HOw do you keep soft sided coolers from leaking?

[Laurabearz]

Do you line them with garbage bags?? Do you have the Room steward fill baggies with ice??

I just picture a wet mess on a 7 day cruise...

 

[Anal Annie]

I think they all leak. We leave ours sitting in the tub when we're on vacation & just take it out & sit it on a towel or something while we're showering & then put it back. We try to dump the melted water out & replenish the ice daily. That's about all you can do... I don't see a garbage bag as a liner being a real solution either - unless you're talking about one of those 75 gallon industrial bags or something...... We just took a softside cooler to the beach on a camping trip a few weeks ago as a spare / overflow for our beer - it was leaking before we even got it loaded into the car! We tried putting it inside a garbage bag - that leaked too... We didn't have time to mess with it at that point so we ended up putting THAT mess into an old paint pan liner for the ride just to avoid a big wet mess on all of our other stuff...Just had to save that cold beer!! (But that worked!! )

 

[splashmtnfan]

We use one of the white plastic trays that comes in large coolers (the top shelf that holds luncheon meats, cheese etc.) We pack it in one of our suitcases, which really does not take up any room considering you just stack your stuff in it and around it. We then fill it with ice when we get to the hotel, transfer that when we get to the room to the soft cooler and then put the cooler inside the now empty tray. Sounds more complicated than it is, but it does prevent a mess and we just keep it on the counter near where the ice bucket usually stays.
Oh yea, it is a lot less mess using it to refill the cooler also, because those things usually drip down the hallway.

 

[Selket]

Laura - I've never had one that wouldn't leak eventually. My younger son is diabetic and allergic to peanuts so we often carry a cooler for his medical supplies and some food.

Unless you were planning to pack with with the luggage I'd get a soft-sided cooler with a plastic tub insert. Those won't leak unless you turn them on their side of course! If you don't plan to use it until you get on the ship maybe you could even pack the insert in the luggage or pack clothes in the cooler bag - it looks like a carry-on anyway depending on the size.

Some people use ziploc bags to put the ice in but that always leaks for me too.

 

[daisy112878]

On our last 2 cruises the stateroom host put the ice in trash bags and replaced it twice a day. By friday it was a little wet underneath but not much. The ice never really melted in it since they were replacing it so often. We always leave it empty on friday night to make sure it's dry on saturday before we get off the boat.

 

[Laurabearz]

Thanks for the responses... I have not bought our cooler yet, but will look for ones with a removeable tray....

I just need a twelve pack of Diet Pepsi and a few beers kept cold for daily consumption. This all seems like a big wet mess just to keep things cold.

 

[SweetSpot]

When we were in a cat 1 the room steward brought in a real refrigerator so that we wouldn't have to keep the cooler filled with ice. She said that they were in the process of upgrading the suites with refrigerators. I don't know if she gave me the correct information but it might solve the problem for you. Added bonus we were able to order Mickey bars to keep in the tiny freezer section so that they were available anytime.

 

[Laurabearz]

When we were in a cat 1 the room steward brought in a real refrigerator so that we wouldn't have to keep the cooler filled with ice. She said that they were in the process of upgrading the suites with refrigerators. I don't know if she gave me the correct information but it might solve the problem for you. Added bonus we were able to order Mickey bars to keep in the tiny freezer section so that they were available anytime.

We are staying in a Cat. 2 it would be marvy if there was a fridge.... The whole cooler bag seems so messy...

 

[SweetSpot]

We didn't have to ask but it wouldn't hurt to ask when you are asking if she could keep ice in the cooler. You will find the CM's to be amazing and the concierge team will make you feel so pampered. I'm really not one for pampering but it was wonderful to know they were there when needed.

 

[m4travel]

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[m4travel]

Unlike some other posters, we've never had a problem with leaking from a soft-sided cooler. We frequently use them on roadtrips, and have taken one along for cruising, too. We did notice, however, that when really chilled, moisture in the air would sometimes condense on the outside of the cooler (they're not perfectly insulated). I believe I've read elsewhere on the boards that if you have a medical need for it, they can produce a small fridge. I'd send in the medical request form to advise them in advance, and they could tell you what they can do for you.

 

[Babs417]

Do you think scotch gard would work?

 

[MississippiMom]

I have never cruised on DCL, so I think I am missing something. What is the cooler for and why isn't there a fridge in the cabins? I know that on our previous cruises - NCL, Crystal and Carnival - we had tiny (dorm-size) fridges, because we always kept bottle water in them.

 

[Anal Annie]

I have never cruised on DCL, so I think I am missing something. What is the cooler for and why isn't there a fridge in the cabins? I know that on our previous cruises - NCL, Crystal and Carnival - we had tiny (dorm-size) fridges, because we always kept bottle water in them.

DCL has "cooling boxes" not refrigerators in the rooms so they don't really "keep" anything. They're inefficient and small. DCL will allow small softside coolers (w/o ice) to be checked thru as luggage (tag it like your regular bags with a DCL luggage tag). A lot of people use them to bring their own beer or other beverages onboard to keep in their rooms and save on their bar tabs.... It will be handled as luggage tho - so don't put anything in it that could break or leak...

 

[goofyforlife]

Does anyone read the desriptions for soft-sided coolers that clearly state that you shouldn't put ice in them....

That's why they leak....

 

[flexsmom]

I guess we've been lucky with our "cooling box". I have used that to chill sodas, water, juice and white wine in bottles without any issue - they were definitely as cold as I wanted them to be, as if they had been in my own fridge. I think it must vary based on the room and luck of the draw.

 

[TamieH]

We use our large rolling softside cooler when we go boating & camping. After having it eventually start to leak, I started placing one of the really large new Ziplock plastic bags in it to line in and then it works great. They have these really big ones that are large enough to store folded clothes, blankets & etc. I don't remember the exact size, but I would bet it is 18-24" tall. They are pretty heavy duty plastic, so I haven't had to replace the liner yet. I can then either place items with the ice loose on top or use different quart or gallon size baggies of ice if I am keeping sandwiches or fruit cool. Hope this helps.