What do you carry on your lovely cruise vacation?

Usually a Pina Colada.

-flashlight
-Am Ex (good tip from the other thread) It's tempting to leave your wallet in the cabin. I am rethinking that.
- multi-tool.
- Real shoes/surf shoes. I never wear flip-flops or open shoes as a general rule.
- I think I could get by without the iPhone. But if I have pocket space...

Funny.

In a cross-over thread observation, I was watching a video on youtube the other night about some guy's BOB and he was wearing sandles in the bush. That one fact made me think "Duh!!" And discount his credentials and qualfications.

I always heard that women judge men by their shoes!

LOL!! I've never thought of myself as doing that, but it turns out that i do.

Don't forget to put your card, along with your passport, ID, and other important documents, in a waterproof pouch. It would be a nightmare if you get to the consulate only to be told, "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't believe you are the real GarlyDog."

A map of the ship. Pay attention to exits and lifeboats.

Your flashlight should be waterproof.

Drawing supplies to draw Kate Winslet naked on your couch. (This could happen at some point after you escort her through the flooded, dark passages with your waterproof flashlight.)

Good thing I'm not a cruise sort of guy.

Need to visit the art supply store before my next trip. lol.

Any good suggestions? I think My local Gander Has some pelicans I was looken at.

Light and a whistle. Multitool as usual

Map of the boat seems like a good idea, as do decent shoes and a credit card / cash.

None of this is too bulky or arduous to carry.

A chemical heat pck might be useful, if only to keep hands functioning in cold / wet conditions. Lightsticks might have value tomark position for extended periods and spare flashlights. Decent gloves might also be useful but we are now starting to stretch what might be carried on body?

Interesting idea. I carry those in my pack and vehicles, and use a lot of them when hunting in early winter.. Do they work if they get wet? I have never experimented with that.

just dunked my SureFire G2 incandescent in a pan of water..will give it a couple hour soak...polymer body... "O" rings... switch is a simple twist or momentary on button, with not a bunch of modes....since the start of this thread I ordered a small one cell 123 powered LED pocket lite to augment my Fenix on the key ring...thinking about getting one of the G2XB lights, SureFire supports my shooting habit


Edit...it's at least water resistant after 2 hours...

Keep your EDC to a minimum and distributed. Think about pocket carry and the gear that you'd want to assist in getting back to your cabin/stateroom which is where you'll have a Go-Bag right next to your life-jacket/PFD. The Go-Bag can carry a lot of good gear to aid in rescue but needs to be small enough to not impede moving through crowded passageways and into a lifeboat/raft.

I'm thinking that EDC is a very capable but small flashlight and wallet. It's very rare that a cruise ship sinks, but they have power outages more often than they'd like to admit. It's dark inside a ship when the lights go out. I'd consider a 1xAAA or one of the 4Sevens' mini 1xAA or 1x123A lights with a wrist lanyard. That's the entire EDC for me. Learn the ship's layout so you don't need a map, otherwise carry a map.

All the other good ideas (including passports, cash, important tickets et al) in this thread would be put into the Go-Bag. Part of the Go-Bag might be a set of clothes chosen specifically for abandoning ship; you don't want to make these decisions on the fly, things will be forgotten/lost in the rush. Pre-plan the details . . . and be prepared to flex when Plan A doesn't work. The most important item in EDC is your head which is where you'll find Plan B.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/01/18/cruise-ship-wednesday.html

Rescue operations have been suspended. 22 people still missing.

I've never been on a cruise, and I was wondering, how do people communicate with other people onboard? Especially if some shipboard situation is starting to develop and you're separated from, say, your spouse, do you just have to rush back to your cabin and hope to run into him/her?

I have been thinking this as well since seeing the story of the Italian ship. Detailed plans of each deck would likely be a) hard to acquire or b) hard to carry around in a format that is compact, readable, and waterproof. However even so, if I was to spend a week on such a boat I would take some time familiarizing myself with the deck plans if I could find them.

I was taught that "time spent in recon is time well spent".

My cruise EDC (only been on one cruise - to AK) evolved from my EDC kit carried on board a working vessel (too many times).

I wear clothing appropriate to the climate (wool pants and shirt, wool socks, sturdy boating shoes that can be kicked off).

Based on a Mustang Flotation coat with beavertail (sounds better than diaper, which it is) this allows me to stay warm on deck and significantly increases my survival time in cold water.

Mine is an older version of this: http://www.mustangsurvival.com/recreational/thermosystem-plus-coat-0?division=professional

In the pockets I carry:
PLB (recent addition)
Several flares and smoke (formerly a Pengun, now Orion)
Strobe (an old military ACR)
A red Laser Flare
A glass signal mirror
Neoprene gloves
Wool watch cap
Surfire Aviator

On my body I carry:
Spyderco Mariner (always serrated in this case)
SAK with file, metal saw, wood saw
A fixed blade knife (now a McGowan rescue tool)
A DR Pico and a MagLight 2AA LED (with low power and
flash modes)
Seiko Divers Watch
My wallets w/ ID, Amex, Cash, etc.

In my cabin is my BOB in a floating case with extra clothing, food, etc.

For the cruise ship, where limits are placed on sharp and flamable items are severly limited, I replaced the Mariner with a Spyderco Cricket (looks like a cigar cutter), left home the fixed blade and the flares and smoke. Now that I have the Laser Flare, I feel less concerned by the missing flares and smoke.

The security on the cruise ship looked very carefully at the cricket and the SAK but let them both on board. They also looked very carefully at my walking staff (a Crawford Survival Staff) which is 6 feet of aluminum tube with a sharp point, but let it on board anyway - this is an AK cruise after all and hiking at the stops is common.

The thing I miss the most is the pry bar / fixed knife.

When I arrived I spent some time finding the lifeboats, learning how to launch them and learning the layout of the decks I would spend time on. I did go to the lifeboat drill and found it somewhat informative (alternative life jacket location, alternative lifeboats, etc.)

Respectfully,

Jerry

On the NCL ship I was on there were reasonable plans of the ship given to you as you boarded. Maritime law also requires a plan of each deck to be posted at several important locations on that deck.

Respectfully,

Jerry

First, you have to have a plan. My wife and I had arrangements made if we were separated where we would meet under most circumstances. NONE of them were at the cabin.

We also carried FRS/GMRS radio's and found them to work well on the ship. The silent call saves a lot of noise.

Respectfully,

Jerry

Having been on a few cruises through the Caribbean, I can tell you that I, and most other people, would spend most of the day in a bathing suit, likely at the poolside. That being the case, I never really had much of an EDC on me. The roomcard and a small penknife/flashlight combo (Wenger MicroLight) was about it. Maybe I would have a cheap FRS radio to keep in contact with the younguns', though on a big metal ship reception is spotty and plenty of other people have the same idea so frequencies/channels fill up with chatter quickly.

Now if there was some kind of disaster, according to the drills we ran when we first got on the ship, we were supposed to go to our rooms, put on our life vests (which have little lights on them), and then meet at our designated lifeboat station. From there, a member of the ships crew was supposed to count us up and distribute us to various life boats. We were told not to bring any bags with us to the life boat stations.

I couldn't help but think....that plan works great if the ship is perfectly stable and everyone can move around to where they need to go quickly and safely. If that's not the case, and people are panicking, they're just going to try to get to the closest lifeboat station and hope they can get on a boat.

Basically, unless you've got plenty of advance notice that something isn't right, you can very easily find yourself screwed. Not much you can really do about it either, unless you're going to wear your PFD 24 hours a day and bring your own personal well stocked life-raft.

The one thing I did do though, was keep a windbreaker jacket, some cash, a laminated copy of my passport, and a pair of sturdy shoes with my PFD; hoping I would have time to put them all on together.

I figured, if we did have to abandon-ship, it would likely mean spending a few hours on the open ocean in a raft until help arrived. That being the case, I wanted something to wear more substantial than a t-shirt and sandals. Then I figured, if we did get rescued and end up in some foreign country, I would also at least want some cash and some form of identification.

Now you're speaking my language! It's one of the reasons DH and I will likely never cruise, at least not together. He doesn't want to go on a cruise at all because he doesn't feel it's safe. I'd like to go on an Alaskan cruise someday but only if I could bring my own emergency gear and keep it with me at all times. Same reason I don't like flying. I'm not worried about something going wrong, just being unprepared if it did.

As i said in the cruise thread, I just got off one when i saw the news...

In my pocket almost all the time, the only time not was while I was in the pool and then it was in my bag by my chair was my Mission Wallet http://www.bladeart.com/catalog/KnifeDisplay.aspx?MakerID=363 . In it was a few hundred cash, work ID ,CC,DL, health care card. In the outside slots were Fenix AAA led, Attwood Prybaby, Space Pen.

Clipped to me 100% of the time a Spyderco H1 serrated Drangonfly.
Not that big a knife but I had no idea what size they would allow so I went small and yellow,went through xray each day returning to the ship never an issue at all.

I was safer on that ship then at work, driving my car and so forth I felt prepaired and still would with same gear.

The biggest factors I feel are your conditioning , mind set, how you react under stress and so forth. I train hard almost daily,and preform well as a Lt on the FD 42 hours a week .

Edit. Deck plans are all over the ship ! Mine was 11 floors, all 11 floors were each on the posters showing all you'd need to know as far as I could tell.

Cruises are a safe vactions, safer then most of mine,white water canoeing in the Yukon a couple hundred miles from roads..... back pack hunting in 6 degree temps....

The biggest risk is to your bank account !!

Pelicans aren't bad at all. I carry a 4Sevens Quark 123, which is waterproof and offers very high performance for the form factor. You could spend much less money and get a ThruNite Ti to have a 1xAAA flashlight that performs exceptionally well at an excellent price.

I've no affiliation with the manufacturers mentioned other than owning (what my wife would characterize as) too many flashlights.

That doesn't surprise me. SureFire has outstanding build quality by all reports.

I would suggest that you keep a British sea-faring captain tucked away in your EDC.
In the event of an emergency aboard an Italian cruise liner,
unpack him, take him up to the wheelhouse, and throw out the rest of the crew.

Hahahahaha !!!

Pete2

There are lots of PFD's around the ship, you don't need to wear it or go to your cabin. There are lots of stocked life rafts, if you look where they are (don't just look at the lifeboats). US and most EU countries (I don't know if there are exceptions) require more then enough life boats/rafts for everyone on each side of the vessel.

Respectfully,

Jerry

Amen!

Not that I ever would go on them but....

I'd want a flashlight and a smoke hood very ready at hand.

In theory the ship has emergency lighting but when lighting goes wrong (as it has in my windowless office) light is real important for doing anything besides sleeping.

And fire aboard ship is at least as likely as sudden inrush of water and there probably aren't hoods everywhere you go. (I hope I'm wrong about that)

In pockets:
*Flashlight - Keychain or pen size, waterproof, battery life >12 hours.
*Whistle - Flat "marine" whistle or any multi-chamber plastic whistle.
*Hand sanitizer - Ship wide sickness is more common then sinkings.

On body:
* Boat shoes - Not the slip on mocs, but the Vans or sneaker style laceups with flat outsoles and a thick rubber rand around the outside. I've used them for small boat sailing, and they will stick to any surface regardless of how wet or slick it is.
* Sunhat

In cabin:
*Passport, tickets, contacts, cash, compass, and how to ask "where is the American Embassy" in 149 different languages in a waterproof floating bag. On the cheap you can toss an empty (2.2 lbs/L bouyency) water bottle and a ziplock into a gym bag for waterproof and floating.
*water purification tablet
*Warm, windproof, jacket.

I believe that fire is more likely with ignition sources (smokers) in many rooms. In rush of water is really an out-lier.

Some sort of flashlight (waterproof)
Small pocket knife
Wallet with ID, CC, Some money, Brunton Sur.Card set.
Normally a spark rod (on land)
On cruise sometimes matches or lighter depending on shore plans.
Matches have been in a match case.
I guess I could put a sm. spark rod on a dummy cord with pocket knife.
Truth, I can't see much need to start a fire on ship.
BTW
In my M/C I also have a needle and bit of thread and a tinder plug,
couple sm. hooks and lead. (K&M matchsafe) compass.

This may sound dumb, but would swimming goggles help with avoiding getting smoke in the eyes (which would hinder navigation through smoke filled rooms)?

I see a lot of good stuff in these posts, but EDC (Every-Day-Carry) should be minimal in this environment. This is a cruise ship for folks on vacation having fun. A lot of the items I see in this thread would be good for a Go-Bag based kit that stays at the ready in your cabin/stateroom, but to carry all this stuff every time you leave your cabin would be extreme IMO. The idea is to relax and have a good time. My $.02, YMMV

Ships are chock full of electrical equipment and wiring.
It isn't just people smoking in bed - it's fan motors burning up and so forth.

In rush of water IS the outlier. Even in submarines we trained more often for fire than for leaking.

A smoke hood is more to protect your lungs from toxic smoke.
Seeing your way clear is nice but if you can't breathe to get there it won't matter much.

Its been a couple of decades since my last cruise, but I remember them being quite strict in what you can carry on. So, I'd probably bring an AA LED light by Underwater Kinetics or Pelican since they're dive rated and have long burn times and a whistle. Maybe a small SAK for 'cleaning my fingernails'.

This is true - having a ditch kit is good, having the basics (light and whistle) in your pockets is great and should be possible in anything more than speedos.

The rest is training/mental skills - don't panic and do what you are supposed to and the odds are very much in your favour

single cell CR123 LED light arrived yesterday, 110 lumens rated, ...impressive light for size (approx .85" x 3.25")...consider one, there are times that a key chain light is not enough

Streamlight ProTac 1L?

Mark_R... yes

I went on a 10-day Alaska cruise two years ago. I carried my Leatherman on my belt and a Surefire E2D clipped in my pocket. Every time I went through "security", I simply put both objects on the belt to get x-rayed. The only comment was by the security chief on about day seven. She commented that she really liked my flashlight, and that it was too bad that the security personnel could not carry them. Apparently, only "engineering" staff could carry lights, which were 2-AA MagLites in the nylon belt holsters. During a power failure, security was to find their way to the "emergency lanterns" that were stowed in some of the maintenance and storage areas. We both shook our heads at that.

If I were doing "security" on that ship, I would carry a single AAA light on my keychain. When you need a light, you need it right away.

Fauxton and tiny whistle on keychain. small sunscreen and hand sanitizer in pocket. slim wallet with pen and buss cards

In cabin - water, snacks, meds, longterm light, cell with batt charger, jacket.

I've never been on a cruise, but if I were to go on one I wouldn't carry anything other than my normal EDC stuff. Knife, flashlight, wallet, cellphone (which probably wouldn't work on a ship anyway), etc. Any ship-specific stuff that could help in an emergency would be too big to carry - a life raft, life preserver, cold water survival suit, shark repellant, flare gun, cutting torch, scuba tanks, semaphore flags, seawater purifier.

I would just relax, have a nice vacation, and pray that it wasn't my time to go. Walking around ship carrying all kinds of stuff like a Rambo/sherpa wouldn't be any fun at all.

Does anyone know how useful a compass is below decks?

Even if it worked perfectly, how useful is it to know which direction North is on a ship unless you are steering it?

It could help with orienting yourself. Especially if you knew which way the ship was pointing. I've never been on a big liner myself, but I imagine below decks they are just endless corridors that all look alike.

Below decks, you are not likely to have the vaguest notion of the direction in which the vessel is headed (in a large vessel). What counts is fore and aft, port and starboard. Hopefully, exits would be labelled;if not, finding them would be one's first order of business.

Interference from electrical circuits and surrounding ferrous metal is likely to render your compass highly inaccurate, in any event. Feeling the ship's motion is more likely to give you an idea of direction than any compass.

Really? Never noticed that.

On cruise ships, cabin numbers will usually, but not always, help you with knowing fore/aft/port/starboard.

Cabin numbers usually get larger as you move aft on the ship.

Cabin numbers usually get larger as you move to the starboard side of the ship.

Relative to the other cabins in the same hall.

Vessel motion works on the relatively small vessels with which I am familiar. Not so sure about a really large cruise ship.

Cruises are tons of fun and statistically very safe.

I carried an old Gerber Ultra single AA in my pocket or my wife's beach bag we took to the pool because dark is about the only contingency you can plan for with any ease.

That, not getting drunk, and going on deck and hanging out there if is any indication of trouble are IMO the best things you can do to stay safe on a cruise.

I enjoy a balcony on the aft of the ship. Nice to look back at the wake of the ship at the end of the day while enjoying a rum and coke, plus the added benefit of never being on the bad side of a listing ship.

One of my favorite cruise activities is stargazing. I live near Chicago and rarely get to enjoy dark skies. You can actually see the Milky Way out at sea.

I'm surprised Mark_R is the only one to mention this critical item. If news about a ship full of feverish, vomiting passengers was the latest news rather than the Costa Concordia, we'd probably see this item on more people's cruise EDC list.

Something like a fast spreading norovirus is one of the most likely reasons for a ruined cruise. And when it's bad, it hits a whole lot of passengers at once. Do what you can to stay healthy and keep the nasty bugs at bay.

On my ship the carpets had "swimming" fish printed on them. Follow the fish to go towards the front of the boat.

Also exits,stairs etc. were marked and with glow in the dark labels down at floor level ( just like a highrise) this allows one crawling under the smoke and in darkness to see them, those of us with lights anyways.....

Oh nobody point out the markings one had to pay attention and know what they were looking at, which leaves out most.

Good observation. Thanks for the info. I will have to remember to look for that next time...

I think Mark_R has great priorities

The four scourges of the sea have always been:
Disease
Fire
Sinking
Starvation

Starvation and dehydration are unlikely to be an issue on a modern cruiser, however an issue with the kitchens or on-board desalination could cause shortages or a less exciting menu. I don’t think it would be worth hoarding food in your room, but I’d always have water and snacks on hand. (Perhaps in that grab bag beside the life jacket) ?

Sinking – I think that that’s been covered. Lighting would be important, if the ship is dark, it could be very dark with many internal passages etc. Know the emergency procedures and try to stay dry. Just remember that its women, children and me first …

Fire. Very few people die from fire, it’s the smoke. Knowing the exits, and perhaps a good light and even a smoke hood would be good. Act Quickly is the mantra, get to an open deck with your family and don’t go back for possessions (same for sinking).

Disease. By far the most likely disaster to befall a cruise. Sweeping gastro and flu are not uncommon on big ships. In the event of an outbreak you should pay careful attention personal hygiene and even be selective about food and drink choices. Well cooked is probably safer that uncooked foods. Food related issues may be more of an issue after several days at sea; the food being served will then be several days older than when it was loaded.
Having a personal first aid kit that can addresses: gastro, dehydration, sea sickness and symptoms of cold and flu is probably a good idea.
If you have personal meds you need them too, and as always, you need extras because you never know if your trip will be delayed and you could be stuck for a few extra days; engine or steering failures are not unknown as well as political issues or severe storms.

Related to disease is sewerage failure, plumbing blockage are also not unknown. Once again personal hygiene and appropriate medication are the solution, plus perhaps some potent air freshener, personally I like peppermint essence because it is a remedy for motion sickness, stomach upsets and is excellent at masking smells !

Sunburn is an issue for many folk, use a sunscreen. You may wish to take some meds to treat burns too.

For the adults on the thread: Sometimes folk become relaxed and carefree on a holiday. Some cruises are even designed for single people. You know where I’m heading … take the usual precautions !

The ship will have a dispensary and medical personnel, but you don’t want to rely on them if there is any kind of outbreak because they will quickly be overwhelmed by numbers. None the less you should find out where it is during your exploration and mapping of the ship.

One additional thing is to just be aware of what’s going on. Talk with people and keep a check on the people around you, if they all start missing meals or you stop seeing them around, they may have simply changed their routine, or perhaps they have been taken ill ?

Aargh, matey, what about Mutiny and Piracy? I guess most cruise ships avoid the Somali coast these days....

Obviously since we cannot expect all passengers to tote AKs and rocket launchers, all cruise ships should be equipped... to summon the kraken! Yes, upon sight of trouble, the crew will turn the capstan on the kraken hammer clockwise, lifting it to the highest point, from which it slams down, sending shockwaves throughout the seven seas. The kraken will then emerge from the unfathomable abyss, devouring the pirates and reducing their ship to a veritable scene from hell. What pirates who do manage to survive the initial onslaught will be dragged down to be prisoners in Davy Jones' Locker, never to see daylight again.

Glowsticks. Bring Plenty along with your flashlight.

Kracken-Be-Gone. Now available in a convenient spray

The last few cruises my wife and I have been had hand sanitizer stations everywhere on the ship, esp at the entrances to the dining areas.

The perfect accessory for your " Moose bashin' shovel 3,000"

Then again, it's easier for most folks to hold their breath than to hold their sight for a couple of minutes.

Yes, the goggles are a good idea, if they fit snuggly. They are also good for submersion and gasses.
"Field expedient" smoke filters can be made easier than "field expedient" airtight eyewear.

Lightwetght "hobby" type gloves which have a protective palm and fingers but that don't retain water may be handy too.

Cell phones may work on the ship, you may also want to contact your provider for international coverage prior to departure. If your phone goes through the ship's service, you may pay as much/> as for a satellite phone... (as in $750 for 3 nights with a teenager that doesn't listen...)

Laser flares are small and powerful (green ones are amazing) and can be used as a type of flashlight, too, if you are used to it.

Whatever you carry, it should be able to work when wet. Plan to get wet, then if you stay dry, it's a plus.

In looking through the pics of the divers working on Costa Concordia I saw what looked like a UW Kinetics Q40 attached to one of the dive helmets. 2-watt LED running 4 AA lithium batteries and waterproof to 500 ft. That should be deep enough on a cruise ship.

I've got an older (less lumen/more run-time) version of the UK4AA eLED as one of the lights in my aviation survival vest. Not a dive light, but I don't expect to be very deep. (if I get deeper than 10 ft I have bigger problems than a light not working)

If I was diving on submerged ships, wrecks or anywhere underwater I'd go to a dive shop for gear. But for cruising on a cruise ship, good lights that are waterproof enough can easily be found on the internet. To buy UW Kinetic lights I'd start HERE.

the googles may protect your eyes from smoke, but you won't be able to see through smoke. 22 years and 100's of fires I've yet to see through smoke,under it sure but then thats because I'm under the smoke line....

...Was in the sub-basement of a very large building last week and was very thankful for a tiny Faux-ton. Many twisty passages, each like the next...

There are several " what to pack on a cruise" type videos on youtube, mostly comfort items, but useful to watch for ideas and suggestions.

Were they ALP Combat Sandals Jac? They have been worn in combat and even skydiving.