Of Mattress Pads and Empty Fridges



An appetizer on Celebrity's Equinox

There have been times in the main dining room that an appetizer has overshadowed the main dish and I wished I had a bit more of that tapas-sized tease.

Then on a blog one day, someone suggested that if you want an entrée-sized appetizer, the ships will do that.

There are quite a lot of things the ships will do for you if you simply ask. After all, they’re in the people-pleasing business and—within reason, of course—they’re often willing to accommodate. They just don’t advertise this, for obvious reasons.

Here are a few of the other things I’ve asked for and received over the years:

·       Padding the mattress—Perhaps Princess wants to get as much mileage out of its mattresses as possible, or they think we’re a nation of bad backs. Their mattresses are hard. Since they’re not about to change the beds, they’ve stocked their ships with pads that are available on request

·       Less of a cover up—I’ll never understand why the ships all line their beds with heavy duvets in the Caribbean. I don’t know about you, but the idea of sweating all day and all night isn’t particularly appealing. However, there is a solution—one of the first things we ask our room steward for on Day 1 is a thin blanket

·       Cold and cheap—The mini-fridge in the cabins on every ship are designed, of course, to increase your spend by tempting you with treats only an outstretched arm away. But on some ships, if you ask your room steward nicely, he will empty the frig of those $8 peanuts and $6 M&Ms to make room for what you squirreled away from the cafeteria. Which brings me to my next topic—

 

·       Takeout—I don’t know why, but I was always a bit shy about carrying food from the cafeteria. Until I saw others doing it. Even with food available somewhere nearly all the time, it’s still nice to have a few nibbles in your room in case you want something with your wine on the verandah. Think nuts and raisins from the salad bars, cheese and crackers from lunch, or cookies for coffee later. I’ve even started bringing my stainless steel coffee mug on board to keep me caffeinated between meals

·       Wine and water—If you bring your own wine (be sure to check cruise line BYO policies—they all differ), you can ask your room steward for wine glasses. And if you want water and/or ice every day, you’ll need to ask for that as well (some of the lines give you one or the other without asking)

 

·       Wine and cheese—If you order a bottle of wine at dinner and don’t want to drink the whole thing at one sitting, your waiter will keep it for you for the following day. One woman who sat at the next table from us on one trip brought her own supply of cheese onboard, had the waiter hold onto it, and it appeared at her place every night on schedule 

·       Not your neighborhood restaurant —On land, you wouldn’t ask for a second entrée unless you were prepared to pay for it, so many of us wouldn’t think of asking for one in the cruise ship dining room. But if you’re not happy with your meal—or even if you just want to try something else on the menu—the dining rooms are okay with that. They’ll even sometimes grant your wish for something not on the menu. One person I know asked and received a dish from the menu of a few days back

Dessert plus on Celebrity's Constellation

 

·      The final scoop—One of our favorite treats is topping that dessert with ice cream—every day. We wouldn’t dare do it at home, but hey, we’re on vacation.  The waiters don’t generally offer; again, you have to ask

Hope this gave you one or two tips to make your cruise just a bit more comfy and indulgent. If you’ve had success with a request of your own, please fill us in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caribbean Crafts by Way of China

It was my third Caribbean cruise before I wised up. We were in St. Kitts—a small, not very touristy island with only a few places to interest the shopper. In one of these, I spotted a cute little journal with a banana leaf cover. I bought it quickly, in case we wouldn’t be back and I’d never see it again.

Don’t you know I saw that same notebook again and again in nearly every port we visited since then?

Shopping for mementos in the Caribbean islands can bring on a serious case of déjà vu for which the only cure is keeping your money in your wallet.

I’m not talking here about artwork—it’s easy to find high-end paintings and sculptures by local artists. I’m referring to the kind of small locally made products that make great gifts for friends and family, or to remind you of your trip.

It’s sad that local crafts are nearly extinct. I’d like to think it was because the locals have found better ways to earn a living. But one look at the markets in St. Lucia or Nassau and one can easily see this is not so. It’s just that crafts have been replaced by cheap just-change-the-name-of-the-island souvenirs made by low-wage workers many miles away.

There are a few places you can still find a bit of authenticity or at least souvenirs unusual enough so you won’t see them in every port. Here are the ones I’ve found so far:

 ·       Barbados—Within a short walk from the cruise terminal (there’s a walkway along the water) in Bridgetown, the island’s capital, is the Pelican Village Craft Centre, a cluster of shops selling locally made crafts. I’ve bought purses and portfolios of bamboo, dolls with brightly colored outfits and figurines made from wood and wire



·       Dominica—Besides boasting of a beautiful compact harbor surrounded by lush green mountains, and a town punctuated with vibrant tropical flowers, Dominica also makes its own straw items from larouma reeds and balizier leaves, such as baskets, wall hangings, sun hats and the like


Making baskets in Dominica's harbor market

These are different than what you’ll see in Nassau, Bahamas, which are fine if you don’t mind the island name blazoned across the top in 72-point type. Dominica’s baskets are subdued and look great on everything from a cocktail table to a bureau

Straw baskets for sale in downtown Roseau



·       Aruba—Artisans take buds from the Mopa Mopa tree, turn them into resin, add color and use the substance to decorate wooded animals, boxes, masks and all sorts of other pieces. There are only three shops on the island that sell Mopa Mopa art, one of which is in downtown Oranjestad, Aruba’s capital and port for the cruise lines. More artwork than knickknacks, these pieces don’t come cheap but they make unique souvenirs and gifts. You can even get something as small as a bookmark, which is fairly inexpensive

If you’re on the hunt for local crafts on some of the other Caribbean islands, there are a few shops that still sell them, but sometimes you have to look pretty hard to find them. Charlotte Amalie in Bridgetown, St. Thomas has its Native Arts and Crafts Cooperative right downtown. But in St. Kitts’ Basseterre, we had to walk quite a ways down the main shopping street away from the center of town to find a small unassuming shop with products locally made. Warning: this was several years ago, so I don’t know if the place still exists.

Hope I gave you a few useful tips for the next time you’re treasuring hunting in the Caribbean. If you do come up empty, you can always fall back on the one product surely locally made, and everywhere, always welcome—rum!

Found something really special that I missed? Please fill me in!

 

 

Don't Leave it Behind

One of the things I love about cruising is that it’s not flying. No luggage restrictions!

Anyone who’s agonized about what to take on a trip will appreciate this. Can’t decide between the blue blouse or the red one? Take both! Can’t fit your pillow into the suitcase? Take a bigger one!

That you can take whatever you can fit into your cabin means you can get creative. You can take those extra things that will make your stay in your little cubbyhole that much more tolerable.

Here’s my list of must-haves, accumulated over the years:

·       Oversized digital clock with alarm—For whatever reason, the cabins have no clock. If you want to make that Pilates class at 7 a.m., this will be nice to have around. And a big one can be seen from nearly anywhere in the cabin (sad, isn’t it?)
 

·       Hanging organizer—Mind you, there are some cabins where this won’t work because the closets are too small. But Princess ship closets are bigger than the one I have at home and easily accommodate an organizer. As a matter of fact, we take two. I use mine for shoes but my spouse uses it for his seemingly endless supply of electronic paraphernalia

·       Noise machine—If you’re in the disco until 2 a.m., you might want one of these to be able to sleep through the kids running down the hallways or people heading for the pool as the sun’s coming up

 

·       “Duck” tape—I get teased for continuing my error (but there actually is such a thing), but the it-will-do-everything tape comes in handy to close blinds when you want to nap, fix holes in suitcases that weren’t there before boarding, and have been known to keep up a hem or two

·       White board—Spouse is still asleep when you go off to that Pilates class? Let him know where you’re going where he can’t miss it

·       Walkie-talkies—These are invaluable when you and your traveling companions want to go your separate ways. Just be sure you know their range before you buy

Have anything to add to this list? Do share!