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Cruise ship cabin walls and doors are magnetic, allowing travelers to use magnets for organization, storage, and convenience.
Frequent cruisers rely on magnetic hooks, clips, whiteboards, and organizers to maximize limited cabin space and keep essentials accessible.
Magnets are also used for door decorations, family communication, and social activities, though travelers should follow each cruise line’s decoration policies.
Here’s a cruise ship fun fact that will blow your mind: Many cruise cabin walls and doors are magnetic.
It’s not so shocking when you take a moment to remember that most modern ships are made of steel, not wood, brick, or drywall like your house. But who’s thinking about maritime construction when they’re on vacation?
You can impress your first-time cruiser shipmates with this trivia, but you can also use a cruise ship’s magnetic walls to your advantage. With the right magnets and some creativity, you can enhance your time on board in ways you never imagined.
Here’s what you need to know about all the smart—and fun—ways frequent cruisers use cruise ship walls.
Practical Magnets
When you’re spending a week or longer in a compact cruise cabin, space-saving measures are key to maximizing the usable interior space—and keeping your room clutter-free.
“Magnetic hooks are one of our top space-saving hacks, and we never sail without them,” says Heidi Bucolo of EatSleepCruise. “We use these hooks to hang bags, hats, raincoats, and the like, and they’re just as handy for drying wet items like bathing suits.”
Magnetic clips can help you keep track of shore excursion tickets, dining, and spa reservation reminders. If you’re using a daily schedule, clips can help prevent them from taking up limited desk space.
Seasoned cruisers also frequently use magnets to hang pocket organizers that can be used to store small items like charging cords and sunscreen. You can also buy magnetic fans and nightlights to position strategically around the room, all without cluttering up precious surface space.
Plus, magnetic hooks and clips come in handy when traveling with children. When I sail with my kids, bring lanyards so they don’t lose their keycards. I hang then hang the keycards on magnets by the cabin door, so they’re easily located when it’s time to head out.
Pro tip: Look for the strongest hooks you can safely transport. For example, cheap hooks will hold a lanyard but not a backpack. Double up on hooks for more holding strength. Magnetic whiteboards are also useful for communicating with your travel companions on board, especially if you’re traveling with kids who don’t have cellphones or you don’t want to buy an on-board texting or Wi-Fi plan.
“You could put a magnetic whiteboard inside of your room if you want to say, ‘Hey, Mom, I went to the pool,’ or you can put it outside of your room and leave notes for the family,” says Barbara Libbin, a travel advisor with Pinks & Greens Travel Co.
Door Decor
Cruisers just want to have fun, and some travelers love to take cruise ship decor into their own hands.
“Magnets have become the cruise world’s equivalent to dorm room posters,” says Bucolo. “Magnets are a quick way to make a tiny cabin feel like your own for the week.”
Some travelers bring decorative magnets to hang decorations, like birthday banners and battery-operated string lights (banned on certain cruise lines), inside their rooms, but most express their personalities via their doors.
Travelers can buy cruise-themed magnets on Amazon or personalized magnets with their names, ship, and travel date on Etsy to decorate their cabin doors. Signs promoting a birthday, graduation or other celebration are common, and groups will often affix matching magnets to their doors to establish their presence. Holiday-themed door decor is also common. Checking out other cruisers’ door decor has become a popular pastime on cruise ships.
“I definitely will try to walk different ways to my cabin room so that I can see the different door decorations,” says Libbin.
She also points out the unintended practical benefit of door decorations. In a long hallway of identical doorways, decorated doors become landmarks, either to mark your own cabin or the other rooms in your travel party or to alert you that you’re getting close to your unmarked stateroom.
Door decoration can get out of hand, so cruise lines have put stricter rules in place. For example, decorations may be strictly limited to the door (and not the surrounding hallway walls), and adhesives, which can damage the paint on doors, may be used in creative pursuits. So, check your cruise line’s decoration policies before you go on an artistic shopping spree. Some lines (such as Virgin Voyages) ban the practice outright.
Attracting Community
A cruise is a social vacation, and cruisers love getting to know their shipmates. Some creative vacationers use magnets to build a community on trips.
On board, you may see whiteboards on doors asking questions such as “What did you have for dinner?” and “What are you looking forward to doing on tomorrow’s day at sea?” and encouraging hallway neighbors to respond. Some will start games with Scrabble tiles or put up magnetic words for passersby to arrange into short poems or fun phrases.
“People are very into giving gifts to each other on cruises,” says Libbin.
She’s seen cruisers who make trip-themed magnets and then stick them to their door with a note inviting shipmates to take one as a souvenir. Others might attach lollipops or plastic ducks with magnets for people to take. On Disney Cruise Line, where pin swapping is popular, some traders will post magnetic pin boards on their door for fellow collectors to take one and leave one in return.
Even if you don’t decorate, talking about some of the decked-out doors you’ve seen can be a conversation starter with shipmates you meet by the pool or on a tour.
Magnets are by no means a necessary packing item to add to your list. But if you’re looking for some cabin storage enhancements or like to be creative and social, you’ll find that a cruise ship’s magnetic walls are an unexpected asset to your onboard plans.
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
