(Part 2) Best products from r/Cruise

Just One is FABULOUS and takes two seconds to learn! You can easily take it out of the box and travel with it in a baggy!

Avalon/Werewolf social deduction type games are fun for big groups!

Age of War is a small push your luck die roll game (not the best for a big group but for a portion of the group)

Box of Rocks is a trivia type game where it is all humans versus a box of rocks

Set is good solitaire or with big groups but is going to cause lots of head scratching. It's good for those who like puzzles!

Red7 is a personal favorite but doesn't play to 10 people

I'm looking at badge holders and lanyards, and decided on a retractable lanyard/reel, but when looking at the actual badge holders I have questions!

I could go with the basic plastic pouch, but it seems like taking it out and putting it back in would be kinda a hassle, so I found these.

Do Norwegian key cards have a magnetic swipe on the back, or would these 'half' badge holders work well to leave the barcode/insert side of the key card free? I looked for images of the NCL key cards, but I only ever see the fronts. Is that a good indication that nothing of interest is on the back? Would my little 'half' holder be enough to leave the insert-able end free without having to remove the card from the holder?


Thanks!

You might want to lurk on the DISBOARDS forums a bit (usually I try not to nudge people off reddit but DCL just doesn't get discussed much here):

http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-cruise-line-forum.9/

That said, the first thought that comes to mind is ... DCL is probably a lot more expensive for the same itinerary than other lines (including other lines that will have childcare). If money isn't a factor, you can't beat Disney for a family cruise.

The Disney ships are EXTREMELY Disneyfied. That said, if it doesn't drive you crazy in the parks, you'll be fine on the ships. I've only been on the Dream, and I'm both childless and not a Disney nut. It got to me a bit, but it was offset by the cleanliness of the ship and the fabulous staff. We also got a room with a big balcony, and we spent a lot of time there or in the adults-only areas. There should be an adults-only area on Magic, and you could go there while the kid is at the nursery (or whatever they call it for that age range, sorry).

If you do book, in my opinion it's worth spending the extra ten or twelve bucks and grabbing this:

https://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-Cruise-Line/dp/1628090502/

Things change very quickly on ALL cruise lines, but the folks behind these books have a very good handle on Disney and DCL. I bought the electronic version and made lots of bookmarks on my kindle.

EDIT: Oh, and if possible you may want to book through Costco. They usually have a fairly large kickback in the form of a Costco cash card. It's basically the only way to save money on a DCL cruise.

Fat tip on Day 1 is the best way to gain the favor of your Steward or Stewardess. Great list. I would humbly add—

• A Shoe Organizer like THIS to hang over your bathroom door. You literally have 25 clear pockets to organize all your small stuff—out of the way.

• Magnets. Always bring magnets. All the walls in your stateroom are metal. You can stick everything from the Daily Activities Newsletter to your Excursion tickets to the wall for safekeeping.

• A Power Strip like THIS and some extension cords. Power outlet options in your stateroom are VERY limited.

I got a set on a cruise on The Love Boat back in 77 (still have them) they are like this and they were decent.

Back in Jan in Hawaii and purchased something simular to these and they are very nice. Almost the same view and smaller, therefore easier to take with you. Think of that consideration when purchasing. Are you going on excursions, can they get wet, what do you want to see.

Our trips have been in late Aug and mid Sept, so we missed out on most of the wild life.

The set I got in 77 was taken with us on our second cruise and they were very good, but the optics in the new smaller one are better.

I guess it comes down to what you are hoping to get a closer look at; Slower items like scenery or whales are not at problem. Birds are another issue.

If you want to walk from one end of the ship to the other quickly, use the hallways on a passenger cabin deck, not the crowded main hallways where the casino/restaurants are located, or the crowded sun deck. Don't run though. Somebody's bound to be sleeping.


For a Caribbean vacation, bring more than one swimsuit. Bring an extra clothesline to hang wet clothes from. This is what I use.
https://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-0433-Adjustable-Bungee-Clothesline/dp/B000NUM8D4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1494271465&sr=8-5&keywords=travel+clothesline


Shore excursions cost a lot more if you purchase them from the cruise line. The extra peace of mind might be worth it, though.


Book dining well in advance if you want to eat at normal hours.


I signed up for a meet up for the first day of our cruise on Cruisecritic.com. Good way to meet other people.


Congratulations and best wishes!

Buy a white noise machine like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAPB57J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-wVoDb2RYJFV6

Sounds just like a fan (cause it has one inside) with an adjustable volume but is small and easy to travel with! It can get pretty loud...definitely louder than a regular box fan. Seriously we just bought this exact one a week ago and it’s fantastic! It will be going with us on our cruise next month to drown out hallway and adjacent room noises...plus the nightlight will be good for the kids.

I highly recommend a sportbrella. You can use it as a standard beach umbrella or use it as a beach shelter. We live near the beach in Florida and it's easily the best shelter/tent/umbrella we've bought. It's good for camping and sporting events also.

If your grandmother can't take the sun, I'd bring something just in case. It gives you the freedom to not have to worry about sticking to rentals. You can go set up wherever you want.

Nice! I decided to hold off on the cheers program because it would've been another $1,100+ for my fiancee and I but I did the math and we can still each drink about $50 a day on the boat and still save money VS the cheers program. We also got these bags made especially for sneaking alcohol onto cruise ships lol.

1. Yes, but when you take it on board originally make sure it's empty. If it's not, you'll have to get it past the security people who are trying to make sure you're not sneaking alcohol on board without paying for a drink package.
   
   
2. Don't see a problem with it.
   
   
3. YES. Get a small one, something like this: You probably won't need a ton of outlets, but you probably do have a ton of USB devices.
   
   
4. Theft is something to be concerned about everywhere. Keep your stuff close by. Stashing stuff under towels on a pool lounger is fine, but just stay vigilant.
   
   
5. No, but it's not a bad idea. You'll have a card that acts as a payment card, door key, and gets you on and off the boat, so when you're on board you don't need to carry anything else. Off the boat it's not a terrible idea to bring a ID in case you want to get something big and they need something to verify your CC info with, but it's by no means a necessity.

Thanks for bringing my attention to this! I’d read the essay and assumed it was the full thing. Grabbed it for my cruise (3rd) next week which some make for good fun :)

Kindle link if anyone’s interested:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078XGRSG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IllQCbC8ZSX2S

I cruised solo on Norwegian once and had a great time.

Bring some party activities that'll be fun to break out when you meet people and make friends. You can't go wrong with a basic deck of cards (people will invariably wind up suggesting some sort of drinking game), and I really highly suggest Cards Against Humanity.

Something like this can be pretty useful on beach days, or even on deck if you don't want to leave your electronics unattented while you go to the bathroom.

http://www.amazon.com/SAFEGO-Portable-Travel-Combination-Access/dp/B017RQUIC4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_201_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=318p2RrDDTL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0FZV76VXFB5HX7XYVSKK

Seconded on the hook magnets, extension cords, and some sort of bottle/cup the ones on the ship are pretty small. I usually fill up on ship water before heading into port as well.

Might be too much if you're only cruising once a year but:

Clorox Healthcare Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner Disinfectant Pre-moistened Wipes (50 Count) Plus Bonus Storage Bag
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074PCL434/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RAKWCb8D3BYYP

OR you could get the HUGE container of the same stuff, then package the wipes yourself into ziplock bags!

Saalfeld 30824 Clorox Healthcare Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner Disinfectant Wipes, Kills Norovirus, Rotavirus, HIV, Poly-bag Protected, 6.75" x 9", X-Large Wipe (Pack of 95) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K3U1B64/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jCKWCbPAVSS7R