The Odd must haves for your next Cruise

fabtcruise
May 5, 2023
5 min read

Updated: May 21, 2024

Must haves for your cruise journey is dependent on your particular situation, are you single, traveling as a couple, with children (2 children vs. 4 children is huge), with friends and what the sleeping situation is? At the end of the day, you will have to determine what works for you and what makes you comfortable.

I typically think through the activities I will engage on a daily basis while on board and plan accordingly. Based on the number of cruises (more than 15 cruises and more than a 100 cruise days and counting) I have been on, I have come to realise that most of the things I need are not really necessary, while others have become a must (how be it odd) for me. Here is a list of items that is a must for every cruiser IMO:

Hint: Go to Amazon.com and type "cruise essentials" on the search bar

LAUNDRY DETERGENT: In order to avoid overpacking on 7 days or more

cruises, I pack along detergent, this way I can hand wash small items and reuse them while on board, make use of them in the laundry facilities on board (Princess & Carnival) and to wash off accidental stains or dirt on my clothes. For this I get laundry sheets, they are dry, lightweight and will not spill in your luggage. They are also eco friendly so I use them at home now.

Laundry Sheets

2. POWER STRIP : Let's face it, we all travel with gadgets, with everyone having at least two gadgets to charge and with very few power outlets on most cruise ships, power strips and adaptors suddenly become very important. Most cruise lines prohibit the use of power strips with surge protector and will confiscate it if found in your luggage. To get past the glaring eyes of cruise lines, I get a power strip that

does not have surge protector, but go a step further and get one that has a detachable cord (or cordless) so that when your luggage is scanned it will not look like a power strip and cause a delay in the delivery of your luggage to your stateroom. Alternatively you can include it in your hand luggage if you have the space to do so.

Nightstand Power Strip with USB

3. A TRAVEL ADAPTOR : becomes necessary because the very few power outlets in your stateroom will likely be both American and European and if you are from the US and

use only US type electric plugs you may effectively cut the power outlets useful to you by half. To avoid this, it is best to bring one or two travel adapters. Most travel adapters today are universal and will work with outlets of all countries, so having one is a good investment if traveling world wide is on your to do list. *Do note however that travel adapters simply allow you to use one plug type with a different incompatible outlet and

Universal Travel Adapter

does not change the voltage. European outlets in cruise ship staterooms produce 220V, while the US outlets produce 110-120V. If you connect a device rated for 110V to a 220V outlet you are likely going to damage the device, so be careful.

4. MAGNETIC HOOKS: Flat surfaces in your stateroom can quickly become scarce and you may need to resort to creative ways to use the wall surface. Luckily the stateroom walls are metallic which makes magnetic hooks great for utilising wall surfaces. I have

used magnetic hooks to hang my hats, jacket, clothing and I have used it to hang up the daily activity list and our excursion tickets. I often use it to hang items in view as a reminder of the things I will need or list things to do for the trip. The magnetic hooks come in different sizes, types and weight capacities. I try and go for the ones that can support the most weight

Magnetic Hooks

(typically 100lbs), however it is often a struggle to get them off the wall. In order not to forget them on the wall in the stateroom, I will suggest you take down the hooks and put them away once you have nothing to hang and no longer in use.

4. DOUBLE DUTY SHOES: Double duty shoes are shoes or footwear that can be used for two or more activities. For example some water shoes come in the shape of sneakers

and can be used for water activities, beach activities, walking, jogging, yoga, dancing, sailing, boating, yoga, cycling and other sport activities. They are quite comfortable and eliminate the need for several shoes. Not all water shoes provide the comfort and support needed so it is important that you try different types and styles and settle on the one that works best for you. Footwear that can double as casual and smart casual shoes will also be great in reducing the size and weight of your

luggage. Please note that shoes that can be used Water Shoes for multiple activities will not necessarily be the best for each specific activity, but will be good for most and ok for some.

5. Water Bottle & Zip Lock Bags: This may not seem like a necessity, but can become a huge convenience. Let me start with the water bottle, if you have purchased a drinks package or have it included as part of your cruise fare, then a water bottle will not be needed. However, if you don't have a drinks package, it can become invaluable. You can fill it with water from the buffet dining room, take it out on excursions and it will ensure that you always have a drink of water in your stateroom. If you are like my son, you can take it to the buffet during breakfast and fill it up with juice (served during breakfast only) and sip on it all through the day. For sanitary reasons, be sure to use the cups provided at the dispensing stations to fill your bottle and not dispense liquids directly in to your water bottle.

Zip lock bags can come in very useful through out your trip, from carrying liquids through airport security, snacks and many more. On the cruise I have used them to convey and store the occasional muffin and cookies that only show up at breakfast as snacks for later, to keeping SIM cards and memory cards. Pretty much anything small that is often difficult to find in bags and you want quick access to.

6. Other Items I have found to be important:

Hint: Check at your local dollar store first

Paper towels: It is amazing how useful they are in your stateroom.

Anti fungal/bacterial wipes: To wipe down items in your stateroom, while the cruise lines try to do good job at cleaning and disinfecting, it is better for you to personally wipe items down for your own protection.