Do you usually bring towels from home for port days?

[VPMJ]

Hi, Do you bring the NCL towels off the ship with you on port days? Are they bulky? In the past when we have cruised another line, we brought thin towels from home to bring to ports since the ship towels were heavy and bulky. What do you typically do? Trying to pack less this time. Thanks!

[imacruiser99]

NCL provides towels to be used in port.  If you lose them, there is a fee, so if you are concerned about losing towels bring your own, but I personally would never pack a beach towel.  Too many other items to be worried about.

[hladygirl]

Never. Just use the ones provided by NCL.

[VPMJ]

Thank you all! I won't pack any! 🙂

[smplybcause]

I wouldn't say they're super bulky, but they're not thin either. Rolled up they do take a chunk of space. 

[snownow]

Normally take NCL towels. However my wife did buy some super thin, super absorbent towels (think of a car shammy). I now use them if we are scuba diving. Just because they are much smaller and light. But beach day, ncl towel every time. 

[zqvol]

2 hours ago, VPMJ said:

Hi, Do you bring the NCL towels off the ship with you on port days? Are they bulky? In the past when we have cruised another line, we brought thin towels from home to bring to ports since the ship towels were heavy and bulky. What do you typically do? Trying to pack less this time. Thanks!

 

We never bring towels from home. You can get as many towels as you want for the beach from your steward.

[don't-use-real-name]

Towels

 

Just a hint for those bringing back liquor

 

Only time I bring my own towels is to pad the duty free liquor items while in transport.

Double wrap in plastic sleeve (think something like loaf of bread wrapper) and wrap in a towel

and success every time - no breakage.

 

Otherwise no need to bring one's own towels - NCL has plenty - need more ask your cabin attendant !

 

Oh and the size of the towel is the medium hand towel - no not a wash cloth nor a bath or beach towel

a towel measuring 16x26 inches 4 of them take up a sliver of room in the bottom of luggage.

[tanyaewa]

I bring a thin towel/ beach blanket like this 

Super handy to lay put on the beach or on loungers.  Sand doesn’t stick and it dries super quick.

[david_sobe]

NCL makes it super easy to exchange towels coming back to the ship while in port.  They have a giant towel bin where you drop your towel in and the attendant will give you a fresh, rolled towel to take to your cabin.

[newmexicoNita]

9 hours ago, VPMJ said:

Hi, Do you bring the NCL towels off the ship with you on port days? Are they bulky? In the past when we have cruised another line, we brought thin towels from home to bring to ports since the ship towels were heavy and bulky. What do you typically do? Trying to pack less this time. Thanks!

we use the ship towels: we would never think of bringing towels from home. Over the years we have learned to travel very lightly. I don't care for packing and unpacking and I don't care for the extra luggage charge when we fly. We usually only bring a carry on each with just esentuals in them and one large suitcase we do ship through of course. 

[Peachypooh]

I don't bring towels from home because they get all sandy/mildewy if you don't wash them out

and if you do wash them out they take forever to dry. What I do bring is some paper towels.

They are great to fold in squares and keep handy in a tote bag to use if needed and then thrown out.

I just take a ship towel onshore.

Edited August 15, 2019 by Peachypooh

[LeesaB]

You can always get a microfiber towel (like Packtowl or a million other brands) if you wanted something that would dry you off, be super small to pack, and dry quickly.  That's all I would consider taking on a cruise (or when traveling anywhere, for that matter).  They're great if you camp too.

[Megalyn]

As far as the bulkiness, I always pack a yoga mat strap so my towel doesn't take up space in my beach bag.  Easy way to strap it on your back and pack a much smaller bag!

[OceanBlueWaters]

On 8/15/2019 at 1:24 AM, tanyaewa said:

I bring a thin towel/ beach blanket like this 

Super handy to lay put on the beach or on loungers.  Sand doesn’t stick and it dries super quick.

These are the best!  I have the XL and it totally covers a lounge chair (I hate when the chair is partially covered).  It takes up little room in my suitcase and fits perfectly in my Beach Bag.  It dries quickly and fits back in my Beach Bag when I am ready to go (with little or no sand).  The Ship's towels are just too bulky for me to carry (especially when wet).  JMO 🙂

[Sotermarler]

I always pack one or two super thin crappy beach towels.  If they don’t make it home I don’t fret.

 

They have come in handy many times. The cruise towels are pretty big and bulky and  get very heavy when wet. My towels are different from everyone  else’s so it’s easy to find my chair after swimming. I don’t  think its necessary but I like to bring them. 

[rocky1]

Would you bring towels from home to a hotel? 🤨

[ollienbertsmum]

On my cruises (Mostly Mediterranean) I always take one of the super thin sports towels and have it in my bag.  I often go dressed in a bikini under my day clothes.  Then after wandering around the town we might have a short dip if we stumble across a convenient beach.   The towel does the essential but has not been dragged around town.  

 

If I were to be heading off for a beach day (not happened yet in 9 cruises), I would take one of the ship towels.  

Edited August 18, 2019 by ollienbertsmum

[tanyaewa]

On 8/17/2019 at 3:52 PM, rocky1 said:

Would you bring towels from home to a hotel? 🤨

Sort of depends on your vacation doesn’t it?  

I took my own towel to my hotels in Greece because we were exploring all day and going to a variety of beaches with loungers and I wanted to carry a larger easy dry towel to cover up .  In Barcelona the gorgeous old hotel didn’t have a pool so I certainly wasn’t about to take their lovely bath towels to the beach....