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I am now up to 385 nights elite credit with Norwegian Cruise Lines and on my way to maybe one day reaching the pinnacle of their current status program, that is, Ambassador at 700 nights. To be clear I have not spent 385 night onboard NCL ships but thanks to extra night credits for booking suites, insiders deals and more I have bulked up my totals somewhat quickly over the past few years. In fact on my Alaska adventure I am currently documenting on the blog I got a staggering 35 nights credit for a 7 day cruise (honestly, I am not sure how I got quite this many as I was only expecting 28 nights with all my stacked deals).
On the topic of nights – an ultra soft bed is a must for me. I can not sleep on a hard bed more than a few nights without suffering, not just lost sleep, but pain the following day. At home, on top of my pillow top mattress, I have a 3″ memory foam “egg crate” mattress. It is beyond dreamy. Not only is it soft but it breaths so you sleep like on a cloud – yeah, it really is THAT amazing.
But could I have this on a cruise?
Why not you ask?
I agree!
When I first approached my wife with the idea of bringing a massive 3″ mattress pad on our next cruise she was less than enthused and thought I had lost it.
But I had an idea! 🙂
You see there are these amazing things called space bags. By carefully folding and then rolling this beast into a tiny “hot dog” if you will and then putting it into IKEA 99 cent bags it will slide with the help of luggage straps to hold it small.
The next step, that we do day one on the cruise, is explain to the room steward that we are going to need to borrow a vacuum the last day of the voyage. Yes, they look at you strangely but once they make the bed the second night of the cruise they understand and are rather amazed what we brought with us from home.
Now before anyone comments something like: “you know you can ask them for one of these” – no you can’t! You can ask for a thin, cheap very used and beat up 1″ one that is nothing like the one I use and love.
The final bits to this crazy puzzle we need to make it work are a queen size fitted sheet. We get one is a strong color to differentiate from the white sheets used onboard. Oh, we also like our own ultra thin pillows so they come as well and we use colored pillow cases for those so they too do not get mixed in with ship laundry!
Now this does take up most of a large bag of luggage so we plan for that. But we still do have room in it for the other conveniences from home that we simply love on a cruise like:
- Pop up laundry bags – These are ultra tiny and amazing
- European to US adapter – Since most ships use those plugs
- Tiny travel umbrellas – It always seems to rain on us
- 311 TSA bags – These are the best EVER
Now I am not suggesting anyone else bring a massive queen size mattress topper with them on their next cruise, but just so you know it is totally possible – with some creativity and work.
Your turn. Tell me are there some, err, unique things that you always bring from home to make your cruise adventure just that much better? – René
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Do you have a post concerning getting extra nights on Norwegian or other cruise lines? I am a Platinum Latitudes member approaching Sapphire. Thanks for the info.
@John – Not specifically but I should put one up. Thank you for the idea. Stand by for a post next week – Thanks!
That would be great. Trying to move up on Royal Caribbean. Thanks
@John – That will be next for me to. Our writer MJ is a RCI Diamond and one we can both learn from
I’m not sure how crazy it is and it certainly doesn’t take up the better part of a suitcase ;), but Mrs. DLPTATL insists on bringing a liquid anti-bacterial hand soap pump for our bathroom sink. She swears it keeps her healthier than using the bar soap provided by the ship. We usually make it through 1/2 to 2/3 of it and then she leaves it behind. She swears that the cabin attendants use what’s left.
The thing I haven’t started bringing yet, but plan to for our next European cruise, is an empty wine suitcase with slots for 6 or maybe event 12 bottles. We end up buying at wineries, independent wine stores, and occasionally duty-free on every cruise we’ve taken in Europe and end up wrapping bottles in socks and plastic laundry bags in our checked luggage, but think this would be a much better solution. I would note that we primarily sail on Oceania, a line that allows us to bring bottles back on board form excursions, no questions asked (though the official policy is no more than 3 bottles per cabin per sailing). We just got back from a 12-day on the new Vista and ended up bringing back three bottles of wine, a bottle of whisky, and a 375ml of a cordial all bought in port except the whisky that was purchased on the ship as an exclusive partnership. NOTE: This wouldn’t work on a lot of cruise lines that don’t allow guests to bring wine on board, but for those that do…
I have travelled with a longish piece of foam, also for a mattress pad but at that time didn’t think of the compression bags. Now I always travel with a travel-pillow sized piece of memory foam in a pillowcase. I cannot sleep well with feather-style pillows. So I place this foam on top. Yes, sometimes they have foam pillows, but it’s a lot easier to bring my little pillow. The times I haven’t taken it I’ve regretted it.
@Anita – Oh the vacuum compression bags are amazing. Our topper becomes the size of a pillow! Oh and we bring our own pillows as well so I hear you and agree.
I’m thinking of bringing memory foam for my partner for an upcoming cruise (and general travel, actually). My one advantage is that I only need a twin, so it should be easier. Question: what do the room attendants do with your own fitted sheet? Do you put the ship’s bottom sheet over your own colored sheet and then they just wash the one from the ship and leave yours on the bed? Thanks, and thanks for the idea!
@Anita – We bring a fitted sheet and place the memory foam on the bed, then our fitted sheet, dark gray, and then remake the bed with all the ships sheets. They don’t wash them but if you paid or got free laundry on the ship they could I guess. What we do for longer cruises is bring a spare and ask them to swap it out half way.
Thanks! Ordering now.