Let's talk sun protection while on the cruise!

[aprilchem]

Hi All!

My family and I (me, DH, DS7, DS5, DD3) will be doing a 7-night Western Caribbean out of Port Canaveral this August, and are starting to plan now for sun protection. DD3, DS7, and I are very fair-skinned and VERY sun-sensitive; we live in Virginia and I can get a severe sunburn from being out for 5-10 minutes unprotected here in the summer.

I know it's going to be much worse closer to the equator, and I want to make sure I'm prepared. Are there any sun protection items you've used and liked? Obviously we'll take logical precautions (wearing sunscreen, not going out between 11-3, etc.), but I know there are a lot of specialty clothing items, etc. out there.

Thanks!
April

 

[Feisty Fairy]

Do not use the wal-mart brand equate I got severely burned last year. We are using banana boat this time.

 

[vcunning]

I get sunburned in the car just driving (not a convertible, sunroof cover closed). I've had good luck with the O'Neill UV Shirts. I wear light color, long sleeves around most of the time. I get mine at www.zappos.com, but you can find them at a number of places on the web. There are quite a few other brands at zappos. Some even have the mock turtleneck. They really don't get hot in the sun. Very thin.

 

[Silverfox97]

Rash guard tops for sure. DD and I wear them on the pool deck and at any beaches. DH wears a Columbia hat that is cool material and protects his bald spot, ears & neck. Sunscreen SPF 30 (or higher). The key? RE-APPLY! I am the sunscreen nazi and am reapplying every chance I get; usually every 60-90 min. Use a lotion before you leave your stateroom, not once you get on deck. I like Hawaiian Tropic SPF 50, I use a special natural one on DD, and DH likes Coppertone or Banana Boat Sport. We reapply with Neutrogena Wet Skin.

When I worked for a dermatologist, he said to use a specific face sunscreen (I do - I like the Neutrogena oil free SPF 55) and use the sunscreen sticks for kids faces & ears (which we do).

We take a lot of sunscreen, but we NEVER get burned

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[geffric]

http://www.sundayafternoons.com/

I wear the hat, shirt and pants plus sun screen protection. I use Coppertone 70.

 

[aprilchem]

Rash guard tops for sure. DD and I wear them on the pool deck and at any beaches. DH wears a Columbia hat that is cool material and protects his bald spot, ears & neck. Sunscreen SPF 30 (or higher). The key? RE-APPLY! I am the sunscreen nazi and am reapplying every chance I get; usually every 60-90 min. Use a lotion before you leave your stateroom, not once you get on deck. I like Hawaiian Tropic SPF 50, I use a special natural one on DD, and DH likes Coppertone or Banana Boat Sport. We reapply with Neutrogena Wet Skin.

When I worked for a dermatologist, he said to use a specific face sunscreen (I do - I like the Neutrogena oil free SPF 55) and use the sunscreen sticks for kids faces & ears (which we do).

We take a lot of sunscreen, but we NEVER get burned

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Yes, sunscreen is one area where we're ok - I use zinc oxide barrier sunscreens exclusively and have 6 tubes of Elta sunscreen in reserve for the trip. We all have sensitive skin as well so we have to be careful what we use!

 

[owensamo]

We use Blue Lizard sunscreen, and have been wearing rashguards since DD was a tot and have never had a problem. I do need a new long-sleeved rashguard, though! I like the long sleeve because oddly enough, it keeps me cooler - get it damp and I can sit on a chair for hours comfortably in the heat! Our original ones were from http://www.cwear.com.au/, but most recently we've been getting them from http://www.landsend.com.

 

[HappyPeach]

Lands End rash guards
Woolrich sun hat

You can buy wash-in spf 50 (rit makes it, iirc) and treat a few of your t-shirts.

 

[Silverfox97]

I prefer Speedo brand rash guards to the Lands End ones. Hats from Columbia (we get them at the outlet & even DD 6 has one). You can get the hats wet and they are super cool temp-wise. They are omni-shade.

http://www.columbia.com/on/demandwa...ite/default/mProduct-Show?pid=CU9107&start=12

That hat is only $17 at the Columbia outlet.

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[tworgs]

Two other companies for sun clothing are Soltex and Coolbar been using their clothing for years. I use to get funny looks at castaway for wearing a long sleeve pull over have never been burned

 

[jjgarv]

My DD10 is very fair skinned, so I always put a rash guard on her. She is also good about keeping on a sun hat. She likes the cute prints/colors from Tuga, and most of them are reversible. This is the only way I can be sure that her face won't get pink. Tuga (http://www.tugasunwear.com/) also makes rash guards and other clothing that coordinates with the sun hats for kids.

 

[sqektoy]

My poor DS8 got terribly sunburned on the UNDER side of his chin on our last DCL trip. We did a fishing excursion and didn't think about the sun reflecting UP off the water. Not a hint of pink anywhere on him except for terrible blisters under his chin. Something to keep in mind! Also remember SPF lip balm!!!

 

[AdaraRae]

You can buy SPF stickers. You put them on clean dry skin and they stay on while swimming when they change color it's time to really sunscreen. That's the key a good sunscreen (I use aveeno for my daughter, sensitive skinned) And its fabulous. And of course the sun protective clothing and hats a lot easier to find and cost only a little more than unprotected. Great investment for kiddos!

 

[AquaDame]

Reapply reapply reapply!! I got horribly sunburned on our last cruise and I am not particularly susceptible. There are just some places that the sun doesn't usually shine, so even though I thought I got all around my bikini I obviously didn't do a good enough job. I should have put it on BEFORE I got dressed and reapplied to give myself a second chance of covering. I had blisters and started peeling the next day which was awful. received a very nice lecture from the nurse on the ship for not coming the day before, but I didn't know how bad it was until the next day (although the fact that I was nauseous and couldn't eat a thing at dinner should have been a good clue). I then had to do my best to stay out of the sun for the next three days! This is the second time in my life I have burned badly- the other was also in the ocean. It makes it so much worse!

 

[NurseDave]

And just stay out of the sun. We've already decided next year we'll let the kids play in the pool in the mornings or evenings, but none of that just standing in the pool or laying in the sun to watch a whole movie during the day we saw going on last week.

 

[Weedy]

Be sure to apply sunscreen

30 minutes before exposure.

Put the sun screen on before the bathing suites so you are sure not to miss spots where the suite may ride up.

WE use the spray for a first coat: (we stand in the shower so not to get sunscreen everywhere)
and then put lotion on on the more exposed areas tops of feet, back, chest.


We use the stick type on faces because the kids wipe their eye a lot we do faces many times a day. Be sure to do under the eyes and the eye lids.

If you have girls and they get their hair braided be sure to put sunscreen on their heads. Or better yet have them wear hats. I was a Costco today and they had great sun protection hats.

The sun shirts are great.

You may want to try out a few brands before hand. We live in Florida so use sunscreen all the time, one time at Castaway Cay my daughter had a reaction to the sunscreen and broke out in hives.

 

[traylork]

Go with lands end rash guards for everyone, at a. Minimum. They have real cute long sleeve ones for Mom. Plus, lands end has a 100% guarantee. Return for any reason any time (save receipts). You can send your kids' rash guards back (or eliminate return shipping by taking them back to sears) at the end of the summer when they've gotten some pulls and the kids have outgrown them. I buy our kids winter outerwear there, too. I keep a box in the closet for all returns and take stuff back to sears once a year; no questions asked. I just returned last year's swimsuits because I finally lost the baby weight. You can't beat it.

 

[NickAndAnt]

Based on this article I bought No-Ad lotion with aloe & vitamin E SPF 45

Consumer Reports says its the best and its pretty inexpensive. Like everyone is saying apply early and often.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_...nsumer-reports-rates-top-sunscreens-for-2012/

 

[Kittylover513]

I have so much trouble finding No-ad. Where do you buy it?

 

[NickAndAnt]

I bought it online at Amazon.com