8 Things You’ll Need on a Cruise

If you’re thinking about going on a cruise, I can tell you right now, don’t think, just GO! You’re going to have the time of your life, trust me!

If you’re frequent floater or have just booked your first cruise you’re probably wondering what to take with you. While it’s a given that you’ll need all the necessities like a passport, travel documents, tickets, sunscreen, clothing and such that’s not what we’ll be focusing on today.

I thought I’d go one step further and give you a short list of things to pack that you might not have thought of…

Image: © Star Stevenson

1. Power Strip – Most staterooms have a limited amount of electrical outlets. If you’re taking along a curling or flat irons, mobiles, laptops and digital cameras and such, you’ll need a power strip to keep them charged up.

2. Extra Duffel Bag – You might not need this but if you’re planning to do a little shopping on board the ship or at each port your souvenirs might not all fit in your luggage. This also helpful if you want to keep your dirty clothes separate from your clean ones at the end of the trip.

3. Plastic Bags – Use these to store your shoes so they don’t soil your clean clothes inside your luggage.

4. Extra Zip Lock Bags – Store those seashells you picked up at the beach or souvenirs. These are great to use if you want to take small items on excursions where you might get a little wet.

5. Cash (in small bills) – You’ll need a lot of small bills for tips and when shopping at various ports if you choose not to use your credit cards. Also, some shops only take cash.

6. Empty Drink Bottle – These are extremely handy if you’re going out on various shore excursions. Check out Sigg bottles. Fill them up with water (or lemonade) before you head out. Saves you from buying bottled water while on the go.

7. Brightly Coloured Ribbon – This is definitely option but tying a bright green ribbon on your luggage will help you find it easily at the baggage claim area. Also the hallways on ships are very long and each door and corridor looks the same (after you’ve had a few drinks ). A fun way to help you easily find your room (other than the room number of course) or find friend’s room is by tying a ribbon to the door handle.

8. Baby Wipes and/or Anti-Bacterial Wipes – Helpful if you’re on a shore excursion and don’t have the opportunity to wash your hands. Also wonderful for those sketchy bathrooms at the beach! These were also a god-send for us after we were done zip-lining and were sweaty and dirty.

As a self-proclaimed over-packer, the list above helped my husband and I a great deal during our cruise.