Dear cruisers, after taking several cruises, and learning more and more each time, I have come up with a list of things I believe every cruise passenger should pack. While I love cruising, there are things that ‘lack’ both in your room and on the ship.
I know packing for a cruise can be difficult, especially if it is your first time. Now, remember, packing is still tough if you change cruise brands too, it’s not just newbies to cruising, it’s newbies to different ships and ship brands.
Do you really know what to bring? Are there standard items to bring on a cruise that will help you out? Yes, there are. Today, bookmark this page, and lavishly live cruising out loud as I share 5 things every cruise passenger should have.
5 Things Every Cruise Passenger Should Have
As a travel writer, I searched for things that are missing from my trip. The first time we cruised I read in a forum to bring certain things. Then I started thinking about the airline we were flying on, the baggage charges and I cut corners anywhere I could. Never again, because there are things I need while I am on a ship and I believe that others need them to. Want to know why I think this? A majority of the cruisers on the ships we were on had them in hand, around the neck, and so on.
1. Empty Water Bottle
So, water is a no charge item on the LIDO decks and in the dining rooms, but after eating you will be thirsty. Water bottles are NOT allowed to be filled at the dining stations beverages, but if you take about 4 glasses of water you can easily put it into your cup. If you get a great server, they will fill your bottle for you. Keep hydrated.
Empty Coffee Cup
The coffee mugs on any ship are Pathetic with a capital P. I love my morning cup of coffee and I don’t like to have to keep being refilled.
My coffee beverage tumbler comes with me everywhere. The lid is perfect so I don’t spill and I get more than a few sips out of it. Also hot coffee stays hot!
2 . Power Strips
After having a solo electrical outlet in the room of a ship we were on a few years ago, a power strip became my lifesaver. From curling irons to flat irons, hair dryers, phone chargers, camera batteries (I do travel with my DSLR often) there are just never enough outlets in the room.
To defeat the lack of charging stations in your stateroom, simply purchase a power strip, they pack easily rolled int tee shirts and will help you the whole cruise for charging and multiple plug-in items at one time!
3. A Lanyard
Oh, how I wish the cruise ships would move to the wristbands we used at Great Wolf Lodge, do you remember them? All I had to do was wave my wristband over the lock on the door and it opened. The band was easy to use, did not require anywhere to stow the room key.
Think about what a pain it is to carry that key card with you everywhere you are on the ship. When you get into a bathing suit, you do not have a place to store the key so you have to then bring a tote with you, suddenly you are hauling things.
Long story short, on the ship in the gift stores you can purchase a lanyard for your key card to tote it around your neck or you can order them here, we did. Kids, teens, tweens, adults, this is the easy solution and they are seriously ridiculously affordable. Get one that celebrates your favorite things like Disney Princesses, Mickey Mouse, or just a plain design lanyards, they are pennies on the dollar to purchase.
4. Over-the-door Organizer
Staterooms on ships are tight, even if you have a verandah, space is at a premium. The bathrooms on cruise ships are small. Maximizing organization provides the ability to get ready faster in between shows, meals, and ports of call.
I never leave home without my organizer filled. There are racks on the back of the door, to hang the over the door organizer so no worries. Fill these up with your most used toiletries to keep them at arm’s length without cluttering the few shelves in the bathroom. Great for makeup pieces, toothbrushes, floss, hairspray, fragrance, etc!
5. Cruise Luggage Tags
When you get off the plain, rip off those plane bag tags, sit down and attach your cruise luggage tags. Don’t staple paper ones, those don’t hold up, invest in simple cruise ship tags. Different cruise ships have different sized printable tags. I honestly bought the biggest ones I could find and they work for EVERY cruise line we have sailed with.
You don’t put the tags on until you are headed to the cruise ship, then you put them on and they get YOUR luggage to your room without having to worry if the stapled paper is going to fall off. Crisis avoided. Once the luggage is at your room, take them off, put them away and use them on your next cruise. Trust me, there is no reason to use paper and then cover the paper with tape to laminate, this is easy and cheap!
Now you have the 5 things every cruise passenger should have with them on each cruise so you are set to hit the high seas. Lavishly live cruising out loud. ~ DANA
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