHIP, CHANGE OUT YOUR CAMERA'S DIGITAL CARD, SO THAT YOU'RE USING A FRESH CARD IN EACH PORT. That way, if your camera happens to grow legs and walk off...at least you've only lost that day's worth of priceless photos from that trip of a lifetime! :D

 

Finally, for those gals who want some SERIOUS security in a very fashionable purse, check out Pacsafe. I bought the new Herringbone purse for our recent Med cruise, and loved it - lots of compartments, it's slash-proof, the strap is slash-proof too. It even has an RFD compartment inside for your passport & credit cards, and it locks closed, plus the strap can be locked around a chairback in restaurants, etc. All that and it's actually VERY attractive and easy to carry (it's a cross-body style). Some of the best $$ I've ever spent!

 

GOTTA LOVE CRUISE CRITIC, AND ALL THE WONDERFUL FOLKS WHO OFFER SO MUCH VALUABLE INFO! THANKS TO ONE AN ALL.

 

Happy sailing, everyone!

Edited August 21, 2013 by The Bun Mom

[frediver]

Like others have said never take anything off the ship that you can't afford to lose.

Dry bags are nice when they stay dry, the weak spot are the zippers.

What I do is to use a std. inexpensive waist pack and a waterproof hard otter box

to hold our valuables. A bit anal but I put our valuables in a zip-loc and put that in the box.

Even if the box gets a small leak the zip-loc keeps everything dry.

A grain of sand or even a hair laying across a seal can cause a leak in a dry bag zipper or even

an otter box seal but the otter box seal is easier to keep clean.

A small <$20.00 otter box will easily hold several Cards, lots of local cash, and a small cell

phone. Otter boxes come in several sizes.

 

Just thought about it, there is a difference in dry bags, some use zippers or zip seals and others just

fold over and snap like a kayak style bag. I am referring to zipper bags, kayak bags are not pressure

proof and will leak if really soaked.

[Snorkel Dawg]

Just had to add my 2 cents worth....

 

Trusting a fellow traveler is not always reliable prevention --- on a trip to Europe, a gal on my day tour offered to watch my carry bag while I ran to the ladies room. It wasn't until that night back in my hotel room that I opened my "inner compartment" of the bag to find she cleaned me out of my "secret stash" of cash! (Thank God for traveler's checks!)

 

Having spent 30+ years travelling, I'd say the tips above are great - carry only a copy of passport if at all possible; on the beach, have a water-proof camera with you, not in your bag; and wear a little water-proof neck pouch for cash, cruise card, credit card. ...

 

And here's my BEST TIP -- learned on Cruise Critic --- EVERY NIGHT ON BOARD SHIP, CHANGE OUT YOUR CAMERA'S DIGITAL CARD, SO THAT YOU'RE USING A FRESH CARD IN EACH PORT. That way, if your camera happens to grow legs and walk off...at least you've only lost that day's worth of priceless photos from that trip of a lifetime! :D

 

Finally, for those gals who want some SERIOUS security in a very fashionable purse, check out Pacsafe. I bought the new Herringbone purse for our recent Med cruise, and loved it - lots of compartments, it's slash-proof, the strap is slash-proof too. It even has an RFD compartment inside for your passport & credit cards, and it locks closed, plus the strap can be locked around a chairback in restaurants, etc. All that and it's actually VERY attractive and easy to carry (it's a cross-body style). Some of the best $$ I've ever spent!

 

GOTTA LOVE CRUISE CRITIC, AND ALL THE WONDERFUL FOLKS WHO OFFER SO MUCH VALUABLE INFO! THANKS TO ONE AN ALL.

 

Happy sailing, everyone!

 

 

 

Just goes to show that for every wondeful & honest person there is some bad person out there. Sorry to hear your & Ginandtonic's sad stories. Am glad to hear neither of you was physically hurt. I hate it that the few bad apples ruin the trust that I would like to share with my fellow cruisers and locals alike :(

 

Reminds me of the old Donny Osmond song "one bad apple, don't spoil the whole bunch girl"

[blueflicker]

There is never a need to carry a Passport off the ship in a Caribbean port. However, there are a few ports in Europe, Asia and Africa where cruise passengers are required to carry their Passport. Forty plus years of extensive travel has taught us to never carry our Passport unless its absolutely necessary. Those documents are very valuable (a US or Canadian Passport can be worth up to $10,000 on the black market) and we treat is as such...keeping it locked in a safe at most times. There are others who disagree and will tell you to always carry your passport...but then again, we also see folks wearing expensive jewelry when they travel (another bad idea).

 

Hank

 

That's the way it was for us on our two Princess cruises since 2010, then this past April doing a similar Caribbean trip with Princess (again, the Emerald) it was stated in the Patter that it was a must that we bring our passport with us into the ports, which really surprised me. We never saw that in print in the Patter before so assumed things had changed. For our past cruises, the passports stayed in our safe, and we carried a secured photocopy (hidden amongst our items) and we have also emailed copies to ourselves in case we need to log on to our email somewhere in order to prove our identities etc.

The only beach we went to was Princess Cays, and there we rented a locker to hold our valuables (including my insulin pump) while we went into the water.

[CruiseKittyFL]

waterproof waist pack is a great idea. I bought one on our last trip to the caribbean and it worked fine on tours up the waterfall in Jamaica and snorkeling in Grand Cayman. I kept my ship cards, photo ID, cash, credit cards and a photocopy of my passport dry the whole time. they sell on Amazon.com for about $12.

 

as for cameras, you can buy waterproof camera cases for just about any camera for less than $25 on Amazon too. they are generic fit but allow you to use it for up to 15 ft under water.