Gearing up for a Geneacruise - The Second Time Around

Atrium on Voyager of the Seas

In a post on the 27th December last year I spoke about the gear I would be taking on the 3rdUnlock the Past Genealogy Cruise.

I made a few booboos with my packing so I will post parts of that earlier post below with comments on where I went right or wrong in green. There are several comments on that first post with good advice so take a look at them too.
------------------------------

Although I have been known to take a cruise or two for pleasure I am a novice in the Geneacruising stakes.

I should be preparing my talks for the 3rd Unlock the Past Genealogyand History Cruise but instead I am thinking about what I will pack for this learning experience on the megaliner, Voyager of the Seas.

Still haven't learnt my lesson I should be preparing my talks for the 4th cruise.

I won't be sunning myself on deck during the day so I won't need a 2 litre container of sunscreen or a cornucopia of sunhats. 

I'll add some cool weather clothes as it might be cold in Tasmania and it is definitely cool in the Conference Center in the bowels of the boat. Rainwear is essential, last cruise it rained as we left Sydney and I wanted to watch the sailout from up on deck.

I imagine that I'll be too tired at night to enjoy the shows and kick my heels up in the nightclub type bars so I can leave the sparkly cocktail type outfits at home. 

I did take a couple of sparkly outfits and am glad that I did. Most people on this boat took the formal nights seriously with many of the men wearing black tie and tux.

My order for two UTP polo shirts has been placed so I'll need some detergent to wash them and hang them in my shower to dry overnight (I hear you have to pay to use the ship's laundries).

I didn't order the polo shirts this year as I forgot to pack them for the last cruise. 
They didn't even have laundromats on this ship so be sure to pack the detergent unless you want to pay a fortune to have your gear laundered.

Sensible shoes are essential as this is a seriously big boat and I'll be doing lots of walking from place to place and standing on my feet when I deliver my presentations. The stilettos won't be joining me on this trip.

You may get frostbite if you wear sandals or slides in the Conference Center

Mr Geniaus isn't coming along on this journey so I'll be minus a baggage attendant. I need advice on geneacruising fashions that won't weigh my bag down. I would love suggestions from experienced geneacrusiers on what clothes to pack.

Did I take notice of this? No. I decided that, as I wasn't going on a plane and wouldn't have weight restrictions with my luggage, I would fill my big case to overflowing. I had so much in it that the wheels wouldn't work and I nearly had an asthma attack trying to get it to the checkin point. Smart casual is the order of the day for geneacruisers.

I'll be taking my Pacsafe handbag and purse with me in case there are any pickpockets on the high seas or in the ports we visit.

The Pacsafe bags will be having another trip. Remember also to have a light bag to carry the things you need during the day. the ship is huge and some cabins are miles from the Conference Center

The other issue is, of course, gadgets. I'm taking my laptop, a couple of cameras, my mobile phone, a portable hard drive, a voice recorder, a thumb drive, some blank DVDs and power adaptors for the US outlets on the ship. I might even take pens, pencils and some paper. I'll throw in a bundle of business cards as well.

I'll take even more tech this year. Last year I was caught out when the shipThe most important thing will be my 3G USB wireless dongle so that I can access the internet at a reasonable cost while in port. The internet charges on the ship are exhorbitant and the speed is snail's pace.

Definitely get some cards with your contact details and research interests printed on them from a cheap as chips place like Vistaprint. 

What else will I take?

Earplugs. One of our group had the next door neighbours from hell and had interrupted sleeps for the entire cruise. Hopefully there won't be too many young people running in the corridors at night when the genealogists are trying to get thier beauty sleep.but it is better to be prepared.

Water  I'll be taking a few bottles of water on board as the cost of drinking water on board is also exhorbitant. If you like a tipple don't be tempted to take alcohol on board. It is likely to be confiscated on boarding and returned at the end of the trip. That being said I know some people who have put gin or vodka into a 2 litre water bottle and taken it on board.