Tips, Hints and secret's

[hugger]

I ordered 4 new pair online last night :rolleyes:

But, really only 3 as I did return a pair I had bought quite a while back to Macy's on Monday - does that help.

[serendipity1499]

Yes, I am a card carrying member (that would be my Visa card) of the Shoe Diva s club. If I live to be 100, I will never wear out all the shoes I own. Confession: I bought one new pair today. Personally, I could do a one week cruise with just one basic black dress - and a dozen pairs of cute shoes to go with it!

 

Welcome fellow "Shoe Diva"

 

Wish I could say the same.. I plan out my evening outfit's for the entire cruise with the shoes to go with it..

 

I ordered 4 new pair online last night :rolleyes:

But, really only 3 as I did return a pair I had bought quite a while back to Macy's on Monday - does that help.

 

Wonderful! :D

 

They love me at Zappo's & Amazon... Will check out Macy's

[chefestelle]

Yes, I am a card carrying member (that would be my Visa card) of the Shoe Diva s club. If I live to be 100, I will never wear out all the shoes I own. Confession: I bought one new pair today. Personally, I could do a one week cruise with just one basic black dress - and a dozen pairs of cute shoes to go with it!

 

 

I do believe that is the point of the little black dress! Show off the shoes!

[RuthC]

I do believe that is the point of the little black dress! Show off the shoes!

Really? I always thought it was background for the gemstones. ;)

 

Once upon a time I loved cute shoes (still DO love them), and wore them all the time. I had loads of pairs of shoes stored all over the place (I needed a lot of room).

Alas, those days are gone forever :( (soft sobbing here). Earlier this year I brought about 20 pair of shoes---some never worn!---to Salvation Army. Hopefully, someone else who loves cute shoes can give mine the life they deserve.

[Khaos WolfKat]

Yes, you can bring a SEALED bottle of water, distilled or otherwise, on board.

That is what the Ship services dude told me. Like I said, I'll check with Access & Compliance (the dept which deals with ADA accommodations) and go with what they tell me, after getting it in writing.

 

On some lines, guests were buying bottles of water, opening them, dumping the water, and re-filling the bottle with vodka or gin. The cruise lines quickly caught on to this and banned un-sealed bottles of anything.

Once again, jerks finding new ways to break the rules mess it up for everyone. Not a big surprise, but still very disappointing.

 

I have heard they charge $4 a gallon, which is not horrible.

Yeah... More than 400% markup from normal retail is horrible, in my book.

YMMV, and sure, if you're flying, I can see the trade-off, since airlines charge for extra weight, but I live just a couple miles from the pier.

[cruz chic]

Maybe the sealed water applies to large water bottles. I've gotten on multiple ships with an open water bottle (500 ml) and have never had an issue. I think smuggling isn't a huge issue on Hal.

[serendipity1499]

Really? I always thought it was background for the gemstones. ;)

 

Once upon a time I loved cute shoes (still DO love them), and wore them all the time. I had loads of pairs of shoes stored all over the place (I needed a lot of room).

Alas, those days are gone forever :( (soft sobbing here). Earlier this year I brought about 20 pair of shoes---some never worn!---to Salvation Army. Hopefully, someone else who loves cute shoes can give mine the life they deserve.

 

Ruth.. As long as you Love shoes, even though you don't wear some of them, you can be a member of "Cruise Diva's Club".. I still enjoy looking at some of the shoes I never wear.. When our Great Grand children come for a visit, I'll even let them play with some of mine.. I really enjoyed doing that while dressing up in my Mom's hat's & long necklaces as a little girl..

[serendipity1499]

Maybe the sealed water applies to large water bottles. I've gotten on multiple ships with an open water bottle (500 ml) and have never had an issue. I think smuggling isn't a huge issue on Hal.

 

I too have boarded ships with open water bottles.. I must carry a small refillable bottle of drinking water every where I go.. In my car, in port etc..

 

I always ask our Steward for an extra bucket of ice & fill my bottle with HAL's tap water...Then keep it in the ice bucket sans cover over night.. Next morning I replace the insulated cover & I'm good to go..

[MacThespian]

Y…For CPAP users, the tap water is OK, unless you do have allergies, as some posters have mentioned. Just clean out your entire system when you get home. On <<<www.halfacts.com>>> in the general section, you can download a form called SRI, Special Requirements Information. At the bottom, you can specify you will be bringing a CPAP onboard, and check the box requesting distilled water. FAX or e-mail the form back to HAL. I have heard they charge $4 a gallon, which is not horrible. …

On Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, the distilled water for use in a CPAP is free. I'm not going to stop on my way to the ship to save $3, but if that fee is correct it rankles me.

[RuthC]

Betty, there was one pair of shoes in particular that made me sad to see. They weren't much more than a heel (4" :eek:), a sole, and a couple of straps over the top. They were a rich cranberry suede, and went with an adorable pink and cranberry dress, with an ultrasuede bolero.

Oh, my but that was a cute outfit!

 

Looking at those shoes made me wistful for the days when I was youngandsingleandgorgeous, and could dance in that outfit all night.

They had to go. I hope they went to a good home, where some other young woman can enjoy them as much as I did. Those shoes deserve it. ;)

[JPH814]

...I skipped from page 4 to page nine here so I apologize if my "tips" were mentioned before.

 

I bring a power strip with me. It plugs into one outlet on the desk and provides me with 6 outlets. Between cell phones, ipods, tooth brush, Nook and my C-Pap, they all come in handy.

 

I always travel with duck tape. Never leave home without it. On our recent 12 day trip I found five different uses.

 

I take a cell phone picture of the daily activities listing - it might take four pictures to get in all of the activities. That way, I always have it with me (I always travel with my cell phone with me since I use it as my camera.

[serendipity1499]

Betty, there was one pair of shoes in particular that made me sad to see. They weren't much more than a heel (4" :eek:), a sole, and a couple of straps over the top. They were a rich cranberry suede, and went with an adorable pink and cranberry dress, with an ultrasuede bolero.

Oh, my but that was a cute outfit!

 

Looking at those shoes made me wistful for the days when I was youngandsingleandgorgeous, and could dance in that outfit all night.

They had to go. I hope they went to a good home, where some other young woman can enjoy them as much as I did. Those shoes deserve it. ;)

 

Completely understand Ruth.. Your outfit sounds beautiful!

Cranberry & pink is lovely.. Can't believe that we once wore those 3 inch heels..

 

 

...I skipped from page 4 to page nine here so I apologize if my "tips" were mentioned before.

 

I bring a power strip with me. It plugs into one outlet on the desk and provides me with 6 outlets. Between cell phones, ipods, tooth brush, Nook and my C-Pap, they all come in handy.

 

I always travel with duck tape. Never leave home without it. On our recent 12 day trip I found five different uses.

 

I take a cell phone picture of the daily activities listing - it might take four pictures to get in all of the activities. That way, I always have it with me (I always travel with my cell phone with me since I use it as my camera.

 

OH Yes.. Forgot about the Duck Tape! We never leave home without it.. After disembarking a HAL cruise in Santiago we discovered one of our bags was torn.. We were able to repair it with the duck tape the morning we were due to fly home.. Would not have had time to purchase another bag.

Reminds me of a thread on this board about the uses of duck tape.. Someone came up with around 50 uses../SIZE]

Edited July 26, 2015 by serendipity1499

[sapper1]

...I skipped from page 4 to page nine here so I apologize if my "tips" were mentioned before.

 

I bring a power strip with me. It plugs into one outlet on the desk and provides me with 6 outlets. Between cell phones, ipods, tooth brush, Nook and my C-Pap, they all come in handy.

 

I always travel with duck tape. Never leave home without it. On our recent 12 day trip I found five different uses.

 

I take a cell phone picture of the daily activities listing - it might take four pictures to get in all of the activities. That way, I always have it with me (I always travel with my cell phone with me since I use it as my camera.

 

The duct tape goes along with us too.

When the sea gets rough when you are trying to sleep and there is a cupboard or drawer that won't stop banging, a piece of duct tape solves the problem nicely.

I also put a piece of yellow duct tape on the side of each piece of luggage and write our last name on it with indelible ink. That, along with distinctive luggage straps, makes our bags very easy to spot from a distance on the airport conveyor belt and makes it less likely our bags will be picked up by someone else in error.

[take us away]

The duct tape goes along with us too.

When the sea gets rough when you are trying to sleep and there is a cupboard or drawer that won't stop banging, a piece of duct tape solves the problem nicely.

I also put a piece of yellow duct tape on the side of each piece of luggage and write our last name on it with indelible ink. That, along with distinctive luggage straps, makes our bags very easy to spot from a distance on the airport conveyor belt and makes it less likely our bags will be picked up by someone else in error.

 

I bought hot pink leopard print duct tape for my bags (it was 50 cents) and nobody has mistakenly picked up my bags yet, especially in the terminal after a cruise.

[cormike1]

I bought hot pink leopard print duct tape for my bags (it was 50 cents) and nobody has mistakenly picked up my bags yet, especially in the terminal after a cruise.

 

I like that idea of the different coloured tape....there is so many designs and colours now that would work.

 

I also bring my "hair turban"....that thing you wrap your hair in after you wash it. On all the ships I have been on, there are hand towels and bath towels and no in-between towels to wrap your wet hair in. My hair is thick so it takes a long time to dry. My hair turban is always packed.

[AmeliaSubverxin]

Nice suggestion on the duct tape. I already have a stripe of pink duct tape on my suitcase, but I think I'll add it to my carry-on as well. A while back, I went carry-on only to a friend's wedding in the middle of Nowheresville, where the only flights serving the tiny airport were turboprops without overhead bins. So my brand-new black Samsonite roller bag was checked at the gate, and at my destination all the gate-checked bags were unloaded directly onto the jetway. Someone who deplaned ahead of me ended up grabbing my bag and walking away! Luckily, a nice United employee helped me chase down the guy as he was leaving the airport and got my bag back.

 

I am leaving in two days for an Alaska cruise and I've been going back and forth wondering if the hair towel turban is worth packing. My hair isn't particular thick and dries quickly, but I definitely have the room. I limited myself to just 3 pairs of shoes!

[SusieKIslandGirl]

Another gadget I started packing is my small kitchen timer. If I'm reading (or dozing) and I want to be sure I make it to a lecture or trivia, I set the timer to remind me it's time to move.

[ellieanne]

Another gadget I started packing is my small kitchen timer. If I'm reading (or dozing) and I want to be sure I make it to a lecture or trivia, I set the timer to remind me it's time to move.

 

If I'm in my cabin, I use the wake-up call service for this. Or I set my portable alarm clock/phone (the clock works without using cell-service at sea/wifi as long as you can set the time manually).

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Here is one that seems to fit the bill.....$13....batteries on both ends....many require you to plug in the chimes.....with the shortage of plugs ..don't need anything else taking a slot

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RCSU0WQ?psc=1#productDetails

 

 

I got this doorbell and used it on my Alaska cruise. I used the glue pad to glue the door button to a round magnet which I stuck on the door.

 

Worked great. Room service and cabin steward used it all the time....they got a kick out of it....

[Khaos WolfKat]

I got this doorbell and used it on my Alaska cruise. I used the glue pad to glue the door button to a round magnet which I stuck on the door.

 

Worked great. Room service and cabin steward used it all the time....they got a kick out of it....

 

Ooh! Great idea sticking it to the magnet! I might just do that too!

[take us away]

I bought hot pink leopard print duct tape for my bags (it was 50 cents) and nobody has mistakenly picked up my bags yet, especially in the terminal after a cruise.

 

Good to know as just bought the same thing!

[blizzardboy]

In my experience, getting the shower drain to work faster was more critical!

[Tennessee Titan]

I hadn't thought of raising the bed so we could slide the larger luggage under it!

And, I will ask for a couple extra basket's as we do use those too.

I thought there was a height adjustment on those tables - now I have to figure out how to use it :-)

 

Never had a piece of luggage that did not fit under the bed!