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Never Run Out of Cabin Power Outlets

Written by T.I. Cruiser on September 8, 2011 · Leave a Comment

In the past I have sailed in balconies but never in a suite. Not that there is anything wrong with suites, they just don’t suit my particular style of cruising. I truly only use my cabin for sleeping and showering so there I don’t see the need of spending additional money on an upgraded cabin. I tend to stick to inside cabins unless I find a truly special deal on something else or if it is a special occasion.

Now one of the problems I constantly run into with an inside cabin is a lack of electric outlets. This situation may also be a problem present in other cabin categories but I can’t really speak to that with the same certainty. Camera battery chargers, IPod chargers and women’s hair gadgets all take up valuable outlet space and more often than not I find myself having to go through the outlet juggling routine.

Outlet juggling is when I time it so as soon as the light on my camera charger turns green, plug in my iPod charger. Now depending on how many gadgets need juice this can be a pretty daunting task, fraught with challenges. The greatest challenges being when girlfriend, who unplugs everything to use a hair curler and never thinks to plug the charger back in. There is better way to start of the day than waking up for an excursion realizing you only have a quarter-charged battery.

This problem led me on a search for a way to increase the number of usable outlets in the windowless cruise ship shoebox I like to call my cabin. That is when I stumbled onto this ultra-portable travel power strip. It’s only about 6 inches long but allows you to expand an outlet from one plug to four separate outlets. It’s manufactured by Monster Power which is the same company that makes the surge protectors I use to safeguard my home audio equipment and computer.

Monster Power travel outlet

I love how they spaced the outlets apart so there is no crowding and decided to put a resettable circuit breaker into the power strip so things can’t get overloaded. It’s rare to find that sort of thought into a 10 dollar product. However, it’s pretty much what I would expect from a company like Monster Power.

The unit itself is only about 6 inches long and it has a cord that is roughly 12 inches long. Being that it is so inexpensive and compact I’d recommend anyone who travels to pick one up. It stores easily into an extra pocket in your checked luggage and only weighs a couple of ounces so you won’t have to work about the weight. If I had to rate it I would say it is probably on my top ten list of travel accessories everyone should own.

The Perfect Bag for Excursions

Written by T.I. Cruiser on August 25, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you guys but when going on a cruise I usually take 3 bags. The first is my workhorse; this carries the bulk of my belongings and gets checked-in with the airline. The next is my carry-on bag which fits (just barely) into the overhead storage compartment. The last is my personal bag, for this I use a regular run of the mill backpack. When boarding the plane there really isn’t much of anything inside of it, I just put my kindle and some snacks inside so that it’s not completely empty.

The main purpose of the backpack is to carry my Kindle and IPod to the beach. It also comes in handy for any souvenirs I decide to pick up along the way. The problem is the backpack is kind of bulky so it ends up being more trouble than it’s worth.

So, I set out looking for a better option that suited my needs. Upon searching around I stumbled onto a segment of the backpack industry labeled ultra-light. I thought to myself, “This sounds perfect”. So I did a bit more research and was pretty happy with the results. You see, these backpacks are made to function just like a full-sized backpack but only when I need them to. When not in use they can be folded up small enough that they can fit in a pocket, or just slipped inside of my carry-on bag. What this means is I can eliminate having to board a plane with big bulky Jansport style backpack strapped to my back.

I researched quite a few different brands before deciding on the Eagle Creek Packable Daypack. Although many of the ultra-light backpacks were similar I decided to go with the Eagle Creek Daypack because I have used their products in the past. Also the reviews were phenomenal which only confirmed what I had already experienced.

Other users spoke-on how light-weight the Eagle Creek Daypack talked about how it is so well-made. More specifically reviewers mentioned how comfortable the shoulder straps are and how comfortable it is to wear. Comfort was especially important to me because when you are walking around in the Caribbean sun you want something that doesn’t feel like such a burden. So, after I finished reading these glowing reviews I decided to place an order.

Now I’ve only had the Eagle Creek Packable Daypack for a few months and it hasn’t gone on any cruises with me, but it has traveled with me to the Dominican Republic last month. I also use it every time I go to the pool or beach (which is probably once per week). I can testify that this Daypack is every bit as well made as they claim and is super compact. I knew the dimensions before ordering (16.5 by 9.5 by 4.5 height/width/length) but it didn’t register how large that really would be. You can fit a lot of stuff in this daypack; Camera, Kindle, lunch, sunglasses, phone and more. While I wouldn’t put heavy items in it the heaviest thing I ever take to the beach is my camera which is fine. I also wish it were waterproof but I guess you can’t have everything, especially at that price.

In any case I can’t wait until my next cruise since I think I have finally found the perfect excursion bag. In fact I’ll probably pick up another one to carry out as it would also make a great shopping bag. I usually pick up quite a few cheap t-shirt souvenirs while in the islands and it will be great to have my own pocket sized shopping bag. With 700 cubic inches of storage space I’m sure I could fit enough souvenirs for all of my family and friends.

Now is the time for a Discount Kindle

Written by T.I. Cruiser on April 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment

This past holiday season I was fortunate to get an Amazon kindle. I had wanted one for a while but was put off by the price. Luckily, during one of their “Black Friday” deals I was able to pick one up at a pretty sizeable discount. While I’m not sure if I would have bought one if it weren’t for the price reduction (which would have been unfortunate), its turning out to be an incredible value.

During my latest cruise I discovered about the kindle is that it really is a great device. I really underestimated the convenience of being able to carry a whole library of books around wherever I went. On this last trip from the time I arrived at the airport until my plane landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico my eyes were glued to my new toy. I also used it not only during the entirety of my cruise but also while sitting on the beach. One of the most impressive features was the ability to be read during the noon day sun in St. Kitts. Reading in full sunlight is something that never could be done on an iPad, due to the glare.

Well, just recently Amazon has decided to introduce a new more affordable model of kindle. While the nuts and bolts of this kindle are the exact same as the normal wifi version, Amazon was able to lower the price by adding advertising to this one. Now, these aren’t the intrusive pop-ups you see on websites. These advertisements are tailored to your preferences and only displayed on the cover page of your kindle. You won’t see any advertisements while you are actually using the kindle. In other words you won’t even notice them. So, if you ever wanted to buy a kindle but didn’t want to fork over 139 dollars for an e-reader you can now have one for a much lower price.