Cabin Hacks

[Cruising Bonnie]

I use a program called Scannable for my iPhone. I can quickly scan my cruise compass into my phone and have it with me. No need to carry or save much of the tons of paper you receive in the cabin.

 

On FOS I found there was plenty of storage for 2 people however the bathroom may be a problem for some. I think I will try using the hook for additional pockets on this years trip.

 

 

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[knittinggirl]

Our adult daughter is traveling with us this Oct and I am sure drawer space will be limited with 3 of us, so does anyone have tips for utilizing drawers & shelves etc for 2 ladies. DH will use one side of the drawers for his clothes. We are in a JS on the Serenade. I know I can use the drawers next to our bed and use them for the night ware and under garments.

We've been in a bunch of voyager class and freedom class JS, and usually there's a cabinet above the television where we store our packing envelopes. In vision class, the drawers are too short to fit the packing envelopes, but we don't know what they're like on Radiance class.

 

Actually, I think we'll all be on the same cruise in October!

Edited June 9, 2015 by knittinggirl

[Paul65]

It's already been mentioned, but I think the most important cabin "hack" for a new cruiser is that the beds are designed such that most suitcases will fit underneath. Sometimes first-timers don't realize this and end up struggling to find a place to store their suitcases after unpacking. And we tend to do as others have suggested, using one of the empties under the bed as our place to collect dirty laundry.

 

As far as all the other "stuff," I've never found a need to pack extra stuff to use to organize my stuff, but some people like to do that. If that fits your personality, go for it.

[Nado44]

Our packing staples are:

 

1. Disinfectant spray, disinfectant wipes and scented Renuzit products. Spray and wipe down every surface immediately upon arrival.

 

2. Post-it notes & pen. Used daily to leave notes for each other and our stateroom attendant.

 

3. Highlighters (2 colors, one for each of us). Highlight sightseeing reference materials and/or interesting Cruise Compass activities. (Thanks Cruise Critic for this idea!)

 

4. Hotel size toiletries. Use and discard toiletry collection amassed via business travel.

 

5. Maps. Tape to our door various maps of the geographic region along with a calendared list of ports, excursions, activities and relevant notes.

 

6. Two wine bottles per person. Purchased while enroute to port from airport. Unused bottles, if any, are presented to stateroom attendant.

 

7. Books. I have a personal rule to read at least one entire book relevant to the geographic region we are in. If sailing the Caribbean, I recommend "A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean" by Melinda and Robert Blanchard.

[kirian]

Can I ask what you use the over the door organizer for? Trying to understand what RCL space is lacking or where these would be useful.

I am one to be super organized (and we're coming with 2 kids so need to be). I do have the closet organizers at home, but I just use it to store extra medicine, etc.

 

My mom and I used the small over the door bag (I think ours have 8 pockets) for things like mini hair spray, nail files (we are both constantly using one it seems....lol), hair brushes/combs, sunscreen bottles, lint roller, bottle of motion sickness pills, meds in general, etc. Just all those little things that we didn't want falling over or rolling around in those tiny bathroom vanity cabinets or on the shelf under the sink.

 

We each kept our small makeup bags on the shelf under the sink (since these won't roll around). In the small vanity shelves, we stored our tooth paste, toothbrushes, contact cases and solution.

 

Don't get me wrong, on our Serenade cruise, we had tons of storage space in our inside cabin, but for us, it really didn't work for smaller items like those I mentioned. The closet had amazing built in storage for our clothes, shoes, hats, etc. It's just the we found the over-the-door organizer made corralling all our smaller items easier... for us. Other things work for other people and some people don't need these items at all. But for us, these worked great and were not a hardship for us to buy/pack/use.

 

The one other thing we do to try to stay organized is that I always get the left side of the closets, drawers, assorted cubbies and my mom gets the right side (I am left handed, so it's easy for us to remember whose side is whose). That way, we don't have stuff intermingled and it's just easier to find what is ours.

 

To each their own.... that's the main thing :)

 

Melissa

[Desert Cruizers]

In our JS on the ROS last year, the cabinet above the TV housed the safe. Generally with DH & I we have no problem with our clothes and storage, but with a 3rd person, the daughter & I maybe sharing drawers and know I can keep small things in a packing cube and put in the drawer. The end tables are very small however. I also utilize the shelf under the sink. Shoes aren't a big problem because I don't take many, maybe 2 pair of evening shoes, rest are tennies or couple pair of sandels. Melissa, I use the cubbies in the closet more then my husband.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Desert Cruizers

[Queen of Oakville]

where do you all buy these large magnet hooks from?

[kirian]

where do you all buy these large magnet hooks from?

 

I've seen them in our Dollar Tree stores we have in the U.S. They are typically near the kitchen gadgets.

 

I'm sure you can find them at the mega stores as well (Walmart, etc). I actually got a bunch of mine from work conferences where some of the vendors give out logo-ed ones as "swag" :D

 

Melissa

Edited June 9, 2015 by kirian

[Queen of Oakville]

Thanks! I'm visiting the US in a few weeks and will be sure to visit Dollar Tree. They've opened a few stores in Canada now, but the inventory isn't allways the same.

 

thanks.

[kirian]

Thanks! I'm visiting the US in a few weeks and will be sure to visit Dollar Tree. They've opened a few stores in Canada now, but the inventory isn't allways the same.

 

thanks.

 

I buy a lot of my travel gadgets there (that way, I don't feel too bad if I lose them or have to "sacrifice" them to make room for souvenirs on the trip home). I found my smaller sized (8 pocket... perfect more narrow size for the bathroom doors) over-the-door organizer there. I also have purchased small magnetic dry-erase boards, packs of clothes pins, etc there. I just recently saw pop-up hampers there as well (I don't use these since I just stash my laundry in a bag in my suitcase, but if this is your kind of thing, be sure to look for it in the store).

 

Yes, I have a tendency to go wild in that silly store :D:eek:

[AlexanderBeetle]

I always love these threads. You get so many differing opinions. I'm mildly OCD and simply cannot stand things lying around or taking up desk space, etc. I just can't function well and since the cabin is the transitional area, I need it to function. My wife on the other hand doesn't care about it as much.

 

So, the over the door shoe hangers are great. They fold up and don't take up any space when packing. We use that for just about everything, not just toiletries. If it can fit and needs to be accessed during the trip it gets a slot.

 

The 2nd thing is one of those collapsing laundry baskets. Again, doesn't take up any space in the suitcase. I put that in the closet. I also carry a few trash bags for when the basket gets full; just dump and put the bag in the suitcase.

 

Some of the magnetic hooks for any miscellaneous items and we are all set.

 

Really like the battery candle idea as the nightlight for the restroom. Will make use of that next trip :)

[LBB]

Love these magnets I got on Amazon.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V9A0Q4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

 

 

They weigh nothing, but hold a lot. We took our Cruise Compass and posted them every night. At the end of the cruise the entire wall was covered with each daily schedule and any other letters we got during the week.

[Dori Saltzman]

I'm going on my first RCCL cruise this month and have been researching hacks to make best use of the limited space onboard. I have read about the magnetic hooks which I plan to bring. I have also read that some cruiseships don't allow the over-the-door shoe organizer for the bathroom. Has anyone done this on RCCL? It's a great idea if it's allowed. Also, if you have any other tips I'd love to hear them! Thanks!!!! :)

 

Check out 7 Cruise Cabin Hacks that Will Change the Way You Cruise Forever - http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1728

[Desert Cruizers]

LBB I really like those magnets, had not seen them before. Our last cruise out of Sydney Australia ( # 3 separate cruises), my DH couldn't recall which cruise, Ports we were doing, so opened up the excursion booklet we got in our room so he could follow it along. I picked up an extra Compass so he could know where myself and daughter would be and highlight the things we were doing. Posting the Compass is a great idea for DH.

 

We have the double sided collapsable laudnry basked to separate darks from whites and it put in our closet

[NightOne]

I always love these threads. You get so many differing opinions. I'm mildly OCD and simply cannot stand things lying around or taking up desk space, etc. I just can't function well and since the cabin is the transitional area, I need it to function. My wife on the other hand doesn't care about it as much.

 

So, the over the door shoe hangers are great. They fold up and don't take up any space when packing. We use that for just about everything, not just toiletries. If it can fit and needs to be accessed during the trip it gets a slot.

 

The 2nd thing is one of those collapsing laundry baskets. Again, doesn't take up any space in the suitcase.

 

Doesn't the mildly OCD part of you wonder exactly how much space those items that "don't take up ANY space" are actually taking? :D:D:D

 

Just teasing :)

[Bernie by the sea]

Pop up hamper for dirty clothes (dollar store/Wal-Mart ), small plastic basket(s) one to organize bathroom and one on desk for s&s cards, loose change, etc (dollar store) and a suction cup toothbrush holder (dolls store/bed bath & beyond) to keep them off the counter

[AlexanderBeetle]

Doesn't the mildly OCD part of you wonder exactly how much space those items that "don't take up ANY space" are actually taking? :D:D:D

 

Just teasing :)

 

Well it will now! Thanks a lot!

:)

[NightOne]

Well it will now! Thanks a lot!

:)

 

Glad I could help. :D:D:D

[breeze123]

The only thing we bring is a power strip to have extra outlets for all our electronics. Otherwise, there is plenty of storage for everything. We hang up our clothes and use the suitcase to put dirty stuff back in for the trip home.

[Queen of Oakville]

Thanks! I will admit that I bought the "Wrong" shoe holder. the one I have is opaque - could not find a clear one at the time. I'm sure I'd find more utility if it had clear pockets. If I can find one at dollar tree I will give it a "buy".

 

Yes, dollar stores can be fun :D

[garycarla]

We do not use those things. Stuff all fits on shelves or in drawers, and we bring 2 full size suitcases plus a roll on.

 

Never stuff piled in chair or on couch.

 

We keep a plastic bag in the closet for dirty clothes. If it gets full, we toss into the suitcase under the bed.

 

We have done many long cruises and never had issues.

 

We have walked by some cabins and it appears all their drawers and shelves must be empty - LOL!

Whatever...

 

 

As to the OP comment that some cruiselines do not allow them, please provide a link. Never, ever heard that.

Edited June 9, 2015 by garycarla

[pcur]

I've never used an over the door shoe hanger: it just seems to me it takes up more space in the suitcase than necessary, and then I have to pack all the stuff that goes in it, anyway!

 

I use the smaller size packing cubes a lot:

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/eBags-Packing-Cubes-3pc-Set/19225135

 

We use a smaller one for all our electronic cords, chargers, etc. Rolled up undies go in multiple cubes, and you just put them in a drawer and pull out what you need.

 

This is great for travel, and I pack my shower stuff in it before hand. Get the kind with velcro strips for hanging. That way you don't have to depend on there being hooks in the shower.:

 

http://www.travelproducts.com/cruise-shower-caddy.html

 

I always buy a shower scrubby with the long handle at the Dollar Store. Then, I just throw it away when we pack for home.

 

I bought a hard plastic divided food storage container at the Dollar Store for my make-up, since I use both bathroom and desk mirror, depending on hubby's need to use the bathroom. I keep it in the desk drawer.

 

We use a travel dirty clothes bag with a cord. I can hang on the hooks by the door. By the way, you'll have a $30 wash and fold laundry special approximately every 4-5 days. Good for anything that doesn't need ironing.

 

I hang multiple tops on one hanger by color. I always overpack, so instead of taking up extra room in the closet, I just hang tops of the same color on one hanger.

 

We always have enough room in the cabin without stuff laying around or piled up.

[Carolla5501]

 

As to the OP comment that some cruiselines do not allow them, please provide a link. Never, ever heard that.

 

 

Not the OP but here's your link

 

 

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/planning-center/my-cruise-plans/faqs/prohibited-items/stateroom-doors-prohibited/

 

"Concurrently, we ask that guests not use over-the-door hanging organizers as they have been found to scratch and/or disfigure stateroom doors and trim."

[ZoeyVictoria]

I always love these threads. You get so many differing opinions. I'm mildly OCD and simply cannot stand things lying around or taking up desk space, etc. I just can't function well and since the cabin is the transitional area, I need it to function. My wife on the other hand doesn't care about it as much.

 

I am mildly OCD and can't stand to look at clutter that I think should be hidden out of sight, so the door hanger with all that stuff on display would drive me crazy. You are right, it is fun to read about other people's feelings about different topics.

[pcur]

I am mildly OCD and can't stand to look at clutter that I think should be hidden out of sight, so the door hanger with all that stuff on display would drive me crazy. You are right, it is fun to read about other people's feelings about different topics.

 

I don't know if I'm mildly (or otherwise) OCD, but I have strong reactions to the "asthetics" of my living spaces. I am sensitive to color and design, and I like my space to be tidy. I'm not so much a dust and clean freak, but messy and visible dirt also drive me nutz.

 

I do believe that's why the over the door shoe hanger never appealed to me.

 

I was on a HAL ship last year. Long cruise for 4 weeks, so LOTS of overpacking there. We walked by a cabin when the door was open during cleaning, and the lady in that cabin had the entire edge of the cabin walls line with shoes! There must have been dozens of pairs lined up. Gave me the willies looking at it. :D