I have already given you some insight into what to bring for clothing on a cruise, but now let’s talk about accessories. By accessories I mean some of the everyday things you use at home and would need with you, as well as some uncommon items we have found not only useful, but essential.
Your basic needs depend on your daily routine. Our basic necessities include:
- shampoo/conditioner hairspray/hairbrush
- body wash/lotion shaving cream/razors
- toothbrush/toothpaste face wash/make-up
- mouthwash/floss deodorant/perfume
- q-tips/kleenex sunscreen/aloe
- nail clippers/tweezers travel emergency kit
- pain reliever/fever reducer lip balm (preferably with SPF)
- anti-gas/heartburn reliever/anti-d camera
- travel size lint roller
Now let’s talk about a few things you might not think about….but after years of cruise travel we have come to find very, very useful!
A waterproof container: We purchased a small watertight hinged plastic container with a cord to hang on your neck from the cruise ship shop. I think you can find these at most retail stores in camping or outdoor sections. It’s about 3″x4″ and is the perfect size to hold your cruise ID, license, credit card, cash and your lip balm. I carry this with me EVERYWHERE. The first one I bought lasted about 10 years, so the $5-10 cost is worth it!
Wine/Champagne Saver: In the past we have never brought the allowed wine or champagne on board with us at embarkation. With rising alcohol prices on ships (gone are the days of the $3.95 specials), we finally did this for the first time. However, I only brought wine, because unless you consume the entire bottle of champagne in one sitting, it’ll go flat on you and be wasted. Well, that’s where the champagne/wine saver comes in. I bought a couple different ones; one from Pampered Chef and one from Pfaltzgraff, but I have also seen them in the kitchen utensil section of most stores. I think they’re all pretty much designed the same way. These stoppers keep an open bottle of champagne or any other carbonated wine bubbly for up to 3 days. They are flat on top, so they do not add much height to the bottle when put in place. This is nice, because the cabin refrigerators are not very big. We also found a fabulous travel corkscrew which disassembles and goes into a small plastic tube. From what we have been told, it is ‘unconfiscatable’. I cannot verify that 100%, but we did not get ours taken from either the cruise line nor the airline. It’s an awesome little tool that allows you to bring decent corked wine, and it cost less than $5. And because you can open your own bottle, you avoid paying the $15-20 corking fee most cruise lines charge to open the bottle for you. That kind of defeats the purpose of saving some money by bringing your own, right!?
Extra Bags: We bring three other bags with us – the first is a collapsible bag that fits in your suitcase, in case you buy things that need to be carried back home and will not fit in your suitcase, or you do not want to put in your suitcase for fear of breakage. I also bring a small roll up type bag, that is the size of a tube of t.p. when rolled up. We can use this when we shop on shore and easily carry things. Sometimes it doesn’t get used, but it takes up so little room that it’s nice to have. The last is a waterproof bag – my recommendation is something like the Vera Bradley Diddy Bag. The diddy bag also folds flat and can be packed easily. The fact that it is plastic lined is great. This is the bag I use when I’m on deck to carry my waterproof container, reading book, glasses, sunscreen etc. I use the same bag when I go ashore. And at the end of the trip if you have any damp bathing suits to pack or damp and sandy water shoes, they can go right inside this bag, cinch it shut and into the suitcase it goes!
Weekly Pill Case: We have found as we get older, we take more pills per day than in the past, whether it be vitamins or other herbal aids (currently no prescription medications). Recently, we decided to use a weekly pill case for these items rather than packing all the different bottles/boxes separately. So, what we do is we take our turmeric, multi-vitamin, low dose aspirin etc., and we dole them out into each daily compartment. Now we have everything in one place, and when it sits out in the bathroom, we actually remember to take them!
Wipes: What kind of wipes you ask? Well, for me personally the most critical is Off bug wipes!! If you are going someplace where you don’t think bugs are a concern, think again! Every location has bugs! And if you are like me, sweet and attractive to biting insects, bug wipes are essential. There are small boxes available to purchase that don’t take up much space in your luggage. The second type of wipe is glasses cleaning wipes. You are bound to get sunscreen on your glasses on day 1!! Having glasses wipes is a real life saver! They can be used for phone screens, ipads or tablets, and nook type readers as well.
Baby Powder: Why?? I’m not a baby!! Well, if you haven’t heard, baby powder is awesome to have for any beach location, and is easily found in travel size. Putting baby powder on wet, sandy feet eliminates the sand in seconds! The baby powder absorbs the water that keeps it sticking to your feet, and you can then brush the sand right off before putting your shoes on.
Plastic Sandwich Containers or Ziploc Bags: Hmmm, seems funny, right? Well, I am an avid penny pincher! If I can save money not buying food on shore, I try my best. Unless, of course, I want to try something local. Some locations are very reasonably priced. I suggest googling as much as you can ahead of time. People often post menus on TripAdvisor etc. So you can find out a lot about a location. With that said, if we are going to be on shore during lunch time with no excursion that provides food and no quick means back to the ship, I will grab some sandwiches the day before (without condiments so they don’t get soggy) and put them in the plastic containers or ziploc bags in the fridge overnight. Or you could get some pastries that morning at breakfast and do the same. Then we take them on shore along with a piece or two of fresh fruit. A lot of places do not want you to bring food on shore, but truthfully we have not been to too many places these days that even check your bags when leaving the ship. Bags are pretty much only checked when you return to the ship. Plastic sandwich containers take more room in your luggage, but keep in mind that you can always put things in them like jewelry, rolled up socks, or any other small items. Utilize them any way imaginable, just like you might stuff something inside a pair of shoes!
Refillable Water Bottle: And last but by no means least, a refillable water bottle is great to have on board. You cannot bring the water bottle on shore to my knowledge, but I certainly could be wrong there. I’ll explain why momentarily. The cruise lines SAY they don’t like you to use your refillable bottles at the drink vending machines, but we have seen people doing it ALL THE TIME. Fact is, no one is going to stop you. I think the best type is a Tervis or other double wall bottle with a lid. I actually do not fill it with water; I fill it with ice for when I am out on deck. It’s usually so hot that the ice gradually melts and I have water! These bottles can also be bulky in your luggage, and you do risk breakage if you check your bags, so it’s definitely a personal decision. And we really do not know if they can be brought on shore, because we haven’t done that. But it wouldn’t make much sense to me to bring on shore, because most ports do not have a place for you to fill your water bottles. They want you to buy water. What we DO bring, another fabulous inexpensive purchase on the ship, is the insulated water bottle holder! The large water bottles they sell on the ship are about $4/bottle. They fit right into the holder, and the holder has a shoulder strap. Then, if you want to, you can keep the empty bottle and refill that! More $$ saved! And the thermal water bottle holder also flattens for easy packing.
These are the specialty items we have found very handy to have while traveling. I imagine some of these would be useful on any trip, not just cruises. I also have found myself, in years past, struggling to find all the things we use only on vacation when it comes time to pack. My recent solution was the purchase of a large plastic tote with lid. Everything fits in it, from our backpacks that we only use when traveling, to our travel pillows, zip close money/document/passport holders, extra bags, water shoes, electronics chargers etc. Now everything is in one place, and it’s so much easier!!
I hope you find this information helpful!
Until next time…..cruise on!
Just Cruisin' 