Dealing with the heat

[Cruise Girly 88]

Hey everyone I need some advice! We are cruising August 4th 2018 on an eastern Caribbean cruise and I'm starting to worry about the heat... We are joining family on this cruise so moving it to another time of year is not an option. Has anyone had luck with cooling shirts? If so, what brands have you had the most luck with? Obviously we will be hydrating and going in the water as much as possible, but I want to be as prepared as possible! Any other recommendations would be great too!

Thanks!

[easyboy]

You can also Cruise Fashions & Beauty board for more suggestion on clothes

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?182https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?182

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Langley Cruisers]

It is very hot in the summer in the Caribbean. I don't know about cooling shirts, but we have had success with cooling neckbands; you soak them in water for 10 minutes and the capsules inside plump up and absorb the water, and it cools for about 4 hours or so. You can find them on Amazon or probably in your local sports store.

[SadieN]

It is very hot in the summer in the Caribbean. I don't know about cooling shirts, but we have had success with cooling neckbands; you soak them in water for 10 minutes and the capsules inside plump up and absorb the water, and it cools for about 4 hours or so. You can find them on Amazon or probably in your local sports store.

 

 

 

This

Also, small usb powered fans. Have seen them recently at our local dollar stores.

Drink lots of water.

Wear loose fitting clothing.

[cruising cockroach]

It isn't just the heat that you will feel, but more importantly the humidity (heat + relative humidity is what gave the Humidex rating as to how hot it feels).

 

These shirts cool you by evaporative cooling of your sweat. I used to like cotton but now prefer this material. I wore them almost exclusively during a ~5 week post-cruise sojourn in SE Asia and then Hawaii in humidity from 60-100% and temps ranging from 78-90F. Dries fast when caught in light rain (survived a few hours wearing just that in light rain/64-65F in northern Japan) Easy to wash and dries overnight too.

 

https://www.decathlon.com.mx/p/8327713_camiseta-de-manga-corta-travesia-techfresh-50-hombre-naranja.html#/1-200-ch

 

Various ways you can keep cool by stay out of the sun and/or in the shade or wear a large brimmed hat (baseball caps don't cut it) - minimizes radiative heating, try to stay where there's a breeze (helps with convective cooling), and stay away from concrete/rock surfaces (also minimizes radiative heating).

 

You will still need to have to develop some tolerance to heat. Nothing is going to feel col when you get radiative heat on you and the humidity is approaching saturation. One way is to use a sauna (which has other health benefits). You can feel the difference between dry heat and heat with humidity in a dry sauna once you add some steam.

[broberts]

Hey everyone I need some advice! We are cruising August 4th 2018 on an eastern Caribbean cruise and I'm starting to worry about the heat... We are joining family on this cruise so moving it to another time of year is not an option. Has anyone had luck with cooling shirts? If so, what brands have you had the most luck with? Obviously we will be hydrating and going in the water as much as possible, but I want to be as prepared as possible! Any other recommendations would be great too!

Thanks!

 

Don't worry, the breeze from the nearest hurricane will keep you cool . . . just kidding. :D

 

It may seem counter intuitive but it does work. Wear a brimmed hat with some sort of venting. Wear a lightweight undershirt and a natural fabric lightweight long sleeved shirt with long pants. Long sleeves and pants provide a degree of sunblock. An undershirt wicks sweat away from the body keeping one dry. Natural fabrics, especially cotton handle the sun much better than man made fabrics.

[Langley Cruisers]

OP, not sure of your plans for excursions and such, but stepping into shops will help you. All (certainly MOST) have air conditioning and you can have a respite for a few minutes at a time.

[sanger727]

Will agree with the cooling neckbands. Have to work outside in the summer often and they help a lot.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[cb at sea]

Where are you from? If from the north, or Canada, the heat is pretty damn oppressive. If you're from the mid-atlantic or Florida, you'll feel right at home.

It's hot...it's HUMID...the ship has AC! So nice! Go inside if you get over-heated. Unless you're running a marathon or some other very physical thing, you'll be ok.

[ldubs]

I spend quite a bit of time out in very hot weather on a small fishing boat. I have to admit our humidity is relatively low. I wear long sleeve UPF rated shirts & T-shirts. They really do seem to work. Primary brand is Columbia.

 

I've only been on a Caribbean cruise twice, so I am far from an expert. What I recall is time outside while at sea is not so bad because of the breezes. Times spent in port were pretty intense.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Carry an umbrella! I have seen a lot of local people using brightly colored umbrellas to shade the sun.

[cruising cockroach]

Carry an umbrella! I have seen a lot of local people using brightly colored umbrellas to shade the sun.

 

Hence the term "parasol", used by ladies of yesteryear.

[Keith1010]

My wife and I use Under Armour Shirts when we go off the ship in ports where it is very hot/humid.

 

We also always take water with us.

 

Keith

[CimW]

I survived the heat in August in the Caribbean. I almost didn’t go because of the heat and decided that was nuts. So I made sure I had super lightweight clothing made of cotton/linen. I brought a super small battery operated fan and some cooling cloths but never used them. We stayed out of the sun, close to or on the beach is cooler. Made sure transportation had air conditioning.

We were in Belize in February and it was sweltering hot there. I kept putting water on my skin which kept me a little cool while walking around.

Don’t worry!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Keith1010]

I wanted to add to what I posted earlier.

 

Wear a hat.

 

I had mentioned water and know you did too. If you sweat a lot and also get weak I have found that something like Gatoraid can be helpful.

 

The reality is no matter what you do I would not stay outside too long and I would look for places with Air Conditioning to cool down.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

Hey everyone I need some advice! We are cruising August 4th 2018 on an eastern Caribbean cruise and I'm starting to worry about the heat... We are joining family on this cruise so moving it to another time of year is not an option. Has anyone had luck with cooling shirts? If so, what brands have you had the most luck with? Obviously we will be hydrating and going in the water as much as possible, but I want to be as prepared as possible! Any other recommendations would be great too!

Thanks!

We've had good luck with the cooling shirts, always bring a few to the Caribbean.

[Cruise Girly 88]

Thanks everyone! We will defintely be wearing hats and finding new water bottles! My husband is probably getting cooling shirts for Christmas :') and I will have to look into small fans! We usually go in March April time wise so August is going to be very different!

[TruckerDave]

Speaking as someone who lives and has lived in a hot and humid part of the country for 20 years....the easiest solution is to step into the ac and cool down and to not over do it when out in the heat. No reason to over think this. Stay hydrated (non alcohol) and don't try to run a marathon in 100 deg heat and 100% humidity. No need to waste money on "cooling cloths" either, just find shade, know where the ac is and keep drinking water.

[Langley Cruisers]

No need to waste money on "cooling cloths" either, just find shade, know where the ac is and keep drinking water.

 

Dave, some people find the cooling neck bands to be an effective way to stay a few degrees cooler, so please don't tell someone they are a waste of money. They aren't really that expensive and if it helps someone, then that's the goal achieved. :)

[TruckerDave]

Dave, some people find the cooling neck bands to be an effective way to stay a few degrees cooler, so please don't tell someone they are a waste of money. They aren't really that expensive and if it helps someone, then that's the goal achieved. :)

 

"a fool and his money are soon parted"

But whatever floats your boat. I live in the heat and humidity and even when training for half marathons in the summer I've never needed these crazy things. You like them fine, but don't tell me what to or not to post. :rolleyes:

[Gloworm2]

Carry an umbrella! I have seen a lot of local people using brightly colored umbrellas to shade the sun.

 

 

 

Some of those may look like regular umbrellas but they are really UV protection parasols. You can find them on amazon. I have one and it has saved my life. A regular umbrella won’t do the trick

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[ldubs]

Some of those may look like regular umbrellas but they are really UV protection parasols. You can find them on amazon. I have one and it has saved my life. A regular umbrella won’t do the trick

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Aw, that is great info -- thanks for sharing. I know several people who would love to have UPF rated umbrellas. I think you have given me some good gift ideas.

[ldubs]

Dave, some people find the cooling neck bands to be an effective way to stay a few degrees cooler, so please don't tell someone they are a waste of money. They aren't really that expensive and if it helps someone, then that's the goal achieved. :)

 

I agree. I think the UPF shirts & hats are great for helping to stay cool, but even more so for sun protection. Small price to pay to help prevent skin cancer.

[SRF]

The best way to deal with heat, is to become acclimated to heat.

 

It takes 6 - 10 days to become fully acclimated. But, we live in an AC world, so we are work in AC, in our car with AC, at home with AC, shopping in AC.

 

When I did consulting, I did a lot of outside work. I found those summers, even in the mid-Atlantic, I used very little AC.

 

As mentioned, drink plenty of water. Reduce alcohol intake. You do not need electrolyte replacement drinks in most cases. But if you do, limit them to one or two per day. And drink them side by side with water. Many of them have very high electrolyte levels that can cause issues.

 

Shade, and stepping into AC shops helps a lot.

[Gloworm2]

I have this one. Don’t leave home without it on hot weather.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NSFDJYI/ref=cts_ap_1_vtp?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2897711242&pf_rd_r=a10fb989-c09d-11e7-a61d-e302666baaec&pd_rd_wg=qO9GL&pf_rd_s=mobile-detail-softlines&pf_rd_t=40701&pi=SL110&pd_rd_i=B00NSFDJYI&pd_rd_w=4Z6qv&pf_rd_i=mobile-detail-softlines&pd_rd_r=a10fb989-c09d-11e7-a61d-e302666baaec&dpPl=1&dpID=61jAwFeplNL

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums